Networking for Musicians and Bands

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

Sound and Recording - blogment -
National News wire - The Infinite Echo

Networking. Some bands are good at it, some are not. Some musicians understand how important it is, others don't. Frankly, some people, musicians included, are simply too concerned about they're own egos to do the right thing. What is the "right thing"? working together, of course! Networking, so to speak.

Don't be afraid to get involved. After all, it's your career, and your opportunity to shine. Far too many young musicians believe the club scene is some kind of dog eat dog' scenario, but it doesn't need to be that way.



Nowhere has the pressure been greater or the egos larger than on the Sunset strip in Hollywood during the Big Hair' era. Still, my band, based in Phoenix nearly four hundred miles eastward, played alongside Guns & Roses, Poison, and other future legends without getting sucked down by personal egos. We were always supportive of the bands on the scene, and it paid off for us in big ways. One should not think of music as a competition.

Of course, there are numerous ways to be helpful and self serving at the same time whether it be creating and distributing fliers for the next gig or maintaining a website. Cooperation, as well as determination, are tantamount to any bands' success.

This reasoning applies onstage as well. I often urge my band-mates to help the other bands strike the stage, for example. After all, the sooner the stage is clear, the sooner my band can set up. Doesn't this just make good sense?

Ultimately it's up to you, but having personally booked literally hundreds of gigs at dozens of clubs, I can assure you that a band with a bad reputation is far less apt to be offered the choice gigs, no matter how cool they may think they are. On the other hand, if you can't network on the local level, what ever gives you the idea you'll be ready to work with the big boys?

So get out there and get it done! Making excuses is not going to get you where you want to go in this industry or any other. Don't be shy to show your meddle and remember, networking is your friend. Now that's what I call sound reasoning'.

B. Thomas Cooper - Editor

Sound and Recording - Sound Foundation - National Newswire - The Infinite Echo - Impeachment Now! - Skate the Razor -
Skate the Razor Blog - blogment

Networking With Other Musicians

Sound and Recording
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor


Networking. Some bands are good at it, some are not. Some musicians understand how important it is, others don't. Frankly, some people, musicians included, are simply too concerned about they're own egos to do the right thing. What is the "right thing"? working together, of course! Networking, so to speak.

Don't be afraid to get involved. After all, it's your career, and your opportunity to shine. Far too many young musicians believe the club scene is some kind of dog eat dog' scenario, but it doesn't need to be that way.

Nowhere has the pressure been greater or the egos larger than on the Sunset strip in Hollywood during the Big Hair' era. Still, my band, based in Phoenix nearly four hundred miles eastward, played alongside Guns & Roses, Poison, and other future legends without getting sucked down by personal egos. We were always supportive of the bands on the scene, and it paid off for us in big ways. One should not think of music as a competition.

Of course, there are numerous ways to be helpful and self serving at the same time whether it be creating and distributing fliers for the next gig or maintaining a website. Cooperation, as well as determination, are tantamount to any bands' success.

This reasoning applies onstage as well. I often urge my band-mates to help the other bands strike the stage, for example. After all, the sooner the stage is clear, the sooner my band can set up. Doesn't this just make good sense?

Ultimately it's up to you, but having personally booked literally hundreds of gigs at dozens of clubs, I can assure you that a band with a bad reputation is far less apt to be offered the choice gigs, no matter how cool they may think they are. On the other hand, if you can't network on the local level, what ever gives you the idea you'll be ready to work with the big boys?

So get out there and get it done! Making excuses is not going to get you where you want to go in this industry or any other. Don't be shy to show your meddle and remember, networking is your friend. Now that's what I call sound reasoning'.

S&R Band Review: Judas Priest

Sound and Recording
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor

Judas Priest, influential Heavy Metal band, formed in Birmingham England in 1968, and has gone on to release dozens of successful singles, and selling over 35 million albums over a career lasting four decades.

Originally formed by guitarist K.K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill, the band found worldwide success with vocalist Rob Halford and fellow guitarist Glen Tipton. Of course, after forty years together, the band has experienced more than it's share of ups and downs, and famous ego clashes. Still the band continues to tour and record together, with Scott Travis, formerly of Racer X on drums. Their newest CD, Angel of Retribution, was released in 2005, and the boys are currently in the studio working on a follow up.

Judas Priest may not be the household name it once was, but the band continues to defy expectations, proving their meddle time and again. Indeed, this legendary band has earned it's wings and it's throngs of loyal fans. Judas Priest is not for everyone, but then, they have never tried to be. After forty years at the top of their genre, these guys having nothing to prove, but to themselves.



Sound Foundation Entertainment - blogment - National Newswire - The Infinite Echo - Sound & Recording - Impeachment Now! - Skate the Razor - Skate the Razor Blog

S&R Band Review - Muse, Music for Butterflies & Hurricanes

Sound and Recording
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor

Music for Butterflies & Hurricanes. A simple song title or perhaps something more profound? Muse is infinitely smarter than their name implies, churning out complex, oddly mutated old school' Hard Rock from somewhere beyond the fringes.

This three piece juggernaut springs from the minds of guitarist and vocalist Matthew Bellamy, bass player Chris Wolstenholme, and drummer, Dominic Howard, and has released four discs, including their highly successful 2006 release Black Holes and Revelations, featuring the singles, Knights of Cydonia and Supermassive Black Hole.

Indeed, Muse might just be the best UK band you've never heard of. Matthew Bellamy, who also plays keyboards, provides the song-craft, and it's all top shelf. Concise melodies and beautiful fretwork are abundant throughout the bands catalog of catchy tunes. Although the boys continues to chart an impressive growth curve, they have yet to make any appreciable impact across the pond

Over here in the states, bands like Muse are a rare commodity. Modern Rock radio is in dire straights, struggling to gain a foothold in a changing environment. As a result, sometimes great songs get lost in a machine fueled by desperation. Fortunately, Muse has managed to pop its head above that super massive black hole we call radio, and when it happens, we rush to bask in their radiance.

So say what you will, sayer of things naysayers say. Muse has captured my heart and my imagination. The more I listen, the more captivated I become. It goes beyond explanation, really. A sickness, perhaps? Some kind of hysteria, like say Stockholm syndrome? It's always possible, I suppose. After all, I'm just following the muse.

Brad

Sound Foundation Entertainment - blogment -

National Newswire - The Infinite Echo

Diamond Dave vs. Elvis Costello, Once More for the Glory Days

Sound and Recording
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor


The more things change, the more they stay the same. The year is 2007, but it sure feels like 1984. Why you ask? Well for one thing, I’m writing about David Lee Roth and his nemesis Elvis Costello in the same article.

I believe it was none other than David Lee Roth who once stated: "Rock critics like Elvis Costello because they look like Elvis Costello." David whom, you ask? My reply is, precisely. You see, it was also DLR who famously remarked: "Here today, gone later on today."

Perhaps both statements bear merit, with one distinction. David Lee Roth is a goner, and the rock critics are still writing about Elvis Costello, albeit, he's no longer this years model. True, David has rejoined the Van Halen brothers for an up-coming-reunion tour, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. We’ve all been down that road before, and it’s barricaded. Elvis, on the other hand, never really went away, releasing new music every year or so.

Elvis was born Declan Patrick MacManus on August 25th, 1954 in London England. A gifted songwriter, his quirky demeanor was quickly embraced by the early British punk movement. Costello's first album, My Aim is True' was released early summer of 1977. The album cover featured the now infamous photo of Elvis looking like Buddy Holly. The album spawned two classic singles in America, Alison, and the haunting Watching the Detectives'.

Elvis Costello has often been credited with possessing a virtual encyclopedia of songwriting ability. Three decades and countless releases into his career, critics still write about Elvis because he continues to be relevant in an irrelevant arena. Indeed, his contemporaries are mostly gone, with few exceptions. Elvis adapted to a career as an outsider years ago, and has come to represent the ultimate survivor. He is perhaps the most diverse and prolific songwriter of his generation.

Elvis Costello is currently touring Europe in support of his latest CD, Almost Blue', but don't shell out your hard earned cash expecting to see that skinny, knock-kneed kid from the seventies. Elvis has matured, as has his music. He has redefined the accepted parameters of Rock and Roll and contemporary songwriting. Yes, Elvis Costello still resembles a record critic. An old, balding, bearded critic perhaps, but is that really so bad? Long live Elvis Costello, always more jester than king.

As for Diamond Dave, the jury is out. It’s an uphill climb for David and the boys, and frankly, I’m just not convinced Roth can get a grip. I'm afraid that ship has sailed for the last time, and is currently taking on water at an alarming rate. My advice: abandon ship. Women and children first, of course.

The Legacy of Woody Guthrie

Sound and Recording
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor

Editors Note:
This is the second of a series of articles about Bluegrass and American folk music I prepared for Helium.com I hope you find it interesting.


The legacy of Woody Guthrie is indeed a measure of the man himself. During his brief but extraordinary life, Guthrie changed America. Guthrie was more than just another American folk singer. He lived the American dream and lived it to the fullest.

Born Woodrow Wilson Guthrie on July 14th, 1912, this gifted young musician was profoundly effected by the Great Depression' and the Dust Bowl both which he experienced first hand. His vast body of work encompasses literally hundreds of songs, including children's songs, traditional folk, patriotic songs and songs for traveling the trains, which Guthrie often did. Woody even once referred to himself as "The Great Historical Bum". His guitar, his instrument of choice, often displayed the words: "This Machine Kills Fascists."

Woody's interest in music began as a child. His father, a cowboy himself, taught young Woody Irish and traditional western folk songs. His mother, also a musician, was equally influential. Today, Woody Guthrie is probably best known for his inspirational anthem, This Land Is Your Land', but his list of achievements goes on and on. Jobs included stints as a painter, radio show host, fruit picker and even sailor, but folk music was always at the heart of his endeavors.

On October 3rd, 1967 Woody Guthrie succumbed to the ravages of Huntington's disease. He was 55 years old.

Woody Guthrie didn't just sing about America. He savored the broth of this great country as few others have. He demonstrated a love and loyalty to his country in an unforgettable manner, openly sharing his passion. Woody Guthrie is more than just another American folk music Icon. He is a true American hero.

Banding Together - Networking With Other Bands

Sound and Recording
B. Thomas Cooper
Editor


Some bands are good at it, some are not. Some musicians understand how important it is, others don’t. Frankly, some people are simply too concerned about they’re own egos to do the right thing. What is the “right thing”?. Banding together, of course! Networking, so to speak.

Far too many young musicians think the club scene is some kind of ‘dog eat dog’ scenario, but it doesn’t need to be that way. Nowhere has the pressure been greater than on the Sunset strip in Hollywood during the ‘Big Hair’ era, and yet my band, based in Phoenix nearly four hundred miles eastward, played alongside Guns & Roses, Poison, and other future legends without getting sucked down by personal egos. We were always supportive of the bands on the scene, and it paid off for us in big ways.

Of course, there are ways to be helpful and self serving at the same time. I would urge my guys to help the other bands strike the stage, for example. After all, the sooner the stage is clear, the sooner my band can set up. Doesn’t this just make good sense?

Ultimately it’s up to you, but having personally booked literally hundreds of gigs at dozens of clubs, I can assure you that a band with a bad reputation is far less apt to be offered the choice gigs, no matter how cool they may think they are. On the other hand, if you can’t network on the local level, what ever gives you the idea you’ll be ready to work with the big boys?

Get out there and get it done! Making excuses is not going to get you where you want to go. Don’t be shy to show your meddle and remember, networking is your friend. Now that’s what I call ‘sound reasoning’.