The Steel Guitar Forum

This might sound silly but I am curious, what does the group or band you play with wear when performing or playing for the public?

I currently play with two bands and in one we wear whatever we choose, but with the other band leader, he always asks us to wear dark pants or trousers, usually a white western shirt and either black or white cowboy hats. I must admit the band that I play with where we all wear similar outfits, to me looks pro and I think it has a psychological effect on the band as well as the crowd/public.

Your thoughts please?

Terry "El Woodrow Woody" Wood

i have always like seeing bands that look like PROS
just gives a much better over all impression

We wear clothes. When in Rome. Togas, anybody? I've done it for frat theme parties.

Actually - what does a PRO look like? I've seen 'em in all kinds of sizes, shapes, backgrounds, world views, hairstyles, and ... clothes.

Our band site Joe
www.willowcreekband.com

Actually, I think the bowling team approach, where you wear "uniforms" makes a band look really cheesy and amateurish... IMHO. That's a very "old school" approach and I personally won't play in that situation. Heck... then I'd look cheesy and fat!

When in Bakersfield, do as Buck! See our band site: www.Bakersfield.dk

All the Country bands I've worked with usually wear Cowboy hats and Western style shirts . Gives a good vibe appearance , IMHO !! I don't care to see bands in old ripped Levis and Rock band T shirts !! I guess I'm old fashioned but this has worked out for us !! Eddie "C" ( the old geezer )

I kinda liked the 90's look. The Spice Girls

Bo please let me know where and when you are playing so I can STAY HOME WITH MY EYES SHUT!!!

What does a PRO look like?Go to a Ray Price,Mel Tillis,Ror Clark,or some one like the late great Hank Thompson,or Porter,concerts,you will see WHAT A PRO LOOKS LIKE.[not all] but most of this contemporary [so-called]country crowd seem to be having a contest which one can be the most disgusting,desecrating the opry stage or any stage,in dirty torn jeans and tank tops,looking like thugs instead of intertainers,NONE of the greats that MADE country music,could have been forced at gunpoint to go on ANY stage looking like some of this crud you see today,They had CLASS,STYLE,and above all,SELF RESPECT,don't you know.

Quit beating around the bush Charles and if you have something to say..then say it !!!
I agree 100% with you though.

Dennis I never do that,also I HATE political correctness,done got too old to worry about it,don't you know.

I Always Said Dressing Good Is Half Of The Show. Like The Stars Of The 50's I Always Tried To Do That.Look The Part The Ones Trying To Be Stars today Sure Look The Part They Are Doing Not Country music. SONNY.

What does a PRO look like?Go to a Ray Price,Mel Tillis,Ror Clark,or some one like the late great Hank Thompson,or Porter,concerts,you will see WHAT A PRO LOOKS LIKE.

Charles, the stage costumes these folks wear certainly were the "pro look" perhaps 50 years ago. But I don't think any of the major artists today, including George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, etc go for the matching outfit type stuff. I've got nothing against dressing nice... look at my avatar, but the only folks who dress like the fifties and sixties anymore are those who lived thru that time.
I thought that the nudie suits and stuff were pretty cool back in the day and still love the ornate western style shirts... but I thought bands that all dressed up alike were cheesy looking back then. Now they are cheesy looking and old. (Like I'm a spring chicken!) Starched Wranglers and Pearl Snap Shirts will alway be in style as far as I'm concerned!

I dont play in a band yet, but I would be more comfortable wearing jeans, boots, and a nice dress shirt and a cowboy hat. I dont know if I would actually like to wear a "band uniform"....but right now I'll take what I can get!

Brandon

It really depends on the band.

I play in one band that has a "stage uniform" of sorts, and we're playing Middle Eastern music. But we're playing for live dancers, and the costumes are a big part of that... we dress nicely to help make the dancers look good.

Basically, it's about whether or not you look formal. Kind of like wearing a tie or a suit... sometimes, you have to do it, sometimes it looks totally out of place.

Except for Felahi, I always dress informally onstage. I like to wear an unbuttoned regular shirt, mostly because I need a shirt pocket for picks and slides and stuff. And underneath that, some sort of t-shirt that I think will amuse/offend the audience, preferably something easily seen/read from offstage.

Hey, I grew up on punk and grunge. This IS formal wear!

Dale Watson knows how to dress. His look adds a lot to the show. If I ever play the Ryman Id try to look like I belong there.

As a matter of fact...http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZZjOJPmMhrM&feature=related

I love the idea of bands dressing up. I think thats very cool, and I love the look of western garb, but...

For me tho to put on a cowboy hat, I'd feel like a poser. I aint no cowboy..Im not even very rural.
I dont know much about country music, except that I dig it. so while I admire and like y'alls styles..I cant cop and not feel like a doofus.

One thing I know I dont like is when I see a performer walk into the venue in one outfit, then right before they hit the stage they put on the fancy gear. To me that is really lame. I want the illusion that this is how you live your life 24-7, 365, not just an act or a pose.

I'm with Steve....I am not interested in looking like everyone else on the bandstand. Have been asked to wear uniforms, and said NO....and to my knowledge never lost any gigs.

But that does not mean that I go on stage looking grungy. I dress nicely...but comtemporary.

Gary

I wrote earlier:

Actually - what does a PRO look like?

That, in point of fact, was a rhetorical question.

rhetorical question

noun
a statement that is formulated as a question but that is not supposed to be answered; "he liked to make his points with rhetorical questions"

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

But I was confident someone would have an answer to my question, which obviously has no answer.

Actually, I think the bowling team approach, where you wear "uniforms" makes a band look really cheesy and amateurish... IMHO.

Same here. I remember in my bluegrass days when bands HAD to wear matching outfits to get festival gigs - and some bands that did those gigs were the worst musicians - but smiled a lot and were "showy".

Then there are the "wedding band" types with matching tuxes playing Mantovani mixed in with some Beatles tunes.

Except for showy "pop" performers, almost no major artists force their touring bands to wear matching outfits or any of that malarky, so to me the whole idea that it looks more "professional" is about as relevant as buggy whips and 8-track tape players...and the ones who are the most supportive are usually non-pros, or were "pros" long ago.

I don't care what a band is wearing. I'm generally more interested in the music - I enjoy good stage presence, but clothes are a non-factor to me.

If I could play like this guy, I'd wear what he's got on all the time.

What is a uniform anyway? Are the suits that the buritto brothers wearing in so many pictures, uniforms? They obviously weren't street clothes. They may not have been identical but to me it's a uniform. Were they lame? If they aren't, is it because they got to choose which suit to wear? It's still a cohesive look, basically the same look and basically a uniform. Then it's not the uniform, but the lack of input on the uniform? More stiffeling of personal expression? Boo...Hoo.

Live music should be fun for the crowd. If some kind of predetermined outfit helps make a show a little more interesting, why not do it?

If a person was acting in a play, would wardrobe be too lame? Would memorizing lines be lame? Oh to have to speak someone elses words and wear thier clothes...the shame. Limiting my personal expression.....it's so horrible.

but seriously, some uniforms are fun, some stage clothes are fun, some are not. I've been mistaken as a waiter in one uniform and that sucked. My ego is still intact.

I think crowds like a little flash with thier music, they want to be entertained. But, that stuff isn't appropriate for every show or venue so I don't see the need for such absolute resolution on the parts of a number of people here, either way.

Steve Walz wrote: I don't see the need for such absolute resolution on the parts of a number of people here, either way.

Very true.

Brian Setzer, when he started that Big Band thing, played some gigs and the band all dressed how they wanted. The music was great but it didn't work. When they had the look of a Big Band it worked better to tie it all together and set them apart from the rest.