Dave Wilson of Chatham County Line: They say to write what you know. If you know more things, you can write from a broader palette. That's really the goal of any person that's trying to create in this society. I write from being a U2 addict and a REM addict and a Jimi Hendrix aficionado and a love of Led Zeppelin. I write from all that stuff. But then when I found the music of Old & In The Way in college and John Hartford and Bill Monroe, it just gave us this lens to filter all this musical knowledge through. And that's really how the band subsisted for so many years and so many albums was just filtering our modern experience through the lens of these older instruments, if you will, and style of performing and harmony work.
Daniel Glass: A great drummer uses the power of his/her playing to grab a group of people and profoundly move them from Point A to Point B. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a military drummer, an African tribal drummer, a metal drummer, or a swing dance drummer - the mission is the same.
Robbie Wulfsohn of Ripe: We don't necessarily need to be a band where you come in lyric sheet first. But, should you choose to engage with the lyrics, I would love you to find something that amplifies the whole thing that we're about.
Tell people how your band or business approaches their craft. "We're not rock stars. We're musicians." In just two sentences John McFee of The Doobie Brothers encapsulates the band's humility and dedication. Your content could be that good. Your content should be that good. Better content through interviews. Contact me to find out more. Michael McDermott, drummer for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Playing punk music kept me grounded. It also kept me in good shape. You start playing shows an hour and a half long, sweating, and losing five pounds a night… it's a good workout.
Cris Cohen: And then another bit of great advice that I got from reading through some of your materials online is… you said something along the lines of, “If you don't define success for yourself, you're pretty much lost.”
Chris Fryar of the Zac Brown Band: Well, it's true. In order to achieve anything, you have to set a goal. You can apply this to anything. Not just drumming or music. You have to set a goal. You have to define what it means to be successful. This is probably my biggest soapbox I always get on, especially with young musicians. People ask me, “What's it like to finally be a successful musician?” I tell them, “I've been a successful musician since I was about 17 years old.” And they go, “Well, I've never heard of you before the Zac Brown Band.” My definition of success and their definition of success are two totally different things. I've always defined success very clearly and concisely as: At the end of my tax forms every year, there's a box where you sign your name. To the right of that box there's another box that says “Occupation.” For me, success has been clearly defined as writing the word “Musician” in that box. So (for many years) I have been successful, because of the bulk of my living has come from making music. -- Download the free ebook of this interview at https://go.bandstofans.com/Fryar-ebook A real influencer.
Eddie Van Halen was an influencer. He inspired countless people to learn to play the guitar. He also inspired existing guitar players to approach the instrument differently. People who buy fake followers and post selfies just to sell crap and demand free goods and services from real businesses are not influencers. Albert Rogers of The Weight Band: I've seen so many busy bass players run out of bands. A good, solid, simple bass player can get work. Busy bass lines might get you applause, but solid bass lines will get you work. Play through the song and listen to everybody else. Listen to what's going on and leave some holes. Every time the drummer does a fill, it doesn't mean the bass has to do one too.
(photo: Powerstation Events) Sadly most of my clients continue to get hammered by the mess that is 2020. Advances in technology and a lack of scruples by many people eliminated any income from music sales and broadcasting years ago. But at least bands had live shows. Then the pandemic took that away.
As a result, what I charge them has changed from a set price to “What can you manage?” When friends ask about business, I tell them that I am experimenting with a new strategy where I work more but get paid less. Don’t look for it to be taught in business schools anytime soon. Some clients have told me to ease up or take time off from their accounts. But this mess is not their fault. And as I tell them, 1) I would rather work than watch the news and 2) I want to see more content about music and musicians and less of the toxic vitriol being sprayed across the internet. Plus, even during this time of insanity, we are creating a lot of great material together. Troy Luccketta: Some musicians get bored with their own songs. But I still enjoy playing "Love Song" 30 years later. I'm committed to the song every night and the band is committed every night. And you watch the crowd and you see how into it they are. It's still amazing. It can still feel like playing it for the first time.
|
Archives
April 2024
|