Why Creating Success and Value For Other Bands Can Help Your Band Succeed Even More

I keep on harping about playing for free and giving away your best material. Literally giving away the kitchen sink. Well, at least giving away your Mother -in-Law who hates you being a Musician.



The Realization:


The realization is no one knows who your band is--at least not yet. If your lead guitarist isn't the greatest thing since the Shred Master's Like Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert,or Blues Guru Derek Trucks. Chances are you'll have to play for free for a while.



Mean while, play those Jam Sessions weekly even though you hate it like a passion sometimes. Open for other bands for free, and come out with a 3 or 5 song EP and give it away for free.

For free? what in the hell are you talkin' bout Mark?



Yes, free.


If you structure your band as a business when you first start out, you can actually write off the free CD's as a promotional business item expense. You may live in Canada, United States, South America, Asia or Europe. If you have a Liberal government that encourages indie music business, you'll be able to write off those expenses.



Work on writing more songs for your bands and other bands, and practice your ass off and give away songs on your bands website.




Giving Value interviewing Band's:


Offer to interview other band's in your genre and set up audio and video podcasts of those interviews on your website. This creates MASSIVE VALUE for other bands. Keep playing regularly opening up for other bands. Then start asking for money.



Because, if a club booker only offers 50 to 100 bucks for opening or even head lining because of low attendance, work out a deal with the club booker and put that money in a bank account. Preferably, in a high interest ING Direct account. If you have a 3 piece band that money is useless to each member, other than a little spending money. Hardly worth it.


But you could take the money and use it in the business online or paying for gas to gigs, and writing that off as well.


Besides giving value to other bands think about how to create value for your band. Creating even more Massive Value for other bands:




Set up videos and podcasts of other bands interviewing them on different aspects of the music business such as guitar and gear tips, music business, getting booked, recording-- what ever.


These can be free to musicians and eventually used as how to material in E-books for even more value to musicians.


Going back to opening up for musicians. Offer to start round table discussions at clubs with the headlining acts and interview them, and have fans turn out as well.


This can be done before or after gigs. Keep on playing gigs and asking to open for other bands. This also gives you leverage with high paying gigs by creating value
for clubs, bands and your fans.



You have created so much value with your free stuff, musicians will wonder, if their free stuff is this good the stuff like interviews, CD's, and how to E-books I have to pay for, for musicians must be incredible!



This little tip will help your band insurmountably when you become a headliner and start touring.

But keep on creating value for other bands by continuing to give away so much value that you create fans of musicians, music industry people and your fans most of all.


Mark Grove

Musicians And Club Work--Small Crowds And How They Make Your Band Better

By Mark Grove



This article is important to all players who've ever played small club gigs with 5 people in the crowd, to playing to the bartender and the manager only and making it work.

I was reading an old copy of Guitar World from 15 years ago on the top 100 guitar players of all time.Normally I don't read that shit on the top players.

But this one was about Gerry Garcia and the Dead.Yes even the Grateful Dead played small club gigs back in the early 60's. Crowds that had maybe a total of 5 people.Gerry learned in small clubs and came out with basic riffs that mesmerized other players, music industry people and especially fans.

I thought I would adapt the Dead's playing in small clubs with virtually no crowds to this article.



Your fans at times may only be the bartender,server girl and the owner who happens to love your brand of blues.If you have a band that plays locally and regionally and makes money, and that that never happened to your band.

If it didn't then you're damn lucky.Chances are it happens to every band. Most don't know how to deal with small crowds or no one coming to see you. And if you're playing for the door you literally make zip.

Sounds pretty sad? Get over it!!

Your band can't worry about that when you're starting out.Yeah, you're making no money--but it's a great opportunity for your band to free wheel a bit and improvise more--there by coming up with more innovative riffs and chord progressions.

As well it's a chance to play some of your more obscure material and placing no limits on your band.This will also teach your band to jam properly and the real fans who come to see your band will see and understand the depth of your music,and what really goes into it night after night--despite any small crowds.

Listening to Other Players In Your Band:

Listen to how other players actually play and adapt their timing
yet your own improvisational methods to your playing. This can
be done more efficiently in smaller club settings,jams and practice.

Yeah,I still say real players,if you are a bonafide real player,should
learn from the masters of blues guitar.Not Jimmy Page,Eric Clapton or even Dimebag Darrel or Zakk Wylde.

They are great players who are among the best,but you need to learn from players like old blues players like Elmore James, Eddie Taylor,and Tampa Red.Even players like Dee Curtis who I represent. He's a Canadian blues man who now is working with a well known artist here in Canada,Tomi Swicks.

Don't just learn from the top lead guitarist's.Think about it, if no one is coming to see your band,your band can play what you want and how you want which is how it should be.But if you're opening for a big act or the main act,you tend to play more tightly,fixed,scripted--what ever you call it, based upon practiced arrangements.

But being able to free wheel at your small no crowd gigs, your band's improv quota goes up.This will help your band come together more and play better at higher tempos in big gigs.So your small gigs are the best time to record these long improvisational jam sessions to give you a better idea of where your band is going.

These more intimate and soul searching gigs could become some of the best material your band plays.There are major opportunities for you to also work with the club manager and do Q and A sessions with local musicians and fans.


Write articles on other bands for the club.Give before you get guys.These shitty gigs for no money can help your phrasing on guitar and come up with a lick or riff you may not have come up with at a big gig.

The little riff can become an element of your style that even the best players may never have come up with at the concerts they make millions from.You can make money as a regional player,just be patient and ready to pounce on those opportunities.

But what it come down to is this.That great euphoric moment as a player that is just a moment in time,but your playing a certain riff was played in a way that just blows you away and other players and fans.

But you played with guys and for fans who cared about your music even in a small setting.

Mark Grove mdgrove@rock.com

Guitar Playing Tune That Will Teach Your Band How To Jam And Become Real Players

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow was one of the 70's great pure Rock n'Roll Projects. The track Tarot Woman was off their Rising album in 1976.Hell,I was just 13 then when I bought it.My friend took me to see Rainbow later that year in Toronto. I didn't quite understand rock music then because I was too busy having fun and just enjoying the music as a kid.


Tarot Woman was one of the mid 70's pure classics with a hard driving bass and vocal edge to it,and a guitar part with almost a Neo-Classical feel on the axe.

For any drummers out there you would be wise to learn this song and add it your list of songs to get down. If you really want to become an accomplished musician, learning from pure rock classics like Tarot Woman will teach you how to jam,improvise and phrase.

Purely heavy music will not teach you these things. In my little mind anyway.

Don't forget the incredible operatic, yet hard driving vocals of Ronnie James Dio,who is still going with Tony Iommi's Heaven And Hell who are currently on tour.

So take your band back to the era of real rock and roll and learn from real musicians who played like they meant it and loved it.

Peace and Success To all Players.

Mark G

Tommy Chong And The "Sweet Leaf" Guitar From The Canadian King Of Pot

This is a fun video with Tommy,Marc Emery the King of Pot, and his sexy wife Jodie.

For more info on Tommy just go to: http://www.tommychong.com