Guide to getting and playing better gigs
The Band
"Becoming a great band requires homework, not guesswork"
Most bands like to think of themselves as sex objects ie, they don't object to sex and sex is no object! Below is the basic ingredients for a successful band.
VOCALIST
The vocalist is musically gifted (he once had a record token for Christmas) and has a long list of credits under his belt claiming to have worked with practically every band that ever gigged! Musical styles? Jazz, Blues, Pop, Rock, Folk, he's heard of them all! He's sung in numerous outfits (usually denim) and reckons he once had a brief spell in Texas. He's also worked in Homebase and Do It All. His greatest achievement though was in Iceland - he bought some fish fingers. He is undoubtedly a formidable vocalist, everything from sentimental love songs to welding steel.GUITARIST
The guitarist is flash, big-headed, arrogant and always plays too loud - perfect. He possesses the obligatory full compliment of effects pedals to give any guitar sound possible, thus ensuring that at any given moment, he's got the wrong one selected. Like many before him, he cut his teeth on rock classics and has played with the likes of ZZ Top, Free and any other record he could lay his hands on. Give him a wedge monitor to plant his boot on and he's as happy as a pig in shit.BASSIST
The bass player is the butt of many jokes, but his butt is no joke! Like all good bassists, he locks tight into the drums (not a pretty sight) thus enabling the rest of us to get away with murder. He can also adapt his playing style at will, and often does, keeping us all on our toes. A real pro he has the required number of heavy cabs - needing six people to move them - to prove it. Bass players are NOT aspiring guitarists and are NOT taking the easy option by only having four strings - like drummers they just want to be with musicians!DRUMMER
The drummer supplies the solid backbone necessary in any band and without him, well er, there'd be much more room on stage for a start. His uncanny knack of turning up in the right place and at the right time landed him the job of providing the powerhouse driving force behind the band (who writes this?). He is a true pro, even down to dropping his sticks at regular intervals, not being able to hear the vocals and the unsociable habit of eating a curry just before a gig.
"What ARE we going to play?"
Well hopefully you should have some idea about the material you're going to attempt when you first decide to start or be in a band. Your choices are fairly straightforward once you settle on the genre of music you like and want to perform.The three main types are:
1. Tribute.
2. Covers.
3. Original.A tribute band tries to duplicate in some way an artist that has already become notable in the music world. When this type of band first came into being some time ago the idea seemed to be to recreate the performance of an artist or group that no longer performs for some reason. Today however almost any band or artist, current or not has 'tributes'. The justification for this new turn of events (by the bands that do it that is) is that people cannot get to see their favourite artist enough and so will settle for a tribute of them. Whatever your personal viewpoint, their popularity with the music loving public as a whole seems to be pretty strong, so choosing to follow this course of performance will guarantee you plenty of gigs, depending on the popularity of the act you choose to tribute.
Covers bands don't usually specialise in one type of band or necessarily one type of music (although they can and often do focus on a specific musical area) and as a result can have a more general appeal. The choice of tracks is endless, however, a good covers band will try to put together a repertoire that gives enough scope to provide something for everyone, within reason that is.
Original bands have the hardest job to do. Trying to win over an audience that has no experience of the type of music you perform can be difficult enough. Persuading someone to book (and hopefully pay) you to perform can be almost an impossible task. One way to make your band more palatable is to perform some covers with your original material. This will at least allow the audience something they're familiar with and it may also impress them with your ability, if you choose the right covers. OK so you won't be a totally original band but you can always drop the covers as your reputation gains strength.Anyone who writes their own material is going to get upset when other people in the band start to pick it to pieces. The trick with working in a band is to just come up with the main idea and let the rest of the band help you fill it out and finish it off. That way everyone will feel that they're playing their part in the creative process. Some of the best and most interesting compositions have come about because several people are all pulling the work about in slightly different directions and with different influences. A real case of 'The whole being greater than the sum of the parts'.
This does not of course mean that a single person cannot write a whole song. It does however mean that only one person in the band may be totally happy with that song. The same types of problems can arise with bands that perform 'covers'. It helps if all concerned like the material but remember that you can't possibly please all of the people all of the time. In the event of a difference of opinion always try compromise instead of argument. Always try to be flexible and receptive and always remember that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion.
"Well actually, I'm in a band…"
If ever you make this statement, (and human nature being what it is I'm sure you will) be prepared to answer (or fend off) a few questions. The things people usually want to know are:What's the name of the band?
What type of music you play?
Where's your next gig?Not always in that order of course. The right name is very important and should be chosen with care. It should have a 'hook' which means it's 'catchy' for some reason. However, this is a very subjective term. What one person might see as interesting or clever may be deemed banal by another. It may well go right over the head of someone else or even incite him or her to outrage or violence. The worst possible reaction though is no reaction at all. A name should (wherever possible) be representative of the type of music the band plays. It should be an instantly recognisable point of reference. You wouldn't, for instance associate 'Megadeath' with blues and skiffle any more than you'd associate 'The Gravelly Hillbillies' with Death Metal. It just doesn't follow.
The clever part is finding a name that's representative, meaningful and that will stick in the mind of those who hear it. And you thought the search for a band member was tough! Think again! Assuming that you've found THE name for your band, which describes you, the type of music you're planning to play and the image you want to project, how do you make sure no-one steals it? The short answer here is that unless you plan to spend lots of money, you won't be able to!
You could register your band name as a trademark, a limited company name or even an Internet domain name. All of these methods could cost you hundreds of pounds. There are band name registration agencies such as Internet based group 'bandreg.com' that will do this for free, and they'll even give you an ISBN number. The problem here is that they will give you your registration number even if there are several bands with your name. In the event of any legal action it will still be up to you in a court of law to prove that you had the name first. Even then it's not as simple as 'first come first served'. You may have been the first band with a particular name but if you were not as successful with it as someone else then the verdict would not necessarily go in your favour.
"What sort of music do we play…?"
Yes, exactly! If you don't really know what type of music you play (and a surprisingly large number of bands find it exceptionally difficult to describe the genre of material they perform) how can you expect anyone else to grasp it? Don't get me wrong here, I'm not for one moment suggesting you should just pick a style of music and play only that, but you should make a real effort to define your output, especially if it's of an original or unusual nature. Being prepared to state your influences can help in this, or describing your music in terms of other artists, but be sensible about your choice of description. If a band were to tell me they were a cross between 'Bob Marley' and 'Slipknot' I'd probably be none the wiser, and I'm sure I wouldn't be alone in that."Well our next gig is…er…"
If you don't know this then you've just lost a potential fan. If someone's interested enough to ask then they may well be interested enough to come and see you play live (depending of course on whether your description of the music you play was any good). Always try to carry a list of the gigs you'll be performing. This can take any form you like but a small flyer that you can give away is usually the best idea. So much easier than ripping a page out of your diary (you know, the one that you keep a list of all your gigs in!) and so much more professional too.Something that always amazes me is the way that bands are unable to try to sell themselves. People are not mind readers (well, most of them anyway!) so the only way they'll know if you're playing is if they're informed in some way, if they're not told about your gigs then they won't turn up to see you perform. This is a simple fact that escapes many musicians for some reason. So you have your band, your material, your name, and with a bit of luck at least enough about you to interest a few people in coming to see one of your gigs (when you get one that is).
Do you have drive and commitment? Are you prepared for rejection, hard work, long hours, low wage, minimal recognition, and more rejection? Well, that's what you can expect living the life of an unsigned musician endlessly shopping your music. But don't get me wrong, the rewards are great if you do break through. But if you're not willing to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices first, don't expect a deal to just fall in your lap later. Because somewhere down the line, you're going to have to compromise, conform, starve and beg to get your music heard by the right people. It's not easy getting signed and you have to be totally prepared and committed to the struggle in order to make it any easier.
"It doesn't get any easier, but the more it happens, the less it hurts"