80th & Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66204
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Tip # 16

Last weekend several of us from the Homer’s Coffee House community went to Nashville for the Indieheaven CIA Summit Christian music conference. A running joke among our group became the number of guitars different people had and what the latest purchase was. The question is: does a new guitar help you play better?

I am reminded of my early years as a professional photographer. One time I bought a new camera and the quality of my work immediately improved. Surprisingly, when I picked up my old camera, the quality didn’t go back down. In fact each time I would buy a new piece of equipment, my work would improve, even when I used the old equipment.

It seems that the new challenge, or a new feel, would bring out a new spurt of creativity. I expect that the same is true with musical equipment. Obviously, it is not necessary to buy more stuff to play better, but there is an element to the “new guitar” idea that brings out a new sound or a new idea.

I am playing instruments that I have owned practically my whole life, but bringing out different guitars for a season or months at time seems like a good idea.

On another thought, a little bit of humility on stage is very appealing, but constantly tooting your own horn grows old very quickly. I believe this is from Proverbs. (Whoever humbles himself will be exalted and whoever exalts himself will be humbled.) I think it is nice when a lead singer says something like, “give the band a hand” or “give it up for the guitar player,” but only occasionally. Repeatedly doing this is quite annoying. For members of the band to constantly comment how great they are turns people off in a big way. Just don’t do it!

We saw Vince Gill on the Grand Ole Opry Saturday night. People at that level never brag about CD sales or the rewards they have won. They might occasionally thank the audience for supporting them and buying records, but they would never imply that it was all about them. Always thank the audience for coming and supporting you.

Tip # 15

A lot of people seem to have trouble with “gremlins” in their sound system. Gremlins are those little pops, cracks, hums, and hisses that you never know for sure where they come from. I have very little trouble with gremlins. Even using the same equipment as somebody else, I have less trouble. It has become sort of a running joke that I have some sort of an electron gene that causes electronics equipment to behave when I’m around.

The truth is a lot less exotic. The truth is over the years (50, but who’s counting) as an audio service technician, audiophile, and performing musician, I have developed some habits that greatly reduce gremlins.

For example when plugging in a RCA type plug, the type used on consumer electronics, I always give the plug a twist. I then turn it a few times after it is plugged in. Phone plugs, the ¼ type used in electric guitars and amps are left over from telephone switchboard days. They were designed for heavy duty use by telephone operators. Bell labs designed them to endure hundreds of thousands of plugging in and unplugging. They actually work better the more you use them. Still, giving them a little turn as you plug in the cord insures a better connection.

XLR plugs cannot be turned, but you can push them in and out a few times and then, make sure they click. The 1/8 plugs used on iPods and other small devices benefit from the same twisting technique, but they are so delicate, they aren’t going to last a long time anyway. Don’t use them on stage if you can avoid it.

If you develop some of these habits, I guarantee gremlins will seldom haunt you. They may still raise their little heads now and then because Murphy’s Law is real, but your show won’t be ruined by annoying noises, at least not ones you weren’t intending to make.

Jim's Tips #13

Wake up in the middle of the night in a truck stop,
Stumble in the restaurant, wonderin’ why I don’t stop.
Steve Earle – GuitarTown

I don’t know about Earle, but I do it for the food. Jennifer Lynn Smith played Homer’s last weekend. After the gig, the inevitable question came up. What’s for breakfast? Even though Jennifer is a Prius driving folkie, I recommended Village Inn – the skillet breakfast with sausage and some Tabasco. It seemed like the perfect ending to a great night of good music. She agreed and off they went for a post gig feast.

Which brings up the question, does different genres require different food. We usually think of blues and barbeque, country and fried chicken, and folk and tofu. During my early rock and roll days, every gig was finished off with two eggs over easy, hash browns with ketchup, and toast. But I don’t know if the definitive study has been made. If anybody has a clear opinion on this let me know.

Tip of the week: Watch the amount of time between songs. Audiences get bored in about eight seconds. If you aren’t telling them something interesting or beginning the next song, they tend to start thinking about something else and you have lost them. I often watch Austin City Limits (especially before they got weird.) One of their affective techniques is a quick edit between songs taking the audience immediately from one song to the next. That is a good approach for a live show as well.

Also, include the audience in your on-stage conversation. People don’t like to be left out. If you turn to talk to the band off mike, the audience thinks you are keeping secrets from them. If you ask the bass player a question over the mike, the audience feels included in the conversation and thus feels closer to you. They are now in the loop and feel you are one of them.

Jim's Tips # 12

I was watching a documentary about Gram Parsons last night. In the movie Emmy Lou Harris said that they were getting ready to go on tour and the band just got together, hung out, played a little music, and had a good time. Since she had never played in a band before, she thought maybe, that somehow, some sort of magic happened and it all came together on stage.

Of course it didn’t and they were immediately fired. At that point Emmy Lou took over leadership of the band, carefully rehearsing every song in detail. With a well rehearsed band, the group did magically connect with the audience and deliver the music with passion and conviction.

I hear quite a few performers who apparently think that magic is going to happen on stage, that they will somehow rise to the occasion and deliver a great show without disciplined rehearsals. If it doesn’t sound good in your living room, it isn’t going to get any better on stage. If you don’t have a set list, know what keys the songs are in, know the intros and outros, unless the audience is all your close friends, they aren’t going to cut you much slack. The old rule of practice, practice, and practice has not been repealed.

Jim's Tips # 11

One of the main things I remember from the Tom Jackson seminar is that you, as a performer, are responsible for what happens on the stage. You cannot pretend to be the victim. If your guitar is not plugged in, or you forgot your capo, it is not somebody else’s fault. Take charge of the stage. And don’t apologize. So what if you goof up. Apologizing to the audience only makes matters worse.

I was also asked this week to remind artists to keep their introductions short. People seem to get bored real fast if they have come to hear music and your introductions are as long as the songs. Joan Baez said that all her life people have told her to “Shut up and sing.” That’s good advice for every singer.

Jim's Tips # 10

There are two types of sound set-ups for bands. At one extreme is what I would call an arena or stadium set-up where everything is run through one large system. All instruments and vocals are miked. The mix and a good part of the sound are controlled by the sound engineer in the middle of the arena. Often there is a separate mixer on the stage for monitors. Sometimes there is even another mixer or two for broadcast or recording. With this set-up the musicians must rely on the sound people for the mix and just about everything having to do with the sound quality.

At the other end is the club set-up. Here the only thing run through the sound system are vocals and maybe acoustic instruments. In this set-up you would never mike the drums or bass. You would only mike the electric guitars if you were using very low output amps. Keyboards should have their own amplifiers. In this case the musicians on stage are totally responsible for the mix. It becomes very important to listen to each other and know when to play soft and when to play out. In a club set-up it is very important to be careful of the monitors because you can get a wrong impression of the mix very easily if anything other than vocals are in the monitors. The sound person has limited control and is probably unnecessary most of the time.

Generally speaking I prefer a club set-up in venues of less than about 500 people though some would say less than 100. At Homer’s, I designed the sound system as a club set-up with emphasis on clean, clear vocals at close range. There is no intent of a full range system capable of handling bass or drums because it is not necessary in a small room.

The ultimate club set-up was probably the Grateful Dead’s “Wall of Sound.” This was just a club set-up taken to extremes with stacks of amps and speakers for each instrument. They abandoned the system, not because it didn’t sound great, but because it took three days and a crew of fifty to set-up.

Jim's Tips #9

Land and Hildebrand played at Homer’s this weekend. As is the norm when they play, we were at standing room only an hour before they started. People were stacked up on the sidewalk trying to get in the entire two hours they played – both nights.

This is always a bit of a puzzle to me. It is not that they aren’t good. They are easily in the top 5 or 6 groups that play here. There musicianship is solid but not awe inspiring. Their vocals are clean and clear and song selection is certainly good. But I could say that about just about everybody that plays here.

It is partly because they have been playing together for 25 years and have built-up a strong fan base. It is also because they have a lot of good original material. But the bottom line is that they put on a great show. They make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you wanting to hear more. Showmanship is hard to define, but it is clearly a lot more than just playing and singing well and having good material. It is communicating with the crowd on a heart to heart level, earning their trust, and giving them some great moments that they can relish for days to come.

I think that this is where most performers need to spend their practice time – learning to “put on a show.” If we are just playing for ourselves, it is whole lot easier in our living rooms.

Jim's Tips #8

A few weeks ago Bob Jenkins played at Homer’s. For his song “Gospel Star” he donned a sequined jacket with electric lights. Hockey – yes, funny – sure, did it bring the house down – absolutely. Sometimes folk singer types take themselves too seriously. Sometimes it takes humor for people to hear the serious stuff.

A few weeks ago Sky Blue played an outdoor gig at night on a trailer in a parking lot. I hung a coupe of 650 watt quartz-halogen lights on speaker stands at the corners of the “stage” and we were lit up like daylight. I have mentioned before, if you ever need your own sound system, you probably need lights as well.

I have heard a lot of comments about how attentive the audiences are at Homer’s. I think it is because of the close proximity of the performers to the people. People like to be apart of the show. Make eye contact often, connect with the audience, make them feel like they are good friends. That is very difficult in a big auditorium. The performers who can do that in big places, learned how in small clubs first.

Jim's Tips #7

I received several comments about last week’s tips. One asked the question, “Where is the Lord in this plan?” Good question. I guess I was assuming that if the reader were a Christian artist, they would be seeking God’s plan for their life. If you are able to get very far along on this roadmap, it would be obvious that God is leading and blessing your ministry. If you see 150 to 200 dates a year as an impossible task, it may be that God has other plans for you and is using this to indicate a different direction.

Several of you were discouraged by my last comment about being young and attractive. This was sort of an afterthought touch of reality. I didn’t intend to discourage sixty-year old performers, since I am one myself. But chances are, at my age, I am not going to drive in the Indy 500, play in the NFL, or have a #1 record. God is in the business of doing miracles, and any of those things would be one for sure.

That doesn’t mean that I am not called to play music or that I am not going to have a great time doing it. It just means that I may need to have a different definition of success. To me, playing music with my friends, playing 30 or 40 gigs a year and selling a few hundred CD’s would be considered a success. To others that would be pretty dismal. Don’t let somebody else keep you from your God given passion.

By the way, check out the web site I am building: http://www.thepassionneverfades.com

Jim's Tips #6

I have often wondered about what it takes to be a long-term success in the music business. By reading a lot of stories, talking to people in the music business, and attending music industry conferences, I have realized that there is a business plan that works. Countless people, in all genres, from Count Basie to Garth Brooks, have followed this model. I am sure there are other routes, but I would follow this one if I wanted to make it in the music business (and I was a lot younger.)

First draw a circle of 100 mile radius around your home on a map. Book yourself into any place you can find that has live music. It doesn’t matter that much whether you get paid or not at this point. Polish your show until you can consistently draw 300-400 people per night. People have to leave amazed and telling their friends what a great time they had. Remember, the most likely thing people will do when they walk out the door is forget you unless you give them a good reason not to.

When 5-10 people a night ask where they can buy your music, it is time to record a CD. When you are playing three or four nights a week and drawing 300-400 people each night or at least selling out smaller venues on a regular basis, increase the radius to 200 miles. If you are concerned about over-exposure, a better question might be “Why are you boring?”

Increase the radius to 300 miles when you are consistently playing 150 to 200 dates a year within 200 miles. When you can draw 300+ people within a 300 miles radius and have sold 3500 CD’s at your shows or over the internet in the past year, the major record companies will be calling you. At this point, you can write your own ticket, though it is not obvious why you would even want to sign at that point.

The major labels are not looking to develop stars, they are looking for local stars that they can take national or international.

This process usually takes about 10-12 years. If you can do this before you are 25 and happen to be good looking too, you are on your way to superstardom.

Jim's Tips #5

I play in the Christian blues/rock band, “Sky Blue” in addition to my church’s praise band, so, I think a lot about the differences. The purpose, and therefore the focus, of the two are quite different. The purpose of the praise band is to lead worship, to help people see God more clearly. The focus is on the Lord. The purpose of the blues band is to entertain and the focus is on the audience. This results in some dramatic differences in the approach.

At church we do simple songs that the audience can sing along. We do not want to detract from the worship with either bad playing or virtuoso playing. We want the music to be transparent. The challenge is to keep the music from being a concert.

In Sky Blue the opposite is true. Even though a secondary goal is for people to see God more clearly, the primary focus is on the audience. We want them to know that Christians can have fun and make great music. We want them to go away thinking “What a great band!”

Two bands, two purposes, two approaches to performing – it can be a challenge to keep the two sorted out. Granted, it is easier for me because in Sky Blue I play a lead instrument and sing. In the church, band I play bass and don’t sing so the two are dissimilar to my brain..

Most of the people reading this are probably in the same situations. What is your experience?

Jim's Tips #3

We have been having live music twice a week at Homer’s for six years. Over that time I have seen many artists improve immensely. Performers who were pretty good five or six years ago have become wonderful. Surprisingly, others have not changed at all. The likely difference is practice. Music is a craft and like every craft, ones skill will improve with training. Take lessons, go to seminars, read books about music, and listen to all the music you can – all kinds.

I wrote a few weeks ago that how we look is at least as important as how we sound. A huge part of that is lighting. If your lighting crew arrives a few days before you arrive in your bus or Gulf Stream, or you only play casinos or clubs with elaborate lighting, you may not have to worry about it. But if you often find yourself lugging your own P.A. you probably ought to get your own lights as well. At Homer’s we have some simple stage lights that work well, but many places have nothing. The next time the Musician’s Friend catalog comes, turn to the back few pages and check out the lights. You probably need a set of lights more than you need another effects box.

About 40 or 50 years ago, Leonard Bernstein recorded a lecture called “What is Jazz?” It is a very interesting look at blues and jazz from a theory point of view. I have posted it on the Sky Blue web site in case you want to listen to it. Here is the link: http://www.skyblueband.net/WhatisJazz.m3u It is 43 minutes long.

I was reminded this week about live music licenses. Anybody who plays live music or pre-recorded music in a public place needs a license from each of the three music licensing groups – BMI, ASCAP, & SESAC. Churches have another licensing agency, CCLI. Unless you play only all original material, that you own all the rights to, make sure the venue is properly licensed.

Jim's Tips #2  

I received a number of good comments about “Jim’s Tips” last week, so I thought I would send a few more.

 1. One of the questions that came up is talking between songs. This is clearly an artistic choice, or at least it should be. There are a few people who are famous for never saying a word on stage – Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Alan Jackson. Personally I would like to get to know the performer and hear a little bit about the songs and why they were written or chosen. But at the same time, if you spend three minutes introducing a three minute song, one of them is unnecessary – and it is probably the introduction.

 I once recorded a two hour concert. After I cut out the silence and useless chatter between songs, the resulting tape was only 45 minutes. The band was the only one surprised.

 If you decide to talk between songs, make sure your comments are loud, clear, and meaningful. A surprising amount of chat from the stage is unintelligible from thirty feet out.

 2. The most important thing is the house mix or how the band sounds from the audience. The least important thing is the monitors. Nobody hears the monitor but you, while hundreds of people are hearing the mains. Personally I believe that, ideally, the sound should be exactly the same on stage as it is in the house. That way you know what you sound like. The trend toward “More Me” strikes me as narcissistic and certainly unnecessary.

 My band, Sky Blue, recently played a date with no monitors at all. The fact that we could barely hear the vocals on stage was a little distracting, but within a few songs we adapted and nobody knew the difference. Audience members assured us that the vocals were loud and clear and that the mix was fine. That is what is important, not whether or not I can hear myself sing.

 Is there anything you would like for me to comment on? My answers may not be the “correct” ones, but I hope they get you thinking about your performance a little more.

Jim's Tips #1

Dear Fellow Musicians,

 When I was a child my parents didn’t take me to baseball games, instead they took me to concerts. Since my dad was an entertainer, much of out dinner conversation was about what made one show great and another only good. Since then I have seen thousands of hours of live music in every kind of venue from club settings like Homer’s Coffee House, to Las Vegas style showrooms, to arenas like Kemper or Arrowhead. I have also played about 1,000 gigs from bars to churches.

 This doesn’t make mean I am an expert, but it does mean I have some opinions. So I thought I would begin sharing a few under the general heading of “Jim’s Tips.” Mainly here I am talking about concert situations, leading worship is a little different and I will be writing about that later. So here goes…..

 Live music is an audio/visual experience. How we look is at least as important as how we sound. This includes just about every aspect of playing from the color of our guitars, to how we stand, to what we wear. Elvis didn’t wear white jump suits, K.I.S.S. outlandish make-up, and Johnny Cash black suits because that was what they happened to have on that day. Many musicians think that how they look isn’t important, but remember, the Beatles sold millions of records before they gave up their matching haircuts.

 Don’t noodle between songs. Making noises between songs annoys just about everybody. This is one of my bad habits, so I consciously try not to touch the guitar between songs or, at least, keep my hands on the strings so I won’t make any sounds. Better yet, move right into the next song. Long pauses between songs detract greatly. Audiences get bored in about 20 seconds.

 Make a clean start and finish to the show. Ideally the band should walk out, the lights come up and boom – first chord and you are off. It is amazing how many bands I’ve seen where I didn’t know when the show started. Is this a sound check or the first song, or are they just messing around? The audience should also know definitely when you are done. Finish the last song with a flourish and then get off the stage. Big name artists try to clear the stage before the applause dies down. You may not be able to do that, but you can make a clean exit. Go back a few minutes later to pack, after the audience knows the show is over.

 As my friend Jerry Molnar says, “Chew on the meat and spit out the bones.” I expect to send a few tips every few weeks until you tell me to stop.

 If God has given you the gift of music – keep playing, the world needs to hear.