As a local musician I would like to discuss some of the many things that go into playing at that run down juke joint, or up scale night club. Though the fans may see us as easy going musicians with a laid back lifestyle and a knack for pleasing the crowd, theres actually a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into performing regularly. Local musicians all face one main obstacle, balancing countless hours spent writing and practicing, with playing gigs that may hardly pay for you bar tab at the end of the night. Some bands get luckier than others and some bands work incredibly hard to become what they aspire to be. But none the less, it's not as easy as some people make it seem. We have to deal with booking agents and bar owners (some better than others), bad sound guys (its inevitable), drunken fans, bad pay, bad rehearsals, terrible work hours, and a constantly shifting schedule. And if thats not enough to break you, try pouring your heart and soul into a song, practicing it for hours and then walking up on stage and TOTALLY BOMBING IT! Every great musician has done it... most call it "paying your dues" and some pay all the dues they can afford until they eventually give up. But for those that stay with it, and hear each second of screeching feedback as an opportunity to get better, they will most likely reach their goal. Breaking big is one thing, but simply playing and performing for others, seeing those feet start a tappin' and those heads start a bobbin', when people you've never seen before are mouthing the lyrics to your songs... thats the bee's knees! It's those instances in time when the lights are shining down and the band is really grooving that get most local musicians going. And most of us just keep coming back for more. Jumping those obstacles and still putting on a good show is what it's all about, and in my opinion, artist like this need to be celebrated. SO lets check some out:
Two bands I've previously mentioned in my blog are Hazy Ray (New Orleans) and GIVERS (Lafayette)... check these bands out. THEY KNOW WHATS UP!
Two Baton Rouge based bands I've really been into lately are Minos The Saint and Levee Daze
A few more to check out...
Alexandra McCullough is and LSU alum now based out of Shreveport.
And last but not least WILCO.... every local band has a group to look up to and I think WILCO is a good place to start... They are basically the epitome of a local band gone big! They were just a few guys playing around Chicago when eventually they got noticed, but in the midst of recording their album the record label decided to drop them, leaving them with all the rights to the album. After selling it online for a while they eventually signed again with a new label and grew ever so popular. Oddly enough that first album they recorded, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, still remains to be their most popular album; showing just how unstable and unpredictable the music industry can be!
Check it...
No comments:
Post a Comment