Festival gig
- Thread starter dvs
- Start date
PapaBear
Guit Fiddlier
Video if you can
BraylonJennings
It's all blues
Ha! I'm still finding my footing live, maybe I can have Connie record something, cuz I'm too busy at this point. Everybody loves Hurricane though, so thanks for bringing it to me.
PapaBear
Guit Fiddlier
It's a great tune!
sdbrit68
Student Of The Blues
crap, now I feel bad, I forget ones I wrote
dvs
Green Mountain Blues
Since the lockdown days, I've made my way through about 25 open mics and a few other shows with my solo acoustic act or (recently) a duo with a drummer. I have tried a range of things for managing the songs. What I'm finding is if I can't perform a song without reading from a lyrics sheet or a lead sheet (i.e., from memory) then I don't really know it well enough and I'm not ready to include it in a show.
For now I have a tablet with me to show my planned set list and charts. As we move to each song I pull up the lyrics and some notes (key, tempo, capo, how do we start/end...). The tablet software I use, MobileSheets, contains my entire library of music charts. Setting up a setlist beforehand and stepping through it on stage is easy and straightforward. The lyrics are there as a backup in case of a brain freeze and the notes are like a pre-launch checklist. On stage I put the tablet low and to the side so I can glance at it if I need to, but it's not in between me and the audience. I don't usually refer to it once the song starts. Not sure if this approach will scale to hundreds of songs, but we're not quite there yet. If we reach a point where our brains overflow then we may have to modify the process.
For now I have a tablet with me to show my planned set list and charts. As we move to each song I pull up the lyrics and some notes (key, tempo, capo, how do we start/end...). The tablet software I use, MobileSheets, contains my entire library of music charts. Setting up a setlist beforehand and stepping through it on stage is easy and straightforward. The lyrics are there as a backup in case of a brain freeze and the notes are like a pre-launch checklist. On stage I put the tablet low and to the side so I can glance at it if I need to, but it's not in between me and the audience. I don't usually refer to it once the song starts. Not sure if this approach will scale to hundreds of songs, but we're not quite there yet. If we reach a point where our brains overflow then we may have to modify the process.
BraylonJennings
It's all blues
I agree with you to a point, Doug. Some open mics are for polished material. Some are more experimental, let's say, with people trying new material and most people never playing a song more than once. In this case, I have my lyrics ready for help if I need it. I'm trying a winery tomorrow, all new people, so I'll go with what I do best. But I enjoy seeing folks trying to stretch their limits.
Lots of wineries out here, warmer weather means lots of playing opportunities if you want them. Lots of the guys are vying for those gigs, but it's not my goal to get paid. I'm just trying to get comfortable for Grand Rapids. If I was getting paid, it all changes and I'd have to spiff things up a bit, especially lyric memorization.
dvs
Green Mountain Blues
Totally agree with you, Braylon. I'm using the open mics as safe space to experiment and figure out what I need to do some actual gigs. Also, I'm describing what I've figured out might work for me, but I don't want to imply that it's going to be right for everybody (or anybody) else. I know lots of people who use lyrics sheets, esp. for large repertoires of covers. I think that's fine! Unfortunately, because of vision/perception/the way my brain works, I have found that I can't read lyrics on stage without staring at them and I've learned that doesn't fly, at least for me.
Have a great show at the winery - break a leg!
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dvs
Green Mountain Blues
We've got some highlights from our set at the ArtFest. We were the opening act at the festival, our audience was small and friendly, and we had a lot of fun.
The audio is a combination (I hesitate to say "mix") of the camera mics (Zoom Q2n-4K), which picked up room sound (audience and natural reverb) as well as floor monitors and drums, plus I got a board recording of the main FOH mix, which was mostly guitar and vocals with not quite enough drums (drums didn't need a lot of reinforcement and so kick and overhead mics were very low in the mains). Playing with the levels between those two, I was able to get a reasonable balance between me and Sue and avoid emphasizing the boomy room sound.
youtu.be
The audio is a combination (I hesitate to say "mix") of the camera mics (Zoom Q2n-4K), which picked up room sound (audience and natural reverb) as well as floor monitors and drums, plus I got a board recording of the main FOH mix, which was mostly guitar and vocals with not quite enough drums (drums didn't need a lot of reinforcement and so kick and overhead mics were very low in the mains). Playing with the levels between those two, I was able to get a reasonable balance between me and Sue and avoid emphasizing the boomy room sound.
Sue & Doug - Mad River Valley ArtFest 2023
Highlights from our set at the Route 100 Art & Music Fest, Waitsfield, Vermont, May 20, 2023
youtu.be
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tommytubetone
Great Lakes
Nicely done Sue and Dog. Looking forward to seeing you both in September. 
BraylonJennings
It's all blues
I agree, sounds great. Nothing like live drums to boost the sound. Good job, Doug and Sue.
CaptainMoto
Blues Voyager
Congrats!
Looks like you delivered.
Looks like you delivered.
