Old Man Musician Soapbox Time:

We Need To Talk About Your Band's Stage Appearance.

A friend saw a band at his local club that he really liked and posted a video on his facebook.  I'm not gonna post it here or mention the band because it's really not about them.  They are a really good sort of progressive sort of thrash/death metal type band and there was nothing really wrong with them other than some pitchy melodic vocals but that wasn't what kept distracting me. It's something I notice more and more lately about a lot of bands.  

A lot of bands have their shit together, they play very well and they probably play out and practice a lot which makes me hate to talk about what I'm about to talk about but visual appearance is more important than a lot of bands realize.  This seems petty but when serious heavy metal bands wear cargo shorts or dickies shorts or sweat pants other casual shit on stage.  I don't need leather pants and corpse paint, just show the audience a complete cohesive package that fits the aesthetic of the music.  I'm sure cargo shorts fit a certain musical style just like tight jeans, ripped t-shirts and puffy white basketball shoes fit whatever Anthrax and Megadeth was doing in the 80's  Maybe I'm just really old I don't know what's cool anymore but it's not 2004 and to me Limp Bizkit isn't the vibe I'm getting from the music here.  Not because I don't dress like it's 2004 still, or that I don't like loose fitting jeans as a comfortable thing to wear, it's because looking like a schlub takes me out of the dark and scary heavy metal world I wan't to be in while watching a band like this.  It makes them look like they just got off the couch or off of work and picked up a guitar.  This may be the case for many, I know times can be tough but it all falls into that same 'make it look like you give a shit' basket.  I watched an official music video of theirs and they have and there's a clear theme to the video and they're all period accurate clothing to match which is fucking awesome.  I can tell they clearly know how to bring it in the image department so what the fuck is up with the cargo shorts?  

Another thing I noticed about the video my friend posted was,  and again this isn't a knock on the band, unless it is –but I hate that the lights are behind the band. This is a pet peeve of mine which could mean that the venue doesn't know how stage lighting is supposed to work (which is common) or maybe this is what the band wants but all I see is silhouettes.  Lights are supposed to be shining on the band so the audience can see them.  This ties into the visual appearance thing.  Be proud of your music and yourselves, don't hide in the dark or in your comfy every day clothes.  And even if you have a bad sense of style, as most dudes do, I'm not saying you need a visit from Queer Eye, you just need to leave that shit at home and present yourself on stage in a way that presents a complete package for your music.  Image can seem dumb but it makes a difference.  I once got some advice a long time ago that went something like; you can get away with things on stage that you could never in real life.  The audience came for a show, give them one.  Don't just have band practice on stage. 

I have fallen in love with some bands after hearing them. Some major heavy hitting national bands... and then I looked them up on Youtube and seeing them live was like looking behind the Wizard of Oz curtain. The music is still really good but all I can think of now is Supercuts and the job interview clothes section at Kohls when I listen to them. So you're just a bunch of computer programmers? There's a thin line tho, you can't come out in matching elaborate costumes and just completely suck. There's definitely a balance.   Just show as much passion and care for your appearance as a band as you do about your music. It feels fucking shallow of me to say shit like this but a little bit goes a long way. 

Here's the part where I talk about being a hypocrite.  Yea I haven't really practiced what I'm preaching lately but I've also never been in a serious progressive metal band.  And despite actually being in a post grunge nu-metal band in the early 2000's where cargo shorts and baggy pants would have been appropriate for the genre, we actually did have specific matching stage attire and a theme when we were starting out.   We all had matching dickies work shirts with our band insignia on the back. Each in a different color.  I was orange.  At times we also died our hair to match the colors.  It was cheesy and sort of indicative of the Power Rangers but like it said, stuff that feels super cheesy,  you can get away with on stage.  It's a show and you're a character in that show.   People loved it and it was memorable and recognizable.