On May 3, 2014, at 3:21 PM, Chrissy Fowler <[email protected]> wrote: > How do you manage the (sometimes) delicate task of matching callers and > bands?
I would never book a band and a caller independently at random, with no eye toward how they work together, any more than I would put together a band by choosing fiddle, guitar, and piano players out of a hat. I might be boxed into making a suboptimal pairing, but it certainly would be part of the planning/booking process and decision. There are some nights that everyone wants to play and some nights that no one wants to. The juggling act can force less desirable choices. Musical style, calling style, instrumentation, voice register (frequency range), onstage persona, all play a part in making the evening a success. And that’s assuming that everyone is adult and acts like one. We need to nurture new bands and musicians, because that’s where next year’s Hot New Band comes from. New and relatively inexperienced bands need a strong caller who can keep the tempos in check, can exert stronger influence over tune selection, and help teach the band to become a better dance band. Yet strong callers also like to be booked with the Hot Band of the Moment. If you have a strong and experienced dance band with wide repertoire and range of styles, almost anyone can call successfully. I think that personal issues, like the divorcing couple or the “won’t play in the same sandbox” complaint, are easier to deal with than matching style and stage personality. If Bob and Sue can’t be onstage at the same time, don’t do it. If they don’t tell you ahead of time, but they misbehave once, then never put them into that situation again. And dance organizers should feel free to share that kind of information with other organizers. If bands and callers get together themselves and present a package, that makes the booking job easier and harder at the same time. Less flexibility. It might be assumed that they play well together, but that pairing might not fit the vision of the series. -Eric
