The Advantages of Less vs. More

By Doug Hoekstra (From the Musician’s Atlas Plugged Newsletter)

Solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet –I think I’ve dragged about every conceivable combination of musicians on stage, to perform my songs. And, when my mates weren’t around to back me up, I’ve added boom box, harmonica, loop pedals and even spoken word, to my solo shows.

Yes, I’m a restless artiste’ always searching, always trying to redefine myself. And yes I enjoy hearing new things come out of my music – but, I’d be a liar if I didn’t own up to taking practical concerns into account. And increasingly, other musicians and songwriters who cut their teeth in bands, are adopting their own versions of the troubadour mentality in order to survive a challenging musical marketplace. Maybe you are too.

Recently, I was at the park with my producer friend, David Henry, watching our six-year old children play. David is involved in all sorts of projects here in Nashville and beyond, playing cello, producing, and of course, fronting his very fine Brother Henry band (which also features his twin, Ned, and another brother, Jeff).

I asked him how things were going with his own stuff and he said he had recently taken the band out east to the Carolinas for some shows, which were aesthetically great, but not exactly what they’d desired, re; attendance. He said something to the effect that it’s worse when you take the whole band out for those shows – that it made more sense to do the stripped down solo/duo thing, at least you can cut down on your overhead.

And, then we debated the advantages of More vs Less.

If you go out with the whole band, you have camaraderie and the experience of interacting with each other, maybe finding new grooves or melodies on tour or on stage.

Kat Parsons, a melodious singer-songwriter based in L.A. says that “two minds are better than one, you get two different musical perspectives coming together to create a unique union, and more opportunities for more harmony.” There is strength in numbers, as well, a dynamic that can be used to whip up an audience, or to be “partners in crime,’ insulating us from the loneliness or uncertain interactions or adventures inherent in any travel.

The flip side of course, is that more personalities can lead to more drama.

Dan Montgomery, a fine Memphis-based soul rockin’ songsmith who cut his teeth playing in the Ben Vaughn Combo, shared a tale about the time he added a father and daughter to his band right before leaving on tour. The daughter had just gotten a new tattoo and now father and daughter weren’t speaking. Finally, after trying to mediate during the eight-hour drives he said, “you’re not making much money with me, but you are saving a fortune in family counseling.”

And with a band, clearly, the overhead is much higher. You need a larger vehicle, more hotel rooms, more food, more gear to schlep, more, more, more. If you have a big guarantee, you don’t make less money because you have to split it up – if you have a lesser house, you lose money.

On the other hand, as a soloist/duo, you obviously have a different thing going on. You rely on drawing from the well inside and shuffling the deck, comparative to the audience – size and vibe. You tend to venture into the crowd and the city you play a bit more after the show. Overhead is lower. You can travel lighter, less hotel rooms, places to stay. If you have a big house, you make more money – if you have a lesser house, you lose less money. So, therefore, solo is obviously better, right? Not so fast.

A few years ago, I was talking to my friend Oyvind Berekvam on my first tour of Norway. Oyvind fronts the excellent Jedson Project, and has played pedal steel and guitar for the great Thomas Dybdahl. (Dybdahl is pretty big in Norway and Europe – Elvis Costello, among others, has sung his praises). Dybdahl’s music is big, atmospheric, and lush. According to Oyvind, Dybdahl never went out on the road without a large six or seven piece band, because he felt that was his “thing” and anything less wouldn’t accurately represent what he was doing.

That must have been expensive as hell in the early days, but he managed, he got attention, built it up and now he can do it without busting the bank. A similar thing happened with Lambchop, a Nashville band, that had the chutzpah to take a large band wherever they went in their early days including shows across Europe.

These sorts of high-risk approaches can pay high-dividends. Springsteen is another example of a guy who would tote his E Street fellows everywhere, way before anyone came to their gigs. But, if five people were there, the idea was, they’d be blown away so immensely that the next time through, they’d bring ten of their friends. Does this still happen today? And, can you actually blow those people away?

Bob Dylan once said that a guy with a guitar could blow a whole army away if he knew how to do it right. Maybe, but I didn’t try reaching Bob for this article.

Instead, I e-mailed Tommy Womack, a wonderful Nashville singer-songwriter, who disagrees with His Bobness’ assessment. He says that in a club environment, in particular, “you’re trying to make a impression on people.

A majority of people prefer bass/drums/guitars/keys over one weak dork with a wooden guitar around his torso. With a band, you can get people to rock, or at least tap their feet. With just yourself and a guitar, and God forbid a harmonica on a rack (second only to bagpipes on an irritant scale) you put people in a position of having to imagine how the song would sound…” Plus, says Tommy, “everyone who likes solo acoustic music brings a date to the show who sits there and wants to die.”

Dan Montgomery agrees but adds “solo, you have the ability to throw the set list out at any moment and go out on a limb as far as you’d like to go.” Tommy concurs that solo is a great challenge as one has the “freedom to play anything in your repertoire at any time.”

I spoke to another Nashville pal George Marinelli, to get yet another viewpoint. George is a veteran studio cat, sideman, founding member of the Bruce Hornsby band, songwriter/artist extrordinnaire in his own right, and longtime guitarist for the Bonnie Raitt Band. So, in a sense, he’s done it all, and he had this to say, “The beautiful thing about touring with a band is that you’re never alone and you’re always with the band and crew. The downside of touring with a band is that you’re never alone and you’re always with the band and crew.” He added, “You saw that one coming, didn’t you?”

Sure did. So the burning question, especially in these tough times – is it best to hit the road solo or as a duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet? As Coltrane might say, If you can swing it, do ‘em all!

Feel free to shoot Doug a question – . You can also visit www.doughoekstra.com or www.myspace.com/doughoekstra.

Doug Hoekstra’s music has garnered years of praise from critics, djs, and fans throughout the US & Europe. In addition to live discs, eps, and other oddities, he’s released six full-length works, earning him Nashville Music Award, Independent Music Award, and NARAS nominations. His short fiction and non-fiction has appeared in numerous literary journals, and he was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for his tale “The Blarney Stone” (2006). Hoekstra’s first-full length collection of prose, Bothering the Coffee Drinkers, was published in 2006 to rave reviews and earned a Bronze Medal for Best Short Fiction in the 2007 Independent Publisher Awards (IPPYs).