How One Fan Stole my Voice

Hi there,

Let me say firstly that I'm sorry this isn't going to be a tale of some crazed stalker pinching my recordings or anything as equally intriguing, as my title may suggest. But it is about something more insidious for performers like me.

I did a gig recently where I completely lost my confidence. It was a new gig for me and I had a lot of new songs jostling for real estate inside my head so perhaps I wasn't as self possessed as I might have been with a more familiar repertoire. But really, I have been doing this a long time and I am often thrown into brand new situations, so what was so different?

It started almost as soon as the show began. A few times during the beginning of the first set, I opened my mouth and absolutely no sound came out.  I didn't have a cold,  my voice felt warmed up and in good shape before I hit the stage, so what was going on?  Eventually I spied in the corner of my eye, side of stage, a portable pedestal fan, aimed directly and going at full bore at my face. It was obviously meant to help the performers keep cool and combat the incredible humidity that hung in the air that night. The venue folk weren't to know that blasts of air like these were my Kryptonite.

Voices are as individual as the singers who possess them so not everyone would have had the same reaction I did, although it is fairly common. This fan was quite literally stealing my voice away by drying my mouth out. Anyway, I angled the fan away from me and that fixed the problem quick smart. Well one of the problems. I had my voice back but what to do about my desire to have the stage swallow me up because I was ashamed of my singing? It took the rest of the set to regain my equilibrium and I know my overall performance suffered as a result. Apparently I managed to summon enough superficial bravado to convince the audience that all was right with my world, and the momentary blips in my singing were barely noticed. But inside I was really struggling. And unfortunately, while I may be getting better and better at covering it up, this wasn't the first time I've let something like that throw me. It really reinforces the fact that singing and performing really are psychological games. Preparation, practice, skill - all vital, but sometimes confidence is everything.

Got any tips on how you handle your inner anxious dude?

All the best,
Amanda

When Audiences Don't Like You

Hi there,

A singer friend of mine once joked (in that way things are said when they are absolute truth and no joke at all) that performers become performers because they crave the approval of others. That's a bit too scary to contemplate for me right now so perhaps that particular can of worms can be prised open another time. But I will agree that applause is pretty damn nice.

But have you experienced an audience that doesn't like you? Maybe they don't like the colour or your hair, tone of your voice, choice of repertoire or simply don't dig the cut of your jib? It's hard to please all of the people all of the time and how do we know what they actually think about us anyway? 

I recently did a piano bar gig where I couldn't help but notice an older gentleman in the audience giving me a definite look of distaste. He was facing me square on with his arms folded and a sneer on his face and every now and then he would say something into the ear of his companion - obviously about me. Of course this made me try even harder. I feel like I'm pretty good at matching a repertoire with an audience and so I looked at him and tried to chose songs I thought he'd like. I smiled extra big and tried to be extra charming. But I got nothing. No smile, no clapping, no positive response from this guy at all. Then at the end of the night as he was walking out the door, he pressed a $US100 note in my hand and said 'great job'. Whether that situation says more about my own insecurity or about how audiences often don't react as they feel, I don't know!

I worked with a very experienced professional comedian recently who was so completely put off by the punters' reserved response that he fluffed his lines and really struggled to stay on his game at all. As much as we love our applause and feed off an audience's reaction, surely our experience should allow us to override negative vibes and continue tap dancing as fast as we can?

I think we owe it to our audiences to deliver our best performance possible, regardless of their reactions, but it ain't easy! I'm sure we've all experienced cultural differences at shows. In my two years performing in Japan I got used to crowds who sat very passively, politely clapping in between songs but otherwise very unresponsive, only to have to wave away fanatical expressions of undying love and excessive praise from the same people, after the show had finished. 

I heard someone say recently that Aussie audiences are the rudest and least 'giving'. What do you think? If you tell me your story I promise to clap very hard and respond enthusiastically!

xAmanda
www.amandaeaston.com

So you want to be a Singer? Read this first!

'What do you want to be when you grow up?'
'I want to be a singer in a band!'

A wise musician said to me recently that in 'his day' you had to have 'a' band in order to work 5 nights a week, but that now you have to have 5 bands in order to work 1 night a week. I think he's right. I look at my calendar for this year - and it's only May - and I have already worked in 14 different musical projects, including bands, production shows and recording gigs. 

So if you want to make an actual living from this singing lark and avoid being just a weekend warrior, you have to be 'a singer in bands'. But it's more than that. Of course you have to learn 14 different repertoires but that's a singer's job. The voice is absolutely an instrument but you'll be working with people who play other varieties of instruments and it's a good idea to be able to communicate in the same musical language as they can, so you might want to study music theory. Some of the shows you do might be costumed and gone are the days when that is all supplied for you, so you'd better get some costume designing chops. You want to do a gig at this particular venue, you have to bring your own sound system - so you'll also be a roadie and a sound engineer. Oh did I mention you have to bring the audience too? Social media whizz, publicist. Don't forget the posters and fliers and maybe some advertising: graphic designer. You want to do your own show? Booking agent, producer, promoter, payroll. If you want to get involved in songwriting you better have some recording and production skills under your belt and you may have to negotiate your own royalty deals. Manager, lawyer.

Of course, sometimes singers get to work with real professionals in these aforementioned areas, and that is a joy, but as an independent artist, there are many times when the budgets and circumstances just don't allow for that and you will have to be all things to all people. Now don't think I'm trying to turn you off your chosen career here - I absolutely adore what I do and while there are growing pains involved in constantly learning new skills, I have learnt that no laurels are good enough to rest on for too long. Also, being so involved in all aspects of the career I'm passionate about, is ultimately very satsifying. It's just those times when you're talking chatting to someone about what you do for a living and they say something like: 'Oh so you do about 4 gigs a week - that's great, you are very lucky having all of that free time!'... 

Anyway, I need a cup of tea and a lie down after all of that - I need to keep my energy up in order to scramble up the next big learning curve that is no doubt coming my way,

 goofer.com

See you next time,
Amanda
www.amandaeaston.com

Should you Produce yourself?

Hi there,

I am the person who, in between hairdresser visits, hacks at and colours their own hair. I got down on my hands and knees and sanded and stained the damaged floorboards in the kitchen rather than call a professional and I decided I could produce, direct and edit my latest music video all by myself. So I'm no stranger to do-it-yourself.

One area I don't go near, however, is my own music production. I have lots of ideas and I put all those ideas in a multi track demo that I give to a producer. He sees through my suspect sounds and mootable mixing, sprinkles some fairy dust and suddenly what I hear in my own head comes to life. I've heard a lot of self-produced artists recently and each time I've come away thinking: great singer, great songs, but there is something missing. I'm not suggesting that there are no great artists who are also great producers - Michael Carpenter at Love Hz Studios is one of those and Floyd Vincent did a great job on his recent live album. But I think that a lot of artists aren't equally good producers and, while hair does grow back, no-one really looks at the kitchen floor and I might get away with a DIY film clip for one of my songs, I know my home baked production would be half baked. Just like I think singers need singing lessons, I think artists need producers. If nothing else, it's a second brain and pair of ears to prod you out of your comfort zone... or perhaps reign in the wilder reaches of creativity and lend some consistency to a group of tunes that will end up as an album or EP. 

Songwriter's songs are like their babies and we don't take kindly to criticism of our offspring - but let's face it, often it is required. And you might think the little tacker would look terrible in a stripey onesie but it could just be that the pattern brings out the absolute best in their complexion. It takes a lot of years to become a good singer. It takes just as long to become a good producer. So if you have been spending most of your time working on your singing and songwriting, why not leave the knob twiddling and audio magic to the guys and girls that have been spending so many of their waking hours on that craft?

By the way, you can judge for yourself, my DIY filmclip (this is the remix version).

http://youtu.be/dhI5nL0jsuY

'Till next time,
Amanda

But that's MY gig!

Hi there,

I received an email recently asking me to quote on providing some regular entertainment at a local venue. Not long after I did so, I found myself pulled into a conversation thread that included an email from an irate entertainer. The entertainer was the one currently providing the music I was asked to quote on, as it turned out. His email to the booker went along the lines of: 'How f@#$&*$n dare you ask this Amanda Easton to quote on a gig I have been doing for years! This is my gig and you have no right to offer it to anyone else...' etc. I didn't hear from the venue again but I did wonder about the fate of that infuriated incumbent. Do any of us have any right of ownership over 'our' gigs?

I have semi-regular longstanding gigs, that because of overseas trips and the like, I've had to 'dep out' for a night or two. I always recommend the best possible replacement of course, out of respect for my fellows musos. I did this recently and next thing you know I see the advertising for this same show, but a different date (one I would have been available to do) featuring the dep instead of me. Hmm so I guess I lost that gig then.

I must admit there is a bit of 'what about me?' when that happens - reminiscent of that feeling I got when boys on the school bus would overlook me in favour of my prettier friend. But in the creative, transient and esoteric world of showbiz I don't think there is too much that is permanent or predictable and that's precisely what keeps it so enthralling. And, I have been that dep that's ended up becoming part of somebody else's regular show. Instead of thinking any performer is 'better' than another, I really believe 'everybody got their something' and sometimes somebody else's something is more suitable for some shows than others...and anyway, I'll be quite happy waiting for the next musical adventure to come along and sweep me and my something away.

See you next time,
Amanda
www.amandaeaston.com

Do You Play Too Loud?

Hi there,

It's not very inspiring, when you're pouring your heart, soul and voice into a song and mid way through an impassioned top A, someone shakes a finger in front of your face. They are gesturing to you to 'turn it down!' and it's difficult to re-enter the emotional zone once the parade has been rained on.

But do we, as musos or singers, have to have our volume up to the Spinal Tap setting to feel the vibe? I think it depends - the mood of the band should match the room or at least the intended atmosphere of the occasion. Do people want to have conversations over cocktails? If everyone has fingers in their ears, I might get an inkling we need to turn it down. Or do our audience want to lose their inhibitions - and possibly control of their limbs - on a dance floor? If people want to cut loose and the music is too soft they will feel uncomfortable, even if they don't know why. Either way, much as we may not like it, it's not all about us! If we as bands don't fit the brief we've been booked for, venues will stop hiring us and maybe even come to the conclusion that 'live music just doesn't work'.

One of those dreaded emails about volume levels came around from management at a certain venue where I do a regular gig. It asked all bands to keep it down. Of course I grumbled, the guitarist grouched and the drummer groaned. But then we did as we were told and the guitarist took along his acoustic instead of electric, the drummer carried in his cajon instead of the usual small kit and I got to take my head voice and falsetto for a nice night out. We started the gig with pursed lips but then, a few songs in, we found ourselves enjoying playing together in this different, lighter mode, hearing each nuance. The audience loved it and we got booked again. Maybe we'll save our cover of 'Like My Love Pump' for another occasion then...
See you next time,
Cheers,
Amanda
www.amandaeaston.com

Listen to your Mother

Hi there,
 
At what point do you get so good at doing something, there is very little room left for improvement? Or, when exactly is a dog too old to learn new tricks? 

The poster from my first ever cover band.

One of the comments, supposed compliments I hated getting in the early part of my singing career was: 'you've got so much potential'. I just wanted to be there, not always feel like I was just 'on the way'. But then, over the years and after hundreds of gigs, I could feel myself improving and I saw it all more like a steep hill you had to climb in order to get to that pesky 'potential', where you could surely afford to take a breather. 

But then my mum came to see me sing the other day and when I sat down with her in the break, she looked at me (or perhaps it would be more accurate to say 'looked right into me' like only a mother can) and said: 'you sing differently now'. I held my breath, steeling myself for criticism. She continued: ''I like it much better. You sing higher notes I didn't know you could and the notes move around more. You're a better singer,". I didn't like what I was hearing, because if I really had improved, there must have been something lacking before - and I thought I'd already climbed that hill! 

On reflection (OK and prodding from my husband) I realised what she said was great news - not only because being a better singer can only be a good thing but also, if I'm still learning then I mustn't yet be an old dog!!

See you next time,
Amanda

www.amandaeaston.com

5 Reasons NOT to Sing Covers

Hi there,

I’ve spent a lot of cyber inches defending the practice of singing ‘other people’s songs’ but today I’m going to be the Devil’s Advocate. Here's why you should not sing covers if you want to be an original music artist:

Amanda Gaga

     1. Branding Badly – The pilgrimage from disco queen territory to cool indie princess land is a long and arduous one. If you want to make a decent living from singing covers, chances are you will be singing pop and dance hits from the last three decades. Once you establish a reputation – among punters and industry – as this type of performer, it’s hard work shaking that image and establishing a new one at the other end of the spectrum of cool. 

2. Sullying your Style  – Becoming an original artist is all about finding and honing what is individual about you. On the other hand, the best cover and session singers can sing just about anything and do it convincingly. Cover singers spend so much time in Lady Gaga’s songwriting shoes that it can drag their skills and style in everybody’s direction but their own.

3. Distracting Habits – A few gigs a week, a few sets a gig adds up to lots of other people’s songs to be learnt. And if you want to stay in that game you can’t rest on your repertoire. It needs to be constantly refurbished and revised. Precious time that you could be spending writing your own masterpieces.

4. Losing the Love – sweaty, sleazy punters (show me one cover singer who’s never heard ‘Show us Yer Tits’ during a normal night’s work); a sound system from 1975 that makes it almost impossible to hear yourself sing; being on stage in front of a Spinal Tap-worshipping guitarist making it almost impossible to hear yourself sing; venues that make you sit in a broom cupboard in between sets and then ‘forget’ to pay you…you get the picture and I’m only scratching the surface of this particular image. If you were doing your own thing you might see a light through the end of the tunnel of poker machines, but sometimes singing Beyonce and Britney night after night just doesn’t make this scene worth it!

5. Showing your Bad Side – When you write for yourself, you custom the songs to suit you. You don’t have to try to sound like Ke$ha to please the punters.  Your own lyrics reflect the way only you would express yourself and you can manoeuver the melody to sit in your sweet spot. You’re presenting a brand new piece of art that is all you with no compromises and shows you at your best.

Next time: ‘Five Reasons You SHOULD Sing Covers’.

As usual, love to hear what you think,

Cheers,

Amanda

www.amandaeaston.com