I did it. I connected. Last night I broke through the barrier. The wall separating audience and performer. I connected with people who had maybe not necessarily come to listen to my music but in that moment of the performance they were caught up, connected. They really heard the lyrics. They really listened to my lyrics. They heard the pound of Josh’s djembe (drum). They heard the cry of Wren’s violin. They felt the gravitas and the longing in the remnants of my voice.
It doesn’t always happen. It seems the higher profile the place, the more seldom it does happen. (Or that I’m made aware of.) Oh, but when it does! It’s like a rush of driving for the first time! It’s an unexpected affirmation. As if all those thousands of hours I’ve spent songwriting might actually not be wasted. All of the lyrics and melodies might mean to someone else what they mean to me. It might be that connection all artists are searching for.
Someone once said being a performer is like being an exhibitionist. You’re undressing your innermost thoughts to the audience and slowly turning around so they can see all your flaws and (sometimes) in-cohesive hopes, fears, dreams and desires. Out of shyness (yes, I’m still shy about some things) I tend not to publicize up front which songs are original and which ones were covers (and since I do play some obscure covers ) because some audiences are so wrapped up in themselves I think, why bother?
But sometimes you get that audience who is willing to open themselves up and journey with you through the unknown.
Every audience likes to feel familiar. They want to feel comfortable in the setting that they’re in. They’ll often need more than that to be able to hear something new. They want to hear some songs they’ve heard before. And they want to see what you’ve been listening to also. It will ready them for the original music. If you play a Johnny Cash song and then a Waylon Jennings and then John Prine, they will get the hint when you drop a well written country song on them.
Likewise, if you play Prince, Parliament P-Funk, and Jamiroquai, They won’t be surprised or taken aback when you lay down some sweet original funk tune.
The point is, if they connect with your covers, they will follow you into your originals. ~ robb
When I started off as a 15 year old kid in an “all original music only” band it didn’t take very long to realize, we needed covers to connect to the audience. Even to connect to each other.
With the state of being able to make money from music being in such decay I’ve had thoughts lately if I’m on the right road. My ever-supportive wife and probably my 3 biggest fans, her and the kids, will go around the house and I hear them each, from time to time, humming my original songs. (Because they’re the only ones who hear most of them 😀 )
Here are some originals “Some Guy Named Robb” songs that people really connected with last night.
- Time Is An Ocean
- Wildflowers
- Underneath The Waves
- Who I Am
- The Sinking of The USS America
- 10 Million Ways To Die
- 6ix Am
- Down From Day One
- The Best Thing
And Some Covers I Played:
- Ol’ 55/Earth Angel – Tom Waits/The Platters
- Who Did That To You/ Sweet Dreams (are made of these) – John Legend/Eurythmics
- With or Without You / All I Want Is You – U2
- Hands To Myself – Selena Gomez
- All About That Bass/Shake It Off – Meghan Trainor/Taylor Swift
- Here Comes The Sun – George Harrison
- Scar Tissue/Soul To Squeeze – Red Hot Chili Peppers
As you can see, I go eclectic. But then my music is eclectic. I’m setting the audience up in the direction to follow me down whichever musical avenue or genre I choose to go down. But playing covers lets people connect and get used to hearing my voice. So when I drop an original song on them, they’ve already warmed up to my sound and style.
Now the question becomes: How are you going to connect with your audience?
Any questions, thoughts or comments, please post below. Subscribe to my posts here on WordPress and/or join my emailing list if you would like to keep up with my music or writings. 🙂
www.sgnrobb.com for email list/news and shows specials
www.Patreon.com/sgnrobb to become a supporter
thanks, and keep rocking!
robb
some blog named robb 
Hey man, long time. I would love to hear you talk more about connection. One thing I noticed in my years of playing with and hearing you is that you always SEEM to have a strong bond with at least someone in the crowd. I admire that about you. You’re able to find connection where I struggle to find air to breathe. Talk about that concept both inside and outside of the “performance”. My type of connection looks different because of what I do. I tend to lean more on spirituality and relationships that take time to develop. I’d guess that most of the time that’s not the case for you. How do we-who-do-not-perform-for-a-living find the same types of connection with others in what we do?
I’m actually working on a series of blogs right now the talk about this exact thing, Jason! Those were great times, playing music with you out in the music scene. I have some ideas about your question at the end and I will be sure to include those in the blog. Subscribe if you haven’t yet bro, hope you guys are doing well, love you!