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Topic: What Line-Dancing has done for live music? |
Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 22 Aug 2007 6:16 pm |
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In another thread Barry Blackwood mentions a couple of things about line dancers and I agree with him on the few digs that he talks about.My thoughts are that people started making records catering to the line dancers,also making up clever dance steps,and then all of a sudden country music as we knew it croaked.I played in one club where a group of thirty line dancers signed a petition to get our band fired because they couldn't do they're steps to us?This was years ago,but I still see some of these peeps in clubs that I'm playing at and still won't talk to them for taking my livelihood away.One time I called a bunch of them water drinking tiping,pathetic lonely losers that didn't have the guts to join an aerobics club.I have a friend who played a weekend with our band a few months ago and he said that he was going to play "Crazy Arms" a little more up for the dancers...after the song which was at warp speed he asked what I though,I told him that you gutted the song like a trout...ripped all of the soul out of it.I was wondering if anyone else had some Line-Dancer stories that they would like to share.
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Colm Chomicky
From:
Kansas, (Prairie Village)
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Posted 22 Aug 2007 8:01 pm
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| Don't have a story, but I have been forced by my spouse to do some line dancing. Heaven help me. |
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Charles Davidson
From:
Phenix City Alabama, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2007 10:06 pm
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My spouse has made me do some crazy things,But you can bet your cheap K-Mart cowboy boots,that won't be one of them.
_________________
Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC ! |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 22 Aug 2007 10:23 pm
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I was at a summer country festival in France,
and the line dancers were so obnoxious about
kicking up a dust storm while clearing the rocks
from the dirt in front of the stage, that the band
had to go find management, and security, to back them off.
They made them carry water to wet down the dust first.
And keep it wet if they wanted to dance.
And rake between bands at this all day show.
The dust was so bad singers were stopping mid sentence
to cough, and the band leader asked them nicely to stop
making a dust storm in the bands face and was ignored totally.
They watered it down with about 20 buckets and all was well,
except others had no room to dance..
and this was outside.
And yet their numbers grew till there was no room
for line dancers...
Finally security shut them down,
but that was after they tried to move some GIANT bikers Harley.
Interupting the band he was unhappy about, but wasn't gonna cause trouble.
Touching his bike to move it without asking
OOPS. Bad faux pas.
The grotesque lady trying to move the bike got her hands
gently lifted from the handle bars and told no.
I'll do it myself before your crew falls over it.
Then her obnoxious male mate 'coming to her rescue'
got lifted over head by belt and collar,
and carried out of the festival kicking and screaming,
and ceremoniously got dumped in the pond.
By this lone biker, no help needed.
Security had had enough of the whole crew and laughed at him.
These people are mono-manaical about their thing.
Everything revolves around them.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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Leslie Ehrlich
From:
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Posted 22 Aug 2007 10:47 pm
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| Line dancing killed rock 'n' roll in the late 1970s. Back then we called it 'disco'. |
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Dayna Wills
From:
Sacramento, CA (deceased)
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Posted 22 Aug 2007 11:07 pm line dancing
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Line dancers learn to do steps to a certain song and then they think they can ONLY do the dance to that song. One night our band was asked to play Elvira. This was a jazz band and they didn't know Elvira. But, they were former rockers from the 60's. So, I told the line dancers that I would do a song they could do their new dance to. I got 'em onto the floor and then we kicked off "Searchin', the old Coasters tune. It's the same beat. What the line dance teachers need to teach their dancers is that the song or style of song doesn't matter, only the SPEED of it. Can you fit the dance steps into it? Same thing with a country cha cha: If you play a standand cha cha, they can't hear it. Ya gotta play a "country" cha cha, even tho the speed of the song is the same.
I had the dancers come out onto the dance floor because I knew that if I didn't, they would never hear Searchin' as the same speed as Elvira. I have line danced to Brick House and Play That Funky Music, White Boy. I am not a dancer per se, but once in a while I will get out there with the girls when a line dance is CALLED down at the Moose, that's the ONLY time it is allowed. The club in Ft Worth called Big Balls of Cowtown had a sign up that read, "Line dancers will be shot." Yep, line dancing killed live music. |
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Stephen Gambrell
From:
Over there
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 12:36 am
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I remember when line dancin' came out. There was a bunch in Augusta, GA, that had been kicked out of every bar in town, and the place we were playing got rid of 'em, too. Ridiculous, watching a bunch of grown people with cowboy boots and hats, with little plastic cow skull necklaces, line-dancing to ZZ Top, Zeppelin, George Jones---Whatever we played, here they came. Stupidly dressed, totally sober, arrythmic
white people. Course, it was funny when one of 'em missed a step---standin' there looking around like some lost cheerleader, trying to figure out when to slap their knee again.
Course, it being the 80's and all, we never had any trouble playing stuff fast enough for 'em  ... |
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Dave Harmonson
From:
Seattle, Wa
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 8:00 am
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| Don't get me started. Oops, too late. I don't really care how people dance to what I'm playing as long as they don't land on the stage, or crash into me. The whole line dancer thing though seems to be universal. Somewhere along the way they began to think they were the show. What really started bugging me was people asking for a dance name instead of a song, and then when you do there request ther's no thankyou or even applause it's just another demand (I mean request). I wonder how this came to be so universal? Did they all have a convention and decide it was best to be rude to the band? I remember back around late 80's or early 90's dance instructors were teaching steps to Black Velvet and the same dance to Lacy Jay Dalton's Black Coffee. Black Velvet is a slow 6/8 beat and Black Coffee is straight 4. I wasn't working with a girl singer so we didn't play either one of them. When we'd get request for these and I explained that we didn't play them I always got the same response, "can you play something like that?" I'd say do want something like Black Velvet or Black Coffee and they'd be stunned. Does the song just have to say the word black in the title? How about Long Black Veil, or Man In Black? Anyhow I'm with you guys here, I don't get them. And yes indeed they helped in killing a real vibrant Country Western Club scene up around here, too. Although I must say that I don't cater to them at all anymore and when I play the people that want to hear what I do are coming out for the music and are appreciative. They're a lot more fun. End of rant for now. |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 8:07 am
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Line dancers and their ilk, (the DJ's that accompany them,) became the bane of my existence in the fading years of my career as a steeler. Eventually, I deliberately priced myself out of that scene when I could no longer tolerate it. Since I haven't decided to sell my stuff yet, I guess that currently makes me "semi-retired."
Last edited by Barry Blackwood on 23 Aug 2007 10:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tamara James
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 8:29 am
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| Stephen Gambrell wrote: |
Course, it was funny when one of 'em missed a step---standin' there looking around like some lost cheerleader, trying to figure out when to slap their knee again.
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This would be why I don't line dance. I can understand the fustration. IMHO...line dancing grows in popularity because you don't need a partner. Those who show up stag or wall flowers who know they won't be asked to Waltz, can just get in line and dance away. I do agree that if they can't get it together enough to dance with the music that is provided they should drop a dollar in the juke box between the band's sets and get it out of their systems. I think there is still plenty of folks who can Waltz or Shag down South Carolina way to push them aside if they wanted to. Maybe even a jitter-bug or two. |
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Janice Brooks
From:
Pleasant Gap Pa
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 8:35 am
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"Get that Line Dance Otta Here Man Give Her Room to Move her Feet"
Chuck Meed "Little Romona |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 9:03 am
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Sadly it's a team sport for loners.
With the ego of some teacher/leader of the pack
holding it together.
An occasional 'hot babe' used to be there getting exercise,
and the occasional horn-dog trying to make time with her.
They could be entertaining in their mating rituals. 
But these latter are less common these days.
I have met a few shall we say older women
who wouldn't think of hitting an aerobics class
in a leotard, but will go in for an occasional
night of line dancing.
Usually with 2-3 family members tagging or dragged along.
And they are not the rude ones or totally obsessed.
But INVARIABLY.. there is some queen bee and her mate
and a few hardcore sycopants running the 'dance team'.
And their self worth is based on how big a square
they can get to show and validate their art form...
These are the yokels we have come to loath. 
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!
Last edited by David L. Donald on 23 Aug 2007 9:11 am; edited 2 times in total |
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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 10:04 am
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"Do people still line dance? I thought that craze ended like ten years ago!"
Bob, I believe that could be considered "Wishful Thinking." |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 12:42 pm Line Dancers
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Playing the smaller "Critter" clubs, and smaller Vetrans clubs like we do now we're not bothered to much by the hard core wanna-be line dancers!
The ones we do get are pretty funny to watch, after inbibing in the hootch for a couple of hrs. they have no idea which foot to kick, or which knee to slap, and none of them can seem to do it together! 
Sadly tho I can remember when it was a real problem for us, and I quess for ya'll who are playing the bigger dance clubs it's still a problem.
I would have thought the line dancing, and the kareoke would have died out by now, wishfull thinking I quess.
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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Howard Tate
From:
Leesville, Louisiana, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 12:49 pm
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| Here in central Louisiana the people love to line dance. Normally I don't care how they dance, but during our breaks the DJ plays The Electric Slide, Stroking, and a few others I can't name because I can't understand what they're saying. This is always at ear-splitting volume levels. And it's the same songs over and over every break. I absolutely hate it. |
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Stephanie Carta
From:
Florida, USA
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Clyde Mattocks
From:
Kinston, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 5:42 pm
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Dave's comment "Don't get me started" should be the title of any thread discussing line dancers. In all of the umbrella of "entertainment", could there possibly be anything as loathsome as a line dancer?
(a mime, maybe?)
Invariably, when we are booked at a fair or street festival, the entertainment chairperson decides on their own that it would be great to have a line dance team perform while we play. Then I get the
inevitable phone call asking if we can play The Electric
Slide, Wild, Wild West, etc. My explanation that we don't play these songs at our regular gigs because
the DJ plays them five times a night goes right over their head and I sense that they believe that these
incredible composisions are beyond our ability.
The situation is always resolved when I tell them to bring their CDs and they can perform on our breaks,
during which we try to get as far away as possible. |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 7:32 pm
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Dayna,I know what you mean about the Cha Cha.I had a request for a Cha cha one night so I played "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" and the dancers yelled "That Aint No Cha Cha"...stupid me.
Bob Linedancing aint dead...it comes back every few years like a rash.
_________________
Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952. |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 7:51 pm
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Line dancing never did catch on in Canada; however, like the USA, what they call "Down Town Country" amounts to the same thing. I have no idea why most of these bands even need a four or five musicians on stage. About all they need is a screaming guitar, a drummer and a bass player "whose amp is turned up to #10 on the amp's dial".
Half of their audiences do nothing more than stand in one spot and bounce up and down. |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 23 Aug 2007 8:00 pm
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Disco ain't dead it moved to Europe and
Gloria Gaynor is still in rotation.
Karioke ain't dead it is living all over Asia in a big way.
How else can non-singers ever get any stage time?
Polyesther suits have died and rightfully so.
What I never understood was why they don't teach
line dancing for normal songs and for ANY song.
it's always their SPECIAL SONG.
It's like they can remember the steps in order
without the vocals to prompt them.. DUH!
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.
Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many! |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 24 Aug 2007 9:37 am
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Line dancing is far from bein' dead & gone in France
why they've taken over most every " Country" festival here
top 40 bands have popped up like rabbits without havin' any Country education or background
i played w: a few & found it somewhat lame since all the line dancers wanted were exact replicas of these tunes so they could do their steps without carin' about the band & the other tunes they were playin'
i say they need to be educated |
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Mike Ester
From:
New Braunfels, Texas, USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2007 10:44 am
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| b0b wrote: |
| Do people still line dance? I thought that craze ended like ten years ago! |
Unfortunately, you still see it in Texas, b0b.
But (to be fair), I have yet to see the rude line dancer. Guess I've been lucky to dodge that bullet all these years. |
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Mark Edwards
From:
Weatherford,Texas, USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2007 12:19 pm
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| The only reason line dancing was invented is so that ugly girls can dance too and not be alone.... |
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Larry Robbins
From:
Fort Edward, New York
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Posted 24 Aug 2007 12:21 pm
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A few years back, we played a club and the line dancers there had the nerve to go up to an elderly couple who had been dancing together on the side of the dance floor and ask them to stop dancing because they were afraid they would get in there way!!!!! We stopped playing and refused to continue untill they were apologised to and made the club owner explain in no uncertian terms that the dance floor was for EVERYONE!....needless to say we were not big hits with that bunch but,we just could'nt let that pass...I still dont like line dancers.
At least in this neck of the woods there
dying out.
_________________
Twang to the bone! |
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