As I sit in the train station waiting to busk and earn my daily bread, because I’m not performing with my Toronto wedding band tonight, I can’t help but think to myself “hey, this is a great idea for a blog,” so I’m actually writing this from the train station.
It’s certainly an interesting mix trying to blend such vastly different types of performance dynamics that I do as a full time musician/performer. By day I’m in the subways with just me and an acoustic guitar and by night I sing with the Elevation band and also working on new projects at the Same time. So needless to say, I have to be a bit of a chameleon with all of the different hats I wear.
One minute you’re strumming some easy James Taylor tunes and the next you’re singing Michael Jackson in a totally different setting. When I was a kid I always saw myself on a much bigger stage doing far more glamorous shows, but I can’t complain. After all, I do what I love every single day which is something most people can’t say about their lives.
So the question is which type of performance is preferable? The answer might seem obvious that playing in the subway would not be as good as the stage at wedding is not necessarily so. There’s a certain element of surprise and human interaction when playing for the world at large. Thousands of people walk by you in the span of only a few hours. You get to see human nature unfold in it’s rawest form. Totally uncut and unscripted with the element of surprise.
Sometimes people throw you a surprising sum of money in one shot, sometimes people can even cry when they hear you singing a song they’re emotionally attached to, and other times you even run into old friends whom you haven’t sen for years. Having said that, the drawbacks can be losing your voice, exhaustion, burnout, and of course not making enough money in the set hours you had planned out for that day.
When it comes to weddings, the pros completely outweigh the cons. You’re usually in a beautiful hall and the band is usually filled with top level guys who are trained to make you sound good. Having a microphone also helps not strain out the voice as the night progresses. Add some food and a guaranteed wage for the night, it’s always worth it to be the ‘wedding singer.’
There are drawbacks sometimes. The choice of music isn’t always your own and you could end up singing tunes that aren’t your favorites. The band could be too loud which will lead to unnecessary vocal strain which is always the singers’ biggest nightmare.
All in all, I’ll take weddings for five hundred, Alex!
And hey, if you’re looking for a wedding band in Toronto or the GTA contact us.
