Anybody Doing 1 Man Band Gigs w/Backing Tracks?

[TG3K]

Not completely germane to the question, but I have a good friend who does a 1-man acoustic/vocal act. He and his wife sold their house and they tour coast to coast full-time. She handles the bookings and he does the playing. He does nonstop 4-hour sets with no breaks. And until recently, it was all done on a Guild 12-string. (He's switched to a 6-string because of arthritis issues.) He also doesn't use a setlist...he plays all requests only. His audiences try to stump him, but if he doesn't know a song, he'll at least know a song by the same artist. He does everything from Journey to TV show theme songs. And he gets everyone in the place singing along with him by about the second or third song.

 

[Muad'zin]

Personally I don’t play for looks I play for the music. I go into the studio and record a complimentary backing guitar, many times acoustic, then bass, keyboards and send the track off to a killer drummer in Dallas for the drum tracks. It is then mixed and balanced and then my guitar and a female vocal are played live. So to be honest I ‘feel’ like a real musician.

We have a balanced sound. We don’t speed up and slow down, don’t have multiple guitars that fight for volume levels or bass that vibrates the capo’s and tuners off the amp. I’m not married to 5 people, practice is precisely on time on a regular basis. No interruptions or disruptions. My Fractal and every device, including lights, are precisely timed so I just play. The foundation music is the exact same each time it is played mix and levels are refined over and over, as is my playing and Fractal presets. My main guitar is an Evertune model so I could walk out and play for 1-1/2 hours straight, no garbage, no tuning, just pure music. (I say 'could' because I'm not past the one hour pee break).

I get that it may not be your preference or you feel cheated. But I don’t get insulting musicians that do prefer this method. I don’t get into thrash metal or rap but I do respect that it is someones ticket to music enjoyment and realistically that is why we all play.

I ‘choose’ to not have ‘real’ band. Been there done that for decades and ultimately it bores the crap out of me. The ability to take a duo (in my case) and see how far that can be expanded, using technology, is fascinating to me. As well, ultimately, from start to finish, this is the hardest, most technical, most complex and satisfying musical project I have even been in. What would this ‘duo’ be otherwise. A guitar and vocal? Two guitars and vocals?

A duo is a different thing altogether. Then at least you get an interaction between two people, which gives it a human dimension that's missing from a solo act. Which I guess singers get away with because vocals are the most human form of musical expression. Which amplified instruments are not to the same degree.

Ultimately though I still think its better to have a full mercenary backing band. It may bore you, but most definitely not any audience. A good band I will stay and watch. A good solo artist playing along with a backing track, not really.

My personal preference is to play with a full band, allow for improvisation and on the spot creativity, spontaneous reaction to one another, interact with the audience in many ways, etc....

That being said, if having to decide to not play music for people because hiring 2-4 musicians isn't in the budget, I'll gladly settle for having some backing tracks fill in for them.

In a pinch that could do, but it shouldn't be what you're aiming for.

And based on Muad'zin's example of the culture that is arising from The Voice, ....Got Talent, etc. where the band is just live karaoke anyway, wouldn't musicians be just physical representations of what your hearing anyway?

I think what distinguishes a singer from an instrumentalist is that the human voice is the most human expression in music that resonates in a listener. There's a reason why singers are always considered to be the front man or woman, even if someone else in the band did all the writing. Therefore a singer can get away with singing along with a backing track. A guitarist, never to the same degree. That's part of why I think all these talent shows focus on singers first and foremost.

I wouldn't call it my preference but I've seen some amazing talent performing to backing tracks and/or just using a looper to create their own backing tracks live on the spot. I'm also not suggesting this format should replace full live bands.

And the most important take away from all of this is.....

This thread wasn't asking for opinion - it was asking if anybody doing this for the purpose of gaining their insight, advice, experience, etc.

True. But unless strictly moderated no thread ever stays on topic.

Not completely germane to the question, but I have a good friend who does a 1-man acoustic/vocal act. He and his wife sold their house and they tour coast to coast full-time. She handles the bookings and he does the playing. He does nonstop 4-hour sets with no breaks. And until recently, it was all done on a Guild 12-string. (He's switched to a 6-string because of arthritis issues.) He also doesn't use a setlist...he plays all requests only. His audiences try to stump him, but if he doesn't know a song, he'll at least know a song by the same artist. He does everything from Journey to TV show theme songs. And he gets everyone in the place singing along with him by about the second or third song.

Then again an artist accompanying themselves with an acoustic guitar has been a tried and tested staple for centuries. It's the ultimate stripped down performance. This could never look sad, unless the artist is really, really bad.

 

[Warrior]

I have past experience with this, therefore I guess I have valid insight and advice. But it still kind of ends up as opinion...

Way back when, I was in a stagnating band, not many gigs and when we did gig it didn't pay much after splitting 4 ways. Eventually that band shut down so I decided to go solo! Something I'd always wondered if I could pull off. This was my chance.

It took a LOT of effort to build up my show ('Solo-Act' is correct on this). I already knew songs, lead vocal and guitar, but I needed a bunch more material with better variety. I was savy about midi sequencing, sound modules, mixing, PA and all that stuff, so I knew I could pull it off technically to a high standard.

Months of effort and expense later I had about 50 songs down plus all the gear I needed to go out, tested and ready. I made demos and promo materials and talked to some booking agents about finding me some gigs. Finally I got my first booking, a weekend at a nice pub. Soon I had a few more, plus interest in return bookings. New Years Eve.. big money! EVERY gig I did, first to last, paid more than I was used to from the previous band.

To recap: I loved the idea of it. Wondered if I could pull it off. I worked hard and I DID IT. And I can say it was a success!! At first I felt a big sense of accomplishment, achievement. Big Win all around right?

The only problem was, I quickly discovered that I hated playing solo gigs. DO'H!

Practice alone. Show up at the venue alone, talk to pub managers.. alone. Load in PA and heavy gear... alone. It's a workout. Time to play, still the best part, but it feels like Karaoke. Because it is. Not nearly the same feeling as real live music in a band. Alone on stage means you do 100% of the "entertaining". Host and MC, audience banter, jokes, talking to drunk people. You really need to have the right personality to do it well, and I probably don't. Occasional awkward silence from stage when you have to step away from the mic to deal with a tech issue, tuning, guitar change. With a band there's always another guy to talk on a mic. Set breaks? I'd try to roam around and make new friends, but it's more fun to hang with your band buddies and talk about the set or whatever.

I also found out how exhausting it is to do 100% of the lead vocals all night. I know lots of singers do it, but for some reason I found it physically exhausting, especially when you play a 4 hour set 2 or 3 nights in a row. I had no idea how hard that was. Maybe just me. I've always been in bands where lead vocal duties were shared.

It didn't take long before I no longer wanted to do the solo thing at all, at any price. So that was that. Been in a real band ever since. Still not enough gigs and the pay is still shitty, but I love it

Interesting lesson learned.

Very insightful post based on experience and not just your opinion. Very much appreciated.

Not completely germane to the question, but I have a good friend who does a 1-man acoustic/vocal act. He and his wife sold their house and they tour coast to coast full-time. She handles the bookings and he does the playing. He does nonstop 4-hour sets with no breaks. And until recently, it was all done on a Guild 12-string. (He's switched to a 6-string because of arthritis issues.) He also doesn't use a setlist...he plays all requests only. His audiences try to stump him, but if he doesn't know a song, he'll at least know a song by the same artist. He does everything from Journey to TV show theme songs. And he gets everyone in the place singing along with him by about the second or third song.

That's a hell of an accomplishment, to say the least!!

Also very insightful post based on second hand experience and not just your opinion. Very much appreciated.

 

[Robboman]

Not completely germane to the question, but I have a good friend who does a 1-man acoustic/vocal act. He and his wife sold their house and they tour coast to coast full-time. She handles the bookings and he does the playing. He does nonstop 4-hour sets with no breaks. And until recently, it was all done on a Guild 12-string. (He's switched to a 6-string because of arthritis issues.) He also doesn't use a setlist...he plays all requests only. His audiences try to stump him, but if he doesn't know a song, he'll at least know a song by the same artist. He does everything from Journey to TV show theme songs. And he gets everyone in the place singing along with him by about the second or third song.

Yes! This style of entertaining, interactive solo acoustic singer thing is proven, for centuries . Long before technology made it possible to replace musicians with backing tracks. Requires a whole different kind of talent and personality.

There were a few older guys doing this style in my area. A few guitar players, one played piano. One guy added an old-school drum machine, he still took requests and did everything on the fly, but he'd call up a basic beat and play along. It sounded like he only ever used two or three of the same boring beats all night. Just that and acoustic guitar and his voice.

Way back then, as I watched those guys and considered my own solo act, I thought it would be a huge advantage to have 'full band' sounding backing tracks. I was only thinking about it in terms of the audio.

Midi sequencer playback was common back then, so drums, pianos and horns could all sound pretty real. But it was impossible to make midi guitar sound real, so I assumed I had an advantage over piano players. Backing tracks meant I could play full-band electric rock, including all the guitar solos. All-acoustic guys with no tracks couldn't do that.

It all sounded really good, but I couldn't escape the fact that it's not LIVE. It is what it is. Guitar-aoke.

Back then, decent quality backing tracks were still new and the first acts to properly use them were kind of a novelty. Since then, seems to be less demand for that kind of act (at least from what I see in my area).

 

[Eanna]

I've done all of the above - duo for 5 years @ 250 nights per year, solo for 10 years @ 300 nights per year and band @ 100 nights per year for 12 years. They all have their pros and cons. Solo was hardest for me cos my voice is not so 'strong' and 2+ hours straight singing takes its toll. Often did 2x or 3x gigs on a Sunday, absolute murder on the body.

Solo Upsides; tiny amount of gear to carry, sing and play what you like (well, as long as punters also like it), more money than a duo.
Solo Downsides: Hard on the body (throat) & mind. Occasional boredom & loneliness. Pressure to keep room entertained. Guitar world is for you, punter could care less. Toughest gig of all!

Duo Upsides: Live synergy & vocal harmonies enjoyable for everybody. Relatively small amount of gear (no goddamn drums!), only one person to row with, shared vocals & pressure to entertain, more fun than solo, guitar feels more important ...somehow. Best option overall for an easy life!
Duo Downsides: Least money per head of all combos, still not a band feeling...

Band Upside: No better feeling than playing music you enjoy, in a band that gels. If the punter also enjoys it, then you can make good money too. Plenty of others to share pressure.
Band Downside: Hard to construct a band that gels, spending countless hours in close proximity to people you may not like, slh1t-load of gear to carry, need to be damn good at whatever it is you do, crazy hours & travel ...But if the band & money is good enough, it's be best feeling in the world!

 

[reclavea]

Doing a trio gig with drummer/percussion, acoustic gtr/singer, and me on rhytm/lead vcls.

And also doing a duo with mp3 backing tracks. Sometimes I include the percussions (jimbe, cymbals...etc) for added dimension.

Works great and audience loves it. I throw in many instrumentals....ie..Santana, Satriani, Peter White, Don Ross...etc

So far so good

 

[Warrior]

Doing a trio gig with drummer/percussion, acoustic gtr/singer, and me on rhytm/lead vcls.

And also doing a duo with mp3 backing tracks. Sometimes I include the percussions (jimbe, cymbals...etc) for added dimension.

Works great and audience loves it. I throw in many instrumentals....ie..Santana, Satriani, Peter White, Don Ross...etc

So far so good

Would love to see some video if you have any.

 

[reclavea]

Would love to see some video if you have any.

I'll check if I have any and post.

 

[zombieritual]

i am! not instrumental though, although i know that sleep terror has done shows solo without a drummer like he normally has and that's all instrumental.


i also have a ridiculous rack setup so that i can record the guitar and vocals as i'm playing to sync up to the video later, which is why this doesn't sound like shit like it did in the actual venue that night. i made a video explaining that setup too if anyone is interested:

 

[Xrocker]

 

[rushfan]

a friend of mine in Minnesota does great.
He's also a Fractal user.

That's really good! I love a full band, but he sings and plays very well - wow! Well programmed out, and he doesn't have to divvy up with the "other guitarist" if he has a favorite part in a song to play! (Never been a problem for me, but I've heard that's true on occasion in other bands - life's too short, let your buddy play if he wants to!)