This is an interesting issue. And it has come up in almost every project
that I have been involved with -- even groups that aren't geared towards
getting people to dance. Of course a band is going to be much more
psyched if the crowd is moving, opposed to just sitting there and
sipping martinis.
So this is what I think (today). I think it isn't the music as much as
it is about the people/crowd/scene. Sometimes people are just too hip,
too cool for their own good. And it is a shame.
I think that Burlington Vermont is plagued with this syndrome. If they
know it is cool to go out and dance to " -insert band name here- " they
do. It has to be some messed up trend thing. But then that is just one
type of crowd I am talking about. Because there are always the Phish
Heads. They tend to be great supporters of music. The other day I went
to see the Gordon Stone Trio at a little anti-profit coffee house. This
trio is just banjo, bass and guitar (or mandolin). It is a combo of
bluegrass and jazz (but not like Bela Flek). The trio has some kind of
Phish connection and so the phish heads go out to see them and they
dance. Now what is that all about? The groove is there, but one's
immediate reaction isn't to get up and boogie. But I suppose this is a
trend thing too. If the Gordon Stone Trio didn't have a Phish
connection, then perhaps it wouldn't be so *cool* or whatever to go and
check them out.
I was talking to someone who was at one of our (ViperHouse) shows and
she said that she loved the music, but prefered to just sit, watch and
listen. She said, "I get dizzy trying to dance and concentrate on the
music at the same time." So what is that all about?
One of the problems with this issue is that going out to a club is
sometimes more about the party than it is about the music. So while a
bunch of folks on stage are pouring their hearts into the music, the
audience is trying to get laid. :)
I feel as if each one of these (and other) tangents could be discussed
at length. It is definitely a complex and interesting socialogical
query. any one else thinking about it too?
brian