wpenland Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Hello, I am interested in hearing some opinions for a Guy guitarist and Girl singer to play just around town at like local coffee shops and what not. Really more interested in showcasing the singer more so than the guitarist but also looking to play out a little bit. We are really interested in Indie music as well as some other mainstream stuff. We listen to a lot of Beach House, Sia, Broken social scene, radiohead, Pavement, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, things like that. What are some good songs for a girl to sing as well as some pretty cool sounding songs with just guitar and vocals. Any suggestion welcome. I really like Alt rock and classic rock. so not ruling those out either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I did that for a VERY short time back in '70. Easier to find songs back then 'cuz it wasn't too far out of the folk scene, and people like Carol King, James Taylor and Gordon Lightfoot were real popular and wrote stuff that translated well to single guitar. I'm not really well versed on what your potential audience might welcome. The only folks I can think of that do anything close are The Weepies, and I only know one song by them. Let us know how it works out. Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A String Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 This is really an "Indie" type thing. If it were me, I would pick from the bands you listed and figure out new arrangements that suite the two of you. Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies etc. all have songs that could easily be transfered into the format you are looking at doing, IMO. Sit down with some tunes and start reshaping them. Have fun and let us know how you make out. Craig Stringnetwork on Facebook String Network Forum My Music Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 There are lots of songs out there that either were just guitar & vocalist or that could translate well that way. 1) Norwegian Wood (by The Beatles, change the gender in the lyrics) 2) Beth (by KISS, change the gender in the lyrics) 3) nearly everything by Jose Feliciano, John Denver, Raul Midon and Cat Stevens, 4) every blues song ever written 5) Creep (see Prince's version of this Radiohead classic- its a flexible song) 6) U2 (Mysterious Ways), Bravery (Honest Mistake), Simple Minds (All the things she said) 7) stuff by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs (Gold Lion), Siouxie & The Banshees (Kiss them for me), X (House of Love) 8) Can't Change Me (by Chris Cornell) 9) Rabbit in the Headlights (by UNKLE) 10) Sympathy for the Devil (by The Rolling Stones) 11) Lucy in the Skies with Diamonds (by The Beatles) 12) Love Lies Bleeding (by Elton John) 13) Deeper Shade of Soul (by Urban Dance Squad) 14) Human Behavior (by Bjork) 15) Army of Me (by Bjork) 16) 100 Yard Dash (by Raphael Saadiq) Of course, some of this stuff would require some stylistic tweaks, but could still work. Chris Cornell did a killer version of "I will always love you" for just him & guitar that sounds little like the earlier, more famous renditions...but still works. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billster Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Any song can work if you apply yourself. Believe me, I've done my own repertoire as electric mayhem and as acoustic singer/songwriter. For open mic stuff I've done Hendrix tunes, J.J. Cale's Cocaine, and other stuff as well. Haven't worked in any Zappa yet... Buy my CD on CD Baby! Bill Hartzell - the website MySpace?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 For vocals that are originally by females you might look into Luscious Jackson. Or acoustic versions of Veruca Salt. Tanya Donnelly would also be a good source. Sleater-Kinney band, Bikini Kill-lots of choices but some of this is pretty hard rock, it would have to be tweaked a bit. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 To continue down that path, check out Yaz, Cocteau Twins, Til Tuesday, Berlin. Motels, Melissa Auf Der Maur, PJ Harvey, Kaki King, Blondie, Sheryl Crow, Tori Amos, T'Pau, Animotion, Breeders, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, and Eurythmics. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 If you're feeling really confident, you might look into Tuck & Patti... Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I say, while all of the above posts have GREAT suggestions, be imaginative and pick a few songs that wouldn't normally be what one might expect from a guitarist/female-vocalist duo. Pick tunes of one style, and play 'em in another. Take something corny or old-hat and make it cool; take something cool and do it silly. Make a mark for yourselves by pulling out some surprises now and then, doing things that people will remember and talk about. Example, albeit from a full-on band: at their gigs, a local band called Plastic Nebraska featured a cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'", the song made famous by Nancy Sinatra, with their singer playing an accordion; they did it in a minor key at a very slow tempo, putting a lot of feeling into it, conveying the anguish of a tortured soul. Have your vocalist put some hand-percussion to good use, even if it's just an egg-shaker, a tambourine, or a Native-American style rattle. It looks SOOO cool when a grrrl up on stage has the nerve, confidence and conviction to convincingly pull that off! If you're feeling really confident, you might look into Tuck & Patti... Yeah! REALLY confident! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I once suggested to one of my clients that she try gender swapping the lyrics of Santana's "Evil Ways" to make it a song about a man cheatin' on his woman kind of song... She never did, AFAIK. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billster Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 If you're feeling really confident, you might look into Tuck & Patti... But their magic is in the arrangements. A lot of the songs they do are standard repertoire. Not picking on Picker, but let me emphasize my earlier post - pick good songs. Don't get hung up on whether it was something originally performed by a woman singer. Buy my CD on CD Baby! Bill Hartzell - the website MySpace?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billster Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 I once suggested to one of my clients that she try gender swapping the lyrics of Santana's "Evil Ways" to make it a song about a man cheatin' on his woman kind of song... That's the idea! Buy my CD on CD Baby! Bill Hartzell - the website MySpace?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billster Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 And if you check out Emm Gryner, she's a singer/songwriter type who did an entire album of piano/voice interpretations of hair metal songs. Obviously there was a little bit of artistic irony intended in doing that, but again, my main point is to pick solid material and not worry about the specifics of the source equalling your direction. Buy my CD on CD Baby! Bill Hartzell - the website MySpace?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Y'know, come to think about it, if you ain't in a hurry, you could try almost anything, like all here are suggesting. Keep what you think works, drop the rest. If the Kronos String Quartet can pull off "Purple Haze", what's stopping YOU? Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 (KQ simply rule.) Exactly- take the Chris Cornell song "Can't Change Me" and change it's focus from the guy's perspective to the girl's, and it takes on a different vibe. That's what Prince did with his cover of Radiohead's "Creep", after all. What about Bowie's "Space Oddity"? Simple, evocative, vocals-driven- could be fun. Hmmm...that inspires a question: is the guitar accompaniment going to be acoustic or electric? Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 Angle From Montgomery, Bonnie Raitt...cool chick singer and guitar back up song... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted March 14, 2012 Share Posted March 14, 2012 ...let me emphasize my earlier post - pick good songs. Don't get hung up on whether it was something originally performed by a woman singer. Good call. Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 If you're feeling really confident, you might look into Tuck & Patti... But their magic is in the arrangements. Well that, and Patti's warm, beautiful voice, and Tuck's unbelievable playing... Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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