what is the correct term for musician jump kick

planetkyoto — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:27:00 -0800

What should I call it when a band is finishing a song and the guitarist hits the last chord while jumping in the air and jack knifing his/her legs back? I guess it's a way of putting an exclamation mark on the song, and, I suppose, to make sure that the other members of the band know that the song is ending here and not going around again. Should I just call it a "jump kick" or is there some preferred term among musicians. Any other insights into this practice are welcome, since I'm not a musician. This is for a documentary.

Dive bars are the new Vaudeville

self — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:44:00 -0800

I want to be a better showman during our live performances. I am the front man/songwriter/singer in my band. We play out at least once a month, and have been doing so for about a year. However, as far as stage presence and showmanship are concerned, you could compare and contrast our very first show with the show we played last night and see no difference.

I am unsatisfied with my front-man capabilities, or really lack thereof. I have confidence in our musicianship, and feel really good during our playing, but then the end of the song hits and then comes that awkward silence between the song and the (somewhat) sparse applause and cheers. I always feel compelled to say something, but feel panicked.

Then there's the moment after the applause and before our next song- that feels like an eternity (unless we play songs back to back). Again I want to say or do something to engage the audience, but fall flat and stammer out an awkward "you can find us online at.." or "so today I..." without much panache or response.

I've tried to bring a few tricks up my sleeve to the stage, such as:

-anecdotes
-introducing the band members
-introducing the next song (sometimes with a brief synopsis of its meaning)
-asking who has seen us before
-thanking venue/previous bands (though I need to remember to do this more often)
-the ubiquitous "this is the tuning song" joke (lame)

But rarely leave them awed.

I also would love suggestions on ways to spruce up our act in general. I've been toying with the ideas of having a projected video behind us, using various props/instruments for audience members, dressing in some specific fashion, etc.

I really am a humble person, and a quick "thank you" between songs and on to the next one used to be okay for me, but I really want to take the next step to becoming a better entertainer.

C'mon MeFites, what've you got? How can I wow them?

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what is the correct term for musician jump kick

Dive bars are the new Vaudeville