Burn, Burn, Burn

In a time of advanced computer technology, most of us have access to a CD burner. Although many still routinely purchase albums from record stores, many more have turned to their computers to make their own discs. Using common software, one can make their own mix CDs or make exact copies of any record in a collection.

For Conscender, however, the CD burner has become an item associated with painstakingly mundane work that now occupies a large portion of their practice time. After recently recording a three track demo, the band is now in the process of producing hundreds of copies for distribution to fans and for their press kit that will be sent to record labels.

Armed with an older model Sony desktop computer and a stack of blank discs, the band’s members repeatedly load each CD and click the burn button in the browser of Windows Media Player. As each new copy emerges warm from the hard drive, a designated member slaps on a printed circular sticker label that contains band info and slides it into a paper CD envelope. These envelopes are loaded into a cardboard box to be taken to shows and handed out to anyone who will take one.

Conscender hopes that the demos will help expand their fan base and gain some label attention. By self producing the CDs and circulating them free of cost, the band hopes that people will be willing to listen to their music and attend their shows. By not relying on Oasis Manufacturing (the same company that pressed their previous 2 records), Conscender will try to preserve the band bank account to pay for other needs such as equipment, merchandise, and gas for traveling.

Pressing at Oasis typically runs around $1,400 for 1,000 jewel case CDs with 4 panel inserts. On the contrary, the band can purchase blank discs for around $35 per hundred and completely cut out labor costs. The labels are also printed by the band and are relatively inexpensive.

A band with a deal would have no such struggle to get their music out. The label would take responsibility for all manufacturing and distribution and also front all the cost to be later recouped through sales. Until the day comes that Conscender sees such a contract, they will go on and continue their assembly line until the computer's burner is burned out.

We're Rolling

When music fans purchase a new CD, they rarely think what went into creating the 45 minutes that will soon blare over their speaker system. Most of us think that the band just went in the studio, played their parts, and walked out with the next chart-topping album. This impression is most often completely wrong, and nowhere is it more apparent then in the studio with an independent band.

I had the chance to spend four days in Pus Cavern, a professional studio in Sacramento, California with the metal band Conscender. During my stay I realized that there are many factors that go into producing a record, and not all of them are pretty. There are struggles for creative control, performance mistakes, and the realization that certain parts simply don’t sound as well recorded as they do live.

Everything started well as the band tracked the drums, bass, and rhythm guitars on day one. There were few problems and little time wasted, except for the hour and a half it took for set up. There were a few small mistakes, but they were quickly remedied by the computer.
On the second day, however, the band really began to find out what parts of songs worked and which ones did not. Time was consumed listening back over newly recorded parts and trying new licks to spice up the tracks. There were many disagreements over what sounded right in which part, but for the most part members were willing to listen to each other’s criticisms.

After two nights of sleeping on the floor of the studio’s live room, the ten hour sessions were beginning to wear on everyone. The focus of the third day was to be vocals. On one song, drummer Marc Davis was not happy with the outcome of Nick Bonauro’s screams. Later that night after the session, Marc tried to convey his dissatisfaction with the vocals, while Nick argued that they were perfect. Marc soon gave up and spoke of the frustration he had been building up for a long time.

Through the night Marc remained upset and even mentioned that he may quit the band. More arguments broke out when guitarist Anthony Sullivan and Marc discussed the vocals and the fact that he had missed a few practices.

By the final day the atmosphere had changed from the optimism of the first day, but the band finished up its demo in time.

From this experience it was clear that recording is no walk in the park. Bands can be made by their record, but they can be broken by it as well. When the amount of time a band can afford without label support is short, tensions run high and the pressure to perform can lead to conflict. So the next time you throw your favorite CD in the car’s player, realize that a lot more went into the record than is entering your ears.

The Tools of success

Most people will tell you that a major rock concert is a great experience; in fact, few will tell you otherwise. The popularity of these concerts is obvious by the hoards of individuals pulsating through venue parking lots and by the sound of faraway music that fills the neighborhood air.

Perhaps on the same night a few miles down the road there is the humble local band show where 15,000 people are reduced to 50 dedicated fans and friends. But how does the small band reach the paramount of the music industry? How do four individuals command the attention of 15,000 fans?

Many of this bands may think that it is all luck; by some stroke of magic a record executive will hear their music and instantly snatch them up and birth them into the world of rock stardom. Others think that relentless self-promotion will hold the key to their success. But the truth is that there is something more behind the bands that are packing the venues night after night and leaving fans talking about the show for a week.

On Saturday night, the enigmatic progressive rock band Tool performed to a sold out Cricket Pavilion in Phoenix. Before the band took the stage there was a silence over the crowd that erupted when the band settled into its first tune. Throughout the show the crowd could be heard singing along with every lyric and rhythmically swaying with each pulsating section.

It immediately became obvious what makes this band an act to be seen and not just four guys playing in a bar. Even behind the smoke from the machines at the sides of the stage, the frantic light show and the projection screens their secret was clear.

Great music and emotional energy. While many smalltime musicians may be talented at their craft, it doesn't always translate into worthwile compositions. Great music is something more than mere ability; it is that release of emotion and the interaction of the group members that governs what we feel everytime we put in that CD. Sure there are a plethora of guitarists in the world that can play more notes in a minute than others have played in their lives. But I would rather listen to the one who can play one note that can make me happy or make me cry.

So the next time a local band is sitting and waiting for their luck to strike, perhaps they should realize that the most important thing is the product create and the way in which that product comes to be.

Showtime

On this night there were no tour buses lined up out back, no roadies hauling the equipment and tuning the guitars, and certainly no pyrotechnics or stage theatrics. But there were still bands prepared to take the stage and play their hearts out to their faithful fans.

Thursday night at The Rock (136 N Park Ave) featured several local metal and hardcore bands including Murder Victim (www.myspace.com/murdervictim) and Desired Affliction (www.myspace.com/desiredafflictionband). The venue wasn’t sold out but none of the bands could complain as there were enough fans willing to show support in the form of respectful applause, mosh pits, and crowd participation.

The groups hauled their own drum sets and guitar amplifiers, sound checked all their own equipment, and after working up a sweat playing through their time slot, had to pack it all up once again. Not so glamorous but rewarding all the same.

For a local band a show can be both the best and worst part of playing music. It offers a chance for freedom of expression, a way to make fans, and also an opportunity to pull in some money from the door and merchandise sales. On the other side of the coin, however, musicians can lose confidence when a show is less than packed or a crowd is disrespectful. At times a bands will also be thrown on a bill with other groups that may be out of their genre, which can also be a less than rewarding experience when the audience doesn’t want to listen.

But the bands of this night could call it a success. The cover charge was $8, and although that had to be divided amongst the bands and the venue, everyone most likely walked out with a little in their pocket. The crowd was positive and really cranked up a notch when Murder Victim took the stage.

If there is one thing that can be learned about the life of a local band from this experience it is that playing live is no walk in the park when you are doing it on your own. The musicians have to book their own shows, promote them and set up and break down their own equipment, yet they still do it week after week for the opportunity to share their music.