#Rock Music

04 Jun 2011
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It’s All About The Music… Or Is It?

It’s all about the music . . . Or is it?

And Fools Shine On

The great debate out there is it should be all about the music and not your image. This is true in a perfect world, but in a perfect world, people wouldn’t judge the book by its cover, all the band members would work equally as hard as the one currently doing all the work, and people would actually click on the music before seeing your pics, website or press kit. This isn’t a perfect world, not even close. Don’t get me wrong; I am not downplaying the importance of your songwriting. What I am saying is, if you think that your songwriting alone is going to be enough, then make sure you have the patience of Job. You need every advantage you can get in this business to get noticed.

Part of realizing why your image is so important is having an understanding of your core audience and understanding what the general public is looking for. Not everyone wants a deep song like Dylan would write, and not everyone likes a Lady Gaga pop tune that can be incessantly silly but catchy as hell.

Most people who go to live shows go to be entertained. Musicians sometimes forget that they are entertainers just as much as they are musicians or storytellers. Some musicians don’t have the immense musical talent others do, but they are much better entertainers, so they may have a much better selling tour than the more talented musicians. When I pay money to see a live band, I want to be entertained. I can see how talented you are by what you play, how you play, your phrasing, etc.

Most of us grew up wanting to be “Rock Stars” clutching a hairbrush microphone in front of the mirror, or playing air guitar to our favorite songs. We wanted to be larger than life. We wanted to help other people escape their busy stressful lives and transport them to a different place like all of our favorites did for us!

Most of the audience has dreamed of wanting to be that “larger than life rock star.” They look up to their favorite artists; want to get to know them. They want to spread the word about them. Well a big part of that is the image they put forward, the mystique they put out and being very cool while still somewhat accessible.

Small independent artists don’t usually have a back catalogue of hits to tour off of.  That means it’s a much harder road to book shows and win over fans. Decide what your goals are as a musician or band and then decide if you’re ok with possibly not having as many fans or not making as much money due to where your musical priorities lie, or if you’re going to be amazing entertainers who still write great songs people can related to and identify with.

There is no right or wrong here but there is reality. For artists that completely and totally have the drive like Tori Amos or Ani DeFranco to get their music out there and don’t take no for answer, you can make it in the business with non-stop hard work. But note, they both had a very distinct and defined image. For the artists that don’t have that skill set, the business mindset or a band where everyone is putting 110% forward in every aspect of growing the business, image becomes absolutely critical to set yourself apart and attract attention to you.

Here are a few hints to think about if you are going for an image. Don’t dress on stage like you are going to Wal-Mart.  Don’t wear a wife-beater tank top if you don’t have the body for it — it looks pathetic and laughable, not cool, plus no one wants to see your man boobs. Everyone in the band should look like they “fit” in the band, not half one way and the other half like they are going to go chop wood. Be original and find your own image and quit copying everyone else. If I see one more Dimebag Darrell wannabe, I’ll find another use for that very pointy guitar of yours. But most importantly, don’t skimp on your photography, artwork and press kit.  You get what you pay for, so take it very seriously and plan it out ahead of time. Know what you are doing and why you are doing it.

Good Luck!

24 May 2011
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No More Excuses!

No More Excuses!

I Lie In the Bed I Make

When I go out and watch live music, I try to be as anonymous as possible. I don’t go in telling people what I do or trying to impress anyone. I stay very quiet. I watch everything, listen to everything and notice everything. I observe very intently the musicians and how they perform, how they interact with the crowd, how they market themselves and their merchandise booths.

I am going to break this blog down a bit and address each of the above as it is all very important. This blog will be very to the point as I don’t believe in holding back and pampering people. Most of the people I run into say they have been doing this for so many years. Well if that is the case then why don’t learn from those years? Why don’t they do some research and figure things out to change the state of their current situation as an artist or a band?

One of the things that really prevail among most musicians is an attitude that the city/scene or people hold them back; that they or their band are better than everyone else’s and if someone would just give them a chance they’d make it. Granted, some cities have more dominant scenes for certain genres than others and that can provide an obstacle but that is never an excuse, it is just an obstacle to be overcome.

No one is out to stop you from making it and there aren’t any evil overlords who try to hold you back. People and politics really don’t come into play until you have made a real “buzz’ in the scene. Until then, the only thing holding you back is you and your effort, whether you are a solo artist or a band.

As I watch musicians promote their shows on social media or in person, I have to say most of the time — and I mean 95% — it is pretty pathetic. It’s always pretty much one person doing all the promoting. Most band members barely or don’t even promote on their own Facebook profiles. If they do, it’s just a couple of hours before a show, so no one even knows about it, or it’s too late to make or change plans. This is so absolutely ridiculous and there is no excuse whatsoever for it to happen. They don’t even click the “like” option on most of the posts made about them or by other band members, limiting the amount of impressions that can be had. How do people expect to make it if they won’t even promote themselves? Really?

Being in a band and telling everyone how you want to make it and make a career at it means EVERYONE has to promote ALL THE TIME. Not everyone will agree with me here but in my honest opinion, if you don’t, you have no business being in the band. You are doing nothing but holding them back. A band is a team effort; it is everyone’s responsibility to promote the music, shows, websites etc. If you aren’t willing to step outside your comfort zone and help, then step aside and let someone join the band who wants it enough to work for it. Quit posing and pretending you’re something you’re not, which is hungry and wanting to make it.

I never, ever see local bands handing out fliers for their shows. They complain about how the scene doesn’t change, yet no one is enticing new people to the shows. They sit around at the venue before the show getting stoned or hanging with the same people they always talk to. Here they are, downtown, on a strip that is completely packed with tourists all night long and they are hiding out in the venue. How does a band or solo act expect new fans when they do very little or nowhere near enough to promote? How do they expect a scene to change when they do nothing to change it?

When new people, or even old fans, don’t show up for concerts, the only ones to blame are the band. The venues advertise, the promoters advertise and do better for multiple acts even if they have no budget but the bands do almost nothing. You know what you get when you do nothing? Nothing! Get off your lazy butts and make it happen. Stop making excuses. Don’t tell me or anyone else “It’s not my thing,” or “I don’t understand how to do it.” Learn! All the resources are there and mostly free. You have no excuse whatsoever. You yourself are to blame not anyone else.

When watching the artists or bands in the crowd, they usually don’t work it at all. They talk to their friends but never approach those new people they don’t know or try to get them to stay and check out their music. They don’t engage them and develop any rapport to bring in a new fan. It is so absolutely crazy. Never have I scene such a poor job of this as of late. It’s like social media has made people forget how to be social. You are in the entertainment business. You better learn how to entertain and talk to people. It is a pre-requisite.

When I watch them on stage, their engagement with the crowd is also pretty bad. I admit, Nashville is a harder crowd, but that doesn’t matter. You should be working on your stage show at all times and getting ready for other gigs in other cities. Quit worrying about your buddies and their bands that are there. It’s your show while you are on stage, OWN it! You are supposed to be separating yourself from them, proving you have the “it” factor. Quit being like everyone else. Quit spending half your time with your back to the crowd. Quit acting like you are bored. Every gig is the most important gig of your life. You have no idea who is watching you or what opportunity could come out of this performance.

Bands need to invest in themselves. Purchase banners, poster boards, decent merchandise, and whatever else you need to grow your brand and show your professionalism, to make an impression and prove how much you want it every single time. You have to be the one the crowd remembers the most. Have people walk the crowd with your merchandise and sell it. Always have your merchandise booth manned at all times. Make sure people are wearing your shirts, especially your merchandise booth personnel. Make sure your people load and unload as quickly as possible to keep the flow going and limit the number of people who leave because you take too long to get set up. It amazes me how this isn’t completely obvious to people.

In this day and age of the artist/band being on the same playing field as everyone else, everyone has the opportunity to have the same technology, same distribution and the same marketing abilities. Truly the only thing holding you back is you and the level of effort you are willing to put into this dream of yours. So please stop making excuses and start making it happen!

Good Luck!

02 May 2011
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Success….At What Cost?

Success…. At What Cost?

by David Lowry

“Everyday” – Damon Johnson

“And the work I put between us, doesn’t keep me warm” – “The Heart of the Matter” – Don Henley

One of my goals with my blog is to not only touch on the business end of things, but also the emotional side of things. This dream you are following has a strong emotional tie to it and usually the people around you, especially your significant other or those closest to you. Something that we managers sometimes have to deal with and that no one really thinks about is the price one pays for being in the entertainment industry. All of us who chase a dream often have to sacrifice so much to achieve it, just make sure it is worth the price.

This blog is going to be a one sided look at this topic as there are so many variables to consider her such as a jealous significant other whether it be of other people or of the career itself. We aren’t going to cover that here, what we will cover is assuming that you have a good stable relationship with the love of your life, what can happen to that when you are willing to sacrifice that for a dream, especially a dream that is nowhere near coming true.

When you are an entertainer of any kind, so many issues can pop up such as jealousy, never being home and not being able to spend enough time with the one you love. In a relationship, both people sacrifice so much for one person’s dream to come true and the person who is pursuing the dream needs to keep this in mind at all times. A very serious effort needs to made to spend time together and not get lost or wrapped up in the dream so much that you emotionally abandon the one you love or that you are willing to sacrifice this person who you say you love more than anything for a dream. It is very hard to be successful at anything without the support of the one you love. It can make or break you sometimes. You know the old saying “Behind every great man, is a great woman.” or vice versa. This holds true especially in an industry that is mostly negative and involves a lot of rejection. It is also my personal opinion that success on any level really means nothing without that special someone to share it with. I have been there and for me at least it falls utterly flat in feeling compared with my being able to share it with the love of my life. Remember that your dream won’t keep you warm at night, it won’t hold you and tell you everything is alright when things are at their worst and it won’t take care of you when you are sick.

Hopefully you have a relationship where you are both on the same page and you both want the other to succeed and are completely supportive. If this is true, then with good communication then you can make it through anything. Keep your eyes on the prize, but as a team. You as the entertainer need to decide what is more important, your dream or the one you love. If it’s the dream then tell the other person now. The three most important and destructive words in the english language are “I Love You.” Don’t say this if you don’t mean or can’t act on it EVER, it doesn’t matter who you are talking too. You are just going to hurt them more when the truth comes out. Don’t let it be a shock down the road to this special person if you decide to leave them for an entertainment career as this person has most likely sunk everything they have emotionally and probably financially into you. If the dream is more important than this person, than this probably isn’t the love of your life. You may care about them, but the love of your life is one person you would sacrifice anything for including your dream. Take it from me, nothing is worse than losing the love of your life. It’s not worth it.

28 Apr 2011
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A Shining Example

A Shining Example

By David Lowry

Every once in a while someone pops up on the radar screen who shows the rest of the people in the scene around them how it should be done. It is this person who seems to “get it.” They may not do everything right, but they try and they try much harder than everyone else. Some scenes have a few such people, others have many but in the rock/metal scene in Nashville there are only a couple. Surprisingly, one of these such persons is also a musician and not just another person like me — a manager, booking agent or promoter.

Ray LeGrand popped up on my radar screen a few months ago and I have been watching him very carefully: wondering if he is for real, will he get burnt our or jaded like everyone else. Will he make excuses or will he prove that the only thing holding him back is, of course, himself. I am happy to say that, from what he has proven so far, Ray is the real deal.

Ray is the front man for “Oblivion Myth” (www.oblivionmyth.com), a local Nashville metal band that just won a contest (by a landslide) to be on “Live From Music City.” As a matter of fact, it was Ray and his incredible wife Patti that woke up the rest of the Nashville rock/metal scene to the contest. Ray and his wife got so many votes I was thoroughly and entirely impressed, especially with all the other long established bands in the running.

Ray and his wife Patti started up a movement in Nashville called “Nashville Metal Bands”  (http://www.facebook.com/NashvilleMetalBands?sk=info). Ray unselfishly promotes all metal bands in Nashville, not just his own. He works tirelessly with the help of Patti to make a difference — a major difference — in the local rock/metal scene. Ray works full time, is a husband, father, front man and runs “Nashville Metal Bands.” He does more in a day for the music scene here locally than just about any other band does for themselves in months. Ray proves there is no excuse why you can’t get things done or because you don’t have enough time. Ray possesses a fire not only for his band, but the local scene and has a dream and a goal that he won’t give up till he gets there.

Ray and Patti are constantly learning and most importantly applying what they have learned immediately. It is so much fun to watch and, in some small way, hope that “Live From Music City” or even our meeting together may have had a small part in this. Ray and Patti provide an excitement that this local scene so severely needs. If more people would learn from Ray, we would have a much different scene, a much more productive scene and the local artists would be much farther along in their dreams.

I have had the privilege of meeting both Ray and Patti and can tell you it is an honor to call them friends. I know Ray couldn’t do what he does without a strong supportive wife like Patti behind him. It is truly a team effort. When you see them, please stop and say thank you for what they are doing, especially if they are promoting your band or music. Most importantly, stop and look at what they are doing and learn from it. I know I do.

20 Mar 2011
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Stryper Concert Review With Black Water James The Wildhorse Saloon Nashville, TN March 18th, 2011

Stryper Concert Review With Black Water James The Wildhorse Saloon Nashville, TN March 18th, 2011

By David Lowry

I was anticipating a good show on this night, as I have never seen a “bad” Stryper concert, so I was excited to be there from the beginning. What I left the show feeling was a shock even to me. I came as a fan; I left as an even bigger one. Let’s start with the opening act Black Water James.

I have seen Black Water James once previously about six weeks ago, so I knew what I was in for when they came on. I was looking forward to seeing them again as I was hoping to see improvement because they were in a much better venue.

Black Water James has a lot of energy and a lot of potential as a rock band. They were pretty good for about the first four songs but then I noticed that all the songs started to sound the same. Both times I have seen them now, about three quarters of the way through their set, everything does sound a bit the same.

Greater dynamics are needed and catchier hooks to keep the audience in it the whole time. The band brings a decent image and are decent musicians, but the song writing is still a little weak for such a long set. I also question the order of the songs. It seems their best material is all in the front of the set closing it out with weaker, less “hooky” songs.

They attempt dual guitar solos, which is great, but would be better if they were in harmony, not just an octave apart or in unison. Also the guitar solos themselves are a bit weak in stating anything. They aren’t a story within the song. It comes off as mainly pentatonic noodling. Both players are capable and have great potential for doing more with this.

For a band of only 2 1/2 years, they are still one of the top five rock bands in Nashville and do portray a great energy on stage. The drummer is worth watching alone. He’s got great groove, stays in the pocket very well and puts on a great show. This band will do great things if they keep improving and don’t lose focus. They were certainly up to the challenge of opening for Stryper and aren’t afraid to let it all hang out.

When Stryper took the stage, the bar was raised tenfold. Not only do they look great, but also everything looks pristine. The stage is clean and uncluttered, the guitars are polished, the clothes are clean and pressed and they look like they belong in a band together. Their image is always good and their show is impeccable.

The songs were flawlessly played and crystal clear and they burst with energy. The band met the crowd with respect and humor. They really know how to connect with their audience and bring them in. During the whole show, the crowd was singing along word for word with every song. The band threw out many Bibles and picks to the fans who were all to eager to get one.

Michael Sweet’s voice was as amazing as ever. He hasn’t lost a thing vocally and in many ways is probably stronger. His guitar playing is on par with most of the great guitarists we think of. How often do you get to see a performer who is a world class vocalist and guitar player? Oz Fox has always been a top tier guitar player as well and successfully backs up Michael vocally on a few parts, giving Michael the rest his voice needed, showing again how incredibly talented this band truly is. Timothy Gaines, who is an amazing bass player in any style of music, drove the bus with Robert Sweet, keeping the rhythm section tight and thundering. His bass tone was perfect and really filled out the sound. Whether using his finger or a pick, the bass cut through and gave a serious foundation to the heavy guitars. Robert “The Visual Time Keeper” Sweet was as solid as he has ever been and always puts on an amazing drum workshop each concert. Easily one of the most underrated rock drummers of all time and he proves it every time I see him.

The one thing Stryper does better than anyone else I have ever seen is sing in harmony. Their harmonies were awesome! This band should be teaching younger bands what it takes to put on an incredible live show. They are so well rehearsed and professional that they are able to put it all on the line for a show that puts most bands I have ever seen to shame.

Stryper did three cover songs as well as the usual classics. They did “Over The Mountain” by Ozzy Osbourne, “Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath and “Shout It Out Loud” by Kiss. Their performance was flawless and on par with any of the performances I have seen of the original artists.

On a scale of 1 to 10 this concert gets a 9.5. The only deduction being it wasn’t long enough. The fans are having so much fun singing along at the show, the times flies by and it’s over in an instant. After doing the encore, Michael Sweet closed out in prayer, praying for everyone in the building and in Japan — again showing the heart this band has for its fans and the world.

In a nutshell, Stryper put on a better live show then 95% of any bands I have ever seen and they do it consistently. They are a text book band for younger generations to follow to learn from and understand why practice, talent, songwriting, vocal harmonies, solos, set preparation, stage presence and connecting with their audience are so critically important to the success of their career.

If you are on the fence about seeing Stryper on tour this year or have never seen them, go! Spend the money; it is so well worth it. You’ll get so much more than just a good show or performance. You’ll get a band that cares about its fans, the world and doing something greater than themselves. To find out more about Stryper and their tour dates, check out their website www.stryper.com.

Note: The Lowry Agency has no affiliation with anyone mentioned in this review.

 

 

09 Mar 2011
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“Live From Music City’s” 1 year anniversary special featuring guitar virtouso Neil Zaza, Bob Bender and special guest co-host CJ Snare of “Firehouse”

“Live From Music City,” a weekly radio show that airs on Tuesday nights at 8:00 pm CST on blog talk radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/live-from-music-city) celebrates its one year anniversary Tuesday, March 15. The guest lineup for this special broadcast includes guitar virtuoso Neil Zaza in support of his new CD release “212” and to discuss his music career, and guest host CJ Snare, lead singer of “Firehouse” who will be releasing their greatest hits “The Collection” in spring of 2011. http://www.prlog.org/11360062-live-from-music-city-1-year-anniversary-with-guitar-virtuoso-neil-zaza-and-cj-snare-of-firehouse.html