[Dixielandjazz] Costumes vs. Non

Mon Apr 23 13:47:49 PDT 2007

LW. -- First of all I don't think of them as costumes but rather uniforms. 
Costume implies goofy or corny and I just don't see it that way.

Mike -  My feeling is that we should all remember we are in show biz. People 
who come to hear us want to be entertained. Granted, it’s the music they 
come for, but the also are very aware of the visual stimulation that they 
receive.

LW. - Remember years ago the singers in the 40's bands just stood there and 
once and awhile would gesture with their hands.  Just look at the singers 
today.  Singers that do that get hooted off of Idol pretty quick.  People 
hear with their eyes.  Bands are still trying to duplicate the "stand there 
and do nothing technique" of the 40's singers who were in Black and White. 
People were much more attuned to actually listening to music in them olden 
days.  In the 60's the Doo Wop guys were doing elaborate dance routines.  By 
the 70's you got guitar players prancing around the stages and Go Go 
Dancers.  Everyone should have taken a lesson from Elvis in that music was 
becoming very visual.
>
Mike -- For example, the “way out” jazz guys who play for themselves and don’t 
give a hoot about the audience are kidding themselves when they forget they 
are there to “entertain” the audience.  I have left a number of musical 
events when I see this attitude, even though the player(s) might be 
talented.

LW. -Being talented helps but I have known dozens of people I thought were 
highly talented who are simply no longer in the business.  It takes more 
than talent.  Today you have to be multitalented.  Look at the real 
successful people.  I know what many think of Woody Allen but the guy is a 
writer, an actor, a comedian, a musician.  I feel that I am multi talented 
in many ways too.  While I can't dance or act I can play an instrument, I 
sing, write advertising copy, do web sites, know photography, work with 
multi media and am a commercial artist.  Every one of those things is show 
biz oriented. If I had developed other visual skills like acting or dancing 
I would be a whole lot bigger than I am.  Just being a musician has a name, 
they call them side men.

Mike - This attitude of “screw the audience I want to play my stuff, in my 
way, wearing the clothes I want” is alien to the concept of entertainment. 
(To those of you on the list who don't wear band costumes -- my feeling is 
that even though your band might be the most talented your area, unless you 
have taken the time to dress as a band, you still may come across as a bunch 
of pickup musicians, IMHO).

LW. - Early on I had to make money playing and I just never had the time to 
enjoy the luxury of playing to myself or to the other guys on the bandstand.
>
Mike -- Here’s another example.  Liberace was a moderate success early in 
his career when he decided to forgo the costumes and just entertain with his 
piano skills. His career almost tanked. Only when he went back to the visual 
stimulation of costumes (as well as comedy and audience interaction), did 
his piano playing career take off. O.K., so Liberace did not play OKOM, but 
he was a show biz icon who learned a lesson the hard way, and we can learn 
from his mistake.

LW.  A great lesson to all of us "laughing all the way to the bank".
>
> Our friend Elazar in Israel has it right. Give ‘em costumes if that’s want 
> they want. Even charge them a little more, if you can get it. You’ve got 
> to give the customer what he wants.
>
LW.  I give the customer the choice - Vests, Tuxes or casual.  They ALWAYS 
pick the vests and the 20's outfits when they are booking my Dixie band.. 
Now I know that some of you think that this is corny but there are some very 
good things to be said about it.  First since I have to buy them they are 
fairly inexpensive and since you need to buy 10-15 for a 5 piece band. 
(assuming you will have different personnel from time to time)  Jackets can 
get to be real expensive.  Again if you want the band to look uniform. 
Casual is OK too but nice polo shirts with a logo can cost as much as vests. 
I think a lot of us (especially me) look like hell in a snug fitting polo. 
The other big advantage to me personally is that I am uncomfortable a lot of 
the time wearing a jacket.  It's just too hot.

I do themes which are fairly popular.  I booked three Cinco De Mayo gigs 
(just hung up on a fourth) because I sent out a flyer with me in Mexican get 
up.  For gigs I will wear a sombrero, bunny ears or even toga.  We wear WWII 
uniforms and 50's cloths too.  The first gig I did like that was for 
Bastille Day.  We got berets, vests and wore neck scarves then did an hour 
of French music.  It was a big hit.

Simply put I would lose 30-40% of my gigs if I became "cool".  I would agree 
on an intellectual level that cool is "cool" but when it translates into 
money it's not.
>
Mike -- In my bands, I don’t go overboard with costumes, but we do show up 
dressed alike (red golf style shirts, with band logos, khaki pants, brown 
shoes, red socks).

LW.  Trouble with khaki is that there are so many different versions of it 
and the guys always seem to wear a different one than I have.

Mike-- I have provided each regular band guy with 2 shirts and socks at my 
expense, so there is no excuse for not showing up in costume. I have extra 
shirts out with most of the regular subs, so that I just tell them to wear 
the red shirt I’ve provided.  Interestingly enough, we get lots of 
compliments about dressing alike (especially the red socks). I also have 
some other costumes for special events (black vests for more formal events, 
stripped vests for certain events, and even straw hats if the customer asks 
for Roaring 20’s). Take a look at my website.

LW.  I don't think I go overboard on this stuff.  The key is to look sharp 
with a clean shirt and shined shoes.  I insist that everyone dress well and 
they do but in the past I have had guys show up in t-shirts when they were 
supposed to be in tux.  I was working another band, formal, and a guy showed 
up in one of those printed t-shirts that looks like a tux.  He thought it 
was a great joke.  To me that's the perfect definition of committing 
"Gigacide"

Is it necessary to dress alike or use costumes?  No but if your business 
becomes locked into that or the customer wants it then you better do it.  I 
take the super market approach.   Offer many products for the customer so 
they don't have to go somewhere else.  Be as colorful and attractive as 
possible and always appear at eye level (advertising) so they will pick me 
off the shelf rather than brand X.

In the pizza parlor days there were a lot of guys wearing the striped vests, 
garters and boaters.  I don't ever remember any of them saying hell no I 
won't wear that stuff.  I would imagine a lot of the guys that put it down 
today just might have been seen in that get up 40 years ago.
>
Mike. -- I spend a lot of time on rehearsing and practicing, but so does 
everyone else in this business who wants to be a good performer. If a hat, 
vest or matching clothes makes my group stand out a bit more, so be it.
>
LW. - I'm glad your band isn't in the same market as mine - you have the 
right idea.
Larry Walton
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Woitowicz" <banjomusic at charter.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2007 6:57 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Costumes vs. Non

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> Mike Woitowicz
> The Banjo Barons Ragtime Band
> The Dixie Barons Dixieland Band
> www.banjomusic.biz
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