Live Wired: OurStage Artists Wow Us With Unique Performances
posted in: Features
This week, Live Wired is exploring the world of Pro Performance Videos on OurStage! This channel is full of wonderful and diverse representations of OurStage artists’ live performances so we decided to find some of our favorites to discuss. From local, intimate venues to huge stages that thousands of people will see, live music comes in all different packages. Performers like Anunnaki, Jeremy James and The Bright represent the assortment of live musicians on OurStage. It takes a lot of preparation for any artist to get on stage and play their songs to an audience. Whether it’s just a singer and their guitar or a full band, the art of live performance is a whole other aspect of musicianship.
Anunnaki are a group of musicians from Georgia who play classical music fused with the sounds of progressive gothic music. They consist of a pianist, four violinists, two violists and two cellists. The performance of their instrumental song “ISHTAR Gates” is a piece over ten minutes long but it’s extremely captivating. While other musicians in different genres may view crowd interaction as crucial, Anunnaki are focused on the precision of each of their instruments and how they work together. An interesting part of the performance is when the group incorporates vocals for a portion of the song. Instead of being the main focus, the singer is standing in the background and her voice is more like an accompanying instrument rather than the focal point.
Armed with just his acoustic guitar, singer Jeremy James captures us with his performance of his song “Wonderful Woman”. Described as “an ode to finding the perfect woman to share your life with”, it’s important that James conveys this strong message with his live performance and since he is in a more intimate venue, this mission is easier to accomplish. His incredibly soulful voice gives each note so much passion and helps him to connect with the audience. He also has a cellist and a flute player on stage with him to add dimension to his performance.
Indie rock band The Bright got the chance of a lifetime, not only performing in front of a massive crowd, but also to having their show broadcast on TV. Their Pro Performance Video for their song “How I Feel” is from last year’s New Year’s Eve bash in Dallas, TX, which was attended by 40,000 people and viewed by 400,000 more on TV. We spoke to the band’s guitarist, Kell Curtis, who gave us some insight as to how the band prepared for this show and what it was like to be a part of something so big! Since The Bright put on a full band performance, Kell explained how important rehearsal was and also “trying to diminish any show surprises” so that they’re prepared for anything. The band had to attend meetings for months before to make sure their set was coherent “from the beginning to transitions and breaks between songs”since the New Year’s Eve event was such a production. The Bright considers the audience a valuable part of their show”Kell told us that the crowd definitely affects their performance, pointing out “it’s easy, wonderful, and a great high when everyone loves you and knows your tunes”. But, being an indie rock band, which is not the typical scenario, he suggests that it’s always “important to bring them into your world and not falter to a tough room”.