Page 8
'm with the band
Editor's Note: This is the final part of a
series exploring the behind-the-scenes
structure of today's club bands.
by Coleman Brumley
T e o egsan
Well, our band Betty Rubble is now ready to hit the
big time. Well, sort of the big time. We now have our
band members, our equipment; what's missing? Of
course the most important factor of a band--the music.
There are hundreds of styles of music to choose
from. Our band will stick to good old dancing style
rock-n-roll. The first few practices of any new band
should revolve around picking a style of music that is
best suited for it.
There are many factors involved in selecting a style
of music. Of course, the crowds you will be playing for
must like the style of music that you'll be performing.
And this must be fun, or it isn't worth the trouble.
The first few times your band puts in a live
presentation, pay attention to the way the crowd reacts
to the music that you play. Did they dance? Did they
seem interested? These are just a couple of questions
that you should ask yourself.
Part three-
Developing a so,le
Remember that you cannot please all of the people all
of the time. The best bet would be to accept the
majority. If the majority seems to enjoy the music, fine.
If not, then it's back to the drawing board as far as the
music goes.
Once again, you must also enjoy the music that you
perform. If you don't like rock-n-roll, don't play it. The
music should also be moderately easy to learn at first.
Don't go right out and pick the hardest music you can
find and try to perform it. Chances are that you'll kill
yourself trying.
Another factor that should be considered is how
much music should be played. A good rule of thumb is
to play at least five songs within a half-hour time
period. If about forty songs are learned and rehearsed
for your first performance, you'll be in good shape.
This varies with the experience levels of the members of
your band.
Another thing to remember is to mix the styles up
during your performance. See how the crowd reacts to
each individual style that is performed. Also remember
that this is not a concert, so don't lean too heavily on
covering one band's material. This would probably get
you laughed off stage, since nobody can perform a song
like the original performer.
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I
111
The Collegian
Entertainment
Poison's latest just isn't worth it
Jon Flick
The Collegian
Poison sells. Many (including
myself) criticize Poison for being
a "Glamor-Rock" band, since it is
precisely this formula which has
brought them to their third
album, Flesh & Blood.
Like their previous albums,
Look What the Cat Dragged In
and Open Up and Say... Ahh!,
Flesh & Blood sticks to the most
basic, predictable rock formula
with little variation. The
production is very clean; a prime
example of how modern
technology can do a lot for a
band's sound.
I just wish the members
would play more as a band
instead of playing as soloists
whose parts happen to coincide.
As in many of their previous
works, C.C. DeVille, the lead
guitarist, plays solos that would
be more suited to speed metal, no
matter what the tempo of the
actual song is.
I got bored with Flesh &
Blood quite quickly. As I listened
to the album a second time, I was
able to remove my headset, grab
a cup of coffee, brush my teeth,
and slip my headphones back on
without feeling like I missed
anything.
Two releases, "Unskinny
Bop," and "Something to Believe
In," have done quite well on the
charts. "Unskinny Bop" is typical
of the songs on the album - if
you've heard one, you've heard
them all. It is sad that I'm not
kidding about that!
It's not that the music is bad -
it just isn't anything more than a
dressed-up version of the band's
other work, and that's what
depressed me about the album in
general.
"Something to Believe In" is
the only exception to the rule.
Here is a song that is actually
somewhat inspiring. The lyrics
address the important issues of
today, and do it in a thought
provoking way.
Bret Michaels could have put
rif Hussein had any
brains, he'd read
The Collegian!
Thursday, February 21, 1991
Greg GeibellThe Collegian
Flesh and blood: Poison vocalist Bret Michaels
rips into the opening song of his band's
performance last Friday at the Erie Civic Center.
a little less riff in his voice (too
many yea-yea's does not a song
make), but otherwise he
performed well on this track.
Once again, the production
practically made the song.
Only two other songs on the
album attempt to escape the
realm of glam-rock. "Valley of
Lost Souls," the first track,
employs the L.A. metal sound,
and sounds almost like
something from L.A. Guns.
Although this is an good track, it
really isn't anything spectacular.
"Poor Boy Blues" is a trip
back in time to when the blues
rock sound was hot. I thought
this track came off quite well, as
Bret Michaels' voice seemed to
match the feel of this song, with
a sort of drawl.
Other than those picks, that's
it. I could see myself borrowing
a copy of Flesh & Blood to use
as background music for
studying. I definitely wouldn't
buy the album for that purpose,
let alone for an addition to my
collection.
If, on some nice warm sunny
day (which Erie rarely sees), I
hear that there is a fresh, new,
inspiring album from Poison, I
might pick up a copy. Until
then, I'll stick to the few solid
artists that are still out there.