Good Luck

As I watched the U of A battle of the bands last week I was reminded of the hard luck that one encounters as a member of a local band. Just as the second band took the stage, the Arizona sky decided to let loose.

As an owner of musical equipment, I instantly thought of the damage that the rain could cause to the band's instruments and amplifiers. A guitar half stack can cost a few thousand dollars and a drum set is no drop in the bucket either.

This reminded me of the experiences I had while playing in my first band in high school. It seems now that we were bombarded by bad luck more often then we were blessed.

I recall the time that we were set to play a big show with some popular local bands including Fall Silent and December. Club Underground (formerly called Ark a Ik) was full of anxious kids ready for a night of live music. As the opening band it was our job to get the crowd excited and kick the night off right.

It seems simple enough to hop up onstage and play a quick 25 minute set. But as soon as we were ready to begin, our guitar player's amp decided to malfunction. We instantly knew that this was going to be trouble. After several minutes of tinkering and troubleshooting, there were no results and some people in the crowd began to turn on us. There was some booing and a few shouts to get off the stage. As a bunch of high schoolers with no money we had no way to simply switch out an amp. As an independent band we couldn't just rely on some guitar tech to fix the problem; it came down to whether or not we would be fortunate enough to have things go our way on any given night.

I can remember other times where a power or guitar cable would be lost in transport and we would have to search out someone from another band kind enough to lend us one. Sometimes while drumming I would break sticks for no apparent reason and be left to finish out a set with cracked or completely broken sticks. There were times when drum hardware would break and I would have to find ways to make it through.

Going back to the battle of the bands I couldn't help but think what a bad feeling it must have been for the band to know that their equipment might be getting damaged. But the band didn't stop playing right away and run to cover their instruments. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that although they hadn't lucked out in the weather department, that band was lucky enough to be able to take the stage and share their music. Eventhough band members can look at any situation in a negative light, they should realize that they have to take the good with the bad and the misfortune with the good fortune. It's not an easy lifestyle and things aren't always going to go your way, but when they do, it can be the best feeling in the world.

A battle ensues

The U of A will be hosting its annual battle of the bands contest starting this Monday on the mall at 5 pm. The bands will play twenty minute sets in hopes of getting the most audience votes at the end of the night. Scheduled bands include Sketching In Stereo, Slingshot Automatic, Class Project and Skitn.

When I found out the battle was going to be this week I started to think about why a local band would want to participate in such a contest. My past experiences have been that they are lack luster shows in front of curious people rather than die hard fans. The prizes are minimal, usually the University gives a gift certificate to the winning band, which then must be divided between the members.

Some people might think that these contests are a good way to make some new fans and gain some recognition, but this is not usually the case. "First place in the University Battle of the Bands" isn't likely to turn any industry heads or instantly boost a band's popularity. Most people who watch on the mall are merely passing by or taking a break from studying rather than showing up specifically for the bands. The few fans that are there are usually friends of the band members.

So why then do bands even participate? The answer is rooted in our very instincts. Humans are competitive. We feel the need to compare ourselves to everyone around us in order to evaluate who we are. We value self pride.

A band competes in these contests to gauge themselves against other individuals who are undertaking the same activity as them. They want to see how they stack up and win so that they can be proud that they were able to take the stage and get more votes than the other bands that played. The winners may also be filled with a new kind of hope that they are better than what else is out there and can make it in the world of music.

So whether or not it is a solid gig that helps get their name out there, a band can always take away a better understanding of where they stand in music compared to other bands in their area.

Painting a picture

When a person thinks about the CD they are listening to, their minds often draw associations to the cover art that adorns the front of the album. Most can call up images of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon or Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy for their unforgettable designs. With this in mind it is apparent how crucial a small time band's artwork can help attract attention and give off a professional feel.

As I prepare to record in January, the process of creating the artwork has been much more involved than I ever could have expected. Because the cost of hiring a designer to create a concept and see it through can be great, my band is relying on the drummer (who is studying to be a graphic artist) to come up with a workable design that can grace the front of our CD.

It turns out that the road to creating the artwork is a bumpy one. We have gone through three separate designs that have all made their way to the computer's trash bin. After we had produced each one of these drafts, it seemed like something was missing or we found that the final product just didn't turn out the way we had imagined it.

In addition, there were also struggles for creative control. Being as I am sort of considered the "band leader", the drummer relied on me to supply a concept and ideas for the images. The problem here was the communication of my ideas over the phone as he lives in Reno, Nevada. Each time he sent me new artwork, I found myself asking if he had understood what I said. It turns out that things that you think will look good end up being less than perfect when placed in a real format. Also many of my ideas shy away from the traditional graphic design rules that the drummer had been learning in college.

A Possible Design

Ultimately I have learned that you probably aren't always going to get what you expect when you are not your own artist and are not utilizing a professional designer. This does not mean that the final product can't be visually stunning, but you have to realize that it may not be exactly what you expected.

Doing More doesn't equal less to do

It's always much more work than it seems. That's what I am slowly realizing as myself and two friends prepare to take our own stab at the world of putting a band together and recording.

When we began it all seemed simple enough; we strapped on our guitars, gripped our drumsticks, cranked up the PA system and simply started writing songs. A surging power chord was driven by clashing cymbals and the thud of the bass drum. Although many of the songs were partially written prior to the three of us coming together, no matter how solid a tune appeared it always melted away and became something completely new.

After a complete summer of this process, it was time for school to begin and me to make my way back to Tucson and the University of Arizona. We agreed that after my December graduation, the three of us would put our money together and head to the Pus Cavern to record an 11 track CD that we had spent so much time developing.

Now as the semester edges on and December creeps ever closer, I am finding that there are still so many things to be done. The first thing we had to work out was the dates for recording and how much time we could afford. Studio booking must be accomplished in advance and a deposit paid as a confirmation. The hardest part was getting three college students' work and academic schedules to cooperate. Although I would be out of school, my fellow bandmates would only be on a winter break. We also had to account for the fact that we would need time to rehearse the songs and write two additional songs to replace others we had fallen out of love with when the hiatus took effect.

After the booking fiasco, other necessary tasks started popping up. I had to go through each song, figure out keyboard and other similar effects, and record them at their respective song tempos using the program Reason. We had to begin working on the artwork for the CD cover, which went through several different concepts and drafts before settling on one. Next a track order had to be determined as well as the segues (to make the tracks flow together). Following these details, the order of business became the lyrics. Changes were made to better complement the music, and more had to be written for certain parts. Finally, because we lacked a bass player, I was give the responsibility of writing all of the parts and practicing enough to be able to record the instrument when January rolled around.

Though this is only the beginning of my own experience, I have found that this is not merely an endeavor that one dabbles in. There is no way to just run out and make a record on a whim; it takes hard work and most of all plenty of time. For now it seems that the more I accomplish, the more there is to do.

local help wanted

As I observe the world around me it becomes more and more obvious that the world thrives on business and profits. There are advertisements everywhere for the newest products and the hippest gadgets, all tempting us to open our wallets and empty our bank accounts.

This same profit mentality is also present in the microcosm of a CD store. The albums are strategically arranged in order to boost sales of new releases or catch a certain customer's eye. Because of this, local bands who try to sell their CD in these stores have essentially no chance of attracting any potential fans. Their album undoubtedly ends up being buried in a back bin where few people have the chance of stumbling upon it.

But last Friday I saw something that made me think that perhaps there are some businesses who do support the local music scene and try to give musicians a way to get their songs and name out.

While browsing the Tucson Guitar Center at Broadway and Swan, I encountered an ordinary listening station that might usually contain tracks from big time artists. This rig, however, was filled with the tunes of local bands, along with their name and track information. Any person could walk up, pop on some headphones, and be free to make their way through the musical landscapes of some fellow Tucsonians.

It may not seem like much, but I was glad to see Guitar Center offering this opportunity. It also seemed that the store wanted people to stop and hae a listen as the setup was located right next to the only exit. I hope that in the future other stores will begin to help strengthen the local music scene by providing similar outlets. It would cost virtually nothing for a business to dedicate a small portion of a rack to local bands where their CD's can be discovered and purchased or rotate local albums into their own listening stations.