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Username: keefir1
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07/06/2007 7:12 PM Alert 
Anyone else upset that with Kat's Early Show appearance,live,on national TV..there was still NO live band?? Couldn't RCA spend some money to better promote this CD?Why does Katharine always seem to be performing with those canned tracks.....give her a break!!!
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07/06/2007 7:28 PM Alert 
Posted By keefir1 on 07/06/2007 7:12 PM
Anyone else upset that with Kat's Early Show appearance,live,on national TV..there was still NO live band?? Couldn't RCA spend some money to better promote this CD?Why does Katharine always seem to be performing with those canned tracks.....give her a break!!!


Yep.... You (as a performer) are only as good as your last gig, and it's clearly evident to me that the powers to be don't seem too interested in promoting Kat as a true musician.  Too bad.  Given the right (live) band, she would blow everybody's socks off!
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07/06/2007 9:30 PM Alert 
i agree 100% rca sucks
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07/06/2007 11:18 PM Alert 
i dnt think people who arent true musicains but just fans of music dnt really care about a band i sure dnt i thinks hsed be great a capella does that mean anything? no music or no music most people dont care
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07/06/2007 11:56 PM Alert 
I have to agree with keefir on this one.
Having no live band is penny wise, pound foolish IMHO.
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07/07/2007 12:58 AM Alert 
A live band can be over rated.

Moreover, it appeared to me that the back up "singers" were singing into dead microphones too. Those backup vocals sounded, to my ear, like pure McPhee to me. Having a live band for these few television appearances seems to be asking a bit much. I don't mind blasting RCA when I think they are due it but here there simply was not time for practice and it had the potential to go the wrong way, IMO. I thought this appearance went quite well....I wouldn't fret about NO BAND.
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07/07/2007 11:46 AM Alert 
Didn't Kat used to have a live band? What happened to them I wonder? I agree CRB I think the back-up singer's mics were dead. Those sounded like Kat's voice to me too. I do think Kat should have a live band tho...it makes thing me interesting IMHO. Not that Kat isn't interesting in herself...but to people who aren't fans YET, it probably would be more interesting.
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Kat's Comment to me:

"Lauren,
don't worry about your gift and not getting on time. That is sooo sweet but you didn't have to do that. I really appreciate it. I read your comment and it really touched me. I'm happy you enjoyed your first season of Idol. I mostly thank you for all your support. It means more than anything. I just love that people are enjoying the music. Keep in touch and thanks again. Cute page too!
kat"

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07/07/2007 12:04 PM Alert 
Posted By CRB on 07/07/2007 12:58 AM
A live band can be over rated.

Moreover, it appeared to me that the back up "singers" were singing into dead microphones too. Those backup vocals sounded, to my ear, like pure McPhee to me. Having a live band for these few television appearances seems to be asking a bit much. I don't mind blasting RCA when I think they are due it but here there simply was not time for practice and it had the potential to go the wrong way, IMO. I thought this appearance went quite well....I wouldn't fret about NO BAND.



A musical performance without a good live band is nothing more than Karaoke.... which is not for me.  It's these little things, like having a live band that mark the difference between OK and great.  If you don't have time to do your job (rehearse with a live band) why bother???

I don't know who is to blame for all of this, but it was a faulty decision. A live band is NEVER over rated... period. 
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07/07/2007 8:08 PM Alert 
The track sounded just like the album right down to that crazy little giggle-whoop at the end. I think those were just 3 dancers, the ones from the LS vid in fact. Actually I don't think the audience gave a rat's derriere whether the music was live or canned, they were just dancing and having a good time. They were there to see katharine, not her band. The rest were just there to have fun.
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07/07/2007 8:16 PM Alert 
Posted By groucho on 07/07/2007 8:08 PM
The track sounded just like the album right down to that crazy little giggle-whoop at the end. I think those were just 3 dancers, the ones from the LS vid in fact. Actually I don't think the audience gave a rat's derriere whether the music was live or canned, they were just dancing and having a good time. They were there to see katharine, not her band. The rest were just there to have fun.



I guess all the record companies could save a bunch of money by having the musicians just stay home; Cue up the CD and have the singer lip sync to the songs. 

Maybe to some the music and a live band is unimportant, but to me, that is why I go to a live event; to see the actual performers and musicians. I can just as easily sit at home if I want to listen to a canned track.
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07/07/2007 9:43 PM Alert 
Could you imagine Mick Jagger singing to a canned track? How about Roger Daltry,  or Bruce Springsteen, or even Chris Daughtry??? OK, so these are rocker dudes. What about Straisand or Whitney or Celine or Xtina?  Not likely, but why? Is the musical experience of a live band or orchestra that much better? Not necessarily, but that's not the point. Concert goers expect a total live experience, even if it's in some ways inferior to the canned track. Of course the big Kat fans in the audience aren't going to care, they're tickled pink just to be seeing their girl up close and personal. It's just the people in the audience that aren't fans yet...not having a live band doesn't help to win them over. It just looks "cheap" no matter how good Kat is. Somewhat like being presented with a gorgeous diamond in a crumpled tissue rather than a velvet bag.
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07/07/2007 9:55 PM Alert 
Great analogy with the diamond,Bill!!Maybe canned music is OK for the radio tour,but on a major national television program,it would have been way classier for potential fans to see some live musicians!!Where is the label support here??Wonder what the back-up will be on Regis and Leno............
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07/07/2007 10:26 PM Alert 
Posted By bcollan on 07/07/2007 9:43 PM
Could you imagine Mick Jagger singing to a canned track? How about Roger Daltry,  or Bruce Springsteen, or even Chris Daughtry??? OK, so these are rocker dudes. What about Straisand or Whitney or Celine or Xtina?  Not likely, but why? Is the musical experience of a live band or orchestra that much better? Not necessarily, but that's not the point. Concert goers expect a total live experience, even if it's in some ways inferior to the canned track. Of course the big Kat fans in the audience aren't going to care, they're tickled pink just to be seeing their girl up close and personal. It's just the people in the audience that aren't fans yet...not having a live band doesn't help to win them over. It just looks "cheap" no matter how good Kat is. Somewhat like being presented with a gorgeous diamond in a crumpled tissue rather than a velvet bag.


Well said.  And sometimes when you see and hear actual musicians, something magical happens.  I remember many years ago I was at a Linda Ronstadt concert and the back up was killer!!!! They were rocking out and doing an outstanding job..... Well, No wonder they were so good.  I found out, after the fact, that her band for that tour was a new group of guys that just formed their own band. Who were these guys??  The Eagles at the outset of their career!!!!!   You can't experience something like that by having canned music.
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07/07/2007 11:37 PM Alert 
I wish Katharine had a good band too. I can imagine how Katharine feels performing to a CD, while Hillary Duff is backed up by a big band which almost covers up the fact that she can barely sing. I believe the problem is money, in that the funds for bands, videos, travel, promotion, advertising, etc. come from CD sales revenue. We all know what the story is there and that is most likely why she is on the tight budget. I believe they have tried a lot of things to boost CD sales, but I'm not sure they've done the right things at the right time. Heck they even played Katharine's wonderful and well received Over It video in movie theaters, but I don't think it had any effect on CD sales and that is where most of the revenue comes from. For one thing, I don't think they advertised enough when the CD came out or for long enough after. If you go to just about any Top 40 radio website you will see that they are covered with Doughtry and Elliot Yamin advertisements and promotions and they have been since their CD's came out. Also, I question RCA's CD distribution effort. As Kat mentioned, she couldn't find her CD in a record store when she went to buy one. Well I couldn't either, and I still can't. Heck, it isn't just record stores as you can see practically everyone else's CD's for sale at Starbucks! Take Nora Jones. Her CD's are still on display in their own little well designed cardboard stand, right in the front of all the record stores. The same stores that reply "Katherine who?". Of course, millions of CD sales generate millions and millions of dollars that go a long way to pay for promotion...and bands.
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07/08/2007 10:19 AM Alert 
I might be in the minority here, but I don't mind Kat not having a band with her when she performs. When I watch other singers perform, I don't care if they're performing to a backing track or a live band. What I care about is if they are actually singing (i.e. not lip-syncing), if the song is good/catchy, and if the singer puts up a good, entertaining performance. Obviously Kat has accomplished all three.

I actually prefer the backing track, because the background vocals were all Kat's. When she had the live band for OI's promotion, she had other background singers too and sometimes that distracted me from her performance because their voices don't go that well together with Kat's. I find Kat singing and dancing with 3 other dancers to be much more enjoyable and fun. And Kat is a solo artist, not the lead singer of a band. I don't really expect her to have a band with her on every performance.

Maybe one reason there was no band was that the original band members have moved on to other projects. It has been months since they last performed together. There was probably not enough time to audition and put together a new band and have them be really familiar with Kat's songs and her performing style. I would guess that it takes time to build up chemistry between the singer and the band so the performance don't come off as awkward. It was also simply not economically practical to put together a band for 3 appearances (including the Leno gig) that take place at least a week apart from one another. It was different for OI because there were plenty of appearances that take place within 2 weeks.
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07/08/2007 8:18 PM Alert 
That's what I was trying to get out and didn't. Maybe if you went to see a whole band perform and got nothing but canned music that would feel different, but Katharine isn't a band, and you DO get to hear her sing live. And dance. That part's a plus compared to the CD.
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07/08/2007 11:20 PM Alert 
Posted By groucho on 07/08/2007 8:18 PM
That's what I was trying to get out and didn't. Maybe if you went to see a whole band perform and got nothing but canned music that would feel different, but Katharine isn't a band, and you DO get to hear her sing live. And dance. That part's a plus compared to the CD.

Yes Groucho, of course your right. True Kat fans wouldn't miss the band. It's just that some of us feel that singing to a canned track isn't helpful in gaining new fans. Who knows, many of the non-fans might just think Kat's lip syncing. And that would be a shame.
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07/09/2007 2:22 AM Alert 

I've performed to canned tracks.... It's NO FUN!!! You basically have to perform the song exactly the same way every night, even if you are in the mood to improv a bit.

If using canned tracks is such a wonderful way to go, I wonder why AMIDOL still uses a live band?? Since it is a singing competition, nobody would care if the singers used canned tracks....right? WRONG!!!

The reason they don't and NO ONE should, is because using a live band does make a difference.

PS.  Let us not forget some of the finest vocalists have been very careful to use the best supporting musicians they could find to compliment their voices.  eh... does Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Dinah Shore, to name a few ring any bells?

OK, I'll get off my soapbox on this issue, as it seems painfully clear that some of us have a different view what makes good music.... and for me, this will never include a canned music track.
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07/09/2007 2:28 AM Alert 
Posted By GB3535 on 07/09/2007 2:22 AM
I've performed to canned tracks.... It's NO FUN!!! You basically have to perform the song exactly the same way every night, even if you are in the mood to improv a bit.

If using canned tracks is such a wonderful way to go, I wonder why AMIDOL still uses a live band?? Since it is a singing competition, nobody would care if the singers used canned tracks....right? WRONG!!!

The reason they don't and NO ONE should, is because using a live band does make a difference.


I like the live band too...much better, but I just watched the You Tube videos of Kat on the Early Show and she really managed to change up some of the styling of the song in spite of the canned music. She made the songs a bit more sassy and fun, I think did a great job dealing with the no-band situation! That said, I really hope she gets her band back as it does look more professional and legit IMO.
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07/09/2007 2:28 AM Alert 
I've always felt that the chemistry between a performer and his or her band adds an extra layer of kinetic energy to a concert. But, really, after watching Kat again on the playback of the Early Show performances...she's already lightning let out of a bottle even with the canned backing. That's why I said that having an audience close to her is important. On the Early Show, that helped fill in where the lack of a band didn't. Kat needs some interactions on the stage with musicians and so forth in order to keep herself inspired while performing. You can tell that human interactions ignite her to do even better.

Sure, those backup singers and dancers are somewhat of an interaction. She doesn't look any of them in the eye, though, as she would with musicians or audience members. The dance moves with those other girls are fun...yet obviously calculated rather than spontaneous chemistry.

RCA obviously is just cutting corners because Kat didn't have a platinum album. Apparently that's payback if you don't do as well as the record company hoped. I'm not sure that's fair when a record company worth billions could at least spring forward some extra cash to help an artist who'll likely be an even bigger success on her next album. And, yes, people do get that "lip synch" stigma in mind if they don't automatically see a band. You can thank Britney Spears, Ashlee Simpson, et. al, for setting that precedent. It just shows you that we live in a visual culture who can't seem to process any logic when they see something firsthand.

I noticed that Jaco guy (her guitarist) was with Kat on the Rhapsody sessions. Also, that pianist with her I think is her musical director...even though I'm still not sure who's who. Apparently her band are still in-waiting to maybe connect with her somewhere down the road. Then again, it seems RCA is playing musical chairs with Kat's performing personnel. She's had numerous changeovers the last several months to apparently test the waters. It seems to me, though, that her band probably aren't going to sit and wait for the next gig. A lot of them have probably auditioned for other bands and will be touring the world with someone else before long. It's too bad, because that band was just gaining some outstanding communication among them all before having to stop. Kat had some good chemistry with a lot of them too.

We'll likely just have to wait until she sets a better musical identity for herself on the second album before she gets a band that'll stick with her. I bet that box drummer guy from the 'AI' tour last year would still like to get into the fray...
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07/09/2007 9:46 AM Alert 
Using a backup track enables the singer to move and dance during the performance without getting too winded. I personally didn't like her live band because the backup singers couldn't possibly get the same sound as Kat's vocal layering on the album and the musicians were no match for the studio sounds. The arrangement she has now is ideal. The dancers and are choreographed by a professional and she even improves on the recorded tracks now because of her confidence level.
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07/09/2007 6:03 PM Alert 
Pro: she DOES vary the songs from time to time. I don't know exactly how backing tracks work but it sounds like the lead vocals may be there but tuned down a lot. Unless I'm totally nuts, I hear different variations on different phrases and the live performances do not always sound just like the album. I'm talking about the lead vocals.

Con: Yes, I occasionally see people making remarks about her lip synching, and that's unfortunate, so if there is a way to reply, I reply to them.
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07/12/2007 3:38 PM Alert 
A live band adds so much energy and looks so much more professional.  Apparently, there's a tight budget for Kat's promo, and RCA can't afford a full band to back Kat.  I watched Kelly C at Live Earth and she had a full band, horns, back-up singers, etc. - and she rocked the house.  It made me think of Kat and how, one day, she'll be doing the same thing.  Also, Kat is always so interactive with the band, and it just adds so much more, hopefully, once Kat earns her street cred, she'll get a full band on some upcoming appearances, etc.
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07/14/2007 8:38 AM Alert 
if her sales improve shell get the band
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07/14/2007 9:47 AM Alert 
Posted By Radiohead on 07/14/2007 8:38 AM
if her sales improve shell get the band


Hmmm.  I don't get it personally.  Artists with far fewer album sales than Kat go on tour with a live band.  In fact, in this day of depressed CD sales, touring is how many performers make their money.  Album sales and a touring budget don't necessarily go hand in hand.  If handled correctly, a tour can be a good money maker for both the label and the artist.  Touring shouldn't COST the record company money, it should MAKE money for them (and the artist).  It looks to me that the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing here.
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