Dee Stone: Blog

what kind of music do you play?  that has to be the most irritating question you can ask a band or musician when they're setting up. whenever someone asks that, they immediately shrink to pre-adolescent status. it's like a child is standing in front of you saying, "what kind of ice cream do you have? i only like chocolate. if you don't have chocolate, i'm going to leave."

i always smile and answer with "good music." for some, that's enough. they nod and say, "cool, what time do you start?" for others, it causes a different reaction. they firm up their stance, give me a piercing look and say, "seriously, what kind of music?" at that point, i'll say, "well, we do a little rock, soul, blues, jazz, funk, pop, and some originals." they respond with "oh, yeah?" and walk away looking unsure. inevitably, these are the first people who will come up after the set and say, "you were awesome and you did songs from every genre. i love the way you did blah, blah, blah...i was totally blown away!" well, alrighty then!

like many others, i straddle the line between being a working vocalist who does only covers and being an "artist" who does original music. i do about 30% originals on most gigs and the covers i do are all over the place. for me, it's about the lyrics and the melody. it doesn't matter what genre. what's a genre, anyway? a song is a song, be it a melancholy country song, a blazing classic rock hit, a smokin' r&b/funk jam, or a bouncy little jazz tune. it's all music. genre is a term created by people trying to market and sell music to a "demographic."

well, we all know times are changing and there is no predictable demographic anymore (outside of teenagers). the person you expect to buy a certain thing won't. the person you think won't be into it loves it. with the music industry in meltdown and the accessibility of music online, people are free to explore and find what moves them, instead of being told what they should like.

i'm sure you know some metal heads who sometimes listen to jazz. and there are hardcore blues fans who sometimes groove to trippy electronica. we are humans, not programmable drones. some days, we want a steak. some days, we want thai food. some days we want pasta salad. we are free to roam with an open mind.

so, the next time you walk into a club and see a band setting up, don't ask "what kind of music do you play?" ask "how long have you been together?" or "who are some of your influences?" better yet, just have a seat, grab a drink, sit back and prepare to partake of the vibrations with your fellow humans. you don't know what might be on the menu, but i'm sure there'll be something you find satisfying. unless they just suck, of course. in which case, the answer would be "bad music."