Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending a special music seminar here in Denver, geared toward helping local indie musicians navigate the current musical landscape. It’s going to take me awhile to digest all the good information I heard, but one thing that struck me above anything else is that while the instructor was honest about the difficulties DIY musicians have today, he was still very positive and hopeful. Rather than tell these musicians how bad things were, he challenged them to think outside the box, and encouraged them that eventually things will find their balance again.
Have you ever noticed how musicians like to hang out together? (Other artists, too–but this is a music blog, so….) There’s something about community that musicians and artists crave; we’re drawn to one another, almost like members of the same tribe.
That’s pretty much what it looks and feels like to me: a sort of tribe.
Photo: Shelby McQuilkin
It’s Labor Day. If you’re reading this, you should be out doing something besides reading blogs.
I didn’t mean that. You should totally be reading this blog.
But for the holiday, I figured I’d dispense with the how-to stuff and just talk a bit about what it is that I love about music, and why I’m so passionate about doing what I can to help musicians reach their potential.
Today, musician friends, let’s talk about what genre your music falls into. Even though you might not want to. 
Quite often I hear young musicians make one of two critical errors when they are asked to classify their music:
ERROR #1: “We don’t fit into any genre.” “We are original.” “We don’t sound like anybody.” (Usually one of those three sentences.)
or…
ERROR #2: “We sort of cross over (or have a blend of) a lot of genres.” (Usually some derivative of that sentence.)
In the previous post in this series, we started to talk about what stage presence is, how it makes a difference in a performance, and some things you can do to improve your own stage presence. In this followup post, let’s give some down-to-earth, practical do’s and don’ts about handling and owning the stage when you’re performing live.
Ready?
DON’T…try to hype audience response by constantly coaching them what to do, or demanding a response.
DO… Encourage audience participation once in awhile.
Where normally by this point I’d be saying something brilliant about artist development that would keep you hanging on my every word…this week I’m going to be spending a lot of time watching developing artists.
This Thursday through Sunday, Denver’s biggest indie music shindig is happening–the Underground Music Showcase. I’ll be there, for two reasons: first, because I want to support the local talent; second, because I’ll need to write about it on my other blog and Examiner.com, and I can’t write anything intelligent if I’m not there. Between now and Thursday, I’m busting my tail with some other writing assignments that actually pay money. So please forgive me if things are sparse around here for the next few days. It will only be for the rest of the week. (I might even surprise you and actually post something, if I feel inspired or can’t sleep or something.)
Okay, musican/artist friends, it’s discussion time. I’ve said before that one of the reasons this blog exists is to help muscians toward their success. But it also occurs to me that “success” has a lot of different meanings for people.
So…the question on the table is: what does “success” mean to you?
How do you measure it, or what is the benchmark for it in your mind? Is it when you land the record deal, or when you sell a bajillion records? Is it when you are working steady? Is it when you’re making a living doing what you love?
Q: What’s the biggest need among indie musicians? (Hint: it’s not talent, ramen noodles or beer. All three are abundant in the indie scene.)
A: Money.
Musicians need money–lots of it–even before they start making money. We need mucho moolah, for equipment, studio time–and ramen. Well, a website called Slicethepie.com is a creative approach to funding that might be worth looking into.
Note to singers: don't be this cat.
Continuing our Polishing Your Performance series…let’s talk about one of the easiest areas to slack off, but one that makes all the difference between professionalism and mediocrity in music: singing on pitch.
Pitch is one of those things that is only really noticed by the audience when it’s not right. Rarely will you get a compliment that goes, “Wow, you sure sang on pitch tonight!” However, if you are consistently going sharp or flat during the song, it will definitely get you noticed–and for the wrong reasons.
Choosing songs correctly is one of the key ingredients to a good musical act. If you’ve ever watched American Idol (oh, go on, admit it: you have, from time to time), you know that song choice can make or break you. Choose the right song, and you can ride the wave for months, or even years; choose the wrong tune, and…well, it might be the last song you ever sing.
Oh, not really. But song choice is still important.
