BS: folk fashion

Subject: folk fashion
From: Mooh
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 05:42 PM

I hope I'm not rehashing old ground here. If so, I'm sorry. If not, please accept my thanks for contributing. If I've addressed this before (oh-oh, deja-vu coming on), you'll know I'm loosing the fight.

The short questions...What clothing do you like to see folk performers wear? Why? When?

The longer comment...I sometimes get the feeling that I should "dress up" for gigs. Other times I don't. Jeans and a t-shirt? Dress pants, collarless shirt and vest? Something black? Something unusual? Phil Cooper (of Cooper Nelson and Early, and sometime contributor hereto) has great loose fitting shirts, and someone else I can't remember (I AM loosing the fight) likes something the audience WON'T remember. Some fellow musicians insist that the performers style/fashion should remain the same. I'd like to afford "gig clothes" and maybe if I had 'em I'd get more gigs. Should I care?

Your thoughts?

Thanks. Peace, Mooh.

P.S. Oh, I think I've talked about this before...but when?

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Mbo
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 06:04 PM

I prefer the grunge look myself. Jeans, t-shirt, sneakers, and flannel shirt...except in summer!

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Allan C.
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 06:17 PM

Yep. We discussed it before. Look here

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 06:22 PM

Basically I like to see a performer looking relaxed. If you are uptight about what you are wearing, then you will be uptight about your performance. I used to love wearing my choir robes (very British, very traditional cassock and surplice) because it meant I could be comfortable underneath. When I've sung as soloist at non church functions I've had to wear a posh dress, and felt that it inhibited my performance, because I had a) no pockets to put my hands in when not holding a book. b) to be careful as I breathed in (especially in one particular dress, a good deep breath popped a button - just as well they were at the back!) in case of unnecessary exposure or straining, and c) I'm never comfortable in a dress anyway.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Morticia
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 08:31 PM

I can testify to that, hardly ever seen Liz in a dress.Didn't even know she owned one.

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: JenEllen
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 09:06 PM

COMFORTABLE, LTS??????

My grampsie used to tell us that 'naked' was having no clothes on, and 'nekkid' meant you had no clothes on, and you were up to something....

Mooh, what do you wear now? What kinds of places do you play? What do you wear in normal exhistance? What makes you comfortable? My suggestion is to stay comfy, and don't try to wear somthing that isn't 'you'.

~Elle

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Amergin
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 09:26 PM

Well, I'd kinda like to show up sometime at an open mic session and maybe recite Bert's song, "Size Doesn't Matter".....

Amergin...

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Kelida
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 09:45 PM

I like to go to ANY concert (not just folk shows) and just see the performers looking relaxed and natural. As long as they're comfortable, I think it makes the audience feel more comfortable.

Peace--Keli

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 10:58 PM

Well JE.....I've always heard that too....so let's get nekkid!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Amergin
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:03 PM

Oh, I forgot to say I'd like to show up nekkid...

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Mbo
Date: 17 Jul 00 - 11:09 PM

Just paint yerself up like a Pict warrior, eh, Amergin?

--Mbo

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Mooh
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 06:32 AM

JenEllen. Jeans and a newish t-shirt or a button-up shirt. Shorts in warm weather. Festivals, dinners, bars (sometimes), house parties...Mooh.

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 07:53 AM

So Aran sweaters are definitely out then?

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Lena
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 08:33 AM

I suppose Morris dancers never face this trouble.

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Llanfair
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 08:34 AM

I need to be able to breathe properly, so tight jeans are out. There are a number of ethnic clothing shops here, so I have a nice collection of Big, colourful shirts to wear over vests.(That's a British vest, not an American one!!)
Leggings or loose jeans, and I'm comfortable.
I read the old thread, and it's nice to know that other people aren't as skinny as they would like to be, like me.
Hwyl, Bron.

Subject: Lyr Add: SIXTEEN STONE
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 08:59 AM

Bron - to the tune of Tennesee Williams 16 tons -

Liz: I believe that’s Tennessee Ernie Ford, not Tennessee Williams! --JoeClone, 1-May-02.

SIXTEEN STONE

She weighs 16 stone and what do you get,
A whole lot of woman and that's a fact.
Take a closer look, you must agree,
There's no sharp corner on a woman like me!

You can't cuddle up to a bag of bones,
If her ribs stick out, leave her well alone.
We've a soft welcome for a man in need,
We're surely built for comfort if not for speed!

Chorus:

She weighs 16 stone and what do you get,
A whole lot of woman and that's a fact.
Take a closer look, you must agree,
There are no sharp corners on a woman like me!

Well if you've seen more meat on a greasy spoon,
She won't keep you warm, get rid of her soon.
So come on guys, if you're down in the dumps,
Better get your arm around a gal with bumps.

Chorus:

Well the magazines say be skin and bone,
But big girls never have to sleep alone,
We don't disappear when we turn on our side,
And there's plenty of suspension for a bumpy ride

Well if you see us coming better step aside,
A lot of men didn't and a lot of men died.
One gives you desire, the other a thrill,
If the tall ones don't get you then the small ones will!


One of my personal favourites which I hope to take to Llanfairs' bash.....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 09:05 AM

And Morticia - you have seen me in a dress, at the wedding in May. It cost me a lot of money. £2.50, I reckon (about a buck!). That beats your £16.99!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Fortunato
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 09:34 AM

Good question I think, though clearly scholars differ.

So my take is: Audiences like, appreciate and expect an entertainer (and we hope we are entertaining) to dress in an entertaining way. Taste is individual and body shapes and available funds are what they are, but I believe if you want to be viewed as an entertainer you must 'costume' like an entertainer. Set yourself apart from your audience, they want to cross over to you, they want the distance, it frames your performance.

So a few suggestions. Black works, especially if you need to look thinner and you're past your prime, unfortunately it is ubiquitous recently. Hawaiian shirts for men unless everybody's got one on. Hats if they look good on you, but they'll think you're bald. Vests work. Put your best foot forward ladies (frumpy folkies gather no fans), I like a soft white blouse and blue jeans on a woman who can wear them with long dangly ear rings, but watch the makeup, this ain't Vegas.

catspaw, nekkid is as nekkid does. IMHOP Fortunato

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:24 AM

I like to put on a body stocking and paint myself silver from head to foot - oh no, that's David Bowie.

never mind.

But seriously, folks. . .Yeah, it's good to be comfortable, but you have to remember all that stuff about first impressions and the medium being the massage, too. Your audience may see you before they hear you. Your "look' may give a visual impression that your performance will either have to overcome or build on. If you're in a casual setting (like a coffeehouse) and you look like everyone else in the room, it may take a little more performance energy to win the respect of people who have never seen you before. On the other hand, if "relaxed" is the mood you want to create, you ought to look relaxed. You should also think about your audience (and peers) expectations. If you're at a very traditional bluegrass venue, you may not be taken seriously if you look like you wandered in from a Grateful Dead concert.

The clothing you wear is one of the choices you make - just as is the instrument you play, the songs you perform, and the musicians with whom you choose to play. This remains true if you like it or not. To disregard dressing up because you're more concerned with the music than the image may be regarded as dedication to artistic integrity by some and just not caring by someone else. Make sure you know what it means to you.

One last thing - I had an associate who did a series of shows with the Ramones. He was surprised to find out that that ripped jeans, black T's and jean jackets that they wore on stage were kept in wardrobe cases and brought out at show time, i.e. they were costumes! I guess that's a testament to the importance of image - and to the difficulty in keeping your favorite comfortable jeans just right.

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: sophocleese
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:25 AM

If its cold I'll wear decent black jeans and a nice shirt. It its warm I wear a loose fitting long dress. I always wear earrings and never wear make-up. I like to be clean and I make sure that the hair on my legs and armpits has been recently trimmed.

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Fortunato
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 10:40 AM

I guess times have changed. Used to be you could tell the bride at a folkie wedding by the braids in her armpit hair. Oh, for the good old days.

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Jim Krause
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 01:29 PM

I think this is interesting. When I play with the Euphoria Stringband, I usually wear nice slacks, a dress shirt complete with French cuffs, tie, and a fedora. If you look at some of the photos from the early days of country music, you'll quickly notice that the performers are wearing their Sunday go-to-meeting clothes. When we play less formal situations, like a local pub on Saturday night, or a local contradance, we'll wear jeans, ball caps, and T-shirts with out band logo on them. This is also good advertising for the shirts.

When I play shows by myself, I either wear the same slacks, tie, dress shirt combination, or if I am performing a concert of folk music at a museum or historical site, I dress according to the period; Colonial, or Regency, for example.

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Clinton Hammond2
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 03:54 PM

"The old rocker wore his hair too long
Wore his trouser cuffs too tight

That's pretty much me! {~`

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Pixie
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 04:37 PM

I don't perform (at least no one has paid me to), but I sure do like to be comfortable and one word sums it up....overalls!

Subject: RE: BS: folk fashion
From: Mbo
Date: 18 Jul 00 - 04:42 PM

Good choice, Pix! I been annoying my family about buying overalls too. They're really good for sloppy art students in Fall/Winter semesters. I also bother them about wanting a zoot suit, 2-toned shoes, and "a funky lid". Zoot suit folk! Yes!

--Mbo