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Post by Orange on Aug 9, 2010 18:36:10 GMT -5
I've been reading a lot about getting a first gig on the internet, and a lot of the info says that club/venue owners like to have past reviews of other gigs. So obviously if this is a first gig, how do you go about getting a gig without any past reviews?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2010 18:35:55 GMT -5
Are you in a band?
Play for free.
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Post by Orange on Aug 9, 2010 18:39:18 GMT -5
Are you in a band? Play for free. Hey your post is above mine  ;D  Yeah I'm in a rock band, and I have no problem at all with playing for free, but I don't know how to get a first gig in the first place. I guess a demo would be helpful. |
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Post by Gerard Gerard on Aug 9, 2010 18:41:11 GMT -5
I've been reading a lot about getting a first gig on the internet, and a lot of the info says that club/venue owners like to have past reviews of other gigs. So obviously if this is a first gig, how do you go about getting a gig without any past reviews? Well, obviously, you're gonna have to lie like you've never lied before. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 9, 2010 18:50:08 GMT -5
Are you in a band? Play for free. Hey your post is above mine ;D Yeah I'm in a rock band, and I have no problem at all with playing for free, but I don't know how to get a first gig in the first place. I guess a demo would be helpful. Yeah I have no idea how that happened. Having a demo goes a long way. But if you just want to play you should enter "Battle of the Bands" and also just play at open nights. Check out the bar scene, if you have one. There's got to be a bar-owner who'd be willing to let you play for free some night. |
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TuneinTokyo
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The Mountain from Stone Mountain
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Post by TuneinTokyo on Aug 9, 2010 20:13:58 GMT -5
Open mics
demos - these days they can be made cheap.
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Post by Red Impact on Aug 9, 2010 20:39:42 GMT -5
If the club wants reviews, you're just not looking for sleazy enough places.
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Post by RedSmile on Aug 9, 2010 20:44:03 GMT -5
Open mics demos - these days they can be made cheap. Ding Ding Ding. Play in basements, garages, backyards, etc... Gotta pay your dues. |
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AFN: Judge Shred
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
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Post by AFN: Judge Shred on Aug 9, 2010 21:00:23 GMT -5
I was the guy who gave many bands (a few hundred most likely) their first chance.
Show up to venues and hand out demos, but don't just loiter, pay to get in then hand out stuff as people leave. It shows you are trying to get known. Talk to people at the venue and the bands and kids, make friends, make them want to see you, make bands want to play with you.
Be nice, be considerate. And be available to fill in on no notice.
Try and find basement shows or DIY shows. Do not expect a bar to give you a gig straight off, nor a venue over 200 capacity. Don't be an ass. Answer emails and calls promptly. Pick one person to be the spokesman and communicator.
I spent 8 years as a promoter, I gave lots of bands chances no one else would, because I wanted to foster the local scene and wanted to help them grow. Don't expect to find many like me. They are out there, but few and far between.
Where are you guys from?
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Post by Orange on Aug 9, 2010 21:15:43 GMT -5
I was the guy who gave many bands (a few hundred most likely) their first chance. Show up to venues and hand out demos, but don't just loiter, pay to get in then hand out stuff as people leave. It shows you are trying to get known. Talk to people at the venue and the bands and kids, make friends, make them want to see you, make bands want to play with you. Be nice, be considerate. And be available to fill in on no notice. Try and find basement shows or DIY shows. Do not expect a bar to give you a gig straight off, nor a venue over 200 capacity. Don't be an ass. Answer emails and calls promptly. Pick one person to be the spokesman and communicator. I spent 8 years as a promoter, I gave lots of bands chances no one else would, because I wanted to foster the local scene and wanted to help them grow. Don't expect to find many like me. They are out there, but few and far between. Where are you guys from? Wow solid advice, thank you very much. Since you have experience do demos have to be top-notch to get listened to? Like, obviously they can't be awful quality but is there an unwritten rule on demo sound quality? Colorado, but outside of Denver there's not a huge music scene, which I guess you could use to your advantage. Seriously some towns here have cover bands and that's it, it'd be nice to see a big local scene but there's not much. |
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AFN: Judge Shred
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Post by AFN: Judge Shred on Aug 9, 2010 21:59:46 GMT -5
You're very welcome. It has always been a goal of mine to help bands be prepared, and hopefully thrive even some pretty terrible ones(they break up, but the guys who really learned stuff start new bands and do way better, sometimes your first band still has training wheels).
Most smart promoters can listen to a demo for intent and not what is delivered. It can sound really rough as long as the music is played well. Just don't record off a boombox mic or anything like that.
I bet you aren't far from some one with a home studio who'd do it cheap, or a college kid who is in audio visual production who needs a project.
Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins all have pretty good scenes, or did last I checked.
Check out:
BYOFL.org
eventful.com
reverbnation.com
Make profiles. Make a myspace, facebook, and every other social site you can think of.
Check newspapers for events as well. You may not get on one, but you may learn who to ask.
There is likely more going on in your scene than you even know. I basically was our scene and stuff would sneak up on me.
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AFN: Judge Shred
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Post by AFN: Judge Shred on Aug 9, 2010 22:02:06 GMT -5
Oh, and for demos. no less than 3 songs, no more than 6. Arrange them so your catchiest song is first. If you don't know your best song, play the songs for like 10 people and ask them to rank them. Highest ranked is your best as far as catching ears goes.
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Post by Orange on Aug 9, 2010 22:52:26 GMT -5
You're very welcome. It has always been a goal of mine to help bands be prepared, and hopefully thrive even some pretty terrible ones(they break up, but the guys who really learned stuff start new bands and do way better, sometimes your first band still has training wheels). Most smart promoters can listen to a demo for intent and not what is delivered. It can sound really rough as long as the music is played well. Just don't record off a boombox mic or anything like that. I bet you aren't far from some one with a home studio who'd do it cheap, or a college kid who is in audio visual production who needs a project. Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins all have pretty good scenes, or did last I checked. Check out: BYOFL.org eventful.com reverbnation.com Make profiles. Make a myspace, facebook, and every other social site you can think of. Check newspapers for events as well. You may not get on one, but you may learn who to ask. There is likely more going on in your scene than you even know. I basically was our scene and stuff would sneak up on me. Awesome, again thank you very much. I hadn't even thought about a college audio student, that's something I'll have to check out. It's also nice to see other cities besides Denver have a good scene, and honestly I'll play any gig that comes our way. I just want to play live, music is something that I love  EDIT - Thanks for the demo advice as well, I've also heard that including like a photo and all that is important, is that something I should do as well? I would think so just so they know what they're booking. |
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AFN: Judge Shred
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Wanted to change his doohicky.
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Post by AFN: Judge Shred on Aug 10, 2010 0:10:25 GMT -5
You're very welcome. It has always been a goal of mine to help bands be prepared, and hopefully thrive even some pretty terrible ones(they break up, but the guys who really learned stuff start new bands and do way better, sometimes your first band still has training wheels). Most smart promoters can listen to a demo for intent and not what is delivered. It can sound really rough as long as the music is played well. Just don't record off a boombox mic or anything like that. I bet you aren't far from some one with a home studio who'd do it cheap, or a college kid who is in audio visual production who needs a project. Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins all have pretty good scenes, or did last I checked. Check out: BYOFL.org eventful.com reverbnation.com Make profiles. Make a myspace, facebook, and every other social site you can think of. Check newspapers for events as well. You may not get on one, but you may learn who to ask. There is likely more going on in your scene than you even know. I basically was our scene and stuff would sneak up on me. Awesome, again thank you very much. I hadn't even thought about a college audio student, that's something I'll have to check out. It's also nice to see other cities besides Denver have a good scene, and honestly I'll play any gig that comes our way. I just want to play live, music is something that I love EDIT - Thanks for the demo advice as well, I've also heard that including like a photo and all that is important, is that something I should do as well? I would think so just so they know what they're booking. Lots of places want an 8x10. I never really cared much. I would rather go to a site and find out what a band looks like and save some paper and money for the band. I have a ton of glossies I should have just thrown away, but I may still have a Fallout Boy one from when they first started, I need to check that out. |
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Post by El Hijo del Havoc on Aug 10, 2010 4:06:05 GMT -5
What about soundwise? Do most promoters look for what sounds good today, what sounds similar to another band, or something that sounds completely different?
I'm looking to start a band thats mostly Primus with alittle bit of Wolfmother. Would that draw some attention?
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Post by TromboneMan on Aug 10, 2010 9:03:29 GMT -5
A demo would help. Around where I live there are good handful of venues who are always looking for young bands to play, so you just gotta suss out where they are. Bottom line, it doesn't matter how many gigs you've played in the past, or how experienced you are, but just that you can convince the venue that you can bring a good number of people to fill the place. This is where friends and family can really come in to help, at least for the first few gigs.
Sound-wise it doesn't really matter what you play, as there will always always be different venues suited towards different sounds. It's just a matter of going out there to other gigs and finding similar sounds and areas where different styles are appreciated more.
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@TenaciousBe
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Post by @TenaciousBe on Aug 11, 2010 0:45:59 GMT -5
My band has been together for nearly 4 years, and we still have yet to play any "real" first gig, other than this band shell thing at the city park (which we're playing again this Saturday - EXCITE). That's mostly due to having dipshit bass players who were dragging their feet, so we're now moving forward as a 3 piece. Though just this summer we've finally started getting some notice and recognition. My advice -- find some other bands to hook up with. If there's no scene there, create one. If you can take a pre-formed 3 or 4 band bill to a bar/club owner, it significantly cuts down on the work they would have to do and I would assume makes it more likely to get the ball rolling. I agree on the online social networking as well -- we have a URL (http://www.wikkedforever.com) that just points to a portal page, with a reverbnation player and links to Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Youtube, and back to the Reverbnation profile. There are a ton of tools out there to make your band look far more advanced than you probably are -- works for us anyway!  |
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default
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Post by default on Aug 11, 2010 0:48:24 GMT -5
Call bars.
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;D 
