The Public Opinion Soapbox

Mixolydian · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 32 Location: Chambersburg

Which do you guys prefer?

Maybe I'm getting old, but I have an increasingly hard time watching bands who insist upon dragging 3,000 watts of amplification out to tiny bars and running their rigs at top volume. If you go to see a rock band play in a local bar, you might as well go by yourself, because you're not going to be communicating with anyone without screaming.

Plus, it's almost impossible to properly mix a loud band in constricted rooms like these, so all that power and impact goes to waste. Do local bar owners figure people will drink more in an effort to deaden their heads? More people leave than stick around when confronted with 120 decibels in a bar, in my experience.

I love a great, loud rock band in an appropriate setting, like a room that can hold 500 to 800 people. A larger club, perhaps, like Ram's Head in Baltimore. I saw Clutch and Gov't Mule there, and they were unbelievably loud, completely awesome, and sounded great. But that's a big room, with pro sound reinforcement, staffed by pro sound engineers. Lacking those elements, a loud band in a small bar sounds like someone's amplifying a jar full of bees.

Like I said, I guess I'm just getting old. But once you've played music for a good long while, you start to appreciate the subtlety of acoustic music. It has more dynamic range. You can play it comfortably in small spaces, and people can hang out and listen without coming down with tinnitus. They can talk to their friends and pursue those hookups.

So I dunno. I guess I mostly wish we had a local club big enough to support all kinds of local bands.

the_mighty_HYMN · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Chambersburg

most of the time I prefer Rock Music. Acoustic shows are alright when it doesn't sound like a couple guys messing around on open mic night. I mean who can get their game on when you get a couple guys keep playing the same 3 chords over a 27 min version of some allman brothers tune. Heck I might as well try and pick up a girl a the mall. Live music is to be felt as an experience not some back ground noise so bob and susie can talk. I'd hate to be in that genre.

Mixolydian · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 32 Location: Chambersburg

It goes without saying (or so I thought) that any live music act better be well rehearsed to get any respect.

In fact, I think acoustic acts are much less likely to be sloppy than electric acts. The elements in acoustic acts (vocals and guitar usually) have fewer places to hide in the mix, and generally play with less volume and no distortion, so there's more clarity and pressure to be tight. Vocals especially need to be tight, because they're so much more prominent without Zakk Wannabe doing his meedly-meedly wanking on top of everything. Or some drummer laying into the crash on every two...

The disadvantage to playing acoustic is your mistakes and lack of rehearsal time are much more noticeable. It much easier to tell when an acoustic act sucks, for all those reasons.

With loud rock bands, all that distortion and mid-high frequency clutter make mistakes much harder to notice. As long as the singer is good and the dummer is decent, a rock band can totally suck and still fake its way through a show. Distortion is a crutch.

Torgo · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:56 am Post subject:

It's a matter of finding what you're after. If you wanna rock, there's plenty of bands around who can do that.

If you want to chill, then acoustics have their role as well.

Musicianship and star power has equal importance in either category.

the_mighty_HYMN · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 34 Location: Chambersburg

u better stick to guitar hero. but that might be too much distortion for you.
UNLESS you are original, then that is a different ball park, cause i really don't need to see an acoustic cover band. thats when U R OLD.

EL_Jefe_Speaks · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:05 am Post subject:

I'm in a hard rock band but I love a good acoustic show. I'm a little bit different when it comes to amps and destortion. Plug straight In. No effects no pedals just you and the amp. Oh the smell of burning tubes. lol
Its all in how you play. Willie Nelson would sound awful with distortion.
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Torgo · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:25 am Post subject:

Mixolydian · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 32 Location: Chambersburg

anonymous_coward · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 490

We used to go to relax on thursday nights, but then that complete circle band started playing. You'd think the fact that since the only gig they could get was open mic night, they might get the hint. . I think they actually thought people liked them though, and they attempted to oblige by playing loud enough for a bar twice as big. Here's a hint though, if I'm leaning in yelling to my friends, I'm not saying, "This complete whatever band, they rock." It's because I want to talk and I'm bored with your boring original song about how you got, and/or want to get a dui.

Mixolydian · Joined: 13 Oct 2007 Posts: 32 Location: Chambersburg

Let's keep local names out of this, eh? The reason I didn't mention any specific acts and focused on the acoustic/electric thing is because band appreciation is totally subjective.

Not everyone is going to like every band, and it's just a little petty to subjectively slam someone publicly, and be inaccurate about it as well. (For example, I know Complete Circle plays all over the place, or at least they used to... not sure what they've been up to lately...)

This thread is about wise and appropriate use of all that wattage.

QueenofHearts · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 366

As an "older person" I suppose, who sat with Ricky Nelson and his family (way, way before the Nelsons) at the Circle Arts Theatre for every play, I still love acustic. I can't help it. I play a 12-string, (when my arthiritis isn't too bad) 6 string, and uke. I never got into the "amperage".

LOL "Guitar Hero"? My opinion on that is that is for people who don't want to take the time to really learn to play. Otherwise, they could just do it themselves.

Bobo · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 173 Location: Chambersburg

That DUI comments was mean, Coward. Please don't turn this forum into something ugly.

Coppy · Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 2267 Location: Chambersburg

I will admit that I've stopped patronizing Relax for the most part because of how loud it gets when they have bands play there. It's just too small for as loud as ANYONE that plays there. I don't think it has much to do with anything but how small Relax is; it's just not well suited for well-amplified rock music. I don't know if this means I'm getting old (which would be sad considering I'm fairly young) or that I enjoy going to the bar to talk to people... not yell at them.

.45chel · Joined: 26 Oct 2007 Posts: 2758 Location: Chambersburg

Sadly (?) I am unfamiliar with any local bands, but I figure there is a time and place for each.
It really seems to depend on the type of bar, pub or club and the energy of the crowd.
Honky Tonks always seem best with acoustic. Small bars (the Funky Pirate in New Orleans comes to mind here) definitely do best with acoustic (oh how I long for some blues!)
The Biker bars I've been to are rarely not plugged in, same for clubs, whether they're rock, blues, country or anything in between.

As someone has already stated, an evening out to enjoy friends, spirits and the company of others is best in an acoustic atmosphere IMHO

Oh and I'm sure all would agree that decibels are no substitute for talent, but I don't think that is what this discussion is about
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EL_Jefe_Speaks · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:02 pm Post subject:

does it really matter?
electric vs acoustic?
hippies vs rockers?
old vs young?
MTV vs radio?
records vs tapes vs cds vs mp3s?
cover vs original
you vs me
right = wrong

if it's too loud or isn't loud enough... just leave.
The thing that makes music great is that its different.
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Fedor by flying chicken wing.