The Bizz with the Buzz: Attack of the Killer P’s…



Yeah I know it’s been a while since we last congregated on the subject of getting that first gig…but that’s cool…plenty of times music can be a waiting game…actually plenty of times I can just be slack…just remember to do as I suggest, not as I do…take this as a lesson…being slack will get you nowhere. With this is mind, it’s time (well, sorta past but screw it…) to get ready for that first gig and as a lover of fine cheese…well actually fine cheesy ala hair metal…I would like to totally cheese out and offer to you a great guideline to follow known as the “Five P’s.” So grab a drink to go with the cheese…here we go:



PREPARE: While you’ve been working hard for this first moment, there is no such thing as putting TOO MUCH work into a gig. Yeah your tunes are tight as all get out but just tossing a buncha tunes together doesn’t make for a tight set. Your set’s gotta have good flow and work well for the gig you’re playing. Now being that this is your first gig, you may not really know who you’re playing for so first off, seeing that this IS your first gig the chances are pretty good that you’re opening for at least one established band. Check that band out online or anyway you can and get an idea what type of people will be coming out to see them and why. This can help in figuring out what to play and how to play it. For example – if you’re a kicking hard rock band and you’re supporting a heavy band it’s always a good idea to come out of the gate with your most thumping, head-bangin’ stuff. Good rule of thumb is a pair or three smokin’ fast tunes back to back (to back) before stopping to give the audience a chance to figure out what just hit ‘em. If you’re only working with a short set (20-30 mins) work up and rehearse a ferocious set of kicking tunes. A little longer allows a chance for more of a rollercoaster ride and even to slip in a ballad about ¾’s of the way into the set. If you’re planning half original and half covers, flip flop them to keep the crowd interested. Most importantly, if the crowd is sparse or doesn’t seem interested early on…be prepared to keep firing as hard as you can. You’re there to hold up your end of the gig and if all you do is impress the venue or the other band or even one or two patrons, it will go a long way as you progress as a band. A legendary singer once said “It doesn’t matter if 100 or 100,000 people pay to get in, each and every single person paid full price to get in and deserve full return on their money.” As a new band you build a following one person at a time…besides…impress one and they will talk you up to their friends which can turn into a few more at your next gig.



PROMOTE: While you may get lucky enough to open for a local band that pulls in fans in droves, the last thing you wanna do is be complacent and just rely on the other band’s drawing power. Sure your promotion may only add a couple of more faces but once again, showing effort goes a long way. Besides, sometimes people miss the memo when their fave band is playing and you may just happen to alert one of them to the fact that their fave local band is playing. It also doesn’t hurt to show other bands and the venue that you’re willing to work hard to get peeps out. Even 2-4 friends can mean extra revenue for the venue which at the end of the day, is what it’s all about for the venue not to mention it never hurts to have a few people in your corner right off the bat. Interest is contaguous, your friends cheering you on may help the first timers get more interested in what you have to play.



PUNCTUALITY: You’re not Axl Rose…if load-in time is at 7pm…be there at 6:50 and not with a “our drummer will be here at 7:30” explanation why your band and equipment are not all there. Why create tension the first time out? The soundman will appreciate it and that could turn into better sound for your set. I’m not saying to kiss butt…just to do your part. The show is a team effort from venue to bands to sound guy to even door person and you’re just a part of the machine for the night. Piss off the sound guy and no matter how hard you rock…you may not be invited back. No one digs a primadonna…especially one playing their first gig. Once you’re all set up…you can chill. Just make sure the entire band is in the vicinity of the stage at least thirty minutes before you’re scheduled to go on. Things can change in a heartbeat. I was once about to put out merch at 9pm while waiting for a 9:30 time slot when I was told “you guys go on in five minutes. At that point there’s no time to haggle, question, argue, and especially hunt down members of your band. You just have to suck it up, get onstage, check your tuning, and roar into your first tune.



PLAY: The time has finally arrived to show what you can do. Yeah there may be some nerves but you have to shake that off and push forward. If you just happen to blow a note, screw it and move on. Dwelling on a mistake can shake confidence and lead to way more mistakes. No one is perfect. Rock your hardest to the best of your ability. It’s your first show and honestly, no one expects you to be all that great so by playing a good, solid, energized set you’ve already exceeded expectations. That’s a win and anything above that is super sweet frosting.



PACK: You’ve worked hard and come a long way since that first music lesson or music book. You’ve just played a solid set…but the job ain’t over just yet. Sure you’re tired and sweaty but now is when you have to step past that and GET THE F**K OFF THE STAGE!!!! Forget about packing every little nut, bolt, etc. Get your gear off the stage so things can stay on schedule. You can tear stuff apart once your gear is offstage and you’ll have plenty of time to relax and bask in the glow of your first show once you’re clear and out of the way. The last thing you wanna do is wear out the welcome you’ve so graciously been given. Everyone will appreciate the extra effort and it will show just how serious you are about wanting to be a serious band.



Congratulations…you’ve just played your first show and can now look forward to many more. What do you do next? I can sum that up in one more word…just not a “P” word.



REPEAT.



Your Brother-in-Arms,

Stoney




check Stoney out at http://www.lokalloudness.com

and be sure to tune into his lokal radio show at http://www.confederationofloudness.com

The Bizz with the Buzz: Setting The Stage

The Biz with the Buzz: Setting the Stage

By John “Stoney” Cannon



Last time we spoke kiddies you were knee deep in getting together that great demo to go along with your top notch promo picture, straight to the point bio, and eye-catching logo. Now in the old days this would make up what we oldsters call a promo/press pack. Toss all this cool stuff in a folder with pockets and you have what, even in this day and modern age, some places accept for information to write about your band. Sure many places now find it easier to just follow the link you email them to find all this info online but look at it this way – you’re now covered on both ends as you can use this same info for your actual print material or for your online version. But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves…what’s the point of getting press if you don’t have anything to promote? Luckily you can use this same information (if needed) to try and get that debut gig. You know the one of which I speak - that first magical night where you introduce yourself to the public by blowing the audience completely out of the water. OK so chances are good that it won’t be that incredible but still, you and your band are well rehearsed, have some cool tunes, and are hungry for some stage time. To top it off, you have all the proper promotional tools to present your band to prospective bookers. So let’s go get that gig.



Now first off, there are some good things you should know. Simple rules that you may not all find in a book but are still good to follow. First off…make sure you and your bandmates are on the same page and get a good idea of everyone’s availability for a couple months ahead of time. You want to come across like playing out is what you do. Many a band have missed out on great gigs because a booker was eager to fill a slot and was told by someone in the band “sounds cool but I gotta check with the guys to make sure everyone can do it.” There’s always a band right behind you who is desperate enough for the gig to say yes immediately. And while I’m on the subject of talking to a venue booker, I need to stress how important it is to build a relationship with the booker at the venue you’re looking to play at especially if you’re looking to return again or maybe play at the venue on some sort of regular basis. The best way to do this is a simple one and can be done using this simple rule – “first contact-permanent contact” meaning the person representing your band who makes initial contact with the venue should be the one who handles continuing dialogue with the venue going forward. Of course this can be made easier by designating one person to handle all the booking arrangements period. Even if you happen to get the gig through a band inviting you to play, it is never a bad idea to visit the venue ahead of time and introduce yourself. This will not only show that you value the gig but also give the booker at least a small level of assurance that your band has been contacted and arrangements have been made for you to play. Besides, a visit to the venue ahead of time is also a good opportunity to find out a few things to make the big night easier for you (if you haven’t already) like what time to show up for load-in, where to load-in, and maybe even what time your band will play and for how long.



Many of the points mentioned above might seem like no-brainers for the well weathered musician and once you’ve built a reputation as a drawing artist some may even eventually not be needed but for now, you’re on a mission to get that first gig under your belt. The date is set…there’s nothing left to do but show up and melt some face. Or is there?



Next time: Prepare and Promote aka How to Look Good in AND Out of the Gig



Check out Stoney's long running website http://www.lokalloudness.com

The Bizz with the Buzz:'Ear It Is Mate by:Stoney Cannon

The Biz with the Buzz: 'Ear It is Mate...


So I know it's been a while since our last get-together kiddies and by now you should have, in addition to a smoking hot band, a choice visual representation of your group for promotional purposes. You and your band buds have marked your spot in time with a great photo usable for any promotional opportunity that may come your way including ink press PLUS you've created a cool bio that's somehow short and to the point yet chock full of information on your soon-to-be drawing band! You've even managed to take all of that, toss in an easy to decipher logo and spread it across the interwebs just in case a prospective booker or journalist prefers to fetch your info online. It's all there. Right? Hmmm...seems that something might be missing. You have all the tools to get those first "in the trenches" gigs but you're already thinking ahead...thinking about the bigger clubs, festivals, county fairs, even maybe submitting to try and get a spot during a music conference or one of those online battle of the bands contests that are sponsored by some beer or liquor company. You're thinking - "well dang we need to record that next modern rock hit that we have in our musical arsenal!" You've got a nifty batch of original tunes. You have a need to get 'em out to the world and make ears bleed! You think your bands' tunes are bad ass enough to rock faces off? Well...OK...so what are ya gonna do about it?




Over the years young up and coming bands have taken many routes to record their material. In the sixties you had reel to reel recorders, seventies saw the arrival of cassette tape decks, the eighties took those up a notch with inexpensive 4-track cassette recorders, the nineties upped the anti by taking the technology and going digital and of course all along bands could simply fork out some cash and venture into a recording studio. By the time Y2K hit just about any musician with a good computer and a bit of software could track their next opus in the comfort of their own bedroom, garage, kitchen, even bathroom. The dawn of this period unfortunately also led to some of the most God-awful recordings being hoisted on indie music scenes all across the globe ever. Now any yahoo who just happened to have a slew of clueless friends blowing constant smoke up their ass could take that new found false bravado and record and put out 5-star recordings based on the best buddy rating system. Too bad other rating systems usually gave these same recordings a "suck" rating. Hey I know, it's tough. Quality recording on a shoe-string budget can be tough, but there are ways to make do in the beginning.




Before you are quick to decide that you can be the next Mutt Lange over night because Santa brought you a new PC and cheap recording software for Christmas...don't. Ask around. The good part about the D.I.Y. (do it yourself) PC recording revolution is that for every 100 wannabe's, there are at least a couple of bedroom engineers who have figured out how to make above-average recordings. Chances are, you find one of these guys and you can get a decent demo for a low price, heck maybe even free. Further investigation could turn up some underground studios, places that record top notch stuff but don't really push the fact that they record. These places, like say Sector 7G, offer up great prices in the $15 - $30 per hour range and for those who are good at pre-planning, further discounts for reserved blocks of recording time. An underground studio that charges low rates will always be a better bet over an actual fully functional studio offering similar rates. The part-time studio will be able to relate with your love of music while the big studio probably will just see you as a chance to make some change between their big money commercial jingle accounts. More studio equipment and a snazzy room is great but nothing beats an engineer that is sincerely interested in what you are trying to get on tape. These cool dudes are usually found at the smaller studios. Heck, why do you think the Jam Room in Columbia, SC is so popular? Great rates (the punk rock special is a long-time Jam Room fave) and guys that will go militant to get your band a cool recording.




So, you're ready to commit that first real original masterpiece to tape...so you can spam the interwebs with it...well good luck and good hunting!




Here are a few great options to look into:

"Bat Cave Productions" in Evans Ga 706-830-3537

"Sector 7 G" in Augusta Ga nick7g@gmail.com

"The Jam Room" Columbia SC


http://www.jamroomstudio.com


You can check out more about Stoney at http://www.lokalloudness.com

and at

http://www.confederationofloudness.com

The Bizz with the Buzz:Pleased To Meet You by:Stoney Cannon

The Biz with the Buzz: Please to Meet You...

So now that you've reaped the benefits of knowledge handed down from from your best friend, your music instructor, and of course whichever influential music gods have tickled your ears, it's time to get out of that little rehearsal cubicle whether it's your bedroom, a friends garage, or your instructor's room in back of the music store. You and your buds have a band...now all that's left is to take on the world...right? You've seen the movie: kid picks up guitar, plays a show, gets seen, makes a record, and becomes the next biggest thing since that Justin Bieber kid. (OK bad example...if he can make I guess anyone can). Well unfortunately life doesn't always play out like in the movies otherwise, we'd all be rock stars. Not everyone can just sky rocket to the top like the Wonders from the movie "That Thing You Do."
So like I was saying before getting sidetracked - you and your buds have a band...and you're pretty good...getting better everyday but still...pretty good. You're working on getting a gig and excitement is starting to swell for you and your bandmates but slow down...don't forget - first impressions are everything. You can create the biggest hype in the world...but if you can't live up to it...well I'll leave the onstage prep to the pros who write those type of columns here...my job is to talk about the hype...just make sure you're ready for that point before you jump into it. But first impressions in the way you promote yourself is pretty important too. Do you want to step out into the world as the next up and coming band or just a bunch of kids out to make some noise? (Don't answer that, I still like to make noise too!) Your band sounds good, plays good, has all the moves down...now you just have to get your future fans interested in actually coming out to see you play. That starts with how you want to present yourself to the public. Things that will come into play from everything to flyers, posters, promo kits, even how the press presents you. Sure you want to record the next rock classic...but right now, who's gonna buy it outside of your releatives, friends, and slightly significant others?
One thing that irks me is a band that is impossible to get any information on. I can't count how many times I've had to work on an article and have gone to a band's MySpace only to find a confusing bio, a bunch of very badly taken live photos, and a band logo that looks like a page from an ink blot test. Incomplete names of band members doesn't help much either. When you're rich and famous you can do whatever you want...but out of the starting gate...there's nothing more important that getting your point across. Artistic license comes only after people care what you have to say.
So you decide that your next step to getting your band out to the masses is to create a web presence. For young bands this usually means a free site involving MySpace, Facebook, Reverbnation, etc. or all of the above. When it comes to logo art only MySpace leaves you room to really flex your artistic muscles and there's a reason for that. In the early stages most prospective fans bookers, promotors, venue owners, etc. are only concerned about a few things, the name of the band, the music of the band, a direct visual of the band, a contact, and possibly your story. They could care less about your logo until you're booked and they want to put your posters up then they still probably won't even hardly notice them alongside the many others they have to put up around the venue. You have a name, you're working on music, so how about we work on two things that every promo and press pack, whether in print or digital, should have, a good promo picture and a well written band biography.
Now for a new band a good bio should contain a few very important elements - the members of the band (with correct first and last names please, you do want the lokal paper to write about you don't you?), a short to the point history with a few unique tidbits, good grammar/spelling, and whatever you do please try to avoid any words that sound like they come straight out of a comic book. No one cares that your guitar player might "have the fiery intesity of a young Steve Vai." That may be true but they will either find out via your demo (more on that next time) or if and when you play their venue. Keep in mind, not every venue booker books bands they like or are familiar with. Bobby Booker at Club Rock My Sack Off might not have the first clue who Steve Vai is based on the fact that while he books hard rock, his guilty pleasure listening ipod is filled with tracks by Air Supply and Culture Club. Stick to the basics and remember, keep it short and simple. Oh yeah, and remember to include a contact name and number. Someone who is NOT in the band.
So you have this bio that tells your story and now people are reading it and are interested. Interested enough to ponder "Gee I wonder what these guys look like?" Well seeing how it's always good to make a venue booker or music writer's life easier, you just happened to also send a great photo of the band with your great bio. But what's this? The picture is of the band from a distance in a field or...is that a cemetary? There's four or five guys, I think, but you can barely tell what they look like! The guy working on what couple be great free press via an article of your band to promote an upcoming show loves your bio, wants to maybe talk to the band, but...scraps the article in favor of another band. Why? Because your photo taken at a distance will not reproduce in black and white screen and to top it off, with the smaller size the paper wants to run of your photo, readers will barely be able to make out the band. Sounds far fetched but trust me, the paper is more concerned with a good looking product than your rookie band. They can always find another young band with a cool story yet with a GREAT picture! You might be asking "Stoney? No field of trees? No cemetary? Well how about a brick wall or maybe even the train track bridge that goes over the Savannah River?" Well in response I will say that those are all fine ideas but...FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO! This is your first promo picture so let me toss some great rules out for you that will work every time (even well known bands have been known to consistently use these throughout their careers)...
1. Close tight knit shot of your band from the waist or shoulders up.
2. Make sure everyone relatively is dressed like they belong in the same band. (A guy in pink Izod looks odd surrounded by dudes in black leather and spikes)
3. Please try and refrain from wearing shades or baseball caps. Unless you're Hootie and the Blowfish, this just makes you look like the next hobby band.
4. Get someone with a decent camera to take several shots. You're bound to get a good first promo shot without going to Olin Mills.
So there you go...you now have the means to show and tell people about your band...soon you will blister them with your demo...but for now...get to plastering that info on your MySpace, Facebook, Reverbnation, whatever page...your takeover of the music world has begun...


John "Stoney" Cannon

you can check more about Stoney out at his all things lokal music website at
http://www.lokalloudness.com

and check out his lokal musicinternet radio show at
http://www.confederationofloudness.com/