I am going to explain why that person you know in a band gets upset or frustrated that “no one” is seeing their band and attempt to give you a glance into how badly that person needs your support.
For the past year and a half I have dedicated myself to an original band that (mostly) plays the kind of music I love, (nu) hard rock: the kind you run to, the kind you scream along to, the kind you drive fast to. I love this shit. It makes my heart race, it pumps me up. It makes me feel good, dare I say a Tony the Tiger grreeat!, that I actually get to sing in a band that is making its own music, and it is my type of music. But something has been troubling me, and I’m not sure how to talk about it without sounding like a whiny brat: people don’t go out to see live, original music unless it’s a national act with which they are already familiar.
To get it out of the way – we don’t suck that much. Yes, we disagree about how awesome or not awesome parts of our songs are, we can always give a better performance, the recording can always be mixed better, but according to the people who have seen us in person and come up to me after the shows, and those I’ve asked to critique our recordings, we’re legit even with the bumps we need to iron out. For chrissakes we’ve been together almost a year, and we already have recordings that don’t sound like they were recorded down the hall? With limited funds, that’s an achievement. While my insecurities run rampant, I am operating under these assumptions:
1. We have a sound going for us
2. We give a decent show
3. We are going to make more music
So please, stick with me if you can. This is how serious I am about it – I wrote this whole shit out on Microsoft Word to make sure I had correct grammar, spelling, and in general, good-looking paragraphs. I am at a point where I am being seethingly angry at people not showing up to our shows after all the advertising, the interested friends, the overall good vibe and buzz I thought we had going. I don’t want to be angry at my friends or anyone who ever said a good word about my band. Every piece of praise and constructive criticism has been absolutely incredible to receive.
Music, like most businesses, relies on word of mouth – its reputation – to be successful. That success can be measured in show attendance, the amount of money it makes, and the praise/attention it receives for the band’s work. With a band being (like) a job, your pay or payoff depends upon how popular you are and your worth to venues depends on how much people want to see you. Here’s where it gets a little rougher.
It’s frustrating as a band member because this isn’t just a hobby, this is a part of your being – as significant others of musicians can confirm. Music typically is an emotional thing, and musicians tap into that when they perform. Playing to an empty room after you swore to that room’s owner your band alone would bring fifty people is heartbreaking. With limited funds, advertising in the paper, the radio, and tv can’t happen as often as a “regular” business. Venues don’t do shit to advertise unless you’re a big, big name. So your word of mouth, your entrance to the show? That’s how the band advertises it is worth a damn and its music is something valued.
When a friend tells a band member he intends to see her show, it is assumed that friend will either come by himself or bring a friend or two along. When neither of these situations occur, you are telling that band member “I don’t like you enough to spare 5 bucks and two hours to see you.” You don’t care to support that huge part of that person’s life. Certain situations aside, regardless of how you actually feel, that is what you are telling that person, because not only did you not show to that particular show, you are also implicitly relaying to the bar or club that you don’t want to spend time in their location to see that band, so they don’t need to bring the band back. That means the band has less good reputation, that means the band is less likely to play again, that means that band is less likely to make more money, and that means that band is less likely to feel accepted or appreciated because the venue doesn’t give a shit and you didn’t give a big enough shit to show up. There is a lot riding on each person’s decision to attend besides the momentary self-esteem of the band members.
I understand this band thing isn’t quite as revered as being a lawyer, a web designer, or hell even a drugstore employee. But don’t you recommend your lawyer friend if someone is seeking legal advice? If you hear somebody is making a website, don’t you point them in the direction of the designer? Don’t you stop by that CVS to say hi and maybe grab a Reese’s or an Arizona? You are helping them with those little shout outs. Those people are working day in and day out to deliver good product, as are the members of a band. They are practicing on their own to fix a little riff, practicing beyond mundane scales and exercises to maintain their range, and rehearsing in a cramped space jammed full of equipment so that when they take the stage and stand up to the microphone, they know what the fuck they’re doing. They want you to see what the fuck they’re doing, and you deciding sitting on the couch watching tv instead of watching them play the music they wrote and perfected is… I don’t know what it is. It’s weird. It’s just fucking odd to have small returns for so much time investment.
I love that I get to create music, and I love that I get to perform it. I love that my family emotionally supports my alternative life choice. Sometimes, though, the bad outweighs the good, and when it’s a lot of bad, all of this bad stuff is a reminder of how asinine thinking of becoming a respected, appreciated band can be. I don’t want that to take hold. Bad juju, man.
So when I’m talking about my band in a social setting and I’m being negative, I’m mostly upset with the situation at hand. It takes a group of people to create a situation. I want to ask people – to ask you — to help change this situation for the better – if you can afford to, go see a local band playing their own music. I don’t care who you’re seeing, be it my own band or the classic rock/blues/your-favorite-type-here stylings of another band. There are scores of bands that exist in your area of many different genres. You can find the ones you like. In my town, we seem to be one of the few nu hard rockers around. I’ve come across bluegrass, dirty southern rock, blues, jazz, heavy metal, jazz metal, punk, rockabilly, atmospheric, progressive, ska, and folk in my eight years in this town. That’s just the rock n roll spectrum!
There is something out there for you, you just have to find it. With the advent of the internet, you can find SO much on Facebook, Reverbnation, Youtube, even Bandcamp allows you to search keywords to find music near you. The bands are making it as easy as they can for you to sample their music. Hear about a show on the radio or see a flier in the coffee shop? Check out the band online. You might like what you hear.
So, to go with the old refrain: support local music. They need you more than you realize.
Apologies for any repetitiveness: I’m very tired and practice makes perfect.
