The Steel Guitar Forum

Just a further analogy to illustrate my point: What if you went to a circus, took your kids, etc., and the Ringmaster was wearing a very comfortable Polo shirt and Bermuda shorts, the clowns wore t-shirts and cut-offs, and the tightrope walkers wore regular old street clothes?

I dare say most of us would turn to the kids and say "back in the old days, these guys wore flashy outfits, and it was that much more of a show."

The visual is another aspect of the performance, not just the audio.

In the Cornell Hurd band, the basic motif is "black", and within that motif, we dress the way we like: full spectrum from t-shirts to extremely fancy custom-made-for-several-hundred-dollars-each western clothing.

When I first came on Johnny Bush's band, we wore matching bib-front western shirts, boots, and hats... by order of the boss,... but everyone dug it anyway because we were playing the music that called for the look we presented. Nowadays, we don't wear the uniform nearly as much, but at least Johnny and I usually wear western jackets, sometimes with ties, and western slacks or new unfaded jeans, sans the Yoakumizing.

Rather than "disrespecting" or "one-upping" the audience, I think dressing appropriately tells the audience that you care enough about them that you want to look your best, right? I mean, would you go to a friend's wedding in cut-offs so as to tell them you're not "better than them?"

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

I negelected to mention that on occasion I've been in bands where we all wore matching shirts, and I thought it was cool. My original question was not about neatness, or even matching clothing, but about the spangly Nudie suits. It was a question of style.

<SMALL>What if you went to a circus...</SMALL>

Yes, that's also the impression I have at most concerts. Nice circus, too bad the music sucks...

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martin abend my homepage chicotarde@web.de
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<SMALL>The visual is another aspect of the performance, not just the audio.</SMALL>

Unfortunately, that's true. Especially due to videos.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

Well it always has been, you're puttin on a show, any time you have people on a 'stage', there's an element of theatre. So whether it's 'dress up' on stage at the bar or the orchestra and choir are all in black and white tuxedos and formal gowns, it's theatre pure and simple.

I think it depends on the music. If you're playing for the Greatful Dead's crowd, you don't want to stand out. But for country gigs, people expect the band to look pretty sharp. Rhinestones, embroidery, leather, boots and snaps all work great for country gigs. Nudie suits are great.

I think that uniforms are really for "retro" acts. They're cool if you're doing that kind of show - otherwise they're sort of corny. Just MHO.

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<SMALL>But for country gigs, people expect the band to look pretty sharp.</SMALL>

Depends on the people, I guess.

You won't impress ME by "dressing up". On the other hand, you won't offend me by doing it, either. (But I may roll my eyes a bit. :rolleyes

You're at risk of offending more people by "dressing down" than by "dressing up", that's for sure. That's pretty much the way it is in all of life, I suppose.

Then again, "they" say you'll gain people's trust easier in a white shirt and tie and suit. I, on the other hand, sorta distrust somebody dressed like that when the weather's not exactly conducive to such clothing -- makes me wonder what they're trying to hide and compensate for with their mode of dress. Must come from knowing too many lawyers.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

Some get slammed for being dressed in pink or whatever. No matter the dress code the main thing is dressing for the occasion whatever the music is. The music is the bottom line.
P.S. I'll tell Gregg to stop wearing tennis shoes!

The "people", that Bob is referring to, are the "people " that have grown up with country music and it's traditions. Imagine the Texas Troubadours wearing shorts, ball caps and T-shirts on stage. They, and others, were a classy group from the music to the playing. When I see shorts, ball caps and T-shirts on stage the H word comes to mind. Hippies. Not country, not redneck, not hayseed, but, hippies. Some of the performers on the Grand Ole Opry wear the hippy clothes and it really doesn't fit.
IMPORTANT LESSON:
Don't wear shorts, ball caps, T-shirts, tennis shoes, untucked shirts, sandals, those stupid hats that Mark McGuin wears, baggy pants, oversized shirts, dusters or anything that Sawyer Brown would wear, when performing at the Grand Ole Opry or, any country show.

Kevin.
"Country......it's more than music, it's a way of life"
WWED "what would Ernest do"

Kevin,
I understand your view, but it's not ET anymore..
It's another decade, let's move on! Don't watch or listen if you don't like it!
Like I said I'll tell Gregg not to wear tennis shoes and jeans. Theresa<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Theresa Galbraith on 23 July 2001 at 10:23 AM.]</p></FONT>

Theresa,
If I'm supposed to change the channel, why don't you not read my post.

Kevin

<SMALL>When I see shorts, ball caps and T-shirts on stage the H word comes to mind... Hippies</SMALL>

Kevin, you're knockin' me out!!!!!!!

Hey man, we're gonna both do the Buck Owens B'day show in a couple of weeks and I want ya to look at my fingertip and make it play better. Buy ya a Mexican dinner or somethin'??

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Kevin,
I read the forum. Bottom line wear what the artist tells you to wear. Wear what you wish to sessions! Music is bottom line. Theresa

Hey!
Let's examine what happened in the blues world, while we're at it: when the hippies adopted/ruined the blues in the '60's, long hair and shabby clothes went hand-in-hand with not learning the songs, over-playing and over-amplifying, and the creation of the guitar-hero cult - as Dan Penn has said - "they cut all the guitar players loose." What he meant was that musicians were no longer playing "in the bag", but just free-forming it, and not very well, either. Somehow, the clothes and the music went the same direction. Fast forward to the 1980's:
Jimmy Vaughan and Kim Wilson form the Fabulous Thunderbirds and pride themselves on showing up to gigs clean-shaven, nattily attired, on time, and (largely) sober. Coincidentally (?), they are playing the blues as a tight, cohesive ensemble - not trying to showboat. They return the concise sledge-hammer effect of the three minute song to the music - when a "set" was a set of songs and not a bunch of easy-baked hippies wanking on "Sweet Home Chicago" for twenty five minutes and boring the piss out of people. There is something to this "clothing thing" - but I think it follows, rather than precedes, a "professionalism thing."

Rob

I agree with Herb and Donny.
Our band dresses for the occasion, casual means at an outdoor bar-b-que, starched, creased jeans with dress or flashy style western shirts, not neccessarily matching but enough to stand out from the crowd. We recently went retro to matching suits for the special events because we wanted to style ourselves after the western swing bands of yesteryear. We even named our bus, a vintage 1954 4104, "SAN ANTONIO ROSE". fOR A LOOK, search for "The Cowboy Orchestra" web page. Guess what, we started getting more money, in fact, we've recently were paid very handsomely to drive to Atlanta and do an hour and twenty-five minutes! The suits did it! Lonnie Portwood, Jacksonville, Fl.

Hey Robert, I really liked your comment on the blues people. Really liked the way the Fab Thunderbirs dressed up in early 1950s clothing to match their sound. That's what we do so another BIG thanks goes out to Martin for his comment on my band. Of course I like to dress up ...I feel much different then.
Andy

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Just found this on the web... it's COOOOL!! http://theband.hiof.no/band_pictures/danko_dylan_1993.html

You guys and girls, all have excellent points, and I parts of everything I can see. I still have to lean towards dressing up. Maybe not Nudie's or matching Brooks and Dunn shirts that I hate cause everybody has them. I have found from leading bands that if you don't have a standard, things go to pieces. If you let them wear T-Shirts, one guy is gonna wear something with offensive wording on it, or else cut off the sleeves cause he thinks it's cool. Tennis shoes? No way. Same thing, Some shoes look good others look like they were dug out of a guy's gym locker. I do believe that when people come to hear the band, you have to impress them every way you can. I have never heard anything bad about how neat, clean, and nicely dressed a band was. I have heard the opposite about what a bunch of Dirtballs the band was. And yes, it's too bad Dwight, and Alan with all the money they make can't afford a good pair of pants. One other thing, Theresa, I have seen Gregg on several occasions and there is nothing wrong with his attire. Whether he was with Buddy, Hal, or Bill he always was neat and clean.

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<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Craig A Davidson on 02 August 2001 at 12:57 PM.]</p></FONT>

I used to work the hotel circuit with anything from duo's to seven piece groups and played for mostly business people. We weren't allowed to come into the lobby in our jeans in the daytime so if we went out to do something we had to go out a door away from the lobby. Needless to say we wore business suits and in a few cases were allowed to remove the coat after the first set but the tie and vest stayed. I played drums so I could roll up my sleeves sometimes. We were payed very well for these gigs and generally the better we were required to dress, the better we were payed. Now I play honky-tonks so it's boots, hats and nice jeans with belts and vests. The pay isn't nearly as good. Dress casual and get payed casual always seems to be the order of business. Why wouldn't you want to look like you're part of the entertainment?

Orchestra players are pulling down a couple hundred thousand a year and they play in tuxedos

Things have sure changed....most of the "animal club circuit" (Elks, Moose, etc) used to have very strict dress codes for the customers, and sometimes would not make exceptions for the band. We once went to a job all dressed up in western uniforms with hats....they had a "no hats" rule in the club so they made us remove the hats before we were allowed to work. We already knew not to show up anywhere in jeans...they were forbidden everywhere.

I remember one "moose(?) lodge in California that had a rule about wearing hats at the bar. If you did, you had to buy a round of drinks and it didn't matter if you were in the band or not. It don't take you long to remember to remove your hat!

"hatless" Dave

My vote is for uniforms--our band went the whole spectrum from short black western jackets and tux shirts to Hawaiian-style shirts and jeans,; we were just a weekend band but we gained a lot of respect for dressing up a bit. It wasn't always easy to match because my wife played bass and matching shirts with her outfits was a challenge at times. Our band doesn't play very often but I'll still save all those "band shirts" to use on casual gigs.
I have run into the "hat situation" on Canadian Legion gigs--one Legion would let us wear hats on stage because the president who hired us was a westerner from Alberta and understands about cowboy hats.

When I go to see a band play I like them to be clean and well dressed in uniforms or casual suits. And it would be nice if they could play their intros and endings correctly and together. It's wonderfull to watch a well organized band that looks great,work