all-Synthesizer Band

[FunkyWhiteBoy]

Anyone ever organized, or been in a band where everyone is playing Synthesizers? e.g. Tangerine Dream, or synthPOP bands of the 80s. I've loosely tried to pull one together for a couple years, but its been significantly harder than pulling together a cover or tribute band. We keyboard players are few in number, so there's not a wide choice, even in the large metro areas. And we are just not used to playing with each other, so you get the disagreements over style, mix and content.

Wondering if I should just give-up on this idea, or is it possible to pull together an all synth band, and keep it together?

 

[happyrat1]

Start small, a duo, like Deadmaus and see where it goes from there.

Honestly with MIDI and keyboard automation two players can sound like an entire orchestra these days.

Gary

 

[Fred Coulter]

Honestly with MIDI and keyboard automation two players can sound like an entire orchestra these days.

Even without, you can fill the stage. Back in the day, I was playing with my wife at the Brooklyn Ethical Society. A guy came in and wanted to know where the rest of the orchestra was. It was just me with a DX7 and an RX5 and my wife on vocals, guitar, and harp. It doesn't take all that much.

(OK, there's a little bit of cheating going on. The RX5 was a drum machine, but one of the "drums" was a bass guitar. You could tune each hit, so basically you could add a bass line as part of the drum pattern. So that meant the little box was both a drummer and a bass player.)

Even earlier, when I was in Basic Training, one of the girls in my company didn't believe that Emerson Lake & Palmer were only three people.

 

[happyrat1]

Here's a studio trick I use a lot these days Fred.

I use the MIDI output of my Alesis SR-18 drum box (Which also does basslines btw) and use it to drive some of my other modules and keys to achieve some truly mind bending sounds and layers.

Really, when the Alesis is driving the Waldorf Blofeld the results can be mind blowing

Gary

 

[CowboyNQ]

Wondering if I should just give-up on this idea, or is it possible to pull together an all synth band, and keep it together?

I think it would be easy enough to pull it together. The question is, who would want to go and see it, outside of keyboard nerds like us?

 

[happyrat1]

Cowboy >>> Considering I've seen entire stadiums filled with eurotrash grooving to synth beats coming from a couple of deejay "artists" like Deadmaus there's way more electronica and keyboard nerds out there in the world than you think.

Actually I sorta wonder if the audience for your Pink Floyd tributes is currently dying of old age and attending in wheelchairs?

"Rockers on walkers"

Gary

 

[CowboyNQ]

Cowboy >>> Considering I've seen entire stadiums filled with eurotrash grooving to synth beats coming from a couple of deejay "artists" like Deadmaus there's way more electronica and keyboard nerds out there in the world than you think.

You may be right - but as a veteran of grinding out live gigs over the last 25 years I know the challenges of starting any project from scratch and building a following. Particularly one with selective appeal like electronica. I'd be happy to be proven wrong and wish our friend every success with his venture.

Actually I sorta wonder if the audience for your Pink Floyd tributes is currently dying of old age and attending in wheelchairs?

I love our audience. They're not young (although we do see youngsters there from time to time) but they're passionate. And they can afford the ticket prices...heheh.

 

[Maarkr]

i tried to get a multi-synth band going but up here in twang country, nobody likes euro, edm or synth stuff.

 

[happyrat1]

I believe Arnold Schoenberg once said "When every teenage boy owns an electric guitar it will mark the end of civilization as we know it."

Gary

 

[Alchemy]

Actually I sorta wonder if the audience for your Pink Floyd tributes is currently dying of old age and attending in wheelchairs?

"Rockers on walkers"

Gary

I've yet to see a generation that didn't love Pink Floyd. I admit that shocks me. I was fully expecting a music generation gap as I aged. I wondered if I should keep a polyester suit, wide white belt, and white shoes just in case.

 

[CowboyNQ]

Yes the music definitely has a cross-generational appeal. Although the majority of our audience would fit into the "baby boomer" category, we do get a good mix of ages. We try and encourage younger people to come along, by doing such things as making sure the show always plays at all-ages venues and give discounts for under 18's. We involve a kids' choir at each show too.

We played a show last weekend and we always do a "meet the audience" thing afterwards. The first two lads who came up to me could not have been more than 18 years old. They told me they loved the show and were keen to pose for selfies with me and other band members. Hopefully the next generation keeps enjoying it so we can keep selling tickets!

As far as your polyester suit goes, I've seen stranger things than that in the audience!

 

[Alchemy]

As far as your polyester suit goes, I've seen stranger things than that in the audience!

I'm guessing not so much like Woodstock though