Ryan Malmstrom’s Blog

We’ve seen a few bands in Austin and I wanted to see if I could come to a resolution regarding my opinion of “live” keyboards versus “sequenced” keyboards in a cover band.

Band #1 used sequenced keyboards.  They performed the songs really well, the keyboard patches were accurate and they had all of the parts nailed.  I did hear a few vocal harmonies on their sequences, so that briefly bummed me out, but I’m sure most people wouldn’t notice that and really, that was only a small complaint. 

I will complain about the overall live experience though:  they seemed rather lifeless and were just going through the motions.  The drummer was a joy to watch, as he had energy and an awesome voice.  Good for him, as he was clearly having a good time.  The rest of the guys just didn’t show any signs of life.  Even the stage banter sounded forced.

I don’t really know how to score this band though.  I applaud their dedication to getting the songs right, but they really should improve their stage presence.  We can put these songs on at home, you know?

Band #2 used live keyboards.  There wasn’t a full time keyboardist for this band, but I was impressed with how close the sounds were to the original recording.  There were even some unique patches that really added some depth and character to the songs. 

That’s about where my praise for the band ends.  The band looked like they had other places they would rather be and often looked bored.  Maybe they haven’t heard that comment from the people that watch their shows?  That could be, but for a band that has been doing this for a very long time, I have a hard time believing this hasn’t been mentioned at least a few times.

Their sound was quite weird though.  They promote how authentic their show is to the arena rock experience, but it was honestly too processed and had a very canned sound to it.  Their sound just lacked the thud and roar of a rock show that fans of this music expect.   Small sample size doesn’t come into play either, as we saw two shows.

So what do I take away from these performances?  I have no problem with a band using sequenced keyboards, even though it takes a bit away from the live experience.  It’s all about selection and visualization.  If you think that the organ solo on “Carry On Wayward Son” would be far more interesting with someone actually playing it, you’re probably right.  It just looks weird.  Fans like to attach themselves to the person responsible for the part being played.  What, are they going to look at the mixing board?

Here is an absolute must though:  you must kick some serious butt on stage.  Run around, smile, engage the crowd, juggle cats, breathe fire, act like you truly want to be there and have fun!  Distract your audience and they will not trip on who is playing the intro to “Runaway.”  But if you are playing “Faithfully” without a keyboardist, it looks like karaoke.