1/21/2012
The Hardest Days
Its 2:40am and I must write this while its fresh and I still feel it. Tonight we played a gig at an unnamed location. We promoted decently for people who don't have money to pay for advertising and invited some good friends. It was one of those gigs that you set up sometimes having never been to the venue but the booking agent seems nice and they're guaranteeing pay so you do it. I email them to confirm a few days before and get a response from some one else 'yes we are exited to have you' etc.
We arrive at the venue early enough to set up and cover any kinks. The staff is very pleasant and nice and the non sound guy sound guy(it's his system but we set our own sound which is fine) after a second of weird conversation, seems very nice as well.
We find out that the girl we booked with is gone but I don't worry too much because I have emails and have no qualms about being a total bitch when a contract isn't honored. Only if needed.
No one seems to know if we gets drink discounts but that's ok. We order a few anyway. No one has seen the new contact person so we ask a few people to send him our way when they do.
We have a few close friends show up but not near the # that said they would. That's also fine. We have learned through the years that 10% of the people who say they'll come to a show actually do and it's usually the ones you least expect. (we know sometimes people can't make it. We appreciate when they let is know)
The bartender seems nice enough and we get drinks and start on time. We are at a club/venue so we can hear the music in the other too and so we joke about it trying to get the crowd into us (by crowd I mean 7-10 people including 3 friends and staff)
The bartender isn't amused.
People cycle in a bit here and there and eventually 2 of our friends have to leave.
1 friend and a table of rowdy drunk kids later we are trying to keep our heads above water as they close down the bar in our room thereby eliminating walk throughs and are in the main room doing some contest for best legs?
We eventually gain another friend and as the night winds down we are in a room with 2 friends, no staff, and a drunk guy sleeping on a couch. Our new contact, whom we still haven't met, eventually makes his way into the room at 15-set end and in a strange way shows then drops our fee on the stage by Ty.
We pack up and leave without so much as a see ya or have a good night from any staff. Our 2 friends leave with us and we happily close the door shut behind us.
I write this to you not to complain, not to bad mouth, but to say we all have weird gigs and weird nights. We were extremely fortunate to have 2 people there to have our backs all night. We obviously didn't fit this venue and that happens. I wanted to tell u guys about this night that felt so raw and awful like an open wound or sharks in the sea with a swimmer who has a paper cut because so often I write with advice. This time I have none except that these gigs will occur and they're REALLY hard to get past and push through but you can do it. I only hope you're lucky enough to have a friend or two there to help you through.
1/20/2012
A passion, a business, a poser, a hobby , or a career
Over the years, we have met a lot of musicians. We have learned a lot about those musicians. We have also observed many give up, crash and burn, and just plain not try. None of these things mean we think any less of you, but if you're a musician who wants to make it 'big' here are some things I have learned.
There are are many ways to play music.
1: As a passion. You love it. You will play to anyone for anything anywhere any time. This is the purest and most beautiful version that everyone needs, but also the easiest to get totally fucked. Because you love it so much, you are so much more willing to do it for anything. This reeks of desperation and record companies love this. (See my link to why we wont sign a record contract? http://www.negativland.com/albini.html ) Being a passionate artist has its benefits but be careful to remember that you're trying to make a living and if you're not, you're actually in the hobby category. Passion is step one of many steps. If you're going to make a living, you have to learn how to be business oriented. This moves us on to...
2: As a businessman. This can mean many things but as I'm sure you can guess, business becomes a+#1 importance. This person will make a good living and probably be very successful....but may not always be very happy. If you lose sight of your love for the music it will be a long unhappy road with lots of money and sponsors, but no different than a desk job most days.
3: The Poser. You play music because you happen to have the talent but you're more concerned with getting drunk, the perks and partying than being a performer. Many artists have made a name for themselves being the fun party drunk musician but it wasn't until they moved into another category that people took them seriously... or they died. Harsh? Yes. It truly is. There is nothing wrong with drinking and having fun at your gigs, but when a venue pays you good money to entertain their crowd, they don't always love you doing it with your belligerence. Many will never say anything either because you have now spent your entire paycheck at their bar and liquor is cheap so that's a damn good deal on their end. This means free entertainment for them, and no income for you. Be careful with this one. It will suck you in and you will think you're living the rock star lifestyle, but in all reality you're living dangerously close to a cliff that will yank you over its edge before you realize its too late. And it ages you horrifically. (He's only 68 years old!)
4: The hobby. You love playing music but have no idea or care to make money or work on your craft. Family and friends easily deter you from your slight goal with jobs, marriages, kids, and other things that will take precedence. This isn't bad. Its just your category. You don't perform regularly and as time goes on, living room practice becomes less and less.
5: A career. You are a good mix between everyone. You understand that if you make 150$ at a gig and spend 150$ at a gig you made no money and that gig was pretty much free. If you're ok with that great. But you'll never be able to quit your day job. You understand that you are an entertainer and your crowd has to enjoy themselves or else why would the venue ask you back? Because you have talent? Talent doesn't make the venue money. Entertainment does. Shitty bands get paid all the time because they're entertaining. If someone comes to see you and is entertained they will stay longer than if you just sound good. Its the truth. If they wanted to listen to good music they can turn on their radio. You have to offer something better than what they can go find somewhere else for free and give them a reason to stay. You also understand that your relationships with the venues are important. if you're late, cancel all the time, bring rude rowdy friends, ask for freebies all the time, expect the world, or pretty much just act like a total dick, if you cant bring in so many people that the venue HAS to look past your bull shit, they wont. You practice because you want to AND have to, you write for the same reasons. You pay attention to your income, but you also understand that you should have some leeway to enjoy yourself or you'll get burned out. You live with in your means, and you keep track of your taxes. (if you don't, and you start making money and get audited good luck with that) And... most importantly, you love it. The day you stop loving it, Quit. I mean that. Don't play music for anyone but you. Don't worry about your stage set up or set list or if you have proper skills or if someone doesn't like you or if your song is about something controversial or if the band before you sucked or if the band after you sucks or if you should have worn something else or if you hit one bad note, or if you are tired, you're too skinny, you're too fat, your personal hygiene is bad (The used? lol ya. )
you're not in the mood to be there, the legs of your pants got wet in a puddle, you have to pee, you coughed in the middle of a song. SHIT. Stop worrying. Play music. Play good music that you enjoy and feel it. How many times do I say on here. Feel what you're playing. It is really important to 99% of your crowds. Do what you feel you will be proud of doing not what you think everyone else wants you to do or what you think will make you famous. The harder you try to be famous the less likely you will be...unless you flash your crowd your boobs and buy them all shots every night or some stunts like that lol People will come for that lol.
All of these categories are not set in stone and you can become a new category if you want, but you can't move into one with out knowing which you are now.
I wish you all luck and hope you know that we never hope for bad to come to anyone. We may see it coming. Others will to. But we wish and hope and pray to see you all on the other side. For our sake AND yours. Good luck with your gigs this weekend. We love you all and are so grateful to know you. XOXO.
There are are many ways to play music.
1: As a passion. You love it. You will play to anyone for anything anywhere any time. This is the purest and most beautiful version that everyone needs, but also the easiest to get totally fucked. Because you love it so much, you are so much more willing to do it for anything. This reeks of desperation and record companies love this. (See my link to why we wont sign a record contract? http://www.negativland.com/albini.html ) Being a passionate artist has its benefits but be careful to remember that you're trying to make a living and if you're not, you're actually in the hobby category. Passion is step one of many steps. If you're going to make a living, you have to learn how to be business oriented. This moves us on to...
2: As a businessman. This can mean many things but as I'm sure you can guess, business becomes a+#1 importance. This person will make a good living and probably be very successful....but may not always be very happy. If you lose sight of your love for the music it will be a long unhappy road with lots of money and sponsors, but no different than a desk job most days.
3: The Poser. You play music because you happen to have the talent but you're more concerned with getting drunk, the perks and partying than being a performer. Many artists have made a name for themselves being the fun party drunk musician but it wasn't until they moved into another category that people took them seriously... or they died. Harsh? Yes. It truly is. There is nothing wrong with drinking and having fun at your gigs, but when a venue pays you good money to entertain their crowd, they don't always love you doing it with your belligerence. Many will never say anything either because you have now spent your entire paycheck at their bar and liquor is cheap so that's a damn good deal on their end. This means free entertainment for them, and no income for you. Be careful with this one. It will suck you in and you will think you're living the rock star lifestyle, but in all reality you're living dangerously close to a cliff that will yank you over its edge before you realize its too late. And it ages you horrifically. (He's only 68 years old!)
5: A career. You are a good mix between everyone. You understand that if you make 150$ at a gig and spend 150$ at a gig you made no money and that gig was pretty much free. If you're ok with that great. But you'll never be able to quit your day job. You understand that you are an entertainer and your crowd has to enjoy themselves or else why would the venue ask you back? Because you have talent? Talent doesn't make the venue money. Entertainment does. Shitty bands get paid all the time because they're entertaining. If someone comes to see you and is entertained they will stay longer than if you just sound good. Its the truth. If they wanted to listen to good music they can turn on their radio. You have to offer something better than what they can go find somewhere else for free and give them a reason to stay. You also understand that your relationships with the venues are important. if you're late, cancel all the time, bring rude rowdy friends, ask for freebies all the time, expect the world, or pretty much just act like a total dick, if you cant bring in so many people that the venue HAS to look past your bull shit, they wont. You practice because you want to AND have to, you write for the same reasons. You pay attention to your income, but you also understand that you should have some leeway to enjoy yourself or you'll get burned out. You live with in your means, and you keep track of your taxes. (if you don't, and you start making money and get audited good luck with that) And... most importantly, you love it. The day you stop loving it, Quit. I mean that. Don't play music for anyone but you. Don't worry about your stage set up or set list or if you have proper skills or if someone doesn't like you or if your song is about something controversial or if the band before you sucked or if the band after you sucks or if you should have worn something else or if you hit one bad note, or if you are tired, you're too skinny, you're too fat, your personal hygiene is bad (The used? lol ya. )
you're not in the mood to be there, the legs of your pants got wet in a puddle, you have to pee, you coughed in the middle of a song. SHIT. Stop worrying. Play music. Play good music that you enjoy and feel it. How many times do I say on here. Feel what you're playing. It is really important to 99% of your crowds. Do what you feel you will be proud of doing not what you think everyone else wants you to do or what you think will make you famous. The harder you try to be famous the less likely you will be...unless you flash your crowd your boobs and buy them all shots every night or some stunts like that lol People will come for that lol.All of these categories are not set in stone and you can become a new category if you want, but you can't move into one with out knowing which you are now.
I wish you all luck and hope you know that we never hope for bad to come to anyone. We may see it coming. Others will to. But we wish and hope and pray to see you all on the other side. For our sake AND yours. Good luck with your gigs this weekend. We love you all and are so grateful to know you. XOXO.
1/04/2012
I'm BAAAACK!
Hey everyone. Remember when I used to do a blog and then I didn't. Ya me too. I've decided that as a New Years resolution (which I normally disagree with 100% as most of them are a set up for failure) it was time I start sharing again. This year, I will be unapologetic and say what I want. One thing I hate about facebook and other social networks is that I feel like I have to watch what I say. In all reality I think that idea is bull shit but I try to be considerate. To start a blog is like a very public diary and I have never censored my diary.....unless I thought someone was reading it lol.
Today I want to touch on paying your dues and the stupid little decisions that can and mostly will effect your progress. This can apply to non musicians too. You can't continuously change your college major and expect a super sweet high paying job to land in your lap. (rarely anyway lol)
I know many people who have reinvented themselves many times over or even just one or two times in an effort to become what they think they should. We have stayed the same group but had to start over due to name changes and moving and sound changes. We still fight for club gigs because of our reputation for slow music.
Ironically I wanted to write about this and then I read a blog from one of my favorite music professionals Cari Cole. She teaches in New York and we were fortunate to meet her in LA at ASCAP. She has many years of experience in music and the professional side of the business and I swear by her advice. Google her. You ll find her and love her. (or go to http://www.caricole.com). She talked today about being you for you and how important that is. She also talked about how no ones journey is the same.
I heard Matt Nathanson talk about this last year at ACAP as well. Just because someone makes it one way doesn't mean you will and honestly chances are BECAUSE someone made it one way your chances of following in their footsteps are much lower.
Here's my advice, remember, it may be coming from an undiscovered artist but still, we are progressively getting somewhere so don't count me out completely. Good advice is always good advice no matter the source.
They say you pay your dues for an average of 10 years. 10 years is a long time but it separates the men from the boys, it shows who is serious and for a company, record exec, financier, anyone who is paying attention, there is something to be said for sitting back while a band builds its fan base, becomes something bigger, and shows they are serious. Anyone can play music. Not everyone can react properly or even handle how the business will treat them.
The trick is to grow and evolve in your current world or move on as quickly as you can so you can properly pay your dues. If you have been playing for 30 years and have yet to hit what ever level your goal may be, I am willing to bet you've been in several bands or projects. This is because you don't pay your dues as a person. You pay them as a project. It takes 10 years on average for enough people to hear of your music to stand out above everyone else. If you change your genre, your city, your band name, you're pretty much starting over. Very rarely can you make a name for yourself moving around and changing yourself at all times. Can you imagine a business changing names and advertising that they sell floor cleaner and then you to find them and they're named something else and sell Dry wall? How can they get business that way? They will constantly battle their previous name and ideas against their new stuff.
As a solo artist it's the same. But when youre in a band you're involving other people in those changes. Either their not in your band anymore (generaly you can take away the fans that person brought from your attendance list) or they now have to tell their friends they bought in as fans that you're different and people don't respond well to being a fan of something that changes. Like your favorite restaurant. I used to love Ruby Tusdays and then they changed and as they're out of business now, I take it I wasn't the only one unhappy about it.
Be you for 10 years strait. Don't change your genre, don't change your name, don't feel entitled to a bigger following or crowd because you started playing alone 20 years ago and have been with your current band for 5 months. It doesn't work that way.
Final piece of advice. Be you and be consistent but evolve. You can't continue to play the same songs with the same set list the same way over and over and over and expect people not to get bored. You have to grow. How? Fuck if i know! Its not the same for everyone. People become your fan because they like watching you become someone they look up to more and more. And of course your music. But more the latter......just remember how many famous bands there are out there that aren't THAT great. It's because their fans love them. They love them for who they are and have been and who they're becoming. Find what youre best at at do it better every time and make it something people notice most. Harmonica? Learn some kick ass harp solos and rock the shit out of them. Singer? Splatter your heart all over the audience. Guitarist? Learn or write some sweet riffs and knock the socks off your crowd even if there are only 2 people there. Then....keep doing it. Not always the same solos and songs, do more and more AND get really good at the ones you already did.
Be willing to stick through 10 years minimum before you see results. If not, that's fine too but don't expect much more than a hobby.
Thanks for reading.
Xoxo
Today I want to touch on paying your dues and the stupid little decisions that can and mostly will effect your progress. This can apply to non musicians too. You can't continuously change your college major and expect a super sweet high paying job to land in your lap. (rarely anyway lol)
I know many people who have reinvented themselves many times over or even just one or two times in an effort to become what they think they should. We have stayed the same group but had to start over due to name changes and moving and sound changes. We still fight for club gigs because of our reputation for slow music.
Ironically I wanted to write about this and then I read a blog from one of my favorite music professionals Cari Cole. She teaches in New York and we were fortunate to meet her in LA at ASCAP. She has many years of experience in music and the professional side of the business and I swear by her advice. Google her. You ll find her and love her. (or go to http://www.caricole.com). She talked today about being you for you and how important that is. She also talked about how no ones journey is the same.
I heard Matt Nathanson talk about this last year at ACAP as well. Just because someone makes it one way doesn't mean you will and honestly chances are BECAUSE someone made it one way your chances of following in their footsteps are much lower.
Here's my advice, remember, it may be coming from an undiscovered artist but still, we are progressively getting somewhere so don't count me out completely. Good advice is always good advice no matter the source.
They say you pay your dues for an average of 10 years. 10 years is a long time but it separates the men from the boys, it shows who is serious and for a company, record exec, financier, anyone who is paying attention, there is something to be said for sitting back while a band builds its fan base, becomes something bigger, and shows they are serious. Anyone can play music. Not everyone can react properly or even handle how the business will treat them.
The trick is to grow and evolve in your current world or move on as quickly as you can so you can properly pay your dues. If you have been playing for 30 years and have yet to hit what ever level your goal may be, I am willing to bet you've been in several bands or projects. This is because you don't pay your dues as a person. You pay them as a project. It takes 10 years on average for enough people to hear of your music to stand out above everyone else. If you change your genre, your city, your band name, you're pretty much starting over. Very rarely can you make a name for yourself moving around and changing yourself at all times. Can you imagine a business changing names and advertising that they sell floor cleaner and then you to find them and they're named something else and sell Dry wall? How can they get business that way? They will constantly battle their previous name and ideas against their new stuff.
As a solo artist it's the same. But when youre in a band you're involving other people in those changes. Either their not in your band anymore (generaly you can take away the fans that person brought from your attendance list) or they now have to tell their friends they bought in as fans that you're different and people don't respond well to being a fan of something that changes. Like your favorite restaurant. I used to love Ruby Tusdays and then they changed and as they're out of business now, I take it I wasn't the only one unhappy about it.
Be you for 10 years strait. Don't change your genre, don't change your name, don't feel entitled to a bigger following or crowd because you started playing alone 20 years ago and have been with your current band for 5 months. It doesn't work that way.
Final piece of advice. Be you and be consistent but evolve. You can't continue to play the same songs with the same set list the same way over and over and over and expect people not to get bored. You have to grow. How? Fuck if i know! Its not the same for everyone. People become your fan because they like watching you become someone they look up to more and more. And of course your music. But more the latter......just remember how many famous bands there are out there that aren't THAT great. It's because their fans love them. They love them for who they are and have been and who they're becoming. Find what youre best at at do it better every time and make it something people notice most. Harmonica? Learn some kick ass harp solos and rock the shit out of them. Singer? Splatter your heart all over the audience. Guitarist? Learn or write some sweet riffs and knock the socks off your crowd even if there are only 2 people there. Then....keep doing it. Not always the same solos and songs, do more and more AND get really good at the ones you already did.
Be willing to stick through 10 years minimum before you see results. If not, that's fine too but don't expect much more than a hobby.
Thanks for reading.
Xoxo
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