Presence. It can't be faked. It can't be fabricated. It's what separates the good from the truly original. i was reminded of this twice this past weekend.
First i saw the Joe Strummer documentary "The Future Is Unwritten". He, and every member of The Clash, had that presence. Seeing footage of Strummer he seemed absolutely sincere every moment of every day. His style, his tastes, his emotions changed with time but he was sincere in everything he did and that gave him that presence.
Then i went to a show, a great pairing of two bands i like: Thrice and Brand New. i have listened to both bands' music over and over again. i actually got into Thrice because i saw them open up for another band years ago and was so impressed i started picking up their music. Their newest album features some interesting, Radiohead inspired sounds and i was interested to see how they pulled it off live. They were quite good and did an amazing job of re-creating all the unique sounds from the new album. It would have been a great show unto itself.
Both bands have had some commercial success so i wondered how you decide who opens for who in situations like this. The answer soon became overwhelmingly clear. The answer was presence. As good as Thrice were, Brand New just came out and performed with such a presence that their newest album has taken on a new meaning for me.
Where Thrice preformed their music incredibly well, you had a hard time believing that Brand New could possibly do anything else but play music. The passion that seemed to come out of even the slightest movement and sound let you know they were putting everything they had into every bit of it. Everything seemed to lead up to that moment. That's the difference.
i wish i could have seen The Clash perform but i have seen more amazing bands pour everything they had into performances than i probably should be allowed to. The presence associated with that sincerity is inspiring. It's a well i need to go to often.
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