What do you wear when you perform?

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: GUEST,nobby
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 01:05 PM

clothes

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 01:23 PM

When I was performing with various orchestras I would wear a long black (floor length) dress and black socks...no shoes. I didnt feel comfortable wearing something that reminded me of a burnt merangue and when you perform you have to be comfortable so I didn't wear shoes. The socks and my feet were clean.

When I was in the church choir I had to wear a Red Cassok (sp?) a ruff and a white surplice along with my medals. It didn't matter what I was wearing underneath because nobody could see. I HAD to wear black shoes but hey you can't win 'em all!!

cat

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: greg stephens
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 01:42 PM

what were the medals for?

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 24 Jul 02 - 02:15 PM

In some church choirs the choristers took exams with the RSCM (Royal School of Church Music) if the chorister passes the exam they are presented with a certificate and a medal on different coloured ribbons depending on the level. I got my Deans Award, the Archbishops Award and then the St Cecilia Award (Boys do the St Nicolas Award) The St Nicolas and the St Cecilia are the highest they award.

Sorry about the repeat posts the computer kept saying "this page cannot be displayed" annoying huh!!

cat

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 12:45 AM

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Kaleea
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 01:13 AM

I came up playing in band & orchestra in school, and in grade school, we were usually told to wear black skirts/pants & white blouse/shirt. By high school, we were normally told to wear (unless in marching band dress) black. When in college bands/orchestras/choirs, you guessed it, "performance noir." When I play in the ceoli band, I usually wear black, and on St. Pat's day I wear some green, but green is definately not my color, and does not flatter the women of my family. I still have the habit of wearing black for most performances. However, when I am performing at a local museum (quite often) I wear the dress of a lady of the late 1800's. When I play in my bluegrass band, we dress as gals from the sticks--way, way back in the sticks! Don't worry, we never forget the jug!

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 04:26 AM

Deodorant.

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: fogie
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 09:24 AM

I like to relax and dress down to perform. I like a casual Tweed jacket, riding cavalry twill breeches, and a deerstalker, and shooting stick. Hey wait a minute what performance are we talking about??

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Shonagh
Date: 25 Jul 02 - 06:05 PM

Well, in our band, we have 3 rules! if its a really big gig, no chewing gum, no jeans and no trainers!! apart from that we almost always wear long tartan skirts (the girls!) and a coloured top to match, and the lads wear their kilts. it looks really smart, and we are usually playing for tourists so its nice to give a good impression. it looks like we've made the effort! if im performing on my own,i usually wear a gipsy kinda top (usually black) and a pair of smart trousers. If im at a folk club, usually jeans and a top! To be honest, I try and wear whatever i think will match the occasion. I dont want 2 look 2 dressed up, but not scruffy. I sumtimes find it a problem tryin 2 guess what 2 wear!! anyone else have this problem?!?

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Genie
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 03:59 AM

Well, Ted, My first thought was that the kind of attire you described is exactly what I see on Saturday Night Live every time they have a young rock band on as their special musical guests!  Or what you see whenever Willie Nelson and his pals perform.
 

Mst of my gigs are for senior facilities, and many are theme programs.  For themes, I dress in character (as LTS said)-- Baviarian style for Oktoberfest; Mexican for Cinco de Mayo; green for St. Patrick's; red and green for Christmas; red-white-and-blue for July 4th; red for Valentine's Day; a black dress with a witch hat for Hallowe'en; jeans, boots, and a cowboy shirt for "Western Days," etc.  It it's not a theme but it's a more formal program -- like a candlelight dinner-- I usually wear a long, colorful skirt (usually a lightweight cotton) with a solid color tank top [most often black, and colorful earrings.  If it's casual, it's the same kind of tank top with lightweight cotton or rayon slacks.  Wherever I perform, it's always sandals, Birkenstocks,  or some other flat shoe -- seldom tennies, and NEVER high heels, since I perform standing up, and I value my feet.  I seldom wear a really formal kind of outfit because suits are way too hot when I'm moving around and I don't own any cocktail dresses--and they look stupid with Birkenstocks, anyway!

I usually dress in layers, since I never know what the temperature is going to be.  I tend to incorporate vivid colors into my attire because--well, because I LIKE vivid colors (as opposed to mini-prints and pastels and beiges)--and because it wakes up your audience.  But I do like to wear something that I can mover around in comfortably.  (You can see my typical layered casual performance outfit in the personal photos section under my name.  I'm the one without the beard.  The pic from JenEllen's Mudcat gathering --in that thread --this July shows my 'dressier' outfit--i.e, salmon colored pants instead of gray.)

One more thing that I learned from my earlier life as a drama student:  if I'm going to be under spotlights, I wear more make-up than usual.  If you don't, you'll end up having no face when that spotlight hits you, unless your features have very strong natural definition (like Brooke Shields's eyebrows).  If I'm singing in a small, casual, venue, I may not wear any at all, except maybe lipstick.   [I'm not suggesting you guys follow suit.  But  you probably know that a lot of performers on stage, screen, and TV are heavily made up, so they'll look "normal" under the lights.]

Moonchild, I used to take my guitar out to the nude beaches at Rooster Rock and Sauvie Island near Portland, OR, and play with nothing on but the guitar.  Problem is, the damned guitar sticks to you!  (So, actually, I usually had a towel between me and the guitar.  (Then I developed a malignant melanoma... .)
One thing I do try to avoid is flashing the audience (cleavage, crotch, etc.)  You want folks to watch your hands or your lips, after all!

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: ozmacca
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 05:53 AM

I believe the dress must be appropriate for the occasion - regardless what kind of performance is being considered (ahem) I've worked with a couple of trios who do different stuff, so we dress differently.

One group does predominantly traditional scots material, usually mixed in with a light-hearted theme - so I (bodhran and chat) usually wear the kilt, either the phila-beag or phila-mhor ('scuse spelling), and the other bloke (guitar) wears basic black waistcoat and trousers with white shirt, while our female dulcimerist wears long tartan skirt and blouse.

The other group is more Cape Breton and trad/modern Canadian/Irish - there's a mix for you! - and the girls (fiddle/leader and keyboard) go on looking smart and dressy in long gowns, while I stick to dark trousers and a fancy coloured shirt.

Photos of both line-ups look good, and both groups feel that our outfits "fit" the presentations. Dingy sneakers and run-down jeans just don't measure up if the audience has paid good money to be entertained, unless it's done deliberately to make a point - but it had better be a good one!

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 12:33 PM

hot pink and orange spandex and lots of sequins...sometimes feather boas...mg

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Genie
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 03:38 PM

If I'm dong bluegrass, it's jeans and a T-shirt (or some other plain cotton shirt), of course. It's the law, isn't it?

Genie

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Genie
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 03:56 PM

Er... that's "doing bluegrass..."

Ozmacca, That last sentence of mine (the post above yours) about not flashing the audience was NOT meant to be connected to the paragraph about the nude beaches!   It was in response to comments -- which must have been in another thread -- someone made about a female folk singer who appeared wearing a see-through blouse with no bra and then sat on a stool above the audience allowing everyone to "see London and see France" throughout the performance.  I was just agreeing, that wearing provocative attire* is mainly a distraction from your music.

Putting that sentence right after the paragraph about Sauvie Island and Rooster Rock DOES make it take on a whole new--and quite unintended-- meaning, doesn't it?!  Blushing at my faux pas.
 

Genie

*BTW, nudity at a nude beach is not "provocative attire."  A bikini, however, may be.

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: open mike
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 04:14 PM

i thought the legal dress code for bluegrass was string ties, suits and a ca-boy hat--for the guys any way... whaite hats of course--the good guys, you know... its those bad boy country singers who don the black hats..ha!

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Genie
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 04:43 PM

mike, that's the Republican bluegrass attire. The commie, pinko, llllibbberal bluegrass folks wear jeans and t-shirts. *G*

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: GUEST,Barracuda d'Morte
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 06:32 PM

I always have on my pirate gear. strip pants, natural shirt with laced up front, bucket boots, hat with lots of feathers and pins, and a chest with treaure for the kids.

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: X
Date: 26 Jul 02 - 07:54 PM

When I pick bluegrass I wear a suit and tie. When it's top 40 country, something cowboy.

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: Genie
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 02:17 PM

Banjoest, is "suit and tie" the statutory requirement for bluegrass attire in southern California, or is that a local San Diego County ordinance? *G*

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: GUEST,Venthony
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 02:38 PM

For many of the events that a lot of us play, period costuming is expected and even encouraged. When this is the case, I think it's worth spending a bit of money and time in order to err on the side of authenticity. Nothing is tackier than a chintzy costume -- Nogahide "mountain man shirts" with curtain fringe come to mind. And for Pete's sake, take off your wristwatch and plastic glasses!

For just regular shows I figured a long time ago that it's best to copy the style of the masters. There's a reason Bill Monroe put his guys in suits. Enough people think we're all just a bunch of crackers as it is.

Doc Watson, from a player's standpoint, is about as clean and pure and genuine and brilliant as it gets, and Doc always has a neat haircut, nice looking slacks and a quiet, conservative open collared shirt.

He plays like God and he looks like a professional. My own playing is a ways off from that sort of apotheosis, but I figure I owe it to the audience to at least look like I'm proud they showed up.

Subject: RE: What do you wear when you perform?
From: X
Date: 27 Jul 02 - 05:14 PM

Hi Genie:

When I perform bluegrass my band wears a suit and tie. It looks neat and clean and helps deflate the 'Hick Myth.' I can't stand seeing a bluegrass band in overalls and straw hats. 'Suit and tie', as far as I am concerned, is required in Southern California Bluegrass. ;0)