SnowGhost Music

Ladies and gentleman, I'm here to openly admit that I pulled a Britney the other night. It was my first time, but oops I'm going to be doing it again and again. I played along with recorded music during a live performance. I didn't do it because I had a vocal chord problem, or because I needed to conserve my breath for my huge dance moves, or because I was trying to fool anybody. I did it because I was lonely. And afraid. Afraid of becoming repetitive and boring.

I've been playing on a stage the size of a deluxe outhouse for three hours every thursday. I set up my PA, sit on a tiny stool squeezed in between my amp and a wall, and I sing along with my guitar. Things get really interesting when I whip out my electric baritone guitar for a change of pace. And that's it. This would be fine if I had the hands Leo Kotke and the voice of Jeff Buckley. Or even if I was Tuck and Patti all rolled up in one. I would be beautiful and entertaining, but alas I have my guitar skills and my voice. And after three hours, I get bored of myself, even with all my witty banter and thought-provoking trivia Q & A with the audience. What I really want is a band to fill in all the sounds that I hear in my head. I want other people making other noises, picking up on and sending back vibes. I want the audience to be able to hear the full-fledged song, not just the unplugged and alone version. But like I said, I play basically in a cubicle where adding anyone else in the mix would be a physical marvel involving shape shifting and severe intimacy. Plus, not having to split up the money is nice.

First I thought of the looper. I've seen them used by other solo performers, and sometimes they are perfect. A good friend of mine, who also has a great band that joins him at most of his shows, uses a looper when he plays alone. He'll play a guitar line, stomp on the pedal to record it and repeat it, pick up a bass behind him, add that in, and then pick up the guitar again and keep layering away. He even has a second mic to provide his own backup vocals. At first I thought this was some form of cheating, especially when he used his looper at a songwriting contest, but it was hard to be skeptical about something that sounded so good. It doesn't hurt that my friend can really work his guitar, but there are drawbacks. For one, as I mentioned earlier, I am no Tuck. I do like adding simple layers, but my songs have frequent chord changes. The looper works best when you play the same chords and slowly build. But even that could get old, especially if I'm just using the same guitar and doing the same tricks.

And I'm sure we've all seen the one man show, the guy who's got all his Jimmy Buffett covers programmed into his conveniently portable setup. It basically sounds like a Casio on steroids, and it allows for some serious middle-aged groovin', not to mention the fact that it can provide the perfect soundtrack to a limbo contest. Unfortunately, I don't do Steely Dan covers and I don't offer any version of Kokomo. Until I'm stuck playing the buffet deck of the Pricess of the Seas, I will stay away from that setup. To me, that's pretty much Kareoke anyway.

Ah, you say, but isn't playing along with any kind of recorded music Kareoke-esque? Perhaps, if you must get technical. But I have a defense. My solution to musical loneliness was basically to surround myself with...uh...myself. I took my 8-track digital recording device and plugged it into my PA. I then ran my vocals and guitar through the 8-track (and added the necessary reverb and hints of delay). I then select one of the dozens of zip disks on which I store my individually tracked songs, figure out which tracks I will essentially be replacing with live performance, and play along. Bear in mind that I physically performed and recorded all of the instruments myself. It's as if I'm playing all the instruments myself, which I would totally do if it was at all physically possible.

But not in my tiny arena. I'm looking into a looper, and eventually I might convince the venue to allow room for percussion and a slightly higher fee, but that's not happening now. What is happening is my 8-track. I felt terribly guilty at first, but the audience was neither offended nor put off by it. In fact, all I got were compliments and a lot more attention. So I am purging myself of any musical guilt while still distancing myself from the lip-sync set. After all, I'm just playing with myself anyway. And that is never boring.