Banter between songs and iPads

[htown098]

Sorry in advance for the long post...but to establish context....

I have been in an 80's cover band for the past 10 years, by and large serving as band leader. We have/had a great team of talented individuals (I'm an adequate bassist, stay in my lane, and just execute my part for every song) and had become pretty tight and polished.

I say "had" a great team, as our drummer and his wife (female vocals), both in their early 30's, are expecting their first child and understandably taking a hiatus for the time being. Our lead guitarist, rhythm / vocals, and I are all in our mid 50's. Our keys player is in his early 30's. We already have a new drummer lined up and discussing whether to find another female vocalist or just eliminate female vox songs from any given set.

As band leader, I utilized football as a team analogy of sorts in that we are going to run 30-40 plays per game. Every play is going to score a touchdown if everyone executes their part. On some plays you get to catch / throw / run the winning touchdown. On other plays you have to block. Everyone was expected to show up for rehearsal prepared to perfect every play. We had great communication in regard to specific key, structure, arrangement, etc. for all new additions to the playbook. We all understood that rehearsal essentially was not for learning new plays. Rather, rehearsal was for perfecting the new plays we had studied on our own. As such, when we hit the stage, we all knew there were going to be some brain lapses here and there, but it damn sure wasn't going to happen for lack of preparation. As such, we developed a good following of people who complimented us on being tight / polished and executing a big variety of 80's popular to "forgot about that song!' fun obscure songs. We were booking venues on our own, taking the door, putting on a tight show, and getting some private / corporate gigs a few times a year which is all we had time to play. The formula, by and large, worked.

We have/had a fairly hard and fast rule of zero seconds between songs, if possible, with the exception of tuning, instrument switches, tip the bartender, birthday shout outs, etc. which would of course call for situational banter.

Sooo...back up to earlier this year. I was approached by a friend of a friend to play bass for his band as his bassist had moved to another state. He is the drummer. My age. Great guy. He had seen us play a few times and asked me to go have a beer, which we did. He basically said "Join us and help us get organized as we are all over the place musically and organization wise." Set list is an eclectic mix of classic rock, blues, oldies, and new pop namely driven by the lead guitarist / vocalist who is in his mid 60's. Not a bad catalog at all actually...but they were admittedly unorganized in relation to rehearsals and live performances because...the lead guitarist (his uncle with whom he is very close) was essentially the band leader.

The lead guitarist is a wonderful person. There's not a bad bone in his body. He is a good guitarist with a great voice. He is also one of the most ADD people I have ever met. Perhaps THE most ADD person I have ever met. After the first rehearsal, I told my wife "I've never seen a person take a conversation that was clearly heading North and he grabs the wheel and takes a left turn at Albuquerque. Literally every conversation. He obviously can't help himself. Every. Single. Conversation. You have to take the wheel away and turn back North."

We play our first small gig, with majority of people in attendance being friends and family of the drummer and lead guitarist. It's pretty rough. I notice that he has to say SOMETHING lounge act corny to hear himself talk before every song. Like his own Smothers Brothers comedy hour. Or Hee Haw or something. He's actually a quick witted / funny guy in a nerdy way. But...uhhhh. He also goes ham / off script on several songs that resulted in the song being sloppy. My wife tells me "Well...that was pretty rough ...they're not as talented as your other band...it has potential as they're all talented enough. But...he really needs to be a solo lounge act or STFU and just play the songs."

He and the female vocalist (early 30's) also used iPads, which is fine I guess, but to stare at for lyrics for almost every song? Songs that you have played many times? Have you not memorized the lyrics?

We have a few more rehearsals. I politely point out and try to create the conditions by which they convince themselves that memorizing the lyrics is not a bad thing and perhaps a bit more polished. Quick transitions between songs is also a polish thing. Situational banter is perfectly fine....but uhhh...before every song?

We also discussed structure and arrangements. Blues, country, loop jams, etc. ...all cool for jamming and going a little ham. Rock on. We'll follow. With the rest of the set...given we haven't played enough together to be instinctual...how about we agree to a specific studio or live structure so we're all on the same page and everyone commits to muscle memorizing that structure for the sake of tightness? They agree.

We play a few more gigs and get slightly tighter. They still use iPads but I'm somewhat of an ass in rehearsals about banter (the keys player and female vocalist thank me on the side) and song transitions get quicker, the banter goes down, and going ham goes down. He is still ADD as hell...he can't help it...I just have to yank the wheel back to the North.

We played a surprise 50th last Saturday. It goes fairly well actually ... so I'm hair splitting ...but he reverted back to corny banter before every single *!@$%#! song. Crowd was drunk and not really paying attention. My wife was there and told me "I thought he was going to stop doing that?" Ha.

He also goes ADD ham on a couple of structure songs and literally ends the song before the last verse, chorus, or outro. These were both female vox songs and she gives me a *** just happened? look. I just shrug. He was oblivious.

We had also agreed and executed during rehearsal for him and keys to exchange solos on a few country songs. He either went straight to the chorus after his solo ... skipping the keys solo ... or did another solo himself before going to the chorus. The crowd had no idea of course, but keys and I exchanged a glance and shrug.

At any rate...I'm going to stick with it for the time being as it is serving my Jones for the most part and my close friend from my other band just joined to add rhythm, extra lead vocals, and of course we share the same prep / execution philosophy.

My questions...after this mini novel....are:

1. Under what conditions do your vocalists use iPads? Perhaps it shouldn't drive me crazy...but as it stands we're not taking requests on the fly so...they've had ample time to learn their lyrics...so...I don't get it.

2. What are your band rules / guidelines for banter and transition time between songs?

Thanks in advance for your replies and sorry for the long ramble.

 

[DirtDog]

For me, the iPad with lyrics/arrangements is a safety net, not a crutch. It’ll be tough to wean him off his crutch.

if he’s having issues with arrangements, make sure he’s got arrangement notes in there with his iPad lyrics.

The banter between songs is usually an attempt to fill dead air. Dead air can be minimized by reducing the time to transition to the next tune. That’s where I used the iPad to my advantage. As the last few bars of the current tune are being played, I was already peeking at the next song’s lyrics/arrangement.

This kind of thing can be worked on in rehearsal so it becomes second nature.

I use BombingBrain’s SetList app.

Good luck!

 

[mrcbass]

Personally, I'd want nothing to do with trying to right that ship. It will be eternally frustrating. People are who they are and your pain points are just who he is. To answer your questions:

Tablets - I use one and sub with a band where everyone but the drummer use them. For me the tablet is primarily a tool to supply support for songs I haven't burned in yet or to manage requests that I haven't played recently. With ~ 1,000 songs in my library , I just keep them all polished all the time. I have a shorthand that puts the song in a glanceable form. And I'm not a lead guy, so really, who cares? I do notice the lead singers staring at their tablets sometimes and that does bug me, but the crowd doesn't seem to notice. IMO, if a band has a limited, regular repertoire, then tablets should go away. If they have a large playlist and mix it up, take requests, etc, then I don't have a problem with them as long as the lead singers aren't obviously staring at them all the time.

Banter - I prefer your earlier model - minimum time between songs unless there is a legitimate reason (like the ones you listed) to have a little time between songs. My previous band did 100% call outs on stage which I hated and it always took twice as long between songs as it would have with a set list. As I was exiting, they finally started to use set lists and we were able to play another song per set by doing that. Most bands I've been in go into "hurry up" mode when the dance floor fills, and I find that awkward - if the band isn't used to a quick turnarounds, people will get flustered when it suddenly gets imposed. IMO, it should be the norm.

It sounds like you've tried rehearsing this aspect with these people, but again, the guy reverts back to being himself. Unless you're going to take charge of kicking odd songs, you'll never win this battle.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Sorry in advance for the long post...but to establish context....

I have been in an 80's cover band for the past 10 years, by and large serving as band leader. We have/had a great team of talented individuals (I'm an adequate bassist, stay in my lane, and just execute my part for every song) and had become pretty tight and polished.

I say "had" a great team, as our drummer and his wife (female vocals), both in their early 30's, are expecting their first child and understandably taking a hiatus for the time being. Our lead guitarist, rhythm / vocals, and I are all in our mid 50's. Our keys player is in his early 30's. We already have a new drummer lined up and discussing whether to find another female vocalist or just eliminate female vox songs from any given set.

As band leader, I utilized football as a team analogy of sorts in that we are going to run 30-40 plays per game. Every play is going to score a touchdown if everyone executes their part. On some plays you get to catch / throw / run the winning touchdown. On other plays you have to block. Everyone was expected to show up for rehearsal prepared to perfect every play. We had great communication in regard to specific key, structure, arrangement, etc. for all new additions to the playbook. We all understood that rehearsal essentially was not for learning new plays. Rather, rehearsal was for perfecting the new plays we had studied on our own. As such, when we hit the stage, we all knew there were going to be some brain lapses here and there, but it damn sure wasn't going to happen for lack of preparation. As such, we developed a good following of people who complimented us on being tight / polished and executing a big variety of 80's popular to "forgot about that song!' fun obscure songs. We were booking venues on our own, taking the door, putting on a tight show, and getting some private / corporate gigs a few times a year which is all we had time to play. The formula, by and large, worked.

We have/had a fairly hard and fast rule of zero seconds between songs, if possible, with the exception of tuning, instrument switches, tip the bartender, birthday shout outs, etc. which would of course call for situational banter.

Sooo...back up to earlier this year. I was approached by a friend of a friend to play bass for his band as his bassist had moved to another state. He is the drummer. My age. Great guy. He had seen us play a few times and asked me to go have a beer, which we did. He basically said "Join us and help us get organized as we are all over the place musically and organization wise." Set list is an eclectic mix of classic rock, blues, oldies, and new pop namely driven by the lead guitarist / vocalist who is in his mid 60's. Not a bad catalog at all actually...but they were admittedly unorganized in relation to rehearsals and live performances because...the lead guitarist (his uncle with whom he is very close) was essentially the band leader.

The lead guitarist is a wonderful person. There's not a bad bone in his body. He is a good guitarist with a great voice. He is also one of the most ADD people I have ever met. Perhaps THE most ADD person I have ever met. After the first rehearsal, I told my wife "I've never seen a person take a conversation that was clearly heading North and he grabs the wheel and takes a left turn at Albuquerque. Literally every conversation. He obviously can't help himself. Every. Single. Conversation. You have to take the wheel away and turn back North."

We play our first small gig, with majority of people in attendance being friends and family of the drummer and lead guitarist. It's pretty rough. I notice that he has to say SOMETHING lounge act corny to hear himself talk before every song. Like his own Smothers Brothers comedy hour. Or Hee Haw or something. He's actually a quick witted / funny guy in a nerdy way. But...uhhhh. He also goes ham / off script on several songs that resulted in the song being sloppy. My wife tells me "Well...that was pretty rough ...they're not as talented as your other band...it has potential as they're all talented enough. But...he really needs to be a solo lounge act or STFU and just play the songs."

He and the female vocalist (early 30's) also used iPads, which is fine I guess, but to stare at for lyrics for almost every song? Songs that you have played many times? Have you not memorized the lyrics?

We have a few more rehearsals. I politely point out and try to create the conditions by which they convince themselves that memorizing the lyrics is not a bad thing and perhaps a bit more polished. Quick transitions between songs is also a polish thing. Situational banter is perfectly fine....but uhhh...before every song?

We also discussed structure and arrangements. Blues, country, loop jams, etc. ...all cool for jamming and going a little ham. Rock on. We'll follow. With the rest of the set...given we haven't played enough together to be instinctual...how about we agree to a specific studio or live structure so we're all on the same page and everyone commits to muscle memorizing that structure for the sake of tightness? They agree.

We play a few more gigs and get slightly tighter. They still use iPads but I'm somewhat of an ass in rehearsals about banter (the keys player and female vocalist thank me on the side) and song transitions get quicker, the banter goes down, and going ham goes down. He is still ADD as hell...he can't help it...I just have to yank the wheel back to the North.

We played a surprise 50th last Saturday. It goes fairly well actually ... so I'm hair splitting ...but he reverted back to corny banter before every single *!@$%#! song. Crowd was drunk and not really paying attention. My wife was there and told me "I thought he was going to stop doing that?" Ha.

He also goes ADD ham on a couple of structure songs and literally ends the song before the last verse, chorus, or outro. These were both female vox songs and she gives me a *** just happened? look. I just shrug. He was oblivious.

We had also agreed and executed during rehearsal for him and keys to exchange solos on a few country songs. He either went straight to the chorus after his solo ... skipping the keys solo ... or did another solo himself before going to the chorus. The crowd had no idea of course, but keys and I exchanged a glance and shrug.

At any rate...I'm going to stick with it for the time being as it is serving my Jones for the most part and my close friend from my other band just joined to add rhythm, extra lead vocals, and of course we share the same prep / execution philosophy.

My questions...after this mini novel....are:

1. Under what conditions do your vocalists use iPads? Perhaps it shouldn't drive me crazy...but as it stands we're not taking requests on the fly so...they've had ample time to learn their lyrics...so...I don't get it.

2. What are your band rules / guidelines for banter and transition time between songs?

Thanks in advance for your replies and sorry for the long ramble.

Our BL lead singer is using the same banter between songs since 2011. A lot of times it’s based around “this was a hit record we had back in 2008” or depending on song, 2004, 2000, even as far back as 1968… Nobody freaking cares we had a hit on Cash Box internet beach music chart lol!!! Besides, there are only three guys that are still in the band from 2008.

I have no problems with iPads if they are on a stand. Holding an iPhones in one’s hand? No.

As for iPads. If it’s good enough for the President of the USA, why not? We are a 12 piece band with charts. I would much rather players use iPads as opposed to paper charts which can cause major delays with how fast you can get the next song up and running. Nothing like watching horn players swapping out paper charts on a windy day/night.

I would doubt I would last long in this band. I can live with the brain farts, even some excessive orations between songs, but not following the song form? That is a big no-no. A true pro should not be jamming his way through a gig. I’m AADD too, so I play along with recordings of the band for hours at a time just to make sure that following song forms is not going to be an issue.

I have a gig next Thursday, so far this week I’ve logged 6 hours of personal practice time. I’ll run through the whole show ( last gig recording) daily through Monday. Tuesday is travel day. Wednesday is a rehearsal. Thursday is the gig.

Oh, I’ll still have a brain fart of two on the gig, but it will not be an error of not following the song form or missing chord changes.

 

[richntiff]

in my band we have 3 singers, and all of us take lead at times. I have the least lead work - right now it's only about 6 songs per night. Our main singer is female, and the other lead singer (male) is also our rhythm guitar player, and the BL. I used to use an iPad when I ran sound, but nowadays we have a sound engineer, so I've removed it. I don't need it for lyrics, and I detest having it there if I'm not running sound on it. The other two have iPads, and they are very much a crutch. This is the female LS first band experience - and she was handed an iPad with setlist/lyrics/chord changes immediately from the BL upon walking through the door. Honestly - I don't think she knew what hit her, and she's made comments about how she's now stuck to the iPad - but it's her sole experience, and it's not easy for her to disengage. The male LS - it's absolutely his security blanket. He cannot play a song without it. Whether singing or just playing guitar. On the rare occasion that we skip around in the setlist or whatever - it's a 2 minute ordeal for him to get to the proper place and be able to play. Often there is an iPad glitch - so then we need to reboot.....

We also struggle with the awkward banter. Female LS does not engage crowd at all - literally ends the song, steps back from the mic and drops her head. She's a super fun individual - very unique - if she can get over the nerves of this part, she'll be great at it. Male LS has a couple canned things he'll say, but it usually ends up as a yell to the crowd to tip your bartender and a 'raise your drink and yell cheers'. Very much the typical cover band lame schtick. I'm not the band focal point - so I do interact some, but it's hard because we take a LONG time between each song waiting for male LS and the LG to get 'set' - complete with BL having to mouth to everyone ' you ready?' It's very difficult to throw a 3-5 second banter into that - so I tend not to, as it makes things even more painful for me. My banter tends to be very crowd oriented and timed for opportunity- hey those were the most amazing dance moves I've seen, that table over there is going to get us all arrested, etc. Not the best, but I've heard worse lol. I try to keep it fun, light, and steer clear of the typical cheese.

So yes - I feel your pain. The dependence on iPads, long breaks between songs, and lack of quality interaction from the main focal point(s) of the band are the unholy trifecta of the painful bar band. It drives me insane. I have no real advice for you - if the guilty party isn't aware and willing to improve, there's not much to be done. As for me, I'll be done with this band after this season. It's a tricky exit - the BL is my father in law......

 

[Deep Note]

As for the iPads, I use one when we play but only as reference. I never stare down at it for lyrics or music, I give it a quick glance and start the song. I also make a set list and flip only page between songs.

 

[Benji bassman]

Most of my bands don't have people who want to talk much. I think that's fine. I'll only say something if I think it's really hilarious. My drummer introduced us all at our last gig, and I thought that was annoying, as I don't think anybody GAF what our names are, or they could talk to us after the gig (pretty small venue). I have this friend who does kind of a solo acoustic folksy thing, and she talks constantly between songs. Thing is, she's hilarious and has a lot of great stories, and it just works. So if people find his banter entertaining, I would be fine with that.

I have never used an ipad on stage, but I have some friends who do it. In my opinion, it just becomes a thing you can't take your eyes off of once you start looking at it. I think it's fine if it's for a new song, but the idea should be to not have to do that. If you're in a band that plays 40 songs a night, constantly has subs, or it's jazz or something, it makes a lot of sense to have ipads, music stands, or whatever you need.

 

[Altitude]

My policies -

Banter between songs is Ok as long as it’s engineered to be audience engagement. Stories, intros, stuff like that is OK if the performer knows how to do it. But even then sparingly.

Absolutely minimize chatter among band members between songs unless there’s a problem that has to be solved.

As little dead air as is possible.

iPads are acceptable for subs. Horn players can use them too but if so they have to stand in the back. Bunch of music stands lined up across the front of the stage looks bush league to me.

The iPads literally and metaphorically stand between musicians and interacting with the audience, so get rid of them as soon as you can.

 

[Tommygun_ted]

Is this a job, or a hobby band? If this is something for fun/to make a few bucks on the side, and you're playing covers, as long as they aren't glued to it, the tablet wouldn't bother me. Stepping on other people's parts though is a big red flag for me. I've experienced a few guitarists in my time as a bassist who just couldn't let anyone else shine. We had a few intricate bass intros, and the guitarist would try to noodle over top of them. Same thing if the drummer had a part where they just played. I've also played with singers who are bad at the banter but get livid when anyone else jumps on the mic between songs. My last band was great about banter. The singer would print out the set lists and indicate where they planned on talking. We also discussed beforehand what that talking would consist of, so we could basically workshop jokes and discussion topics. That being said, 30 seconds between songs feels like an hour, so it was always quick and to the point. I might be jaded, but to me it sounds like this guy likes the sound of his own voice, and expects everyone else to take a backseat to him. I've seen bad egos derail bands enough times that I have no patience for it anymore. Unless you're signing my paychecks, I expect to be treated as a team mate, not an employee.

 

[friskinator]

I've said this before, but unless you're Paul Stanley or David Lee Roth, keep the between song banter to the bare minimum. I've never been in a band where any of the singers understood this.

 

[klokker]

Sounds like we're all pretty much in the same boat. We have BS between practically every song by one guy. It seems to work OK, but it bugs the rest of us. His strengths out weigh his weaknesses.... but let's get after it! Haven't said anything yet, so I guess that's on me but some people just love to flap their mouths too much.

 

[Runnerman]

I use an Ipad mini for monitor mix and setlist. I use the SetLyst app. Its on my stand but I never look at it except between songs.

Our drummer and guitar player split lead vocals between them. The guitar player uses a full size Ipad for lyrics. I forgive him somewhat because of the size of the song catalog and the fact he is playing at the same time. A lot of songs he has memorized and is pretty good at hiding his dependence on it. It is what it is. The drummer also uses an Ipad but it's hardly noticeable among the drum and cymbals.

We have recently taken to scheduling breaks for talk/water/quick rest and they are built right into the setlist with comments as to who talks. We did this for some of the same reasons as you. We tend to go from one song to the next quickly and if we don't schedule breaks we don't take them at all until someone absolutely needs one. Mainly, the drummer needs them from time to time especially in the outdoor hot gigs. Would rather schedule them proactively then have him get a cramp and deal with that which is much more distracting. I honestly didn't think I would like it at first but it seems to be working. So planning the breaks can be a good option to try.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

1 He basically said "Join us and help us get organized as we are all over the place musically and organization wise."

I notice that he has to say SOMETHING lounge act corny to hear himself talk

1. Under what conditions do your vocalists use iPads? Perhaps it shouldn't drive me crazy...but

2. What are your band rules / guidelines for banter and transition time between songs?

Join us & help ? BIG NO
your band. Red flag right there.
Always saying something between songs ?
BIG NO again, your band. Tell him to quit.
Ipads? I don’t like it but Lots of words to remember, lot of people use them.
Band rules for between songs? Our band? Minimal talking EXCEPT from leader. His band.
Playing songs like he wants to?
Again, NO, your band.
Sorry if you don’t like my answers.

 

[denton57]

I am dealing with so many of the same things. Maybe we need to start a support group as I’m sure we aren’t alone

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

I work with one guy who uses an iPad for everything. Usually it's good for me because he'll call tunes I've never played and he's got the chords on the charts! Most of the bands I work with don't use iPads although a lyric sheet or chord chart will be used on occasion. I don't own an iPad and don't plan to. A music stand and chord/lyric sheets for me! In one band there are quite a few, maybe a dozen, I use. In another, just 2: Lyrics for "Come And Get Your Love" and chords for the "Kid Charlemagne" guitar solo. Haven't managed to commit those two to memory. May never happen! I consider memorization part of the job description. Banter? Sometimes, to set up a song or engage the crowd. Down time between songs? A bit, yes. I need a few seconds to navigate from one effect to another. So do the keyboard and guitar.

BBB

 

[dalkowski]

Banter between songs is best delivered by the songwriter.

 

[Wasnex]

IMHO banter between songs can be really good, but I agree it's often not. To do banter well requires a certain innate talent, and it's not something I could do well. I do think a show benefits from some amount of talking, but not necessarily between every song. Also it can be good to engage/involve the audience.

Unfortunately, those with the strongest banter ability are often substandard in other ways....such as vocal ability or work ethic. Finding a front person with all of the desired traits is sort of like finding a needle in a haystack. So you may need to do the best you can with available talent.

In my experience, many vocalist use some sort of helper to get through all of the songs. I have worked with many who kept a music stand nearby with notes and lyrics. I assume some sort of tablet would be better in multiple ways. So while I don't particular like the idea of the vocalist using an iPad, it may be appropriate and necessary. You probably know that some very famous singers like Sting and Bruce Springsteen use teleprompters or similar devices for lyric recall.

Something I think you need to keep in mind is we are all different. So what comes easy to you may not come easy to the next person. Maybe the vocalist puts in the effort and still needs the iPad. Or maybe he's lazy. My personal assessment of myself is my IQ is on the high side of average. However, I may be below average in various short- and long-term memory functions. I feel like I have a really hard time memorizing stuff where I can reliably recall it instantly. I also sometimes struggle to recall stuff I know cold. In the flip side, I really excel at multiple choice . I was able to memorize my background vocal parts with no problem, but the idea of memorizing, retaining, and recalling the lead vocals for a hundred or more songs feels impossible.

One last thought. IMHO you are unlikely to massage this group into functioning exactly like your previous group. This group has different strengths and weaknesses. There are likely to be things that group members will struggle with, but you may eventually find that they can do some things better than your old group. Regardless it's going to take some time, and success will be tied to how effectively you can inspire and effect change that leverages the group's strengths.

 

[silky smoove]

1. Under what conditions do your vocalists use iPads? Perhaps it shouldn't drive me crazy...but as it stands we're not taking requests on the fly so...they've had ample time to learn their lyrics...so...I don't get it.

In my GB/corporate bands there are a variety of conditions. In the highest production value and most expensive band I work with, there are monitor screens at the front of the stage angled up at the vocalists. You can be anywhere on stage, look down and get a refresh on the vocals. There's so much going on with the production of this show that you couldn't stare at the lyrics or you'd miss your choreography entirely. Conversely, in the lowest production value corporate act I play with, one vocalist memorizes all of her lyrics, and the other memorizes most of his but does keep a phone clipped to a mic stand to do spot checks and refresh certain passages. Both are fine and appropriate to the scale of the production, provided the vocalists aren't just staring at their screen for reference all night.

In my original bands there is no reference and everyone is 100% memorized.

2. What are your band rules / guidelines for banter and transition time between songs?

It varies greatly. The higher production value the quicker the transitions. Even in the lowest production value groups I'm associated with it's kept to as much of a minimum as possible. For banter, the high production value shows have pre-written banter at specific times that's delivered verbatim night after night. Lower production value shows have more improvisation and without fail the rote repetition banter goes over more effectively, even if it's basically a canned speech each time. Most musicians aren't comedians, motivational speakers, or otherwise great orators. Improvising rarely goes well. Work out the banter in advance. It doesn't necessarily have to be rote memorization, but something closer to that then some guy with a guitar rambling at the crowd will likely work better.

 

[Fuzzbass]

We all understood that rehearsal essentially was not for learning new plays. Rather, rehearsal was for perfecting the new plays we had studied on our own.

Cheers! It's amazing how many older/experienced musicians don't understand this. One LS I worked with for a decade believed that preparing for band rehearsal was downloading the lyrics from the internet. He was a disaster on any song with tricky vocal phrasing. I think he knew better, he was just lazy. We put up with him because he was a good front man.

1. Under what conditions do your vocalists use iPads? Perhaps it shouldn't drive me crazy...but as it stands we're not taking requests on the fly so...they've had ample time to learn their lyrics...so...I don't get it.

2. What are your band rules / guidelines for banter and transition time between songs?

Context: I play bar/restaurant gigs with a bunch of bands who never (or rarely) rehearse. Some are essentially pickup bands: a BL will book a gig, then call his musician friends to staff it with the appropriate players -- those who aren't already booked with another gig that day, of course (we're all juggling multiple bands). The BL provides a setlist, and with little or no negotiation, everyone shows up and plays that list. Unfamiliar songs are learned as homework, but the tunes are almost always classic rock bar standards that everyone should already be familiar with even if they haven't played it before. The drummers are usually great about cueing endings. Vocal harmonies are rarely intricate, but they don't have to be for bar gigs.

So with that in mind:

1. Due to lack of rehearsals, tablets are perfectly OK in my world. A few of the musicians I perform with don't use aids (paper or electronic), which forces them to memorize, but they also tend to restrict themselves to a smaller number of bands. I use a tablet, which allows me to juggle close to a dozen different projects (both regular and sub). It's important to note that I rarely have to read my way through an entire song: usually a quick glance at the structure (and accompanying notes such as "Band X plays this in Eb instead of F") is all I need as refresher, which frees me to interact with bandmates and audience. But sure: if I chart an unfamiliar song for a single sub gig, and five years later I'm asked to play that tune again, there's a good chance I'll be reading thru the entire tune (unless the structure is relatively simple).

Edit: If I were in just one or two bands, I would try to memorize as much as possible even if there were few or no rehearsals.

2. One BL I work with talks too much and it's annoying because he often isn't clever. I wouldn't be thrilled even if he was constantly brilliant, because as others have said, most of the crowd DGAF. Another BL can be annoying because he creates the set list on the fly from the band's master list -- he claims that it allows him to "read the room", which is a good idea in theory, but the reality is wasted time between songs. The better bands I work with try to minimize time between songs: it's always better to keep 'em dancing.

 

[Five or Six]

If I'm engaging the audience once in a while for a few seconds, it's short lived and, its minimal. The rest of the guys don't and haven't said much forever. We run up to 3 songs into each other per set. No time for stories. Dead air is a no no. Our between song time is 5-10 seconds. Our crowd has been around for 10 years. They know what they are getting. People are there to have fun, that's our job. (they dog us to) But, we are there to have fun as well.

Our drummer uses an iPad but, you can't see it. He sings lead on 10 songs a night. As far as up front, we don't use them. IF a band needs it to be proficient using them, then help yourself. No holding onto anything. You must visually engage the crowd. You need eye contact! If you can't take your eyes off the iPad, you have a lazy streak. Learn your material! I don't care what others do. But, sometimes it looks tacky.