Street performance & comedy club spot footage excerpts: Kansas City-based Danny Slade Croman and pals. Includes excerpts of a video shot of "Never...Spain" adaptation by a photog who was passing through in Westport (early 90's), who also sings, & who had rhythm guitar; vocals; and finger snapping added to the audio of that video-at a studio in North Carolina where the photog. resides. (several voice straining takes were taped for the raw footage made after quitting time for Danny's street show for the night, wee hours in Westport)Also includes some Robert Z. and Brownsville S. On the first footage here, it is a continution of excerpts, began on the next-most-recent posting ("Croman, adaptations-ad-lib;L.Z..etcetera"), of a comedy club open microphone appearance - during time Danny was catching paid work billed as "comedy" around the two-state area, in addition to his all-music gigs and street playing venue. The comedy, which was actually music/comedy, helped him form his present day "half serious musician/half jokster" peforming style. This particular set, excerpted from, was on one of many nights in which he - along with other working and amateur comics - put in time for exposure and practice at open microphone nights at area clubs known for that, a group that enjoyed company amongst others of like mind. One of the performances on Westport's streets excerpted here, you see former partner Tara Quirk and Danny playing a tune, a little past the time of their main partnership. The tune, one of several the pair had down pat, always went over well both there and at the Snafu club where they also did several gigs together. It is not only a good example displaying Danny's self-base- accompanying/intricate picking style which makes a fuller than average sound for a solo act or one-instrument minimalist combos. Having developed the style enabled him to better emulate the appropriate sounds the public recalls on the popular versions (and not an easy adaptation to make) without cheesy foot orchestra-in-a-can peddles or drum machines. The picking style has been part of Danny's signature performing style - which helped solidify some suceess for him as a performer over the years, albeit in a role once thought of as unconventional. The video also gives a glimpse at what a natural Tara Q. is at singing. Starting from her time playing with and learning from Danny, she began expanding out to playing, first, guitar then several instruments. She was, in fact, so natural - that practically any instrument you set in front of her, she'd play it in a way which did it justice, and then some. In the era when Danny used to set up a full drum kit on Westport's streets, on one memorable occasion Danny started in playing The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys, and without hesitation Tara kicked in the difficult percussion for the tune, doing so the first time she ever attemped the song, and having barely played drums at all, prior. She not only played it but did so better than many long time drummers this author has heard try the song. She remains a favorite performer to this author amongst all his associations in the area, she's developed some very good original songs, also. Not all of the footage would transcribe to d.v.d., in fact the tracking nomily seen actually damaged the beginning of that clip on the original tape. It's a drag but that's the way it goes sometimes dealing with recordings. As far as the method of facing the camera towards the passers-by and listeners, there are several factors in why that method was used, and with more rapidity in the earlier years. Firstly, in many cases the camcorder was used primarily to get the audio of the performance. Also, in some of the areas performed in, to have placed the video camera at the proper distance away from the performer would have both posed risks of it been knocked down and in some instances stolen. So duck taping the tripod somewhere along the wall behind, close enough to keep an eye on it, yet in a place where it could at least be focused on something, capture-able for posterity - in addition to the audio, helped prevent said risks. Also a side benefit, in some case was that pointing towards the audience allowed for the audience to feel an equal part in a show, they are, after all, supporting it, usually. In that way, certain areas lent themselves well to demo videos in which the excitement of the crowd enjoying the performance was a way to give potential employers of the performer a glimpse of the affect he has on his audience. For a street performer to have a camera trained on himself for great lengths of time, amongst certain types of audiences, would not be too acceptable a way to do things. The people watching aspect of the videos is also excellent, and video-taping performances can also help the performer memorize crowd members who only show up occasionally, helping to put names with faces.
Loading...
3:41
Croman 3minutes40 de véritéby M4RiiON420,895 views
Link to this comment:
All Comments (0)