This really ticked me off.

I've seen more than a few "solo acoustic coffeehouse shows" that had been "professionally" polished up and tweaked to the point that they seemed awkward and unnatural. Fake patter is the absolute worst, because it always sounds fake.
 
I get that this person is trying to sell his services, but is putting down the product of potential customers the way to do it? If I wanted condescension, I'd have stayed with one of my ex-wives. And if striking Springsteen poses is an example of his ideas, I'll stay boring, thanks.
 
so clicked the link, and got what I call the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH. Blocked due to adult and pornography. I hope that they don't track this shit. :)
 
Well, he definitely has a product to sell, and he's pushing it into the acoustic arena.

I do think his point should be well taken, and would have come off better if he was just simply making an observation. I will say that I've definitely seen acoustic performers that simply draw no attention from the crowd, and when I was done, I couldn't even tell you who they were. If someone is struggling to break into the pro performing ranks, the writer's point is valid. If you can't capture the attention of the crowd, making yourself forgettable, then a career in music won't be very likely.

Frankly, the same applies to bands that just sing and play. It's fine for a garage band, but if you're looking to move up the ladder, you have to do something that makes people sit up and take notice. You have to separate yourself from the pack.
 
The guy comes off as rather arrogant.

His opinion is simply that, an opinion.

I'd rather see mediocre songs that are heartfelt than a scripted/staged performance leading up to a faked crescendo.
 
You also need to keep the music and performance appropriate for the venue. In many acoustic venues, you really are just aural wallpaper. If you push too hard, you annoy the clientele who are trying to eat and/or drink. Not to mention that some rock and roll antics can look pretty silly done by an old guy with an acoustic guitar.
 
Yeah, I got through the intro and the first Easter show section. This twit assumes and presumes too much. But clearly he has a magic formula that will turn everyone into a coffee house SUPERSTAR!

I actually listen to music and am less interested in "watching" it. I also want less talk and more tunes at shows, no matter who the artist or how amusing or "charming" they can be. To each there own, though. Admittedly seeing Utah Phillips and hearing him tell stories was awesome, but so were the John Hammond, Jr. shows where he just plowed through tune after tune only pausing for tuning, guitar, and string changing issues...wherein he would provide brief anecdotes. John is amazing, if you haven't seen him you really should.
 
Sorry my post went on so long, it would have better as this:

douchenozzle

...clearly in reference to the author and never Gary, despite his preference for vanilla ice cream.
 
Guitar Heel said:
so clicked the link, and got what I call the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH. Blocked due to adult and pornography. I hope that they don't track this shit. :)
Click to expand...
Well, they guy is fucked, for sure. I don't know what is pornographic there, and I ain't huntin' for it. Sorry if it causes trouble.
 
If he ever plays a coffehouse, remind me to go somewhere else.
But I doubt that jerk could play and sing his way out of a paper bag.
 
Gary Blanchard said:
Well, they guy is fucked, for sure. I don't know what is pornographic there, and I ain't huntin' for it. Sorry if it causes trouble.
Click to expand...
No, I'm sure it's innocuous. I have to deal with a crazy gubment filter, so this happens all the time with sites that contain no porn or anything close. It's frustrating.
 
Wow. Such venom! Its okay, though. I know I'm a bit of an acquired taste.

So, I'm Wade Sutton, the author of the article this whole thread is about. I noticed a small surge in traffic coming from this page and had a few minutes so I came to check out what was being said (I usually try to comment and send traffic to websites that are nice enough to do the same for me even if public opinion doesn't agree with me). I figured I would respond to some of the comments just to clear the air about a thing or two.

1. Regarding what Guitar Heel said about getting the blue screen. I'm not sure why that happened. He/she is actually the first person I've ever heard say they had trouble accessing the site. I CAN promise you though: there is no pornography or any safety concerns with Rocket to the Stars website.

2. I don't know Gary, nor do I know what is going on with his music but I do want to direct his attention to Stratguy's comment because Stratguy said pretty much what I was going to say. It has to be understood that Rocket to the Stars' typical readers are artists attempting to "climb the ladder" in the commercial music industry. Most of my clients are in Nashville, with others spread out across Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and some in Seattle. I also work with some clients in the United Kingdom and Canada. What they all have in common is that they are trying to turn their music into a full-time career. Some are seeking deals with record labels while others are trying to remain independent. Rocket's website is definitely NOT for people that pursue music as a hobby or past time...even if the enthusiast views their music as a SERIOUS hobby. Don't get me wrong; enthusiasts are more than welcome to visit the site. I love having them. But it is important to differentiate for whom that information is created. The article in question brings up one of the top three complaints from labels: Most aspiring artists suck at performing. And the performance is important because live shows are where the money is at right now. It certainly isn't coming from radio spins and streaming. The actual singers and bands don't see that money because it goes to the songwriters and publishers. So if the artist's live performances suck, nobody goes to their shows, and no money is made.

I work closely on several projects with a number of people. In fact I just published a new book with Rick Barker, who was Taylor Swift's day-to-day manager for a little over two years. Many of my teachings have come about from going to the labels and saying, "What do you want from these people? What are you looking for? What do they need to work on?" I take what they say the artists need to improve on, and that is what I teach.

3. As far as Gary's comment about having a middle-aged man jump around Rock and Roll style. Of course I wouldn't do something like that (unless I wanted to be out of work). One of the major factors in producing the live shows is putting together something that is congruent with the artist's "brand" and "look". In the example discussed in the article, the client was a 17 year old girl. She had a lot of upbeat songs in her set list but videos of all her past performances showed her standing behind the mic like a statue. If I turned down the volume on the video and went by what I saw, I would have thought she was performing a ballad. While you might think what I taught her sounded irrational (keeping in mind you don't know what she was taught), the people at the show responded by basically throwing money at her because they were having such a good time thanks to her. She made over $600 in one hour. Performing on her own so she didn't have to split the money. And, like the article said, 70 people signed up for her e-mail list because they weren't passive listeners...they became fans. So she hired me for a purpose that I clearly delivered on.

4. As far as the perceived abrasiveness when it comes to the tone of the article. Its like somebody said earlier...everybody has an opinion. I have one. Each of you have one. And everybody is entitled to theirs. One of the things I am known for is being very "no-nonsense" when it comes to what I see. I am like that for a reason. The way I see it, if somebody is paying me by the hour to help them, I would be wasting their time and their money by sugar coating things and not being direct about what needs changed. While it might be a turn off to some, it has actually helped my business a great deal because my clients feel confident that I am not going to drag out training to get more money out of them. My conversion rate on first time clients returning is around 95%. Like I said earlier...I can be an acquired taste.

While some of you are a little up in arms over the article, I came in peace and with an offer. I mentioned earlier in this post about the book I just published with Taylor Swift's former manager. We are selling it on Amazon for $9.99 BUT, as a show of good faith, I want to offer a PDF version of the book to everybody here for FREE. I will warn you that there are two chapters in the book that might anger you all quite a bit but, hey, it makes for great debate! If anything, I encourage all of you to read the last chapter of the book that discusses hearing loss in singers and musicians. I interviewed one of the top hearing doctors in the country for it. It is a real eye opener and hearing loss prevention is something I am a big advocate of, myself being a long time sufferer of tinnitus.

You can get a free copy of it by going to the following link. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see the PDF logo that you need to click. You don't even have to sign up for Rocket's e-mail list for it. Consider it a no-strings attached gift from me to visitors to the forum on this site.

http://www.rockettothestars.com/#!150000-music-degree---gift-from-wade-a/cmwx

Hope you all have an awesome Tuesday!

God Bless,
Wade
 
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Wade, thanks for coming here to clear the air. I did find your style quite abrasive and off-putting. I am sure you do good work, but I also suspect you shoot yourself in the foot with your approach. As long as it works for you, that's good, but you should expect some pushback.

I appreciate the offer and may decide to check it out. Again, I appreciate your willingness to enter a discussion about this.
 
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