robots in the mix


snojones
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snojones
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05/29/2018 4:11 pm

I just had a very depressing experience watching a "live" performance that was more of a recording than anything live. The really depressing part was that the musicians on the stage were probably skilled. But the constant emergence of prerecorded backing tracks made it difficult to tell if they actualy were good or just lip sincing!

I am a life long musician and this "what the hell is lip sinced" question convinced me that this was worse than disco! I mean... at least disco made no pretense of being live. You knew coming in, that what you would get is a guy with a record player.

Oh well I guess computers have stolen our privacy, our democracy, and now our music. Who need a live musician when you can just buy a machine. welcome to the future?!!! What is next buttontricks.com with toutorials like "pushing 2 buttons at the same time"?!


Captcha is a total pain in the........

# 1
Guitar Tricks Admin
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Guitar Tricks Admin
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05/30/2018 6:34 pm

Big fan of Buttontricks.com


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# 2
JeffS65
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JeffS65
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05/30/2018 11:43 pm

Nowadays I'm tending towards 'small venue' bands where it's clear it is all live. In the last few years, my wife and I have taken to seeing Tedeschi Trucks Band (NPR Tiny Desk Concert) a number of times in the last few years. It's real, it's tasty and as I'm getting older, kinda my speed.

Funny thing about disco, it was actually played most all of the time. Sure, performed live, depending on who you see, it was recorded stuff but lots of those bands were live. And all the old 70's R&B (EW&F, Commodores etc) were live and those bands could cook it up!

I do agree with the 'electronicization' of modern music. Kids can just pull up Garageband and become the next Deadmau5. Yippee..........I mean, I did this little ditty for a work video all with Apple loops (about 6 or 7 total loops) in about a day (I didn't have time to set up a whole recording so I just mucked out with loops until I hit on something). Came out decently but it just goes to show you that it is so easy to create without knowing how to play. You still have to know how to mix and all that stuff but still, it's not my music, really. Yes, I arranged and mixed the loops but it's not mine. Kinda the point. It's not me creating music. Arranger? Maybe.

In the end, it's all taking away music that you feel at a deeper level.


# 3
snojones
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snojones
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06/03/2018 3:02 pm

I love Tedeschi Trucks!! Great live band!!

The gig I was speaking of was a "small venue" performance. It was a local band and they are not the first I have had this deflating experience with.

While the big international stars of disco may have performed live, my experience at the local level was mostly a guy with a record player. I always thought that the disco lable refered to the records which replaced live performers. At least DJs didn't pretend to be musicians. That is the disco I was refering to.

I have alway thought that the height of Live Performace was an organic interplay between the band on stage, their musical skill, and the audience. That feedback loop always determined who was a great, not who had the biggest kereoke machine. That human symbiosis was critical from the local level to the international level. Developing that kind of skill took tallent and years of practice.... pushing buttons and turning knobs does not. That is called Recording. It is a diffrent thing, and it is definatly not live performing.


Captcha is a total pain in the........

# 4
JeffS65
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JeffS65
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06/04/2018 1:24 pm
Originally Posted by: snojones

I love Tedeschi Trucks!! Great live band!!

The gig I was speaking of was a "small venue" performance. It was a local band and they are not the first I have had this deflating experience with.

While the big international stars of disco may have performed live, my experience at the local level was mostly a guy with a record player. I always thought that the disco lable refered to the records which replaced live performers. At least DJs didn't pretend to be musicians. That is the disco I was refering to.

I have alway thought that the height of Live Performace was an organic interplay between the band on stage, their musical skill, and the audience. That feedback loop always determined who was a great, not who had the biggest kereoke machine. That human symbiosis was critical from the local level to the international level. Developing that kind of skill took tallent and years of practice.... pushing buttons and turning knobs does not. That is called Recording. It is a diffrent thing, and it is definatly not live performing.

Point taken. It is dejecting when you expect to see someone perform but that's not really what they're doing. I can't say I've seen an artist that's guilty of it (that I know...). Some of the greatest concerts you'll ever see are when a band is cookin' it up. Though I was long a metalhead back in the day, I was able to see the Christmas Eve kick-off concert of Prince's Purple Rain tour. Best concert I've ever seen. That band SMOKED. Other than the odd electronic sounds Prince used, that band was totally live and totally tight. For the record, Sheila E was the warm up, hard to beat on her own.

So, yep. Good point. Nothing better than a great band.

And to share, here's a TTB concert pic I took..it was kinda close:


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john of MT
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john of MT
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06/04/2018 4:54 pm

Little Steven occasionally refers to musicians/bands who 'play instruments.' I like comments about the difference between 'celebrities' and 'artists' or 'musicians.'

More than anything, I think what this thread is talking about is a generational difference. The 'music' has changed, particularly in Country and Rock. Even vocals are run through machines. I saw a singer the other night that sounded like a heavily weighted echo chamber. I caught myself thinking that this is how Annette Funicello's recordings were presented in order to cover her weak singing. The second thing I thought was what an old fart I am. ;)

What's next.. Dylan goes electric? Oh... nevermind!


"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time."
-- Chet Atkins
# 6
JeffS65
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JeffS65
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06/04/2018 7:36 pm
Originally Posted by: john of MT What's next.. Dylan goes electric?

John, John, John, you know that's never going to happen. Dylan will be folk forever!

I mean, if it did, I'd have to walk out. Most especially if it was in Newport, at a folk festival, in 1965....less than 30 days after I was born.[br][br]


# 7

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