GENETIC STRANDS
by DNA
This month: On The Road Again
Howdy. I'm a newbie columnist here at Jambands.com, and so I thought I
would
give a brief introduction to get acquainted with y'all. My name is DNA
(yup,
that's what the drivers license says) and although I grew up on the East
Coast, I've lived in Northern California for 13 years now. My musical
tastes
vary greatly, and while I was incubated in Jerry's womb noodling alongside
the maestro, I love the power of rock, or what you might call
"alternative."
Anyhew, I've created numerous musical festivals, concert series, zines and
shows over the years, working with literally over a thousand bands. I've
found that it doesn't really matter if bands play hardcore punk,
slamgrass,
or reggae, if they're nice people, then I'm instantly attracted to them.
Being in a band is one of the few ways that young people can travel around
the country, visit towns and get tuned into the growing youth culture of
musicians and musical fans. And I do everything I can to keep that
opportunity alive for all you touring freaks out there! So that's me in a
nutshell, as they say in the nut business.
I just got back from one of the largest music showcases in the country,
called North by Northwest (or NXNW) and located in the downtown area of
Portland, Oregon, NXNW is like trying to see all of Disneyland in two days.
With over 300 bands in 20 venues, NXNW also combines music symposiums,
mentoring and sponsor expos to the visiting bands and other attendees. My
friends and I stayed at a Motel 6, 20 minutes from Portland to get away from
the epicenter of activity (three guys in two beds is a sad way to see
Portland, not recommended). I spent a lot of time during the day out in the
spacious hotel lobby of the Embassy Suites (ground zero for the festival)
where I could meet band people outside of the noisy, smoky clubs. NXNW is a
schmooze fest, but what a great way to make connects and see bands and visit
a city that truly knows how to rock out!
While it was true that harder, alternative rock and alt.genres like
Rockabilly, Noise Pop and Math Rock were the mainstay at NXNW, there were
some amazing world/groove/jam acts from all over the map. 11:11 from
Sacramento, Ca., brought the house down with their unique blend of funk and
spunk. Forever Goldrush, one of the new No Depression (think Wilco) bands,
helped lift everyone spirits with down-home sentiment. Portland's Groove
Revelation filled the floor with their dance trance rhythms. Needless to
say, with over 300 bands to choose from, you couldn't help but catch some
killer acts, put forth by genuine struggling artists. And then, like wolves
watching a flock of sheep, there was the Expo.
One of the most interesting developments was the proliferation of web
services that are dedicated to helping musicians to get their music out to
the world. Amongst my proclivities, I have a record label as well, and I was
a bit miffed by the pitch and hawking of the Internet services. You see the
sentiment is commonly assumed that Internet companies will replace the more
traditional record stores and corporate labels. The story goes that as
people get more hooked into on-line buying of consumer goods, the older,
more conventional means will wither like a tendril in the winter. And, since
I own no stock in the corporate label business, and I have no chance of
being part of the inheritance of David Geffen's will, I say, "let the
cards
fall where the may." My point of contention is that despite the new
Internet
sites proclamation that, "it's better to sell your CD on as many sites as
possible," I have reservations that this may not be true.
I feel that if someone is trying to find your band on the web, it would be
better if they could just come to your own domain, and consequently order
your product directly through you (or as I employ, through a friends
shopping cart). This cuts out the middleman, and you avoid falling into the
trap of helping rich people get richer. I mean, do you really want to give
Amazon.com some of your hard-earned money? You buy your equipment, sweat
through rehearsal, push the car to the gig when it runs out of gas, you make
the CD and sell it out of your trunk while you're waiting outside the hall
to play your 45-minute slot. Right? Then why would you want to give part of
your profit to someone when you could make the sales yourself?
Secondly, the web isn't really where people are going to hear about you.
That crucial element of your success will come from playing as many gigs, in
as many places and states as possible, having a deep connect with your
audience, oh yeah, and having mad skills doesn't hurt either. The buzz
(ugh,
an industry word) is something you need to make happen and once that occurs,
then people will seek you out. Any search engine should be able to find your
bands site, and setting up a way of processing orders is getting easier and
easier. So get out there and make a name for yourself!!
Have questions? You can contact me at DNA@shocking.com
or check out my
website at www.nowherexnowhere.com
|
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