I like being comfortable. I’m the most comfortable in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I have to tell you that I don’t like wearing costumes and I hate dressing up. So for a long time I just wore jeans and a t-shirt onstage. Then I started opening for other bands and I really began to notice how cool they looked creating a look for when they played onstage. I remember thinking once at a gig that the band that opened for us just looked cooler than we did. They just seemed a lot more hip even though musically we blew them away. The real bummer was, the crowd was louder for that band than for us.
So I decided right then that I better start trying to look a little more happening onstage. So I hit the clothes stores and started putting together clothes that I’d never wear except when I’m playing and I started getting compliments on what I was wearing. Then the rest of the band started getting better stage clothes and suddenly we were setting ourselves apart from everyone else in the clubs. It’s nice to walk offstage and be dressed differently enough that people recognize that you’re in the band.
When my band, “In Stereo” auditioned to play in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City we auditioned with hundreds of other acts. We took the time to dress up in our stage clothes for the audition and looked really good. We were one of 7 or 8 bands that got called on to play at the Medals Plaza and were the only band to get 2 nights there. We opened for Barenaked Ladies one evening and Sheryl Crow another. It was great. So we all got some sweet clothes and created a look for the show. Here’s a picture of us at the Olympic Medals Plaza show:
In Stereo at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City
Now don’t we look a lot better dressed in black than in T-shirts and jeans? Or ski parkas since it was only about 32 degrees that night. We look like a band and that’s the whole goal.
I buy a lot of clothes from Hot Topic because they look different enough to set me apart from most of the regular club goers. I’m always on the lookout for cool shirts, pants or shoes to wear onstage. I’ve even found some great shirts for low prices at Target.
The point is to be on the lookout for things that will look good onstage and set you apart from the crowd. You want to look like you’re in the band so people know you’re not just at the party, but that you’re making the party happen. You’ve got to dress the part to take it to the next level. So lose that fear of looking different and just get out there and try a few different looks and see what works for you. You won’t regret it.
[Click Here to check eBay for Leather Pants!]
…and, lest we forget,
The Obligatory Leather Codpiece!
🙂
Oh yes, the Codpiece, frightening to men and women alike!