How to Stay Current with your Scene

This article is essentially an offshoot of step 1 "find the appropriate venue/club" from the article titled how to book your first local show. while writing that article (as it seems while writing almost any ehow article) it becomes apparent that there's always some basic information that i am assuming you to know. but rather than assume (because you know what happens when you assume) i feel it necessary and helpful to spit this info out of my brain. ok , here goes...although these aren't steps per say - they are all equally important tasks that need to be completed.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• plenty of time
• brain like a sponge
• positive attitude
• plenty of sleep

1. Go to Shows - if you aren't going to see local shows then you might as well crawl back under the rock from whence you came. going to shows keeps your finger on the pulse of the not only the local music scene but also the national one. remember, your goal is to be part of that national scene so you better be an expert on it. the other reason you go to shows is to properly familiarize yourself with all the different clubs in town. this knowledge naturally lends itself to you forming that hit list i mentioned in the previous article. again, this hit list is mental list of all the clubs in your city that you think your band should be playing at or at least have aspirations to be playing.
2. Read the Local Rags - every city has them, they're fanzines, mags, monthly or weekly papers. these are your new industry trade papers. in los angeles the major one is called the la weekly. there's always bunch of these papers that are put out at clubs, coffee houses and other places in the city. make it a point to always pick one up just to see what's going on in the music section and who is playing where. you need to bring them into your bathroom and keep them around as reference material. there's also this thing called the internet where most of the bigger mags have sites. bookmark them.
3. Network with Musicians - as a general rule, the more musician friends you have the better. this is especially helpful when you are first starting out because most of your first gigs will arise from these friendships. sometimes the only way your band has a chance to play at a certain club is via as an opening act for one of your friends. here's an example - a friend of mariqueen's from orange county contacted me about having his band play with mine. his band was just starting out and one of his many goals was to get his band into 2 of the "cooler" clubs in los angeles - spaceland and the troubadour. ultimately, it was through this connection that i had his band open for mine at both venues. thus, he was able to not only play these important clubs but use that as an opportunity to establish a relationship with the promoters of each venue. that's how you do it. his band's foot is now in the door with these clubs for future shows.
4. Represent - while you'e out on the town remember that you are your best ad. you're a young buck in this slimy world of music so don't burn any bridges...yet. in a way i think this is one of the best ways to always indirectly be promoting your band. in the beginning your band is essentially represented by you and your personality. you are the embodiment of your group. you may not know it, but as the business guy you are the figurehead. you are the bill clinton of the band....never stop shaking hands and kissing babies dude. never stop. don't take anything without saying thank you or being ungrateful. word always gets around and its easy to get a bad rap and a door might close. you're never too cool to be really nice and to everyone you meet in the business.
5. It's All Who You Know - if i could stress one thing to everyone it's this - relationships will make your business world go round. the music business is notorious for this. it really is who you know and don't think it's not. 9 times out of 10 it's not just your "great" music that gets things done but it's your great personality, likability and connections along with your great music. do you like dealing with a pain in the ass? ummm, no. so when you do have the chance to help out a younger band are you gonna help out the dude that's an ass or the kid that's friendly and nice. think about it from that perspective. when i have the chance to pick our support acts i will more than likely try to get a friend's band on the bill. often times these friends are really "friends" but just nice guys i have met along the west indian girl way. this simple fact usually lands them the support slot. so does it pay to be friendly? the answer is always yes.

Tips & Warnings

• Be real and be real cool ... but be real while you're being cool
• See shows - see lots of them
• It all starts locally
• Shows cost money - always try to get on the guest list
• Don't burn any bridges