matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 650
Boston, MA
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 10:30 AM
Most of our shows are by ourselves, 2-3 set kind of things. Which I do enjoy (not least of which because we get paid!) But I'm wanting to do some more co bills with other bands.
I'm curious: when you play with other bands, what genres do you feel are most compatible? for making a good night for the audience etc. Rockabilly? Ska? Garage? Metal? Jazz? I mean, I'll take what I can get, but just curious about other folks stories of things which really worked or REALLY didn't.
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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Taifighter
Joined: Oct 31, 2018
Posts: 225
Indiana
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 10:42 AM
Rockabilly? YES
Ska? YES
Garage? YES
Metal? YES
Jazz? YES
Country? DIDN'T REALLY WORK OUT THAT WELL
Standard fare bar cover band? HELL NO
Last edited: Feb 06, 2024 10:43:00
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 650
Boston, MA
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 10:45 AM
Taifighter wrote:
Country? DIDN'T REALLY WORK OUT THAT WELL
If only there were a Jimmy Bryant/Speedy West type band to play with!!
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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stratdancer
Joined: Dec 11, 2013
Posts: 2533
Akron, Ohio
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 11:22 AM
We've done a bunch of variety. Our last gig was with a great Rockabilly band, and we are going to team up more in the future. Great combo.
— The Kahuna Kings
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kahuna-Kings/459752090818447
https://thekahunakings.bandcamp.com/releases
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wipedoutnyc
Joined: Feb 10, 2021
Posts: 230
New York
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 12:30 PM
We play with Punk, Garage and Rockabilly bands mostly. I think Rockabilly is the best fit, besides other Surf bands. There's just so many Punk and Garage bands, at least in NYC, that it makes it easier to find compatible acts.
Our worst experience was playing with an all cover (top 40 from the last 30 years or whatever) band, I suppose similar to Taifighter's experience. There fans came for them only and were not interested in seeing other acts.
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revmike
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3804
North Atlantic
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 01:05 PM
We’ve been on bills with punk, swing, rockabilly, country and western, jazz, hard rock, metal, pop, classical, hip hop, and more. The key was to have some theme that connected the groups. For example the classical,pop, surf night featured Indigenous artists, the hip hop/ surf night featured a jam at the end with turntables playing the Wipe Out drum break, the rap artists freestyling over our pieces, and UsK jamming with them.
I prefer playing on mixed genre bills, especially with rockabilly or old school country and western bands.
Rev
pS most of the other acts were friend’s groups.
— Canadian Surf
http://www.urbansurfkings.com/
Last edited: Feb 06, 2024 13:11:49
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Samurai
Joined: Mar 14, 2006
Posts: 2239
Kiev, Ukraine
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 01:41 PM
We have usually played with rockabilly, hillbilly, psychobilly, punk, garage and swing bands and it always worked great
— Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine
https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki
Lost Diver
https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 650
Boston, MA
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 01:44 PM
revmike wrote:
a jam at the end with turntables playing the Wipe Out drum break, the rap artists freestyling over our pieces, and UsK jamming with them.
that sounds incredible! you don't have any footage of that, do you?
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 650
Boston, MA
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 01:45 PM
kind of related--I keep thinking some burlesque group would do well to have a surf band! anyone ever play for that? (my sense is they like to choreograph things to recorded music, but you never know).
Or for people who play with dancers: are they friends? fans? or people you hire?
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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Bango_Rilla
Joined: Jan 06, 2019
Posts: 178
Bananas, TX
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 01:51 PM
I can't speak entirely for our booking agent, but we typically enjoy booking with offbeat bands that don't directly fit in the above categories. Bands where their style of music is complementary to ours. We've played with rock/punk/rockabilly bands and it is indeed a great fit, but most of our fun/crazy shows are ones where the other band is like, modern psychedelic or 80's new wave-ish.
We got booked for a hardcore punk fest and we went over great, but I don't know that much of our normal crowd came out. If they did they were likely a little intimidated by the pit in front of the stage.
— Bango Rilla!
DiPintos, Fenders and Reverb (oh, my!)
The GO-GO Rillas
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Threads: thegogorillas | Spotify
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h3dg3h0g
Joined: Jun 27, 2015
Posts: 236
San Francisco East Bay Area
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 02:32 PM
We love playing with non-surf bands. In fact, it's often preferable as a show with multiple genres can be more entertaining for an audience. Instro rock CAN get tedious for an audience in large quantities.
We're about to play a show with a 70s/80s/90s cover band - I wouldn't have chosen that pairing but I'm sure it will be entertaining!
AND WE JUST PLAYED WITH BURLESQUE DANCERS. Boy, that was fun. They were a troupe hired by Big Tiki Dude for the Winter Surf Fest. The only thing I would note is I think it worked out better at SG101 this past summer with a larger stage - it was a little cramped on a small stage and I think I almost whacked a dancer in the face with my headstock. We have some tunes that had been specifically written as burlesque numbers so it turned out great. Dangerforce 5 seems to have a dedicated dancer (not burlesque) and she was terrific. We'd love to have a dedicated dancer. Any volunteers? 
— Jonathan the Reverbivore
The Reverbivores
Please check out our latest album The Reverbivores Watch TV!
www.thereverbivores.com
Facebook
YouTube
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Bango_Rilla
Joined: Jan 06, 2019
Posts: 178
Bananas, TX
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Posted on Feb 06 2024 07:18 PM
matt wrote:
kind of related--I keep thinking some burlesque group would do well to have a surf band! anyone ever play for that? (my sense is they like to choreograph things to recorded music, but you never know).
Or for people who play with dancers: are they friends? fans? or people you hire?
Friends of apes have played in live bands behind burlesque dancers. To get that kind of thing going for a whole burlesque show you usually have to either know a performer or start approaching local troupes and proposing it. Be ready for the "how much does it pay" question.  But if you're looking to book basically a surf/burlesque show, you could do worse than try to get a door split. Keep in mind that burlesque is usually slightly more glamorous than surf music, and sometimes requires changing clothes in a closet, or an equipment room, and at least having a place to do hair and makeup, and possibly costume changes
Also keep in mind there are burlesque dancers, and there are go-go dancers which can be two different things (Burlesque dancers may or may not go-go, and go-go dancers may or may not do burlesque). Go-Go Dancers usually don't have set choreography, whereas as you rightly mention, Burlesque dancers do, typically to recorded music. Some can adapt to live music with their routines. Doing a set show usually means you'd have to provide music to all the performers weeks in advance so that they could practice to it.
Friends, family members, fans, people you hire - all yes, it can be all and any of those. Go bananas!
— Bango Rilla!
DiPintos, Fenders and Reverb (oh, my!)
The GO-GO Rillas
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Threads: thegogorillas | Spotify
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matt
Joined: Oct 18, 2010
Posts: 650
Boston, MA
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Posted on Feb 07 2024 06:40 AM
Bango_Rilla wrote:
Keep in mind that burlesque is usually slightly more glamorous than surf music, and sometimes requires changing clothes in a closet, or an equipment room, and at least having a place to do hair and makeup, and possibly costume changes
I am shocked at the suggestion that ANYTHING could be more glamorous than surf....
— Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
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revmike
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3804
North Atlantic
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Posted on Feb 07 2024 01:09 PM
matt wrote:
revmike wrote:
a jam at the end with turntables playing the Wipe Out drum break, the rap artists freestyling over our pieces, and UsK jamming with them.
that sounds incredible! you don't have any footage of that, do you?
I sure wish we did. It was back in the early 2000s. Buck 65 (Canadian Rapper/ turntablist) jammed with us on Wipe Out, Shot in the Dark, and one other that escapes me. It was pretty awesome. Maybe we’ll do it again someday.
— Canadian Surf
http://www.urbansurfkings.com/
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revmike
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3804
North Atlantic
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Posted on Feb 07 2024 01:11 PM
We have also played with Burlesque dancers, but they usually did their routines. Between sets with prerecorded music. Those gigshave been great as well.
Rev
— Canadian Surf
http://www.urbansurfkings.com/
Last edited: Feb 07, 2024 13:12:54
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jdmcduders
Joined: Jan 14, 2013
Posts: 137
Indianapolis, IN
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Posted on Feb 07 2024 04:04 PM
My old instro band did a lot of shows with alt rock, punk, or metal. We found we usually won over a decent part of the crowd. I find it's a great way to meet other bands and get into venues you may typically have a hard time cracking with a full intro lineup
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professor_fuzz
Joined: Oct 22, 2023
Posts: 10
DFW Howdy Arabia
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Posted on Feb 10 2024 10:27 PM
Bango_Rilla wrote:
I can't speak entirely for our booking agent, but we typically enjoy booking with offbeat bands that don't directly fit in the above categories. Bands where their style of music is complementary to ours. We've played with rock/punk/rockabilly bands and it is indeed a great fit, but most of our fun/crazy shows are ones where the other band is like, modern psychedelic or 80's new wave-ish.
We got booked for a hardcore punk fest and we went over great, but I don't know that much of our normal crowd came out. If they did they were likely a little intimidated by the pit in front of the stage.
I’m just happy that our surf-adjacent lo-fi fuzzed-out post-punk garage-psych guitar+organ+drum trio gets to play with surf apes at my birthday party every year! Thanks Bango!
— lifeguard on the cinnamon sea shore
pf63.net
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Bango_Rilla
Joined: Jan 06, 2019
Posts: 178
Bananas, TX
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Posted on Feb 10 2024 11:15 PM
Oh dude, it's OUR pleasure! We love Prof Fuzz 63! Prime example of a band who we love to watch and team up with on gigs!
— Bango Rilla!
DiPintos, Fenders and Reverb (oh, my!)
The GO-GO Rillas
Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Threads: thegogorillas | Spotify
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