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Does the crowd dance at Surf shows?
Joined: Mar 06, 2006 Posts: 1902 Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies 
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Posted on Dec 12 2006 10:55 PM
When you go to or play a surf show, does the crowd dance? We've had limited success with dancing crowds, much to my surprise. Interestingly, our new drummer says that we will get more dancers now that he's "keeping the beat" Chris —"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been" |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Dec 12 2006 11:00 PM
It is only natural they would dance to our waltz. Also, to define the Seattle surf show. It is 3 bands on the bill and the only people in the audience are people that my band knows. We got a good venue pissed at us because the low turnout. We were first on the bill and we drew everybody in the audience to the show. 20 or so people. The other two bands didn't have anybody show up, save the one who had two people show up. |
Joined: Mar 15, 2006 Posts: 1487 San Francisco
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 01:07 AM
For us it really depends on the crowd. We've had some shows where people get up and shake their booties, and those tend to be our most energetic shows -- everyone in a band knows that you feed off that energy. We've also played a number of shows where there are bunch of folks standing there with their arms folded. Some are paying close attention to the musicality, others just aren't amused. We also played one ill-advised show where we played to ONE friend at the Hotel Utah. It was the one-year anniversary of 9/11, not to mention a Wednesday night, and we went on sometime after 11. It got so bad that we got the doorman to let some of the homeless in, since they were cheering from outside. Hell, they even danced!!! ~B~ |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1054 Chicago IL.
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 08:59 AM
We did strickly instrumentals until about a year ago and did danceable instrumentals like Yellow Jacket. Then we kind of made it our thing to add danceble vocal songs after we got ahold of some of the Orangu-Tones CDs. We are usually playing with rockabilly bands and for some reason everyone dances to that stuff. Even the bad dancers can dance to our stuff. It's alright playing to guitar geeks but once we started the danceable songs I'd have to say more girls are watching us, or atleast watching and waiting until we play something they can dance to. —"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there" https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/ |
Joined: Jul 08, 2006 Posts: 460 NorCal |
Posted on Dec 13 2006 10:16 AM
The "one really drunk guy" choice was left out! |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25603 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 11:49 AM
I could go on and on about this, have before, and it doesn't really change anyhting. and I've seen more modern sounding instro bands where you'd think people would just be standing there gettign into the trance of it, but there was all kinds of girls and guys dancing sexy, or 60's style, or crazy freak out style. so dance on if ya want to. Jeff(bigtikidude) |
Joined: Mar 29, 2006 Posts: 309 Springfield, Oregon |
Posted on Dec 13 2006 11:51 AM
We played a show at an all-ages coffee joint that also sold beer. Another thing: if the crowd isn't dancing, DO NOT say something stupid like "hey, we've got a big dance floor here!" or "a free pitcher of beer for the first couple to get up and dance!". All that does is make you look insecure, like you need people to dance for your own validation or something, and also makes people self-conscious so then they WON'T dance. If people aren't dancing, that doesn't mean they aren't enjoying the music, hell a lot of times I think they just don't KNOW HOW to dance to the surf music, especially the younger folks. That's where having a couple of Go-Go girls who know how to do the pony and some of the old dances would come in handy. When we play at the Eugene Saturday Market, all the children dance, they are not concerned with being cool, they just feel the music! God bless 'em! |
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Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 270
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 11:53 AM
There are some people who insist on dancing to anything. There is Surf east of Sepulveda. |
Joined: Mar 16, 2006 Posts: 923
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 11:57 AM
our secret weapon, "Sleepwalk" never fails to get the chicks out, draggin their man with 'em... then we hit them with peter gunn or wipeout... that keeps them out there. They will usually dance then till we take a break. —THe NEpTuNeS |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 3832 netherlands 
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 12:25 PM
Rules to live by #314: |
Joined: Aug 19, 2006 Posts: 958 Kekaha, Kauai, Hawaii
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 05:19 PM
That's a good forum subject. We thought we were the only ones that people didn't dance to. "Holy crap....we suck...this has to be our last night" but then we play a slow tune and everyone gets up and dances!!! So now we just play crawling ballads as slow as we can play 'em and have also converted all our tunes into ballads. Hey...don't laugh. "Penetration" sounds killer at 58 bpm's. Of course i'm just kidding. Not too many people dance at our gigs...they're busy posing or watching the free surf movies at the other end of the room. We once played at a place where the screen was behind us which made it seem like they were looking at us but......!! OK, here's one. Last Friday the bartender comes up to me (of course) in the middle of a tune, in the middle of the second set and says that a few people asked him to turn on the "Disco" ball light, so could we do that for them? After the song, i bail my position and head for the "switch" and turned that stupid light on and a lot of people got up and danced on the next tune!!! Jeez...i quit already!! The TakeOffs |
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Joined: Mar 29, 2006 Posts: 309 Springfield, Oregon |
Posted on Dec 13 2006 07:55 PM
You may be onto something there with the disco-ball. One time I brought a strobe light to a gig and as soon as I turned that sucker on, people were dancing. The American Legion hall in Cannon Beach set a record for beer sales that night: $2,500! |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 12159 Seattle
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Posted on Dec 13 2006 08:12 PM
We do a flawless transition from Pipeline to Sleepwalk. It always pleases the crowd. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1062 Berlin, Germany
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Posted on Dec 14 2006 04:13 AM
He#s right, the drumming has a big part in getting people up, or wiggle their toes. KK —The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy. |
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Joined: Jul 05, 2006 Posts: 290 Shwa City |
Posted on Dec 14 2006 12:18 PM
when we play in our hometown we have a "dance brigade" that always shows up and gets the crowd a moovin. We also try to egg the crowd on a bit if they're just standing around. —www.myspace.com/vondrats |
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Joined: May 16, 2006 Posts: 91 Florianopolis SC Brazil |
Posted on Dec 14 2006 01:30 PM
Depends on the crowd, depends on the gig. Last one was practically a twist contest, even though it wasn´t our best night. —http://www.myspace.com/cochabambas |
Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 278
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Posted on Dec 14 2006 03:40 PM
crowd? |
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Joined: Mar 29, 2006 Posts: 309 Springfield, Oregon |
Posted on Dec 14 2006 06:38 PM
LOL! The key to getting a crowd playing surf is to play in really small clubs, or maybe opening for non-surf acts. |
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Joined: May 16, 2006 Posts: 91 Florianopolis SC Brazil |
Posted on Dec 14 2006 08:06 PM
you know the old saying, in love and in surf music "three´s a crowd"
http://www.myspace.com/cochabambas |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25603 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Dec 14 2006 10:12 PM
In So. Cal. I am, 95% of the time, one of those 3, and Kristena Jeff(bigtikidude) —Jeff(bigtikidude) |
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Thanks to all the surf bands, past and present. And thanks to all the fans who care about and keep surf music alive.
I find it happens more on the older stuff they're more familiar with than the showcase stuff like James Bond or The Simpsons.
If you'd lived in my city, I'd actually have known exactly who you'd have been talking about!
