Playing in a band forces a person to evaluate the local "scene". The criteria of evaluation most likely come to be based on specific personal experiences that are created from first hand success or lack there of. Maybe it isn't so negative. Maybe someone has had some success within their "scene" and therefore consider it to be a nuturing environment for an up and coming act. Obviously there has to be a negative side of things. Like the guy that's been playing in one spot for 10 years and never seen anything from it except for the ocassional $50 from the door on a Tuesday night. Maybe within that small fortune lies the reason that covering "Sweet Home Alabama" is the pinnacle of his music career. Of course, perhaps not. Maybe he's just in love with Skynyrd... Or Alabama. I've found myself pondering how people make it work. If you've never played in a band, consider what we are talking about.
Let's start from the beginning. You stumble across the notion of picking up an instrument. For me it was hearing Clapton: Unplugged. For some it's the lustful way that an adolesent mind tends to work combined with the realization that nothing about your personality makes life worth it - but that's the same guy that's playing "Sweet Home Alabama" for ten years in a bar with the same sleezy motivations for learning his craft that he had when he was 14. That guy isn't of whom I intend to discuss. I'm referring to the guy that is moved inside by the music so much that it's almost innate to track down the elusive methods to create this spiritual energy himself - and master them. Then share that skill with anyone that is willing to listen. Not out of obligation. Not to impress anyone. Not to get credit for doing what he does. Only to have someone listen to what he has to say by listening to him say it the only way he knows how to say it; by playing music.
That passion found in music leads to picking up an instrument, which is followed by some unlimited amount of time trying to figure out how to get started. Maybe through a friend, maybe through formal lessons, it doesn't really matter, the point is (as you may know if you've ever tried to learn an instrument) this is the hardest step to get by. A lot of people stop here. They don't find what they were looking for out of their time spent with their new craft, or perhaps life just gets in the way as it tends to do. Either way, it is difficult to get beyond the early failure of not picking up a guitar and already being Hendrix, or sitting behind the drums and not already being Carter Beauford. But that is when the notion of passion either turns into full on passion or is merely remembered as a silly idea years later.
Now you know the basics of your instrument. You get an understanding of the basic theories and all the things that people like to clutter message boards with online in order to make sure someone that reads it is intimidated by their knowledge. You can hold your own with friends. You are confident when someone at a party asks you to pick up your instrument and play something. Now you are beginning to explore the world of making things up on your own. Or what some people like to call "writing".
When I began to write I was not really "writing". What I was really doing was "rewriting". My early songs were lesser versions of the songs my musical heroes played... Much lesser. Hopefully the songs have evolved as much I feel like they have - if they haven't, someone please let me know. Eventually though writing becomes more familiar and like a lot of things, through trial and error you begin to sort of teach yourself how to go about it.
So now you can play your beloved instrument and you can write some stuff. Music seems to be a viable option for a career. Maybe not full time right away, and mayhe not without some time put in, but you could see yourself happy sharing your music with people and being happy. At this point it begins to become obvious you can't have much success without some arrangement of other instruments, also known as a band. So you embark on your quest for a flawless assembly of equally talented and similar tasted musicians. Seems easy enough, right? How could anyone not be into what you're doing? It seems so great. Here is where the fantasy "That Thing You Do" movie ends and reality begins. No one likes what you are doing. You play the blues, they love metal. You play metal, they love country. The quest suddenly seems to have taken a turn for the worst. How can this epic assembly take place under these circumstances?
Enter last resort. Enter the idea of forgetting looking through people you know. Enter craigslist ads, endless emails, and comparing schedules. Enter countless introductions and akward jams. Hello blood pressure. Goodbye hope. Now I was fortunate enough to find a couple of guys to play with that seem to be on the same page as me - or pretty close. But in the world of local music - honestly - that is a success story.
So let's say you've found your line up. Now you are required to spend the time between work, school, girlfriend, eating, sleeping, etc. practicing your music. Keep in my mind you're new to this so your repitoire is relatively tiny. Thus your practicing is a matter of creating a goal to nail your ten songs consistently. Not everytime, remember you have a job, school, a girlfriend and all that to take care of too. To be that great you'd have to be, well, a full time musician. Am I suggesting that talent doesn't come into play? No, not it all.
See let's pretend you've roughly mastered those ten songs. What's the next step? Well it's time to try and share it with people. So go book a show. If you've ever tried to do this, you realize that in the beginning, this is no easy task. A venue wants a band to come play in order to draw a crowd. Obviously that crowd will spend some money. The venue doesn't really care much about the success of your band. Not to say they don't care at all, but let's just say you are working for the venue the night you book. Not only are you working for the venue on the night of your show, but also all the time leading up to the show. You need to practice as much as possible, yes, but you also need to promote the show you are going to play. Remeber the venue doesn't care much for your success, and they aren't going to do much to get people in the door. The success of your show as well as your reputation with the venue rely heavily on your skills as a business person and in marketing. Isn't this one of the reasons why you wanted to play music to start with? To avoid these types of professions. Either way you're in this now. You're obligated. At this point you really owe it to yourself to see what happens, don't you? And so you promote. You tell servers at restaurants, you tell strangers in line at Walmart, facebook events, myspace bullitens, anything you can think of. No one really seems that interested, but you share the information anyway. You might seem a little worried at first that no one will come, but you have your friends and family, right?
Well, here you are. At the venue the night of a show. You look around the room and see about ten people in the room total. You play your set as if there are 20,000 in the room and it feels amazing. Another act or two go on after you and as the venue closes later the bartender hands you $15. There was a $5 cover and you saw 10 people, so that's $50 right? Not after you take out $20 for the guy running sound and split the remainder with another act.
Such is the life of a local musician.
Don't take that as me complaining. I love what I do. I really honestly do. I love all the negative things, the annoying things, the awesome things, the people, it's all amazing.
Here's the point after all of that rambling. Where ever you are. Who ever you are. Whatever you are into. YOU ARE THE SCENE. Without you the scene does not exist at all. Do whatever you can to support your local music scene and the original music within it. Find a few bands that you like and support them as much as you can. I guarantee if you explore a little you can find exactly what you are looking for in your own backyard. Whether you listen to metal, blues, jazz, rock, pop, indie, christian, hip hop, it doesn't matter, it's right there. If you don't like The Vintage Union that's fine (obviously I hope you do), but if you don't please do the scene a favor and support others. It needs you as much as you should need it.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
you had me at craigslist.
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