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Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
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Author:  BT Magic [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:05 am ]
Post subject:  Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
Well at Friday's show I had 2 young ladies sing a song that unbeknown to me was riddled with "F" bombs. The owner of the venue is adamantly opposed to such lyrics being sung in his establishment. I agree with him. I'm not a prude, but the explicit content in a lot of songs is for shock value and nothing more. It's offensive and vulgar, and it's not what my show nor myself is about. Suggestive songs are one thing, but graphic content is something else entirely.

I want people to come out to my shows and enjoy themselves, and NOT be offended or uncomfortable. I believe it reflects badly on the venue and on me. It doesn't matter that I'm not the one singing these songs. Most people will assume that since the song is in my books that I condone the usage of such material, and that's not the kind of reputation that I want. The people that WANT to sing these types of songs will argue that "Hey. It's in the book! Why can't I sing it?" .....and to a degree they have a point. However, during a show I have neither the time nor inclination to explain why they can't sing the song even though it's in my book. It just isn't worth it to me.

Since most of my gigs tend to be in upscale establishments (I have played my share of dive bars) I have decided that I stand to lose more (meaning customers, potential clients and my reputation) by keeping these songs in my books, than by eliminating them altogether.

Thoughts? Am I possibly throwing out the baby with the bathwater?
Author:  rickgood [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
Delete the files, delete the songs from your book, problem solved and the show goes on.
Author:  birdofsong [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
Do what works for you. With your particular venues, no one will miss them.
Author:  mightywiz [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:04 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
you should ask the bar owner if he is apposed to letting them be sung after midnight, most of the older, and prude crowd have left by that time.....
and most owner's are ok with it and the people that sing the filthly songs know that most places make you wait till midnight.

i would never remove them from my book, but i do keep track of the bad one's. occasionally one will sneak through but i flag it for next time.

and if it's a really bad one, i have no problem cutting it off. it's listed in my rules that they can't be sung until midnight and they will be cut off if I deem if offensive before midnight.
Author:  BT Magic [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
mightywiz wrote:
you should ask the bar owner if he is apposed to letting them be sung after midnight, most of the older, and prude crowd have left by that time.....
and most owner's are ok with it and the people that sing the filthly songs know that most places make you wait till midnight.

i would never remove them from my book, but i do keep track of the bad one's. occasionally one will sneak through but i flag it for next time.

and if it's a really bad one, i have no problem cutting it off. it's listed in my rules that they can't be sung until midnight and they will be cut off if I deem if offensive before midnight.


Hi mightywiz. The owner doesn't want it at anytime of the night. At this particular gig, I have 2 or 3 couples well into their 60's that come every week and spend a lot of money supporting the show, and they stay for the entire gig. I think it's best to delete the songs in question for all parties concerned. But thanks for your input. I appreciate ALL of you taking the time to respond!
Author:  Cueball [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:27 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
There's a place that I used to go to in PA, where they had an unwritten rule about ABSOLUTELY no cursing over the mic. This was/is a rule that all of the Regulars there know about, and it just gets passed on to newbies from time to time. If it looked like the upcoming song might have language content in it, the KJ would warn the Singer ahead of time. If the song had explicit language in it, the singer had to either pause for the word to pass, or substitute another word for it (example: "Screw" instead of "F**k"). If any singer cursed on the stage, the KJ immediately cut the song off, and the Singer was banned from getting on stage for the rest of the night.

You could try to enforce that as a rule (without deleting anything from your library).
Author:  RLC [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
I wouldn't delete them, just move them to a seperate folder and then within your hosting software recurse the search directories so they won't show up in a search if someone turns in a slip for one.
You can then tell them that the song has been removed and why.
Then the next time you print books do not include those songs.
The day may come when you have a gig where those songs might be allowed and you will still have them.
Author:  johnny reverb [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 8:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
I like a case by case way of handling this situation......how hot were these young ladies?
Author:  Brian A [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 10:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
RLC wrote:
I wouldn't delete them, just move them to a seperate folder and then within your hosting software recurse the search directories so they won't show up in a search if someone turns in a slip for one.
You can then tell them that the song has been removed and why.
Then the next time you print books do not include those songs.
The day may come when you have a gig where those songs might be allowed and you will still have them.

Great advice, RLC. :idea: Create new folder for songs with explicit lyrics. Red flag if it’s a no show on search. I will implement this asap. Thanks.
Author:  timberlea [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 11:18 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
I type (Explicit) beside the title of such songs. I would leave them in the books as you may have other venue/shows where they won't be a problem. Should someone ask why they can't sing an explicit song, just tell them it is against the venue's policy. You can even announce it a few times throughout the evening.
Author:  earthling12357 [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 12:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
The software I use allows me to tag these songs with one click so they appear in red when I bring them up on search. If I'm fooled by a song I don't know I tag it so I'm not fooled again. I also add notes to the singer's profile so that I know if they have a profane style ahead of time when they return. It's a helpful warning. I have built-in venue profiles, so I can customize by venue as well.

If someone happens to slip in an inappropriate word or two, I have a hotkeys to run scrolling messages on the screen to appologize to the sensitive ears and remind everyone of the rules.
Some singers like to substitute inappropriate words in normal songs (think "Total Eclipse of The Heart"). By knowing who they are or knowing the songs this can happen with I can run the scroll as a reminder to the singer (and crowd) right before they sing. Then everyone knows why the song ended early.
Author:  Bazza [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 2:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
BT Magic wrote:
Well at Friday's show I had 2 young ladies sing a song that unbeknown to me was riddled with "F" bombs.


Let me guess. "Crazy B1tch"?
Author:  Lonman [ Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
My club is the same way.
Take them out of the book. Tag the songs on your computer like <PA> or something that will allow you to see in a search then if it comes up, you'll know that song is a no go for that venue.
If you lose a couple singers over it, they were probably not the kind of people you wanted to begin with, most singers will understand and choose another song and still come back.
Author:  djdon [ Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
My Friday gig is the same way. Keep it clean. Boss is in and out of the bar just about the whole night.
I had this jackhole come in and wanted to sing F Her Gently. I explained the rules to him. He was persistent. So, to shut him up, I said, "if the boss leaves, you can sing it. He's right over there. See?" I pointed to a regular in the crowd that I knew would be there the whole night. An hour later, he comes back and says, "how about now?" "Can't. Boss still here. See?" I pointed again. He says, "OK. Can I sing Sussudio?" Gag. "OK". He gets up, starts singing, and in the middle of the song, he blatantly yells out, "F___ YOU!!!" He looks at me, then walks off stage and leaves. He was well in to his 30s, and drunk.

There's not much I could have done to prevent the scenario above from happening.

I wouldn't eliminate the songs from the book as some of my gigs allow anything to be sung. Just explain the rules and keep on keepin' on.
Author:  lyquiddye [ Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
You have to do what works for your shows.

I personally let people sing anything they want, If i have it they can sing it.
Author:  c. staley [ Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
I have a pretty good knowledge of which songs have explicit lyrics. If it's against the rules, or simply outside the boundaries of proper decorum, I'll tell the singer to change their song.

It's not negotiable and it doesn't matter what's in the book or on the kiosk... I still have the ultimate control over whether or not the machine plays it or the mics get turned on.
Author:  chrisavis [ Tue Sep 18, 2012 8:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
I take a slightly different tack with this - I just don't work venues with language restrictions. I interview prospective clients/venues as much as I expect them to interview me. I have my rules, they have theirs.

-Chris
Author:  GeminiMALE40 [ Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
lyquiddye wrote:
You have to do what works for your shows.

I personally let people sing anything they want, If i have it they can sing it.

I agree..the bar is ADULT playground..if patrons dont like it they can leave..just like i do when i go into a place and dont like what is going on.....I leave ..I just find someplace else...and if they dont like cussing they need to be in church not a bar... :clapper: :rotflmao: :bouncer: :dancin:
Author:  Lonman [ Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
I like to be paid and if that is the only restriction for a 20 year/7night a week gig, i'll comply. I'd like to see how someone reacts to hiring say a house painter, and they take it upon themselves to do the job their way and not to the specs the one hiring them really wanted.
If a club doesn't want it - you don't do it! That's business, you were hired to do a job, but you still have to work with the people that hire you.
Author:  kjathena [ Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problem At Friday's Show With Explicit Lyrics
one of my KJ friends had this suggestion for dealing with this type of problem. He instituted a curse jar. The rules were for every curse word you had to put $1 in the jar...if you did not you didn't sing again at his shows period. The money was collected and donated to a charity that was selected by the venue in question. Those who were normally offended by the unpleasant language would keep count and insure the correct $$$ were placed in the jar. I can see this working well in a bar environment...I do however see problems in a restaurant/family show situation .
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