{"id":11140,"date":"2016-07-15T05:30:42","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T09:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=11140"},"modified":"2016-07-12T10:48:06","modified_gmt":"2016-07-12T14:48:06","slug":"guided-by-voices-a-study-in-well-prepared-spontaneity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/07\/15\/guided-by-voices-a-study-in-well-prepared-spontaneity\/","title":{"rendered":"Guided by Voices: A Study in Well-prepared Spontaneity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen we go to sound check, he goes to record stores.\u201d That’s how guitarist Bobby Bare Jr.<\/strong> begins his description of the preparations Guided by Voices<\/strong><\/a> leader Bob Pollard<\/strong><\/a> makes ahead of each show.<\/p>\n

Since their 1983 start in Dayton, Ohio, through myriad lineup changes, across more than 20 albums and countless live shows, Guided by Voices has earned a reputation for unpredictability. But newly-recruited guitarist Bobby Bare Jr. explains that a good deal of preparation goes into the group’s high-energy performances. \u201cThe morning of the gig, Bob has the set list written and in his pocket. When we get done with sound check and he gets back from the record store, we have a two-hour hang that’s pretty much just the band. We sit around and wait for him to pull the set set list out of his pocket. Then we all take a picture of it on our iPhones.\u201d At that point, each member makes his own annotated set list in preparation for the show. \u201cIt’s fifty songs every night,\u201d Bare says. \u201cAnd we go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But because this is Guided by Voices, there’s always an element of uncertainty. Bare recalls a night not long ago, when the new lineup was onstage in St. Louis, near the end of their second-ever show. \u201cAs we were walking out onto stage for the second encore, Bob said to us, ‘We’re gonna play \u201cBaba O’Riley!\u201d’\u201d The thing is, the bass player [Mark Shue<\/strong>] didn’t know the chords to The Who<\/strong><\/a>‘s 1971 classic. \u201cBut I<\/em> know it,\u201d says Bare, \u201cand Nick<\/strong> [Mitchell<\/strong>, guitar] and Kevin<\/strong> [March<\/strong>, drums] know it. So I stood with my back facing the audience, just screaming the chords at the bass player. It was a blast!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"gbv_no_credit\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was pretty crazy,\u201d Bare laughs. \u201cBut in general, Bob wants us to be very, very prepared.\u201d For this tour, that meant learning literally dozens of songs, including some that no GBV lineup has ever played live onstage. \u201cI’ve never been in someone else’s band before,\u201d says Bare, who has a thriving career of his own. He’s released eight albums, carrying on the family tradition begun by his father in the 1950s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve never had to learn other people’s music, except for a couple covers,\u201d says Bare Jr. \u201cI only ever had to learn songs that I created myself. So I had a lot of learning. We got our set list of things to learn in January, and I had gigs [of my own] up until March. We had our first rehearsal the end of April or [beginning of] May. I had learned half of the songs, but for the other half I had to take a trip to Ohio just to learn and chart the songs. Then I went to New York to rehearse them with the bass player and drummer.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a songwriter himself, Bare holds other composers to a high standard. And he ranks Bob Pollard among his favorites. Pollard is said to have written more than 1,600 songs; Guided by Voices has released more than 500 of his tunes. Bare rates Pollard’s melodic sense as his greatest asset. \u201cThe hardest thing to do in a band is to have a sense of melody and phrasing,\u201d says Bare. \u201cIt’s the thing you can’t learn or teach; it’s just this innate thing. And Bob’s so good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s what I like<\/i> most about Bob’s music,\u201d says Bare. \u201cBut what I love<\/i> the most is how hard it rocks, how amazingly heavy these pop songs are.\u201d Another Guided by Voices trademark is the relative brevity of the group’s songs; many clock in well under three minutes. Bare wouldn’t mind if Pollard extended some of the tunes, but he’s clear: \u201cIt ain’t my gig. Bob doesn’t tell me how to do my<\/i> songs; who am I to step in and tell someone I admire what to do? It’s not my band; it’s his. And I’d be crazy to walk into such a beautiful work environment and try to change things around; that would be just stupid. I’m a fan of the band; why would I try to mess with things?\u201d<\/p>\n