HOW TO TELL IF YOUR BAND SUCKS
03/29/10
I realized while writing last week’s rant that the questions posed were ultimately very subjective. Though valid, I recognize that they could still be answered incorrectly by deaf or jaded ears.
So this week I’ve come up with four new questions that I feel are be a bit less subjective and may help you see yourself through others.
1) Are you friends with a lot of other bands?
And I don’t mean friends with other friend’s bands, but friends with bands you’ve met while out gigging. In any circle, it’s important to be accepted by your peers. Just like you wouldn’t want to be associated with the weird kid who smells and picks his nose, no one wants to be associated with the crap band who can’t pull in a crowd. Bands want to be friends with other good bands to ensure they are on quality bills that draw crowds... not disperse them.
2) Are the other bands paying attention when you are playing?
Again, not just your friends. If other bands like and respect your sound they will watch when you play to study how you are doing what you are doing. If they are pointing and laughing when they watch though, you may have a problem.
3) Do people you don’t know compliment you on a recent performance on your MySpace or Facebook pages?
If someone you’ve never met is compelled to seek you out in order to compliment you on a show they happened to be at, you could dismiss it as a fluke. If several do it, you’re doing something right. If no one does... ever... either no one is watching, or no one cares (you decide which is worse).
4) Do people offer to help you out?
This one’s a no-brainer. If people like your sound and think you have the potential to one day reach a wider audience, they will help you out... whether it be for free or at a reduced cost... in hopes that you will remember them when you eventually make it to the big time. No one wants to spend their precious time and energy on someone they don’t believe will every amount to anything. Would you? So, if that friend of yours isn’t calling you back to help out with that flyer, video, t-shirt, etc., you may want to either step up your game or just call it quits.
If you answered “no” to more than one of these, its time to rethink you situation. And if you answered “yes” to only one, go back, re-read the questions and really answer them honestly as they all go hand in hand.
Just know, I’m not asking these questions to be mean or heartless, but to save you the time and energy you could be investing in a new, more productive hobby... like writing your own music blog. \m/
Next week I stop picking on the musicians and take a poke at the listener with “Lady Gaga is Your Fault”.
So this week I’ve come up with four new questions that I feel are be a bit less subjective and may help you see yourself through others.
1) Are you friends with a lot of other bands?
And I don’t mean friends with other friend’s bands, but friends with bands you’ve met while out gigging. In any circle, it’s important to be accepted by your peers. Just like you wouldn’t want to be associated with the weird kid who smells and picks his nose, no one wants to be associated with the crap band who can’t pull in a crowd. Bands want to be friends with other good bands to ensure they are on quality bills that draw crowds... not disperse them.
2) Are the other bands paying attention when you are playing?
Again, not just your friends. If other bands like and respect your sound they will watch when you play to study how you are doing what you are doing. If they are pointing and laughing when they watch though, you may have a problem.
3) Do people you don’t know compliment you on a recent performance on your MySpace or Facebook pages?
If someone you’ve never met is compelled to seek you out in order to compliment you on a show they happened to be at, you could dismiss it as a fluke. If several do it, you’re doing something right. If no one does... ever... either no one is watching, or no one cares (you decide which is worse).
4) Do people offer to help you out?
This one’s a no-brainer. If people like your sound and think you have the potential to one day reach a wider audience, they will help you out... whether it be for free or at a reduced cost... in hopes that you will remember them when you eventually make it to the big time. No one wants to spend their precious time and energy on someone they don’t believe will every amount to anything. Would you? So, if that friend of yours isn’t calling you back to help out with that flyer, video, t-shirt, etc., you may want to either step up your game or just call it quits.
If you answered “no” to more than one of these, its time to rethink you situation. And if you answered “yes” to only one, go back, re-read the questions and really answer them honestly as they all go hand in hand.
Just know, I’m not asking these questions to be mean or heartless, but to save you the time and energy you could be investing in a new, more productive hobby... like writing your own music blog. \m/
Next week I stop picking on the musicians and take a poke at the listener with “Lady Gaga is Your Fault”.
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