#1688194 - 08/18/05 11:12 PM
"Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Jeff Klopmeyer
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It's a dreaded question. And yet, it's an understandable one.
When describing a band before you're heard by the listener, the easiest way for them to get a grasp on what you're all about is to make a comparison to an existing band.
This isn't a big issue for a band that plays covers... you can just name the bands you cover and that gives the person a pretty good idea of what you should sound like.
But in original acts I've been involved in, I always hated making analogies to existing bands, mostly because they were always WRONG! "Well, we're kinda like if Steely Dan wrote accessible rock/pop a la Coldplay but featuring Jimmy Page on guitar. No wait, that's not it. Uh..."
How do you answer for your band when people try and force a direct comparison?
- Jeff
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#1688195 - 08/19/05 08:19 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Pappy P
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Registered: 06/29/05
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Loc: Plano, Texas
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I just say blues rock. I have no idea how to clasify my self. Especially since I only record and I play all of the instruments.
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#1688196 - 08/20/05 09:25 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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CMDN
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I usually say we sound like Black Flag meeting Black Sabbath.
God enough.
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Erik
Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?
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#1688197 - 08/20/05 01:37 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Jeff Klopmeyer
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Loc: Redondo Beach,CA,UNITED STATES
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Beats Green Day meeting Peter Green!
- Jeff
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#1688198 - 08/20/05 08:00 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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David R
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Registered: 05/30/03
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Loc: Montreal, QC
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I once described a jam/soul/whatever band I was in as Stevie Wonder-meets-Radiohead, and got the response "Huh - I'll have to hear THAT!" I mean, those were two of the common influences among everyone in the group - and how else am I going to describe a quartet with a singer-songwriter who's been classically voice trained but who emulates Stevie in his melodies and Tom Robbins in his lyrics, backed by three guys who're studying jazz at university but listen to everything from Mr. Bungle to Cuban music to punk?
I hate having to describe bands. The groups I play in tend to be multi-hyphenate, at best.
David
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MySpace | My Blog "Speak up & be true or shut up & go to bed." Kerouac
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#1688199 - 08/21/05 02:01 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Tedster
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The Poppy Family meets Gert Jonnys.
No...lessee...
Well, I like to mix it up, but I've been told I do a fairly killer John Fogerty impersonation when I want to...so, I do tend to lend some, er..."Creedence" to what they say. I dunno. I really just started using my son Andrew's band for a backup band...our first gig was yesterday. We kinda tore it up, I thought. No, there wasn't a lot of gee whiz instrumental pyrotechnics, just some good, simple tunes.
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#1688200 - 08/21/05 11:17 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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DJDM
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Registered: 06/24/02
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Loc: Seattle
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Amon Tobin, Solvent, Spark, Chemical Brothers and or Air with a little bit of Bent and John Williams thrown in for good measure.
Back when I was a singer I was inspired by Peter Murphy and Morrissey but sounded like a darkwave version of David Gahan.
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#1688201 - 08/21/05 05:16 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Virtual Jim
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Registered: 01/26/02
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Loc: SF Bay Area
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In phoniness that is hipsterville, that type of question is usually just small talk, so I can get by just rattling off sub-genres ala "noise-punk with stoner metal overtones".
Luckily for me, I'm an obsessive music fan. So my CD collection is really big, and likewise easy to find two-four bands to blend in naming the sound for anyone actually interested in the answer and wants other band comparisons.
I find the genre-checking approach works better because then you don't have to live up to one person's view of what makes the comparison-band-the-comparison-band. For instance, if you say you sound like the Jesus Lizard but the singer can actually sing, they might be put off 'cause they thought they were getting Band A instead of Band B.
If any of that makes sense.
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#1688202 - 08/21/05 08:27 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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MidLifeCrisis
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Registered: 08/01/03
Posts: 2788
Loc: Tampa, Fl
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I side step the question and bait them with something like:
We dont sound like any one band. We recreate the spirit and music of the 60s generation. We take people back to the times of Peace, Love and Protest. A time when Music was not just entertainment, it was a way of life. It touched your heart and soul. It represented what you really believed in. We have taken it upon ourselves to spread the word of true Rock so the music would not be forgotten.
That usually gets their attention....
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#1688203 - 08/21/05 10:43 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Tedster
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Originally posted by MidLifeCrisis:
I side step the question and bait them with something like:
We dont sound like any one band. We recreate the spirit and music of the 60s generation. We take people back to the times of Peace, Love and Protest. A time when Music was not just entertainment, it was a way of life. It touched your heart and soul. It represented what you really believed in. We have taken it upon ourselves to spread the word of true Rock so the music would not be forgotten.
Snifff....that was beautiful, man...
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"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine...(WAH WAH WAH WAHHH!)"
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#1688204 - 08/22/05 02:23 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Quinn
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Loc: Oakland, CA
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That's a tough question because most bands playing original music are trying to sound like it, i.e. original.
I usually say something like "We're an indie band that plays dark, melodic pop with lead electric violin and vocal harmonies."
People often respond with looks of confusion, but are usually intrigued enough to want to hear what we sound like.
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#1688205 - 09/19/05 11:21 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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PBBPaul
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I usually describe us as a Blues/Jazz/Soul/Funk/Rock band that after 20 years together, sounds a lot like us.
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#1688206 - 09/19/05 07:28 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Picker
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Crap, mostly...
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#1688207 - 10/16/05 11:33 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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poly
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Phill Collins meets Larry Fast after eating dinner at Chris Squire's house 
Larry B
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#1688208 - 10/16/05 03:34 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Dick Ward (MP Hall of Fame Wannabe)
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I find it best to describe the band in a way that catches people's interest. Everyone sounds like someone... if you don't know who, ask some people, they'll tell ya.
When I decribe my band Cursed Eternity , I say stuff like:
Like InFlames, but not complete sh*t.
Imagine if Pantera didn't come along and ruin metal... that's what we sound like.
Better than your band.
It seems harsh, but I say it in a way where no one has hit me yet and it genuinely generates interest. I know that doesn't work for every genre, but metalheads love trashing other bands... go to a metal forum, that's all we do, so it works out well. (and interestingly enough, all three are pretty true, InFlames does blow now, Pantera did start the whole 'we love to play metal slowly' thing that's taken over and made the scene boring, and most local bands are terrible, and we aren't, so....)
Lol, Just never say you don't know, or 'like nothing you've ever heard before'. Cuz even if that does get their interest and they come, you'll sound like something they've heard before and be dissapointed.
Oh, and Tedster... chalk yourself up a bonus point for the Poppy Family reference!
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#1688210 - 10/22/05 09:06 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Dick Ward (MP Hall of Fame Wannabe)
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Don't have sound at work but I'll check it out at home... when you say the Funk brothers, you don't mean Terry Funk and Dorie Funk Jr. do you? I have a feeling you don't, but that would rule.
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#1688211 - 10/23/05 02:58 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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RicBassGuy
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Registered: 02/02/05
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The Funk Brothers. Those dudes in the movie Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Go buy the DVD ... it's a "must have".
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#1688213 - 11/12/05 11:45 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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boosh
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I Guess Earth wind and fire meetsCypress Hill meets Shabba Ranks
Hiya Jeff btw,....Checking your place out here;)
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#1688214 - 11/14/05 05:55 PM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
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Jeff Klopmeyer
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Hello Boosh!
I suppose my serious answer to this question is that we sound like a typical classic rock band, with big influences in our sound from Zeppelin, Cream, Van Halen, and other rock bands that mostly relied on one guitar, bass and drums for their instrumentation.
But in reality (as we all experience)... we sound like us! Every combination of musicians is unique to some degree.
- Jeff
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#1774349 - 06/30/07 01:48 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
[Re: Jeff Klopmeyer]
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Bassmasta89
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Registered: 06/30/07
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Loc: Alberta, Canada
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Its very hard to describe what my band sounds like because at times our playing during jams can be any style. But i would have to say generally we are similar to led zeppelin, cream, and aerosmith. But i dont like labels as to what we sound like so ill say we are basically a mix of all different styles. But in the end my band (White Summer) sounds like White Summer.
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#1779850 - 07/11/07 11:25 AM
Re: "Who Do You Guys Sound Like?"
[Re: slackdaddy]
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Griffinator
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This has been a consistently difficult question for me re: 1218.
Usually, I just resort to a producer friend's assessment:
Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath in a train wreck with Faith No More.
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