#DearBands: Stop Jamming.
I hate jamming... straight up. I was originally thinking of calling this "Stop Practicing" because I dislike practicing just as much as jamming... but I don't mind practicing... I just hate when people show up to rehearsal to practice. What's the difference? Well, it get's down to what your focus is. Most of the time when I hear people are getting together to jam, what they actually mean is they're getting together to get high, have a few beers, sit around, run the set, play 2 chords over and over pretending they're writing a song, etc. Jamming is a focused, complete lack of focus, that bands will do 3-4 times a week, months on end, pretending they're being productive within their rehearsal space. This is not productive. This is hobbyist, recreational, weekend warrior, friends and family nod their heads when you talk about the band, shouda, coulda, woulda, in textbook form. So still, what's the difference? Practice: In a band sense, something that should be done on your own time. When you shit the bed at rehearsal, take those soiled sheets home with you, and practice on your own time. Police yourself. You know what you have to work on if you have any competency in your ability whatsoever. It's one thing to run over a part a couple times in rehearsal in order to clarify something in context... but if you flat out can't play a part, don't know a part or the arrangement, or can't remember the words/melody. Practice. At home. On your own time. Rehearsal: In a band sense, something that's done to prepare for shows and/or recording. Although it does apply to preparing for the studio, usually the goal is to iron out the set... you're practicing the set... not jamming out the set... unless you 100% plan to jam it out on stage. What you do in the rehearsal space is what you're going to do on stage... and bands wonder why they end up getting drunk and stoned at shows, spending huge amounts of time with dead air between songs, meanwhile still "killing it" to an empty room. Writing: In a band sense, this can be mistaken for jamming, but writing is introducing new ideas with the goal they become new songs. You can pretend your hero's get in a room and jam... but they're actually writing. It's premeditated. There are ideas brought to the table, a pecking order to vote up/down ideas, and there's focus. Most of the time they aren't doing most of their writing in the rehearsal space anyway... they core writers are doing that on their own time, and refining the ideas there, with the rest of the band. The amount of times I've heard bands run over the same two chords for 20 minutes, truly believing they are breaking new ground, especially in the rock world, just to show the idea to the singer, and expect them to make some lyrics fit. This is the wrong way to do it. Sure some bands get lucky... I've seen it first hand... but most of the time trying to jam and stumble across a new song... it's going to suck. We all heard that song Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl did... they were "just jamming and it's what they came up with"... that's along the lines of what Paul said to a massive crowd... the ol' pre-song disclaimer. Think about that. Paul and Dave jammed... wrote a new song... and it was sucky. ... and they knew better. ... and you think jamming is going to work out for you? ... it's not a good choice... I'm telling you... as a friend. Personally, I think they knew it kinda sucked (hence the disclaimer) but because of who they are, they knew people would eat it up... or at least forgive them for jamming when they could've been writing... then again some days you sit down to write and nothing comes out. ... I'm getting a little off topic, but you get the idea. Stop jamming unless the main goal is to simply have fun. If you're trying to run your band as a business... every time you pick up your instrument, have a goal in mind. A goal to practice, to rehearse, to write, or as much as I hate to say it, even to jam (fart around). Your time is valuable, especially since you most likely have a day job and other commitments. Jamming should be at the bottom of the list once you get going, or at least once you decide to start going... because once you get going, you'll quickly learn how little time you actually have to spend playing music. ... yup, read that last bit again. :-) - Mike
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"... but do you want those people? Those... punch and pie people?" Last night I saw something that's all too familiar if you frequent local shows. A group of people arguing the band had told them there would be guest list, or a lower cover than expected. In this case, they'd been told cover was going to be $5, but upon arrival, it was in fact $10.
So what happens? GET THE BAND! They'll sort it out… they'll be able to explain the situation so that the bands FANS can avoid overpaying (or whatever the hell the problem is) and they can get in to see who I guess is most likely their boyfriends, girlfriends, friends, and/or family on stage. I bit my tongue and walked past them as they pleaded their case… honestly though… if you think about this far too common occurrence, maybe the fans would realize a couple things. 1) What really is the difference between $5 and $10? Yes it's double, and yes we can't assume to know everyone's financial situation but considering how much most people I know piss away money daily on stuff like coffee, smokes, alcohol, pot, clothes, their pets, gas station food items… you know… typical "cost of living" stuff. What really is the difference between $5 and $10 though? Chances are you're going to spend it at the bar anyway… at least if you spend it on admission/cover, there's a slightly higher chance it'll get back to the bands. 2) "Getting the band" This is a no-brainer when you think about it. Imagine you're friends with Bono and Edge… or the… other guys in U2. Imagine you show up to the Enormodome to see them play. You tell security you're on the list… but they say you're not on the list… "well screw that!" you say… GET THE BAND! You're friends after all and they've invited YOU down to see THEM play… they told you you'd be on the list… they'll sort it out! Now… if you are in fact good friends, you'd for sure be on the list and/or would have been given tickets probably in advance or to pick up at the venue. You're a guest of theirs. If by chance all these other options failed, you'd probably text them, they'd be super embarrassed and send someone down to sort it out asap. The thing is… a band, even at a moderately higher level, is calling some shots... they've been given some leeway for it. When you boil it down, people are their to see THEM. The band/artist name & performance sold the tickets… not the merch, not the venue, not the bar sales. The promoter who booked them knows this... that's what they gambled on and where the profit is. The band is the product… and if you know anything about people who are product… happy people = better product… well, enough of the time to say "all the time". When a band or artists name ISN'T selling the ticket… where does that leave them? Well, they're really no different then anybody else attending the venue EXCEPT they've been giving the privilege to play for a certain amount of time. The bar is making money off alcohol sales, maybe a bit off door cover (to combat non/rare drinkers such as myself) but really… if your friends band is barely able to charge $5-$10 for a show… and honestly, it's friggin' sad bands get excited if they leave that night with and additional $50 in their merch box… what makes you think they can snap their fingers and get the venue staff to give them special treatment... to pass along to you? The venue has a business to run. They need to make their money first! … and if the money from the door goes to the bands… the bands are only hurting themselves by further devaluing their product. People vote with their dollars in this case. Think about that for a second. It's not a charity, but in a way your "fans" are saying their appearance is somewhat more important than supporting/paying for what their friends and family are doing. I've been trying my best to not cuss in this post but seriously… if your friends and family don't think attending your show is worth $10… but an arguable $5… fuck them! Don't invite them. Either you suck that bad they seriously have a problem parting with an amount of money that barely gets you the entry level combo at McDonalds OR they suck that bad at seeing the value of people they care about past their value of a dollar. … or maybe they're just broke… still, it's their choice how to react to the situation. 3) I'm going to end this here because I have to get back to work… but I was close to snapping on some cheapskates last night. Bands work really hard… yes it's a hobby for most, but a lot work really, really, really hard to create and share some fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy. These things do come at a cost, and believe me the bands/artists shoulder the lion's share of it, but is it really that hard to pay a $10 or less cover while we have no trouble doing our share bringing a tuna casserole to a potluck or chipping in for a birthday gift for someone around the office? I've argued both sides of the fence on whether shows should be free or not… I see both sides… and this year I've paid cover every time I've been asked… even if I'm on guest list... I believe it helps in the big picture. For now though, at the amateur (not an insult, look it up) level, you either play by the rules the venue has OR someone/something else does. It's simple. It's their house so it's their rules… and it's quite affordable unless someone else wants to offer up their space… install a stage, PA, sound tech, fully stocked bar, eye candy barstaff, parking, bathrooms that wish they were born broom closets, etc. So in closing… the next time you see someone arguing over guest list or a minor difference in cover… lean over and say "hey man… quit being so damn cheap." It's their option to pay or leave. - Mike P.S. I know who the other guys in U2 are… Aaron Clayhorn and Lloyd Muleson Jr. are one of my favourite rhythm sections of all time. “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission." - Grace Hopper Last night I received a message on Facebook from a friend inviting me to use a new twitter account "group". They provided the account info/password, a few quick and simple guidelines, and suggested I allow other individuals to have access to the account information as I saw fit, in order to tweet from it. I was horrified. Luckily, there was a window of opportunity to park the account in an attempt clear up some major (and obvious) concerns I had with this. Upfront, I don't think anybody can claim ownership on a hashtag… but #DearBands is something I came up with and have been using for almost a full year now on Twitter. Since the beginning, the tweets have been well received and I've been encouraged to tweet more often. While a few think it's a platform to poke fun at bands, there's actually a bigger picture in mind and I believe in order for an idea to grow, some care should be taken while planting the seeds. #DearBands is an anonymous association of music industry professionals ranting and blowing off steam about bands today. This is false. #DearBands is a hashtag created by @HeyLangford to give gentle reminders to bands and artists to be aware of how they conduct, promote, and represent themselves online and in person, with a goal of encouraging amateurs and professionals to engage in conversation through various forms of social networks, in order to share ideas, opinions, and work towards a greater good for the music industry of tomorrow. This is true. In response to parking the account, which you can imagine didn't make me the most popular person in the room, I wanted it to be known I felt like my brand (and idea) was being compromised and the "new" description wasn't even close to what my original intentions are… and where admittedly the idea to form the group had come from. Being friends, I'm disappointed with how this has played out the past 24 hours but here are my concerns/issues: I don't believe in anonymity, especially online. If you have something to say, stand behind your words. Praise or criticism, it's not what you say, it's who says it... that's why the pen can be mightier than the sword. The weight of the words are lost if it's said without a face or personality to accompany it. Chances are the account/hashtag would simply become intermittent bite size chunks of comic relief… in my opinion, the lowest rung on the entertainment ladder on something like Twitter. I've encouraged others to tweet using the #DearBands hashtag through their personal Twitter accounts, and slowly, they have been. This enables us to create a sort of searchable database of information, and that's a great bi-product Twitter. Good advice doesn't provide "one size fits all" solutions so allowing others to attach the tag to their tweets has a lot of value to the reader. Again, while there has been humour sprinkled in at times, the goal is to offer advice and guidance, and encourage discussion. Only fools, especially in present day, would take anonymous advice. I don't believe ranting and venting about bands/artists is constructive to helping bands/artists. Sure, we all have times we need to (there are things you tell your best friend, things you tell your mom, and things you'd only tell your dog), but I feel that, and I have 50+ #DearBands sitting my drafts folder, what we put out in the world comes back three fold. We should have positive or at least neutral intent with our words and actions as often as possible. On the top layer, there's humour and/or sarcasm to many of my tweets, but that's part of my personality. At the heart of it though, I believe the intentions should be positive. Say things that provoke thought, a response, and encourage others to pass it on. Considering the amount of bullying awareness going on these days, I'd rather not be part of that problem, and embarrass and/or discourage people from doing what they love. I believe the solution is simply not being part of the problem. That being said, during a somewhat, one-sided heated conversation on Facebook last night, I provided several solutions. The main one being, if you want a place to rant and blow off steam anonymously, fine… but why attempt to hijack a hashtag I've been using almost exclusively the past year, attempt to redefine it, and pass it off as your own? Why can't it be called something else? I can accept certain places need anonymity (... elections anyone?), so a simple solution for both parties would be to create something new… perhaps along the lines of "Clients From Hell". I won't name names (they asked for anonymity after all), and I'm sure their intentions are good, but this really caught me off guard yesterday… especially coming from a friend. I'm not the aggressive type, but I'll stand up for who and what I believe is right, and do what's necessary to defend my ideas and opinions… and in cases like this, be open to work together for a compromise. Hopefully this is all resolved soon but I felt the need to say something sooner than later. The internet is a big place and there's lots of room for everyone, good or bad, to do as they wish. It's unfortunate sometimes others attempt to claim ownership on someone else's idea… considering it's that way of thinking which prevents others from sharing their ideas in the first place. - Mike |
Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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