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What are the biggest mistakes that young bands make? [Answered by the EIY Panel of Experts!]

By Sarah Saturday
Posted Oct 20th, 2008 in EIY Gods

This question was submitted to the 'gods' by the band No One’s Hero:

Q: I would like to know, in your expert opinion, the biggest mistakes you see young bands make.

Because this was such a good question with so many possible answers, we not only answered the question ourselves but we also reached out to our Panel of Experts so that we could cover as broad a spectrum as possible. If this doesn't accomplish that task, I don't know what would!

Enjoy!

1: They treat the singing as if it were an afterthought. It's cool that you can shred on the guitar or that you have a gnarly drummer, but 99% of what people will always remember about a band is its singer. The singer doesn't have to be able to sing, but they do need to be able to do whatever it is they do (scream, grunt, moan, yell) well. They are the person that the audience remembers, and the vocals are what most fans listen for, no matter how much the rest of the band rocks. My wife can rarely identify a melody, but tell her 5 words from any song every written and she'll identify it. Too many bands write the songs and then mumble bashfully away from the mic while performing. No-one remembers them. Even bashful mumbling can be done well - witness Pulp. Practice vocals like you would guitar, bass or drums, only more.

2: They are indifferent or mean to their fans. I went to see some band at Thee Parkside the other day. I forget what they're called. Why? I mean, they were moderately OK punk-n-roll, but the band members were clearly dicks. They whined about the sound (never do that on stage), they made lame jokes at the expense of the kids who were there to see them and they behaved like prima-donnas in front of everyone. Boring. The people who love your music might seem like drop-out losers to you, but they like your music and you were a drop-out loser too. Be nice to them, be nice to anyone you can. If you're a jerk, no-one will like your band. (yes, there are always some exceptions, but forget it, it's not going to work for you.)

3: They think touring doesn't matter. If you don't play shows, no-one will hear your music. It's simple.

4: They jump at the chance to be on a big label without figuring out what the label's going to do for them. My old roommate was in a band called the Nerve Agents that were pretty popular a while ago. I don't remember the label they were on, but It was well-known. The label, however, did no tour support for them. So they went on the road, played shows to 300-500 people a night and had nothing to sell them, since the label wouldn't give them CDs. They would have made thousands of dollars more had they had merch with them. Just because a label is well-known, it doesn't mean it's a good deal.

-- Ernst Schoen-Rene, EarnItYourself.com

1. Not taking the time to learn about music. Learn the history, learn the theory, learn about chord structures, learn about harmony.

2. Not practicing enough.

3. Trying too hard to rip off other people’s styles instead of taking the time to find their own, to talk about what they want their sound to be, to figure out what will set them apart musically.

4. Forgetting about the music and focusing on getting rich and famous. Once it's about anything else but creating art that you love, it becomes something else entirely -- something void of meaning, value, or importance.

5. Lacking humility.

-- Sarah Saturday, EarnItYourself.com

Bands get way too excited about themselves. So you got together and wrote eight competent songs, and have a show or two booked -- that's great. But really, now is not the time to record a whole album and get on the road. Slow down and focus more on what you're doing. What makes your music unique? What will people get out of going to your show? Too many bands stick in the mindset that if they just get a chance to play in front a giant audience, they'll make it - while not focusing on the fact that their small audience isn't increasing. Work on the show and the songs.

-- Wyatt Glodell, EarnItYourself.com

Spending too much time and energy looking outward for their progress. You should spend less time pestering the world with your demos, spamming up Myspace, etc., and more time developing your art. Write better and better songs. If you're totally great and truly make the world a better place through your music and message, the rest should fall into place. Dig deep, write better songs. The stuff inside your heart is original and a masterpiece. Don't follow, do something original. Inside you is always original, write from there.

-- Bryan Kienlen, the Bouncing Souls

They forget to spend as much time as possible making sure their website is completely up to date and has all the tools (video, blogs, etc) a fan could ever want. Too often, bands focus their attention on their Myspace page -- which can crash AND has banner ads all over it -- and ignore the fact that they can have a great site for less than $2K. The site needs to be the epicenter for the band AND the fans, and if you neglect that, you are shooting yourself in the foot.

-- Jeff Watson, VP Online Marketing - Warner Bros Records

Too many young bands are ready to take over the world from day one by going on tour. The enthusiasm is great but touring should be a well-thought-out plan with some kind of marketing in place leading up to the tour dates. Going from club to club for the sake of touring is a waste of money and time. There are too many bands out there now to just show up and play. Touring becomes much more meaningful with a strategic marketing plan in place.

-- Kyle Wilensky, Booking Agent, Creative Artists Agency

Easy... Girls’ jeans, eyeliner, and wearin’ you hair backwards.

-- Chris Gaylor, All-American Rejects

Spending too much time (and money) trying to making their first album the 'World's Best Album. Ever.' While it's important to always make the best recording you can, don't get caught up in making every detail about your first release perfect. I meet a lot of young bands that regret how much they spent their first time in the studio - and still have a stack of unsold albums in their garage.

Instead of obsessing over details, concentrate on getting your first record finished. You can then go back to the studio knowing what you want and what you are capable of for your second album. Every record you make will have things you want to change later on. The important thing is getting the first one on the streets and out of your head, so you can make the next one better.

-- Beau Sorenson, Engineer and Producer (Smart Studios, BeauNoise.com)

Immediately getting a tour bus. I think young bands just starting out should be saving that advance money and suffer a little longer in a van/trailer.

Using tour buses are getting more expensive by the day and it’s best to try and save money during this hectic financial time when you can.

-- Melissa Sabo, @ Red Light Management (Manager of The Photo Atlas; Day-to-day manager for Underoath, The Almost, Say Anything)

The biggest mistake I see from bands these days is that they rely on sites like Myspace and Facebook to get fans. When I started in the business it was all about making fliers and handing them out at shows that were similar or to people who shared interest in what I was doing. That, and just plain word of mouth. There was no creating digital fliers and spamming the shit out of people. When you put more effort into it, the pay-off is considerably better and you will feel more accomplished.

-- Tyler Billings, Talent Buyer - Flint Local 432, Owner - Vehicle City Booking

The biggest mistake you can make as a young band is starting to worry about managers and labels and agents all before the time is right. Especially managers. We've been rocking for 11 earth years, and we still don't have a manager. We've gone all over the world and back, and have put out four records, and have toured with giant bands, all without the need of a manager. I'm not saying that we'll never get one -- hell, I think we could probably use one right now -- but the point is, you wanna create and let the band form on its own, and stand on its own, and decide what's best for you (the band) before you let go of the reins. I've seen many managers fuck everything up for bands, because they speak for what "they" think the bands wants or should do, rather than the other way around. I don't want anyone speaking on my behalf unless I'm 100% positive that they (the manager) and we (the band) are not only on the same page, but on the same paragraph, and even the same word. As ol' Jack Black said, "Focus on your craft." All that other stuff will fall into place.

-- Valient Himself, Valient Thorr

1) Believing in Magic. In a time when part of the success of your favorite chart-topping band undoubtedly includes a fairytale-esque story of chance meetings in high school hallways and accidental fateful crossings with destiny in major label mailrooms, it's difficult to not fall victim to believing in magic. The real deal is, 99% of this stuff is completely contrived for the sake of salvaging some sort of credibility by bands who were put together in the spirit of the Backstreet Boys from the start.

Part of avoiding this mistake is making an early decision to be a band that develops as a natural progression with grassroots tactics and realistic expectations, versus one that has a lawyer, producer, manager, and label before they ever play a single show. Most likely, if you were interested in the latter, you wouldn't be here reading this.

The issue comes down to this: You can't replace hard work with hopeful thinking, Mr. Harry Potter band. You must be RELENTLESS about what you do and not get caught up in expectations or offers that rely on mystical mania rather than assholes and elbow grease.

2) Pandering to the Industry. Don't waste time trying to convince people in the "music industry" that your band is deserving of their attention. You don't need a booking agent, manager, etc to validate your band or do things for you that you can do yourself for free. In case you haven't noticed recently, the music industry is a sinking ship.

The bigger the label, the slower the thinking. It is today's new ideas and tactics of creative and forward thinking bands such as yours which are born from necessity that become the standard thinking of the 'industry' tomorrow.

The most priceless thing you can possess as a band is a kid that wants to come see you play. No amount of money in print ads in Alternative Press or a big time producer can guarantee you that. If your goal is to put the listener of your band at the forefront of your attention, you will create life long fans, and eventually, when you have enough kids on your side, your band will grow to the point that booking agents, managers, record labels, etc., will be coming to you.

3) Blurred Vision. The worst thing you can do as a young band is to not have a thoughtful plan for your sound and concept. I read a quote in an interview with Death From Above 1979 where they said something along the lines of, "If you were a painter and showed me a painting that looked like a cross between Picasso and Van Gogh, I wouldn't think you were much of a painter... But people do that with bands all the time."

If you start a band that sounds like Taking Back Sunday meets Fall Out Boy, I can promise you that you will fail. A friend of mine owns a studio where he records hundreds of bands. When the first Korn record was popular, he spent the next four years recording bands that sounded like Korn everyday. I spoke to him about 2 years ago and he said he had been recording bands ever since that sound like Taking Back Sunday. The best way I can put it is: Once you've seen the wagon, it's already passed.

Part of what is awesome about playing music and being an artist in that sense is the opportunity to do something new, interesting, and challenging that is as unique and special as you are as an individual. If you are not doing that, what is the point?

Take the time to find your vision, your voice, and your sound. Of course everyone has their influences, but there is a fine line between being influenced by your favorite band versus being overly derivative. That is boring and lazy.

4) Touring. Now that no one buys records anymore, reads magazines, or has more taste than I have in my penis, the rumor is that the only way to get your band noticed is by touring. While I strongly believe that touring is one of the MOST important things your band must do, one of the biggest mistakes I have made in The A.K.A.s is not recognizing the difference between touring hard and touring smart.

We've played almost 600 shows. People know we are always on the road, so they ask me my advice, or how they can get a booking agent, etc. I always tell them these 3 steps, and I whole-heartedly believe in them:

-- Concentrate on having a strong hometown draw. This should be easy since this is where you live, know the most people, and know where people hang out and where to promote. Once you draw people in your hometown, you have something to bring to the table that is better than currency.

-- Trade Shows. Discover like-minded bands in your regional area who have a similar desire to reach beyond their hometown, but have a strong draw in their respective home and offer to trade shows with them. Make new friends and new fans and get stoked.

-- Spread the disease. Use this tactic to piece together short strings of strong shows. Work your way from one-offs to 3 day weekends to a 10 day run. Believe me, it's much better for band morale and your band's growth to do a shorter amount of stronger shows than to try booking a 5 week full US backbreaker, not to mention your bank account. Breaking down 2000 miles away from home after a week of cancelled shows or shows in front of zero kids will make your band break up before it's time.

5) No Patience. Growing your band takes time, so be patient. It's very easy to become discouraged, especially when so many new bands pop up on Myspace every second: hence, the relentlessness I mentioned earlier. In this modern age of technology and hi-speed everything, it is difficult to not get caught up in the desire for immediate gratification, but most of the time this just leads to you being frustrated and jaded.

6) Money Matters. This is important, because it entails a little bit of all the other issues I mentioned. Obviously, there are two kinds of bands: (1) the ones who do a band specifically to make money, and (2) those who do it because they love it. On the other hand, there will eventually come a time where you can't afford to lose thousands of dollars doing what you love. To avoid this, be wise with what you spend money on.

Find ways to keep your costs down. For example, we in The A.K.A.s print all of our own merchandise. It is a pain in the ass and we all complain about it, but when it comes down to it, this is one of the main reasons why we have afforded to remain a band. It's simple math. I happened to work at a screen printing shop when I was in high school, so I know how to do it. Combine all the talents (musical and non-musical) that your band possesses and put them to work to save money!

Don't hire a tour manager on your first tour, or pay someone 250 bucks a week to do merch, or have a guitar tech when you don't need one. If you don't have a loser friend with no job who would do it for free, then we aren't from the same planet.

A perfect example that I can cite is a band called 'Kelsey and The Chaos'. They recently took out two full page ads in Alternative Press citing all the things they've done and asking for a label to sign them. Full page ads in AP cost like $2500 each. They could have taken that $5000.00 and recorded an amazing sounding full length record and had money left over to put it out themselves. No disrespect meant to the band at all, but it doesn't make much sense to me.

7) Don't be the Easter Bunny. It is a bummer to see bands put all their eggs in one basket. I've read a million bios of new bands that claim they are the future of music, the next big thing, with hooks and blah blah blah.

You need to tell a true story, and the truth is, most people in bands (unless they are independently wealthy) have other things they do to afford being in a band. Develop these interests along with your band and find ways to bring them together to move you forward as an person and a band. Stay fluid, yo.

8) Don't take my advice. I once read that you should make a list of the people you respect and meet them in real life to have them as a mentor. The most eye-opening things I've learned through playing music were told to me from people I look up to. One of the best words of advice I've gotten is from Vinnie Fiorello from Less Than Jake, a band that I respect and has endured all trends and fads to remain a successful band for years.

Vinnie said, "People work 40 hours a week at Taco Bell or jobs they don't give a fuck about, but they aren't willing to work a couple hours a day for something they love. Set aside an hour or two every day to work on your band."

My version of this statement is, "Consider everything you do to be an investment in your band that will make itself apparent six months from now. For every 100 emails you send, you may only get one response, but those 99 are necessary to get that one response."

-- Mike Ski, The A.K.A.s

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