By Mark Grove
Hey guys,I'm going to repeat this until you get it. Okay, you need to open up for local bands if you want to keep making headway as a band. Yeah, I get it that you just want to always be a headliner, but you need to get real lads. 90 percent of you or better will never be a head liner or even open for local bands.
Don't expect other bands or club managers to magically discover you. Doesn't work that way. First of all, if you have a band together practice like friggin' crazy! Don't think you need to then you'll find out fast you'll get run over by bands that always practice. Write your own songs and learn from other well known musicians in your town on how to write songs. Don't learn off the internet, forget that shit!
And Let's say your band has not had a gig ever, yet.
Lets say you have good equipment and you're a 3 piece and you've been practicing regularly. Now, go to a local club that caters to your type of music and play in their weekly jams. If they won't let your full band play on stage, get them a 3 song CD of your strongest material and sign up individually to be on stage in their jam sessions. Go together as a band to these jams and watch each other on stage play with other local players.
Do this for a couple weeks and then if the club manager agrees get your full band up on stage and play two songs in the jam. Keep doing this for a while, and if they don't have a band that hosts the jam, ask if they want that. Create value for the jam not just through your music, but interview local players during the jams in short interviews that give local players tips on playing.
Once you have been hosting a jam or playing a jam for a while with your band, look for local bands better than yours who play at this club where you jam and see about opening for them. But what can you possibly do for this band? Think guys. Okay, I've said it time and time again you can interview them and bring the local college media out who I like to use because they are different and really bring a lot of young people out who respect and understand music.
Take these interviews and put them on a website as well. Interview this band regularly without asking for anything in return. I haven't finished this article yet guys, but I'll give you the rest of the tips to opening for local bands later this weekend. I hope so far it's given you some tips you can use to create value for bands and help your band move forward.
Okay, I'm back on Sunday night here guys. Alright, you need to come up with questions to ask a band you want to open for. Ask them how their band got together? Because people like a little humor and an interesting story about a band they like. So do labels and agents. Don't ask them what kind of music they play or their influences. Why? Just don't or you don't deserve to be a musician. Ask them something about their music like do you write the music or the lyrics first, and on what instrument.
They might write from the bass to get a different feel or ability to set up a solid foundation for the lead guitar and drums on a song,better than the lead guitar. Don't worry about asking questions fans would like. They're not who you're focusing on. Make this create value that other musicians see as well. If the band you want to open for is good onstage and on an album people will gravitate toward it. I would rather open for a band that sells 2 thousand albums of raving fans than 20 thousand who buy an album and never listen again.
A band will make more money with raving fans who want to learn about a band and come to their gigs than the former. Then ask them if they write their music with more of a different feel then most bands because they want to take their music farther within their genre, whether it's metal,blues or jazz? Think of questions that deal with the band and what they want.
Focus on songwriting for the first interview, than if they're game for more offer to interview them regularly creating more value for them. Bring out local college media to interview them as well. Set it up yourself. After you've been creating media for them for a couple months, ask them about opening for them and submit a 3 song demo to them and audition for them playing those 3 songs. If they do say yes keep on interviewing this band and even ask for tips from this band and better ones than yours on how to open up for bands.
Now, if they allow your band to open for a half hour or 45 minutes, keep it to that. Practice and refine your songs that you want to play as an opening act. Offer to interview the band during all shows you open for them and don't focus on your band at all. Even if you have to open for free, do it. Keep practicing, writing playing jams--and wait until you've opened for this band before having your own show.
This may seem ass backwards but it's not. If you create value for other bands, practice like crazy and write songs like a bastard club managers, agents and managers will pick up on that and want you as a stand alone act. Also, don't forget to create your band's own media. Interview band members, write bios on your band and how to info for other musicians.Interview other local musicians and post those on your site and use college media. Do videos and audio interviews with each band member and other local bands.
Create value for bands, local college music media and other musicians.Your raving fans will follow suit. Now you're ready to play solo gigs like crazy! Interview and audition bands you think would be a good fit to open for your band. Besides helping a band you want to open for, help a band you think could open for you. Learn all you can about the music business. Look for off the beaten path ways to make money as musicians as well.
Ask other bands if they are looking for session players,songwriters or even an agent. If you learn how to do this things it will help you make more money when you're not playing shows or recording an album. The key is to create value for other bands, learn all you can and play your fuckin' ass off and mean it!
If you need help musicians please email us here at Canadian Guitar Player.
mdgrove@rock.com
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