Voices and Guitars
One thing I have come to appreciate in my travels to various shows and performances is the power of the human voice. It always comes back down to the human voice. I have seen amazing bands, fantastic drummers, great guitar players but really at the end of the day, it is the human voice that often grabs me.
Regardless of what type of music is being performed, and I have seen a range of acts, it aleays goes back to the voice-back to the vocals. If the voice does not stand out in some way, then the music probably just does not work. Whether that voice soothes, haunts, calms or terrofies-that voice has to have some effect on you
I know there are exceptions. Jeff Beck has no vocals. Bernie Torme sings but is not the ideal vocalist, but I would be at either of their shows. They bring other things to the table. The point here today is simple, good vocals go a long way. You may not need a front man but if you do not have that voice to lure your audience in, you are just adding to an already daunting task.
All of this brings me to acoustic music. At the end of the day, I would argue that regardless of what type of music one makes, it pays to try it out acoustically. Don’t throw things like electronica or death metal at me. I have no idea if those can be translated to acoustic and retain some component of themselves. Death metal probably could.
In general if you can take what you do and it works acoustically, you probably got something. By stripping away all the gadgetry, electronics, amplifaction, and effects, you may just find out what it is. And it is in this environment that the voice, the singer, accompanied by guitar or piano, is heard most clearly.
That is one of the thoughts behind the Acoustic sets We are kicking off this weekend. We got alternatvie, metal, rock, and blues acts experimenting with the acoustic stuff in addition to folks who claim acoustic rock or folk as their niche. It should be interesting.
That is happening at Mr D’s Pub and Tavern at 748 Yonkers Avenue, Yonkers. The show starts at 4:00 PM and ends at 8:00.
