An open letter to young bands...

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 2:18 pm

Cool! Ollie and jonesey at your service, ma'am.

MynameisJenn · Post by **MynameisJenn** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:43 pm

bassjones wrote: Bad news travels fast, as they say.

so very true and so very quickly

DJSpot · Post by **DJSpot** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 5:41 am

After you've played a gig and been fed drink after drink on the band tab or comped.......TIP YOUR BARTENDER/WAITER/WAITRESS!!!!

Toss a ten or twenty (depending on pay and amount of alcohol consumed) and make sure to say thank you. You wont even remember doing it the next day and you'll just think your dickhead bandleader shorted you! WIN WIN!

sharkmansix · Post by **sharkmansix** » Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:27 am

Bust your butt and self-promote.

...and promotion is more then a MySpace site. IMHO MySpace is awesome, but it's not the only tool.

Find a designer (odds are one already exists in your band) make some flyers and posters and take pride in them. Don't just throw something together, spend some time on it.

People remember the 'good' flyers and have a tendency to remember those shows.

Don't believe me, just ask OneLuckyGuitar. IMHO they have been doing some of the best promotion in the city for years now.

Garr · Post by **Garr** » Tue May 09, 2006 5:47 pm

In the realm of getting more gigs, I have some suggestions:

BRING PEOPLE!

I have had national acts CALL MY HOUSE to let me know they were in town, and to come to the show. Two of the few times this has happened, they even recalled events that took place the last time they were in town.

Don't be afraid to make a list of names and phone numbers and other various data about attendees and keep personal touch with people.

No matter how good you are, a venue doesn't want to bring you back if you play your first 6 months of shows there to an empty house.

Ask your fans to show up early to party with them and share some of your bar tab (if you get one) with them. They'll remember it, and it doesn't cost you much.

Politely remind people there to see you that other bands are on the bill with you and without them, you wouldn't be able to play your 45 minutes of kick ass music. Have them show up on time to see openers, and stay later to respect headliners or closers!

Don't let drunken band members start fights with girlfriends before, during, or after the show.

MrSpall · Post by **MrSpall** » Wed May 10, 2006 8:35 am

Thanks guys, this has really been informative. We've played a few shows around town, but are always looking for more, and I found the gig getting advice to be particularly helpful.

What do you think of open-mic nights? We've used them repeatedly and have done some great networking through them. Also, they've led to just about every show we've played in Fort Wayne.

Garr · Post by **Garr** » Wed May 10, 2006 8:58 am

The open mic night is how some clubs audition bands. They can only help you get gigs and spread your name to the general populace.

keep_frozen · Post by **keep_frozen** » Sat May 13, 2006 1:19 pm

My band has had done well finding gigs when we want them. We found networking with fellow bands in like genres helped. When they play a show or we play a show, and the venue needs another band, we just call them up and everyone has a good time!

Bjart Sod · Post by **Bjart Sod** » Fri May 19, 2006 4:54 pm

Oliver's Army wrote:Never be a d*ck. EVER. I cannot express this enough. The minute you are, that's the time you leave some one with a bad image of you and your band. Someone who COULD get you a gig in the future.

This includes message boards. And yes, even when you're only being a d*ck to a 17 year old with a white belt.

bassjones · Post by **bassjones** » Fri May 19, 2006 5:52 pm

Bjart???? Dude, are you back on here? Man, I hope so. We missed you while you were away.

nonamehero · Post by **nonamehero** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 10:51 am

another big thing to remember is after you are done playing don't be a d*ck and split as soon as your set is done.. stick around and watch other bands and talk to people. our singer is notorious for that and sometimes it really irritates me.. I know that at most of our shows that they are just a buch of 17 yr olds with white belts.... but we are a screamo band and 17 yr olds with white belts are our bread and butter. of course that just goes back to networking. you have to network. i don't think that can be said enough. so yeah... stick around and watch the other bands. because you have to remember nobody in this town is a rock star (at least not yet).

blu_kfs · Post by **blu_kfs** » Sat Dec 02, 2006 12:20 am

my old band mates had a habit of talking trash about the bar, the other bands, and even the crowd from the stage. I hated being remembered as the guy in that band with all of the assholes.

My new bands drummer likes to show up at a show 5 minutes before we are scheduled to play. Hope all the bands show up on time or else we are screwed. Doesn't seem to understand that sometimes we have to cover other bands.

JalaGaGorr · Post by **JalaGaGorr** » Sat Jan 06, 2007 8:45 am

this is against what is being said here (which i would agree with if i was to play shows) but i say down with shows and trying to get your name out...music is a "personal and magical" thing and selling out (or atleast trying to) sort of ruins the feel and love for the music...if you dont play live it makes it all that more special and unknown to people...sure itd be cool to make lotsa money playing shows but musics not about that its about creating a "fictional world" that expresses your "real world" thoughts and emotions....but if you are a musician im sure youve already thought of this and if you play live no hard feelings as some music is extremely good live and is worth seeing and paying for

Recordstar · Post by **Recordstar** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 1:11 am

You're right, it's against what is trying to be said here. Your view is like that of the art collector that keeps the works in a vault and no one sees them but himself. Music is art, and to be shared with the world, whether by self produced shows and promotion or by playing on a street corner.

Al Quandt · Post by **Al Quandt** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:47 am

blu_kfs wrote:my old band mates had a habit of talking trash about the bar, the other bands, and even the crowd from the stage. I hated being remembered as the guy in that band with all of the assholes.

My new bands drummer likes to show up at a show 5 minutes before we are scheduled to play. Hope all the bands show up on time or else we are screwed. Doesn't seem to understand that sometimes we have to cover other bands.

yeah with my band it was the opposite. I (the drummer) would be there like 2 hours early and the rest of the band would show up like 15mins before we start.

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An open letter to young bands...

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