Y.O!

(Ed.’s notes: So now we all know Rai (if you dont already). Here are tips 2 and 3. Everybody grab your guitars now…)

2) Engaging your audience

One of the most important things a band should know before hitting the stage is why they are there in the first place. This has always been one of my most introspective thoughts in the past decade. Personally, I remind myself that I’m up there to entertain; to bring the audience on a journey with me uisng the songs I’d like to share with them as the vehicle. That is the reason why people patronize a bar or go to a concert. They want to watch and be entertained and feel like they are in a big bubble together with others and the band. Plus bands owe it to an audience for being there and sticking around to watch them. It’s a lovely, flowery relationship (chuckle!).

I have been in gigs and watched bands go off on a tangent unknown to everybody but themselves, while members of the audience literally morph their eyebrows into question marks, resulting in complete ignorance of the band… well perhaps only as ambient noise.

Ways to engage the audience, aside from introducing the song title before every song you sing, are aplenty. Personally, I like to tell a funny story I read that day, or give some trivia that people couldn’t care less about but still incites a laugh or two. It sort of breaks the monotony of the songs, with a short variation of speech every couple of songs or so. It also makes people turn around and listen to what you have to say. Of course do refrain from breaking into a 5 minute monologue…. unless it’s ABSOLUTELY riveting.

A personal favorite of mine is to single out someone in the audience and say hello or compliment them on a lovely shirt, or for looking really happy all night and things like that. Aside from giving the audience a little break from the music, it helps make the distance between stage and the audience a little smaller and the atmosphere more intimate or friendly.

3) Quality and Practice

I cannot stress Quality and Practice enough. My message to those who gripe non-stop about the lack of support for local music is to look back at themselves and ask if they are a good enough band to be supported. Even I, as a local musician, sometimes cringe at what I hear at gigs. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great bands out there, like Electrico, Lunarin, Allura and several more, but alas, as with the laws of yin and yang, the will be a balance between good and bad.

A good band will have support. No matter how little, at least it is still support. Hence it is vital that a band has adequate practice and band members are good musicians themselves before attempting to ply a trade in the local music scene. No amount of antics on stage can disguise the quality of a band’s performance. This also points back to repertoire. A simple, well-played and tight repertoire is far better than a repertoire of complicated songs which can only be played to 50% their original quality. Audiences have ears too… and very discerning ears I might add.

So that just about sums up my entry. Like I mentioned, it’s not a Bible of must-do’s but hopefully it helps. Do drop us y.o.ur comments below or feel free to drop me a message on our facebook page, simply titled Jack & Rai. You can also find us at our website http://www.jackandrai.com/ Cheers!!!

Jack & Rai’s debut album ‘In Stores Now’ was launched on 2 July 2008. Look out for it!

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