We’ve been down this road many times, however, I noticed something at the last concert I was at with a “professional” group who had a “live” band performing with them.
The sound was good, though it was no better than if they were using professionally made tracks, but the band was very distracting. I’ve actually noticed this at the past few times I’ve seen live bands performing at Gospel concerts. The bands are so much “into” the music that the distract from the vocalists. When the bands in Southern Gospel groups are bouncing and jumping around on stage much like the rock bands do, then they are conflicting with the vocalists and the message. The same can be said about the bands in Christian Rock or CCM. There is a time for “bands” to do their thing, and that’s when they are doing their instrumental numbers, otherwise they should just be background musicians, blending in, not sticking out like a sore thumb.
I don’t understand people who clam to not like live bands. Seeing a group of guys sing with tracks and not use any live instruments, is in most cases one of the most boring things I have ever seen. Saying the band gets “to into the music” make no sense to me at all. If I am a band leader, or in a band, or have a group that has hired a band I want them “in to the music”. Who wants a band that is not into the music. If you only want to hear the vocalist and not go to a show to be entertained, and see great “music” then stay at home and listen to the radio.
Not everyone goes to a show to hear the singing. In some cases the band could be better than the singers, in others the band complements the singers. The only cases I have seen the band get in the way is when they suck as performers and are not any good on their instrument. I am sure the band your referring to complemented the singers, and the over all performance. Jumping around on stage adds to the energy of a live show. Whats wrong with feeling the music, and being entertaining as well?
Here is a thought for you. Say the “message” is to bring people to the Lord through music and song right? Well the people who do not listen to “SG” music, but enjoy instruments and a great entraining performance, will find a common thread with a group that has a live band. Like the rock bands, CCM, country music they may like, they are used to hearing a live band as well as seeing one. When they go to a GS show or see them at a fair they will be drawn in by the musicians more than the singers in some cases.
Don’t be so narrow minded when talking about bands and their place. If you don’t play a instrument, and don not understand the talent, time, and creativity that goes into have a live band on the road no matter the genre. Then don’t comment on something you really know nothing about.
I don’t understand people who clam to not like live bands. Seeing a group of guys sing with tracks and not use any live instruments, is in most cases one of the most boring things I have ever seen. Saying the band gets “to into the music” make no sense to me at all. If I am a band leader, or in a band, or have a group that has hired a band I want them “in to the music”. Who wants a band that is not into the music. If you only want to hear the vocalist and not go to a show to be entertained, and see great “music” then stay at home and listen to the radio.
Not everyone goes to a show to hear the singing. In some cases the band could be better than the singers, in others the band complements the singers. The only cases I have seen the band get in the way is when they suck as performers and are not any good on their instrument. I am sure the band your referring to complemented the singers, and the over all performance. Jumping around on stage adds to the energy of a live show. Whats wrong with feeling the music, and being entertaining as well?
Here is a thought for you. Say the “message” is to bring people to the Lord through music and song right? Well the people who do not listen to “SG” music, but enjoy instruments and a great entraining performance, will find a common thread with a group that has a live band. Like the rock bands, CCM, country music they may like, they are used to hearing a live band as well as seeing one. When they go to a GS show or see them at a fair they will be drawn in by the musicians more than the singers in some cases.
Don’t be so narrow minded when talking about bands and their place. If you don’t play a instrument, and don not understand the talent, time, and creativity that goes into have a live band on the road no matter the genre. Then don’t comment on something you really know nothing about.
YOU assume I know nothing of which I am talking. Sorry, but I’ve sang with groups who have live instruments and those who use tracks. I’ve had some experience at this.
I can assure you that if a group is boring with tracks , then they will be boring with a live band. It’s up to the singers to put the excitement in the concert.
Here’s a thought for you. The message is brought about through the words of the song, not the music. The music is supposed to compliment the vocals. You cannot put Gospel Music in the same category as rock music. There is no message trying to be gotten across with rock music.
The problem with musicians jumping around, and getting into the music, is that they get into the music in their own little world and it is very distracting and takes away from the ability of the vocals to get he message across. I have no problem with musicians who know their place. They are background, they are accompaniment, not the main focal point. Remember we’re talking Gospel Music here. It’s not just the bad musicians who are distracting. I don’t care how good a musician is, if they are jumping around on stage, and I mean literally jumping, then they are distracting and taking away from the performance of the vocalists, which is who the audience came to see.
I challenge any of the live music bunch to put together the very best band that they can, rent a hall and let’s see how many people come out to see just the band.
Deon, I don’t think drum_stix_1018 fully realizes that S.G.M. is a vocal driven genera of Christian music.
I’m not a fan of tracks as you might well know, we don’t use tracks at all, but if I had band members jumping around on stage like KISS or showing off period… they would be walked out of the building and told to never come back, fired right on the spot, no questions asked.
There is a time, place and song where instrumental showing off is OK, but the norm they [the band] is there to support the vocals, that’s where the message is, not in the instrumentation.
While some SG fans like tracks better than live music, i would have to ask… what not just pop in a CD? at least the vocals will be tuned and they will sound richer with a bit of reverb. There is something special about hearing a live performance, something that can not be explained. But it has to do with emotion and the power that is expressed that u just don’t get from a recording. When a live singer is held to a track, the full emotion can never be expressed because that track is exactly the same every time. With a live band you get interaction, not just between the musicians, but between the singers and the musicians. They play off of each other… they can feel what each other are feeling and the full emotion will come through. this is what will sell the message of southern gospel music. Not a singer to a track, most people cannot relate to that. If u want to spread the “message” to the average person you have to be able to relate to the average person….and for that….live tracks just wont cut it.
You know I’ve never heard or seen a R & R band using tracks, I have heard some Country groups with drop tracks and vocal stacks, I guess they could in R & R too.
I feel much the same way as you do, we don’t use tracks, vocal stacks or any other reenforcement for what we do. But you’ll find we are in the minority, the powers to be will beat you down and tell you how wrong we are to feel that way. Well, I’m a professional singer and in over 40 years I have never had to sing with tracks or use tricks and I have no intention of starting now.
We even went so far as to have a drop track made with full orchestration less piano on two of our songs and we tried it in several concerts and it wasn’t a hit at all, our fans didn’t like it at all. We have cultivated an audience who likes SGM the way it was, just a well played piano and four or five good vocalists. It’s pretty simple really, we do it our way and they are more than welcome to do it their way. We host many professional touring groups who use tracks, that’s fine with us, we don’t care.
I have heard many fine groups with good tracks and I think they do a fine job. I just have a personal preference for singing without tracks, we do it well enough without all of that extra stuff. I really don’t like it when a group use the same tracks as everyone else though, if you are going to use tracks, use good ones, have them made for your group pitched to your voices and please don’t stack the vocals with voices of other artists than your own.
I personally believe the absence of live bands is one of the top three reasons southern gospel is not growing and possibly loosing ground.
Deon, do you play an instrument proficiently?
As a matter of fact I play the trombone, but it’s not readily used on SGM. You are wrong though about the live instruments, or lack of, being the problem with SGM.
While some SG fans like tracks better than live music, i would have to ask… what not just pop in a CD? at least the vocals will be tuned and they will sound richer with a bit of reverb. There is something special about hearing a live performance, something that can not be explained. But it has to do with emotion and the power that is expressed that u just don’t get from a recording. When a live singer is held to a track, the full emotion can never be expressed because that track is exactly the same every time. With a live band you get interaction, not just between the musicians, but between the singers and the musicians. They play off of each other… they can feel what each other are feeling and the full emotion will come through. this is what will sell the message of southern gospel music. Not a singer to a track, most people cannot relate to that. If u want to spread the “message” to the average person you have to be able to relate to the average person….and for that….live tracks just wont cut it.
You answered your own question. Live SINGERS present the emotion and feeling in the songs, not live musicians. To be honest, the only ones who notice if it’s live or if it’s memorex are musicians. Singing News did a poll not long ago, and over 60% of the fans said that it didn’t matter if it was live musicians or tracks.
Gaither is a great example. He uses live musicians, but they are off stage and the sound is run through the sound system, therefore you can’t tell any difference if they are playing live or it’s recorded. Also, it is an insult to studio musicians to say that they play with no feeling. There is just as much feeling in the tracks as there is on the stage live, but again, it’s not the feeling that the instrumentalists are putting into the song that the audience is feeling. It’s the feeling and emotion that the singers are putting in to the songs that comes across to the fans.
A singer is no more held back by a track than he is with a live band, in fact, I heard a lot more train wrecks with live bands than I ever have heard with tracks. Let me reiterate once more, I am not against live bands as long as they are used as accompaniment and background. I believe, and would have it if I could afford it, that the perfect setting is live instruments plus tracks. But, when the instrumentalists are so into their music that they distract from the program, I’ll take the tracks.
[ Edited: 29 October 2007 09:42 AM by Deon Unthank ]
Seriously folks, I gotta say…when I first started working as a DJ at a Southern Gospel radio station, and went to my first ever concert, I actually did a double take when I noticed that there were no live pickers.
I have since come to understand the reasons…economics seems to be the big one. But I gotta tell you…when a good band like, say, the Kingdom Heirs band gets cranked up, it’s really a joy.
And of course for you bluegrass lovers, (I is one!) it goes without saying that having a band on stage is part of the appeal.
Seriously folks, I gotta say…when I first started working as a DJ at a Southern Gospel radio station, and went to my first ever concert, I actually did a double take when I noticed that there were no live pickers.
I have since come to understand the reasons…economics seems to be the big one. But I gotta tell you…when a good band like, say, the Kingdom Heirs band gets cranked up, it’s really a joy.
And of course for you bluegrass lovers, (I is one!) it goes without saying that having a band on stage is part of the appeal.
Mike
I think that my post is not being understood. I am totally NOT against bands, if they are good, and if they know their place. My post is that I am noticing more and more that SG bands are becoming clones of rocks bands, jumping up and down and really “grooving” with their music. They seem to be more and more in their own little world. If they are playing an instrumental, that’s fine, but if they are accompanying a group,then that’s what they should be doing, “accompanying”, and not distract from the program.
Bands like the Kingdom Heirs and the Kingsmen are NOT the types of bands that I am talking about.
Church people are trained to be more gracious and accepting of concerts with tracks. Typical southern gospel fans may focus on singing more than the whole package, but younger listeners (below 40) like a concert setting.
Even though Deon says I am wrong, I contend that the absence of live bands has sent several less than flattering messages to would be listeners of southern gospel. First, it sends the message that anyone who can scrape together three singers and a CD player can start taking bookings. Secondly, it makes us look less talented. It takes much more talent to sing and play WELL that to do one or the other singularly. And finally, without adding words to what Bassically said, it makes us look like we need a gimmick. Here’s my point. Your eyes see 3 or 4 singers and maybe a piano on stage. Your ears hear 12 to 20 voices that sounds like a choir, a full orchestra, and at least an 8 piece band.
Its a full dog and pony show. You just don’ t see the dog or the pony. We don’t have enough dogs and ponys to go around, so we just pre-record the best dog and best pony so every show would be the same.
Deon i dont think you are understanding. It does not matter if you have the greatest musicians in the world, if they are recorded they are not playing WITH the singer, you will never get the full emotion. Furthermore, i am most certainly not disrespecting any studio musician, in fact i have the utmost respect for all of them, they are some of the finest players in the world. However you are disrespecting all musicians by labeling them as an afterthought, delegated to the background, unimportant. It seems to me you think of a singer differently than a musician…i have a bit of news, a singer is a musician…at least they should be. How can one claim to be a professional if they are not understanding the craft they are working in. It just doesn’t make any sense.
Also you say 60 percent of SG fans like tracks? Weren’t you talking about the message of the songs earlier? Hearing the message? Don’t these fans know the message? I think they do. We need to spread the message. And one great way to do that is by having a great band that is getting into the music, if they are jumping…so be it. The message will not be lost… it will be remembered.
Tater, you are so right dead bands stink! I prefer live ones too!
Deon; You wrote…“You are wrong though about the live instruments, or lack of, being the problem with SGM.” No, you may be correct, but there are many things which are problems in SGM today, and many of them may be due to those in the so called “industry”.
