I remember the first time I played a guitar. Do you remember the first time you did something…let’s say ‘unforgettable’. Right now I don’t feel like talking about RADIO. I have this nostalgia take over me since the past couple of days; a particularly remnant one, considering all that I have been missing ever since I left Bombay last week.
Since this isn’t a phone call, let’s listen to me write. Then you try and think about your happy moments and write your own blog. I promise I will read it…entirely.
But think about it; your yesteryears. Those were the moments that made us realize that life is much more than a desk, a non face-book accessing computer and a very ugly boss. Life used to be about exploring, experimenting. For me, I have long since forgotten what it felt like to be living in wonderland. Right now I could own the pedestal by cursing life for all that it does to me day in night out. But I prefer to be a little more sadistic to my oppressor.
As me…or we all, sit behind a pathetic excuse of a job, trying to prove to our loved ones how we burned the midnight oil to be capable enough to burn it for the rest of our lives, I want you to stop for a minute and remember…
Remember how a wasteland behind your buildings used to be like an African jungle and sticks were no less harmful than swords. Remember those stupid lines you scribbled in you History notebook, trying to dress them into a song; all for that girl on the third bench…or maybe her friend on the fourth or dear Miss. History Teacher if you were in my school. Remember how getting bowled in the first ball was a completely unacceptable thing and you would fight with the US Army to prove that it was a no ball. Remember how you trembled under your blankets in a fever to have no one in the world but your mom rub her hand on your head.
Remember how you always could go down to your friends building and scream at the top of your voice knowing that in less than 2 minutes he’d be on his cycle ready to fly away with you. Remember how you never had to wonder who would show up for your birthday…you knew they’d come. Remember how forgetting a word during elocutions meant forgetting your very name and then all you could hear was white noise.
Remember how hungry you felt before lunch break no matter how heavy a breakfast in the morning. Remember how you stained your clothes, hands, face and everything with paint during art class…when was the last time you got dirty. Remember how Essel World was more fun than Paris and Carter Road was more than Home.
Remember how it felt like to be living on Rs. 100 in your pocket and taking girls out on dates with having to walk back home. Remember how things were when you were working to get to where you are now. Remember how it felt like back then. I think the best thing about life is that it takes from you everything but leaves you with memories; beautiful ones. No matter where you are or might go, they will make you smile, weep – feel alive.
So all I can ask you guys to do is pause your lives for a moment and walk down memory lanes. Try collecting some smiles. Take a picture from your yesterdays and share it with your today. In the meanwhile I’ll be cleaning my camera lenses for tomorrow. Wonder If I’ll be the one taking a picture or I’ll be the one in it…
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
High and Mighty!! That's what i call it :|
First of all i would like to apologize on behalf of the band, to all the people who were looking forward to see us perform on the 25th @ Vashi. The reason would be that the drummer had an accident and we couldn't find a replacement at such a short notice,beside the vibe we share with the drummer is something, atleast i cannot describe, i guess its just one of those thing that you can't explain but the get it.....
The reason i write this post is after our show at L.S Raheja college where all went well a few technical fuckups here and there, but alls well that ends well :P
The past week was pretty chaotic for me and don't really know how the other bandmates were holding up, although i live with the drummer and is my brother i really don't know what was going through his head, I've been getting high most of the time this week and was just letting things go as how they are. Leaving aside my obsession for game and passion for music i was thinking bout the thing around me and i realized that there is more to life that these two things.
I know few people who are always high and which i guess differs from person to person, some get really angry, some get depressed, some just don't bother bout anything. I got lost this time dint know where to go and what path to take or just let it control me. I go home lately at around 12 in the night and play some video games it kinda lets me into another world and be in control of someone who's fate is in my hands. Music is what i will never ever let go from my life and especially playing the guitar is what i love and will not stop at anything to get my emotions out on that fretboard.
For me radio is like rebirth in music, over the past 8 years i've played with multiple bands and played with many talented people which i will cherish throughout my life, the amount i've learnt from them is something I'll be great full. Right now for radio something big is gona happen i.e the album recording is done and we have already received 2 mastered tracks which sounds super....
some more from my next time when i'm in a good mood :)
---The Bassist---
The reason i write this post is after our show at L.S Raheja college where all went well a few technical fuckups here and there, but alls well that ends well :P
The past week was pretty chaotic for me and don't really know how the other bandmates were holding up, although i live with the drummer and is my brother i really don't know what was going through his head, I've been getting high most of the time this week and was just letting things go as how they are. Leaving aside my obsession for game and passion for music i was thinking bout the thing around me and i realized that there is more to life that these two things.
I know few people who are always high and which i guess differs from person to person, some get really angry, some get depressed, some just don't bother bout anything. I got lost this time dint know where to go and what path to take or just let it control me. I go home lately at around 12 in the night and play some video games it kinda lets me into another world and be in control of someone who's fate is in my hands. Music is what i will never ever let go from my life and especially playing the guitar is what i love and will not stop at anything to get my emotions out on that fretboard.
For me radio is like rebirth in music, over the past 8 years i've played with multiple bands and played with many talented people which i will cherish throughout my life, the amount i've learnt from them is something I'll be great full. Right now for radio something big is gona happen i.e the album recording is done and we have already received 2 mastered tracks which sounds super....
some more from my next time when i'm in a good mood :)
---The Bassist---
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Radio's Back!!!
After a month of recreational time Radio is back...........
and its a good feeling, also another good news is that the album is almost completed and we are awaiting pre-orders from you guys..
How did this happen? I don't know...you can just say it happened and its a good feeling.
Why was radio inactive for the last month? well we did not decide on anything we just took a break... well that helped us all in some way, when we hit the jam room it was like all the pieces fit together, and we sounded much tighter and precise. In the 1st week of Jan we performed at Juhu Furtados music store, it was a Hindi band nite and we got to see other bands who all played their stuffs and it was nice to see that there are many hindi bands who are contributing to the scene.
As for now we are preparing ourselves for "AAWAAZ" gig on 23rd of Jan and its gona be awsome cuz Reverse Polarity,Scepter and Cirkles are playing with us, this will be our second show with Scepter and Reverse Polarity. Hoping to see alot of crowd and good sound on stage and few special people.
After the 23rd show we are performing on the 25th of Jan which is another big gig for Radio because we are playing at NAVI MUMBAI Festival 2010, and the set is for 1 and half hr i guess this is gona be a long weekend for all of us.. Befor i end this short little post i wana say something to all those who read this
LET THE MUSIC COME TO YOU, YOU DON'T GO AFTER IT, LET THE MUSIC DEFINE YOU....
-The Bassist-
and its a good feeling, also another good news is that the album is almost completed and we are awaiting pre-orders from you guys..
How did this happen? I don't know...you can just say it happened and its a good feeling.
Why was radio inactive for the last month? well we did not decide on anything we just took a break... well that helped us all in some way, when we hit the jam room it was like all the pieces fit together, and we sounded much tighter and precise. In the 1st week of Jan we performed at Juhu Furtados music store, it was a Hindi band nite and we got to see other bands who all played their stuffs and it was nice to see that there are many hindi bands who are contributing to the scene.
As for now we are preparing ourselves for "AAWAAZ" gig on 23rd of Jan and its gona be awsome cuz Reverse Polarity,Scepter and Cirkles are playing with us, this will be our second show with Scepter and Reverse Polarity. Hoping to see alot of crowd and good sound on stage and few special people.
After the 23rd show we are performing on the 25th of Jan which is another big gig for Radio because we are playing at NAVI MUMBAI Festival 2010, and the set is for 1 and half hr i guess this is gona be a long weekend for all of us.. Befor i end this short little post i wana say something to all those who read this
LET THE MUSIC COME TO YOU, YOU DON'T GO AFTER IT, LET THE MUSIC DEFINE YOU....
-The Bassist-
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Last gig we did was at Bandra - SWAT '09 and must i tell you it was a full blown show..(not that blown :P it was a smoke free show)
Anyways i had the best time on stage that day after KJ Somaya college show, we had grown musically. It was i guess our time to show off! :P
This all started off after we got a reality check after launch pad when Vishal and the other judges gave us some constructive criticism and i guess we took it, don't know what made us think (i guess we started taking the band seriously). When the rock on! thing happened we were just going with the flow and reach cloud no.9 (energy drink) in our own little head... after that it was seriousness throughout and they all hated me for pushing them every weekend at the jam room, i was the usual pesky guy trying to get more punch in our songs.... it was a collective effort from all 3, the reason i'm not saying 4 is because the drummer is by far the best musician in the band and one talented guy.....
Radio has 4 different individuals each with different taste in life...
Sharad is a lover (stfu and don't deny) he listens to house music hip-hop and Doors.. he plays the guitar and does the vocals. He's a CA by profession and we fight most of the time in the jam room...
Jack is the most chilled out guy in the band he listens to almost all music and he appreciates every musician. Hes my elder brother and he's awsome at it.. DigitalKids is his side project and its making it big in the underground scene....
Terry is this huge guy who plays guitar and does auditing for big firms (hes also a CA)..a movie fanatic and also a lover :P (he's gona kill me for this)..anyways i've known this buger since my school and we get along pretty well, he and i has a side project called Sloth and we'll be hitting the studios pretty soon once he comes from NAA SICK \m/
Then there is me ( u don't need to know bout me)
We are recording out 1st album which should have been done in August i guess but we had our heads stuck up our asses we din't actually felt ready to hit the studios and now we are recording day in and day out perfecting our music as how we want it....
some more on the band next time
---The Bassist---
Anyways i had the best time on stage that day after KJ Somaya college show, we had grown musically. It was i guess our time to show off! :P
This all started off after we got a reality check after launch pad when Vishal and the other judges gave us some constructive criticism and i guess we took it, don't know what made us think (i guess we started taking the band seriously). When the rock on! thing happened we were just going with the flow and reach cloud no.9 (energy drink) in our own little head... after that it was seriousness throughout and they all hated me for pushing them every weekend at the jam room, i was the usual pesky guy trying to get more punch in our songs.... it was a collective effort from all 3, the reason i'm not saying 4 is because the drummer is by far the best musician in the band and one talented guy.....
Radio has 4 different individuals each with different taste in life...
Sharad is a lover (stfu and don't deny) he listens to house music hip-hop and Doors.. he plays the guitar and does the vocals. He's a CA by profession and we fight most of the time in the jam room...
Jack is the most chilled out guy in the band he listens to almost all music and he appreciates every musician. Hes my elder brother and he's awsome at it.. DigitalKids is his side project and its making it big in the underground scene....
Terry is this huge guy who plays guitar and does auditing for big firms (hes also a CA)..a movie fanatic and also a lover :P (he's gona kill me for this)..anyways i've known this buger since my school and we get along pretty well, he and i has a side project called Sloth and we'll be hitting the studios pretty soon once he comes from NAA SICK \m/
Then there is me ( u don't need to know bout me)
We are recording out 1st album which should have been done in August i guess but we had our heads stuck up our asses we din't actually felt ready to hit the studios and now we are recording day in and day out perfecting our music as how we want it....
some more on the band next time
---The Bassist---
Saturday, December 5, 2009
A Little Some People You Should Know
RADIO played at SWAT the other day and it was a good show as usual. Playing in Bandra brought back memories you know, the kind that makes you wonder, “How did I come to be here?”
Seven years of playing music and I now feel it’s just been hyped up too much. There’s no outer body experience or ultra satisfaction involved. It’s a job, like every other job. So why did I stick around for this long. And the answer to my question was on that very stage with me – the brothers.
Aditya & Alok, or the brothers as I call them have been with me since school days. I remember first hanging out with Adi when he used to still formally call me Terence and I hated Alok for being the pesky character that he always was. We were learners, audiences, moshers, head-bangers, metal-heads, wannabes and everything that every youngster goes through at that time. I wasn’t in a band back then so it would be needless to say out friendship was built up on Music & jamming. It was pure fun and masti.
We went to Bandra almost every day, hogged Chinese almost every night and partied wherever we would get a chance to party. It was the year 2002 when I lost touch with them cause of my studies which excellently interrupted time & again. I bumped into Adi one afternoon on my way back from college on that bridge at Santacurz station. What better place to meet a friend you’d think.
Well we were back to partying, chilling, shopping and doing all the useless things that any youngster mustn’t do. But Adi was now a drummer for a Rock Band which was a huge deal and Alok had started to play guitars for other bands and I was their friend who they took along for shows. Time flew by, break ups happened, Adi used to sit next to me in P&T Colony as I sat and cried about girls and love and happiness and all the abstract things that today find themselves in RADIO lyrics.
As for RADIO I don’t know how it came to happen but I think Adi agreed to join in considering the fact I was his friend, RADIO sucked back then so we would simply have fun jamming, no commitments, no strings attached & lots of booze. Alok joined in that very December when we performed at Kshitij. Then I didn’t quite approve of him in the band. I was like, “RADIO, Alok is not not the types” etc. etc.
Time flew by and my small little rock band which was made up of friends I knew even before I could spell Slipknot were my flanks and I started to realize how lucky I was. I realized this on stage at SWAT.
I looked at Adi and didn’t just see a drummer out there, but a true professional, so skilled, so dynamic, so stylish and full of grace. He need not struggle on his instrument or bother with his timing. Woh jab jahaan joh bajaa deta hain wohi gaana ban jaata hain. That is what gifted musicians come with…a gift. I don’t remember a single show where no one has come up to me and said, “Hey your drummer rocks.” And I’m like, “Aditya, he’s ma frnd….come I’ll make ya meet him”. I remember girls wanting to know him, guys wanting to hang out with him, he was a sports fan, he was a movie freak, he was a foodie, he loved to booze, wore amazing t – shirts and most of all ‘Made music not just played it.’
Alok on the other hand is a rebel. The world to him is a mirage, apocalypse if the 12th of June and guitars are something that can be perfected time and again and again. He is the best critic I have ever come across and those who know me will be amazed I’ve awarded this title to someone else but me. He will talk to me about anything and anyone and man does he know how to become a girl’s best friend. Alok has a very natural way of bass play; in that he doesn’t attempt to play, doesn’t goof up and somehow steals all the tech awards post every show. He is not as quiet as he is in real life on stage. He blows up into some machine and goes zooming from one end to the other.
The reason I write this article is that I owe these two guys a lot. I owe them all the guitar playing I know today. I owe them all the shows I’ve played, all the times I pulled myself back up after being broken, I owe them the feeling that no matter what happens I have another side of the fence to jump on to and they will cut open a gap in it for me. When I’m on stage with them, I’m not playing with a very skilled duo but with those two guys who hung out with me way back in school days and in days at TT and in days at Mikhail’s and Veeru’s and in days at JATC and in days when I first picked up a guitar and played With Arms Wide Open.
They are two people who can tell me I am wrong here and there, they can ask me to do anything for them, ask me to change, to remain, to break things and to relax. With them on stage I don’t care who is watching, I don’t care who has something to say...in fact I’m least bothered.
I should’ve written this a long time ago, but I think we need to sometimes take a break on your fast lane and stop and wonder who you are travelling with. And there, at that moment, when you know you’ve crossed a lot of your journey with no hassle whatsoever, you have that passenger to thank for all the company he kept you in. I have Aditya & Alok to thank for everything…for being the best musicians in the world, for being the most amazing drinking buddies in the world, for being the most beautiful people I know and most of all…for being themselves.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Rock. Love. Revolution - Part 1
The music scene is dying.And the culprits?Us.
We have become too lazy, impatient, confused, greedy & stingy to give even two minutes of our time to sit back and appreciate a good piece of art/music. And it wont be long till the time we find no good music out there...
For all of us music is such an integral part of life...what would you dance to at parties?what would you sing to your lover?what helps you get through a difficult situation or eases your pain?
what makes you believe?
For me music has been my savior...my god...my life...
And thats the reason why it hurts me too see it fading away...
The reason why I am writing this is because I have been on the other side...where I am a Musician..an artist..and there are few things which both sides can do to revive this..
To the Fans/Listeners/Supporters:
1. If you want to support the band/artist you like - BUY THE CD...how much do you pay?100?200?300?400? trust me it might seem a lot for something you can download for free from the internet, but the downloads are killing artists all over the world...it doesn't cost more than a night out...and its something which you can hold/possess for a lifetime!
2. If you cant afford it, its alright...but when you are downloading make sure you do it from the bands website/myspace link as most of the artists put it up for download on their web page, and if you like it then make sure to leave a comment there...its the least you could do to support the artist..
3. Full time Musicians have only 3 sources of income - Sales of CD/Royalty, Composing for ads/movies and live shows. If you are an organizer Please pay the artists well...for how long you will make them perform for free?? Thats why they end up quitting this line...And for the crowd, don't expect all concerts to be for free!
4. Support Original Music - Don't make the artist just cover other famous artists...might as well listen to them on you Mp3 player!What you can do is when you are going for a local bands concert/show, make sure you listen to their music online or buy the CD so that you are familiar with them beforehand, and Sing Along! Trust me its ecstatic when the crowd wants to hear your number and when they sing with you...
5. Criticize but don't kill the artist! Its very easy to sit at your home and write crap about some band and be unknown to them! I think those people are fucking cowards! If you really wanna be helpful please put it up in a nice manner...everybody learns as they move along and would really appreciate you if you put it in a right context...and then I am sure they will understand it even better..
6. Last but not the least - support Indian Artists! If you are an Indian, then this is YOUR team...if you cant support it then might as well get out of the stadium!I am not saying stop listening to foreign music, even i am a big fan of theirs...but Indian artists need more support from you...
Artists tend to put your heart and soul into making a song or performing on stage...
Please don't let them fade away...
Read the second part also if you are an artist...
Listen to our music online at - www.myband.co.in/RADIO
And do support us when we come out with our first album!!:-)
We have become too lazy, impatient, confused, greedy & stingy to give even two minutes of our time to sit back and appreciate a good piece of art/music. And it wont be long till the time we find no good music out there...
For all of us music is such an integral part of life...what would you dance to at parties?what would you sing to your lover?what helps you get through a difficult situation or eases your pain?
what makes you believe?
For me music has been my savior...my god...my life...
And thats the reason why it hurts me too see it fading away...
The reason why I am writing this is because I have been on the other side...where I am a Musician..an artist..and there are few things which both sides can do to revive this..
To the Fans/Listeners/Supporters:
1. If you want to support the band/artist you like - BUY THE CD...how much do you pay?100?200?300?400? trust me it might seem a lot for something you can download for free from the internet, but the downloads are killing artists all over the world...it doesn't cost more than a night out...and its something which you can hold/possess for a lifetime!
2. If you cant afford it, its alright...but when you are downloading make sure you do it from the bands website/myspace link as most of the artists put it up for download on their web page, and if you like it then make sure to leave a comment there...its the least you could do to support the artist..
3. Full time Musicians have only 3 sources of income - Sales of CD/Royalty, Composing for ads/movies and live shows. If you are an organizer Please pay the artists well...for how long you will make them perform for free?? Thats why they end up quitting this line...And for the crowd, don't expect all concerts to be for free!
4. Support Original Music - Don't make the artist just cover other famous artists...might as well listen to them on you Mp3 player!What you can do is when you are going for a local bands concert/show, make sure you listen to their music online or buy the CD so that you are familiar with them beforehand, and Sing Along! Trust me its ecstatic when the crowd wants to hear your number and when they sing with you...
5. Criticize but don't kill the artist! Its very easy to sit at your home and write crap about some band and be unknown to them! I think those people are fucking cowards! If you really wanna be helpful please put it up in a nice manner...everybody learns as they move along and would really appreciate you if you put it in a right context...and then I am sure they will understand it even better..
6. Last but not the least - support Indian Artists! If you are an Indian, then this is YOUR team...if you cant support it then might as well get out of the stadium!I am not saying stop listening to foreign music, even i am a big fan of theirs...but Indian artists need more support from you...
Artists tend to put your heart and soul into making a song or performing on stage...
Please don't let them fade away...
Read the second part also if you are an artist...
Listen to our music online at - www.myband.co.in/RADIO
And do support us when we come out with our first album!!:-)
Rock. Love. Revolution - Part 2
For the Musicians/Bands/Artists:
This is a writeup which my bandmate Terry found out on the net...plus i have added few of my views:
By: renegademusic
I have repeatedly posted this bulletin. If you think I don't know what I am talking about. Then you don't know what you're talking about! Please use this Info, take it to heart. To be a working Musician this is the best advice you could ever get. This old hippie is just trying to get an important point across.Print This and Post It At Your Band Practice Place!
1. If you're band is playing a show, get there early and stay late to support all the bands on the bill. If you guys don't support each other, then how can you expect anyone else to? Don't sit in your van until it's time to play your set, then race out with your gear immediately after.
2. You need to bring people out for your shows. Friends, family, people you don't even really like. It doesn't matter. There are very few places that allow original musicians to play. It's hard enough to convince a bar owner to allow original bands to play. The only way it can continue is to show the bar that it's working and the bands are bringing people out for it. All a bar owner sees is if this is making them money in order to stay in business. If they don't make money, then they close their doors, and another venue closes for good. This is their livelihood and the way they feed their family. If original music isn't working. They're not gonna continue it.
3. If your band doesn't have a show scheduled one night, but a couple bands you know of are playing. Come out and support them! Bands need to come out when they're not playing and support other musicians who are playing. Bring copies of your band's CD, talk it up with the bands playing that night, trade shows with them, and just market your band in general to people who are there at the show.
4. The scene can only exist if you create it. You can't go to a bar and just expect it to be packed with people eagerly awaiting to listen to new music. People are skeptical and chances are they already think you suck before you go on. So you gotta get up there and play and change their minds. Talk to them and pass out burned copies of your CD's for them to take with them. Get their email address from them and build up an email list to announce your shows. Not everyone is on myspace, although it's a
great tool to use, not everyone checks their bulletins regularly.
5. One of the biggest reasons people do enjoy local music is because they can get to know the band individually. They can attach themselves to this smaller band and make it their own. They know they can go to their shows, enjoy some drinks with them, and build up a relationship with them. That's
what starts a scene and that's what needs to exist in order for original music to survive.
6. Don't sit back and say "Why aren't people coming to our shows". Chances are people don't know who the hell you are. Spread the word. A 100 pack of CD-R's are cheap enough. Burn copies of them and pass them out. Even if it's only a 3 song sampler. Give a copy to the kid working the drive thru at Wendy's or pumping your gas at BP. Sure, everyone wants to press some legit CD's and look professional, but that costs money and then you need to sell them to make the money back. Then you're asking people to buy your CD when they don't even know you. If you hand them a simple burned
copy, chances are they will throw it in their CD player in the car and check you out.
7. Early, is on time! On time, is late! Be at the venue when you're
supposed to be, ready to play!
We work hard at this, just as you work hard at
being a band and making music. There's no one person who works harder than
anyone else involved in this scene. Everyone plays some type of crucial
part. The kid who goes out and flyer's, the bands who create music, the
promoters who pull it together, the venues who thankfully still allow this
to go on. They're all equal. This doesn't work without everyone pulling
together to make this something that people want to be a part of. If we're
putting on great shows and spreading the word out to people who might not
have an interest in listening to original music, it may change their minds.
As a musician for over 35yrs every word was worth repeating. You younger
cats get a grip on all of this stuff, like now. Your Band or or Name rides
on knowing this stuff, and use all of it, ti's great advice so use it!
That was it from Him. And it seemed to have coered almost everything..
However i would like to add a few things from India's point of view:
1. Its time all bands started being open minded and support each other...be it Hindi, Metal, or an language..if you don't like it, dont go for their show..but dont bad mouth them...its not cool!
2. Want to spread your songs? strike a deal with other bands...you play their songs during shows and they play yours..make a compilation of all the local bands and spread it during shows...that way more audience gets to hear more bands including..
3. Please understand that there is no competition between bands...your biggest competitor is the general mentality of people to not accept original music and free downloads...
I have grown up in music with my bandmates and best buddies Adi, Alok and Terry and I know they are the best musicians I could have ever worked with..although we have our own share of ups and downs but we never give up...and thats what keeps us going :-) And thats all a Band needs...to not give up!
Listen to our music online at - www.myband.co.in/RADIO
And do support us when we come out with our first album!!:-)
This is a writeup which my bandmate Terry found out on the net...plus i have added few of my views:
By: renegademusic
I have repeatedly posted this bulletin. If you think I don't know what I am talking about. Then you don't know what you're talking about! Please use this Info, take it to heart. To be a working Musician this is the best advice you could ever get. This old hippie is just trying to get an important point across.Print This and Post It At Your Band Practice Place!
1. If you're band is playing a show, get there early and stay late to support all the bands on the bill. If you guys don't support each other, then how can you expect anyone else to? Don't sit in your van until it's time to play your set, then race out with your gear immediately after.
2. You need to bring people out for your shows. Friends, family, people you don't even really like. It doesn't matter. There are very few places that allow original musicians to play. It's hard enough to convince a bar owner to allow original bands to play. The only way it can continue is to show the bar that it's working and the bands are bringing people out for it. All a bar owner sees is if this is making them money in order to stay in business. If they don't make money, then they close their doors, and another venue closes for good. This is their livelihood and the way they feed their family. If original music isn't working. They're not gonna continue it.
3. If your band doesn't have a show scheduled one night, but a couple bands you know of are playing. Come out and support them! Bands need to come out when they're not playing and support other musicians who are playing. Bring copies of your band's CD, talk it up with the bands playing that night, trade shows with them, and just market your band in general to people who are there at the show.
4. The scene can only exist if you create it. You can't go to a bar and just expect it to be packed with people eagerly awaiting to listen to new music. People are skeptical and chances are they already think you suck before you go on. So you gotta get up there and play and change their minds. Talk to them and pass out burned copies of your CD's for them to take with them. Get their email address from them and build up an email list to announce your shows. Not everyone is on myspace, although it's a
great tool to use, not everyone checks their bulletins regularly.
5. One of the biggest reasons people do enjoy local music is because they can get to know the band individually. They can attach themselves to this smaller band and make it their own. They know they can go to their shows, enjoy some drinks with them, and build up a relationship with them. That's
what starts a scene and that's what needs to exist in order for original music to survive.
6. Don't sit back and say "Why aren't people coming to our shows". Chances are people don't know who the hell you are. Spread the word. A 100 pack of CD-R's are cheap enough. Burn copies of them and pass them out. Even if it's only a 3 song sampler. Give a copy to the kid working the drive thru at Wendy's or pumping your gas at BP. Sure, everyone wants to press some legit CD's and look professional, but that costs money and then you need to sell them to make the money back. Then you're asking people to buy your CD when they don't even know you. If you hand them a simple burned
copy, chances are they will throw it in their CD player in the car and check you out.
7. Early, is on time! On time, is late! Be at the venue when you're
supposed to be, ready to play!
We work hard at this, just as you work hard at
being a band and making music. There's no one person who works harder than
anyone else involved in this scene. Everyone plays some type of crucial
part. The kid who goes out and flyer's, the bands who create music, the
promoters who pull it together, the venues who thankfully still allow this
to go on. They're all equal. This doesn't work without everyone pulling
together to make this something that people want to be a part of. If we're
putting on great shows and spreading the word out to people who might not
have an interest in listening to original music, it may change their minds.
As a musician for over 35yrs every word was worth repeating. You younger
cats get a grip on all of this stuff, like now. Your Band or or Name rides
on knowing this stuff, and use all of it, ti's great advice so use it!
That was it from Him. And it seemed to have coered almost everything..
However i would like to add a few things from India's point of view:
1. Its time all bands started being open minded and support each other...be it Hindi, Metal, or an language..if you don't like it, dont go for their show..but dont bad mouth them...its not cool!
2. Want to spread your songs? strike a deal with other bands...you play their songs during shows and they play yours..make a compilation of all the local bands and spread it during shows...that way more audience gets to hear more bands including..
3. Please understand that there is no competition between bands...your biggest competitor is the general mentality of people to not accept original music and free downloads...
I have grown up in music with my bandmates and best buddies Adi, Alok and Terry and I know they are the best musicians I could have ever worked with..although we have our own share of ups and downs but we never give up...and thats what keeps us going :-) And thats all a Band needs...to not give up!
Listen to our music online at - www.myband.co.in/RADIO
And do support us when we come out with our first album!!:-)
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