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Hello All

Just a quick one - we have joined Facebook. It is very early days but we need some friends. This will be a great place to interact with us and other acts in the same boat plus an awesome place to advertise.

So join us and click here

Your New Song is Called What?

So we are starting to review acts live at the moment and the hardest part is getting the song titles rights as it is hard to hear sometimes - this has led to some entertaining mistakes but when it comes to unbelievable song title one genre is head and shoulders above the rest - Country and Western.

Here is a list of real song titles we found!!

I Went Back to My Fourth Wife for the Third Time and Gave Her a Second Chance to Make a First Class Fool Out of Me

I Want a Beer as Cold as My Ex-Wife's Heart

Am I Double Parked by the Curbstone of your Heart?

Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye

Her Teeth Were Stained, But Her Heart was Pure

I Just Bought A Car From The Guy That Stole My Girl, But The Car Don't Run So I Figure We Got An Even Deal

If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead Yet?

I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling

I've Been Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart

Velcro Arms, Teflon Heart

Your Negligee Has Turned To a Flannel Nightgown

I'll Marry You Tomorrow But Let's Honeymoon Tonight

How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away?

I'd Rather Pass a Kidney Stone than Another Night With You

You're the Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly

I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You

Can you beat that little lot? comment away!!

The InterNOT!

So the Purple Prince of Pop seems to have woken up and 80’s legend Prince recently gave a tabloid interview regarding the death of the Internet. He stated:

“The internet’s completely over. I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it and then they get angry when they can’t get it.”

“The internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated. Anyway, all these computers and digital gadgets are no good… They just fill your head with numbers and that can’t be good for you.”

Surely these are the dribbling of a mad man. The internet is the device that finally brought the world together. True it has it’s bad points but from an unsigned musicians point of view it is the greatest leveling tool in the world. When I played in bands you had to build city by city now if you target and market correctly you could be no1 in Malaysia in 6 weeks! - Without ever playing there.

Also this sounds a bit like something my 75 year old nan would say!

What do you think? How are you harnessing the power of the internet?

Artist of the Month Winner: Albany Down

Well, we had some awesome offerings from hip-hop to thrash past pop and through to folk but one act stood out with that certain something extra. Step forward Albany Down and well done. You can read a full review of Albany Down's latest demo here

We caught up with the guys from Albany Down are here is what they have to say:

Paul Muir – Vocals
Paul Turley – Electric Guitar
Billy Dedman Bass
Jonny Bescobe - Drums

BandAssist: How would you describe Albany Down's Sound?

Paul Turley - “It’s Bluesy rock music”
Billy Dedman – “Its a classic rock vibe. big riffs, big style.
Paul Muir –“Heavily influenced by the big hitters of classic rock. Every song is different though.”

BandAssist: "South of The City" is an awesome track can you let us in on the storybehind it? and how/who wrote it.

Paul Turley – “I wanted to do a song with a resonator guitar, so I brought it along to practice one week and we came up with the riff and chorus chords. From there it gradually changed into the final song structure once I started using the electric guitar and Paul Muir came up with the lyrics”
Billy Dedman - . “We wanted something as awesome as Zeppelins 'In my time of dying' and 'when the levee breaks', something that really stands out.

BandAssist: What is your writing process?

Paul Turley – “Usually either Billy or I will come up with a riff and we'll work on it as a band until it has a bit more structure. Paul (Muir) generally does the lyrics and vocal melody and we'll all chip in ideas if we think we need extra sections or parts need changing.”
Paul Muir –“The lyrics go in last, once the melody is sorted - after all, that's the part people will be singing so it needs to be memorable!”

BandAssist: What do you find most difficult about being an unsigned band?

Paul Turley -“Expanding the fan base and getting people we don't know to listen to our music.”

Band Assist: What is your top tip for other acts?

Billy Dedman – “Always sound check!”

BandAssist: What is your fantasy band line up (Vocals, guitar, Bass and Drums)

Paul Turley - “Going to agree with Billy here: Plant, Hendrix, Entwistle, Bonham”

Band Assist: Tell us an amusing Band Story!

Paul Turley – “ Seeing the member of another band set his floppy fringe on fire when trying to light a cigarette was probably the most memorable.”

BandAssist: Proudest moment so far in Albany Down?

Billy Paul and Paul - “Hearing the final recorded songs!”

BandAssist: What are your views on Band Assist?

Paul Turley – “Bands need all the assistance they can get these days. Your assistance and advice is always appreciated.”
Paul Muir – “I think it's a great idea. There are so many websites out there with little fragments of info that's useful, but none of it explains exactly what steps you need to take to help your career like Band Assist."

BandAssist: What's next for you guys?

Paul Muir – “World domination, obviously! European tour next year, recording some more songs over the next few months
Paul Turley - We've also been working on a video and now we're looking to get some more publicity, with a view to releasing our album early next year.

Warm ups for Drummers

Since drumming is a very physically demanding instrument, we need to prepare our bodies properly for both practice and performance - like an athletic event. And just as with different sports, drumming requires the use of its own unique set of muscles, tendons, and ligaments. So, how you incorporate drumming warm up and stretching exercises will impact your playing while reducing your chance of injury.

Obviously the key is to stretch and build your warm up ready to play live or in a rehearsal. So, I begin simply by "cold-stretching" my arms, wrists and fingers for about 5 minutes. I follow this by stretching my ankles and legs for about the same time. The best way is to press your foot against a wall thus stretching your calf muscle (see below)

Next you need to get behind the kit and slowly build your playing from slow through mid pace to fast. Each section should take around 5 minutes and contain a progression within itself. So start with a simple snare snap then build till using the whole kit a t the desired level. It is also worth doing this on pads or if you don’t have access then simply dampen your kit.

and the winner is.....

Well Thanks to everyone that entered this months "Artist of the Month"competition we are currently locked awayarguing about the winner but we promise to release the result early next week. A big thanks to everyone who contributed I have had some awesome tracks, too many to review everyone.

In the meantime we are now looking for new bands to review so make sure you send us a CD, link or MP3. Get over to our main website at http://www.bandassist.co.uk/

Some Opinions

Well Hello!

So I wanted a few opinions on where we go with Band Assist. We have had some great feedback and some awesome suggestions but it is you guys that matter to us so we wnat to know how we develop this project. So email us at Music at Bandassist.co.uk with your ideas and suggestions. This is you platform and we want to serve you

So far people ahve suggested:

A gig wwap service

Bulk buying (so we all approach say a CD duplicator and buy in bulk so we get a discount or guitar stings, printing, etc)

A Messageboard

A show case event

A band directory

So let us know.

Speak soon

Can You Ride The Trend or is it Selling Out?

I had a very interesting conversation this week with a friend who is a “career Musician” not in the sense that he is in a famous band but plays in a few bands, a cover band, performs solo and does a little bit of session work plus a little producing. Quite an interesting character who is one of the happiest men I know. He simply works at music and whilst his true passion is his own work he understands that he must do a few gig and some stuff that is not his style or first love to make a living he is a full time musician. He put it in quite a good way when I foolishly questioned his recent guitar work on an X-Factor contestants single, he stated you work in an office at a job you would not have necessarily chosen whilst I do what we both long to do – play music for a living.

Anyway this got me round to talking about his “job” and he came out with a statement which really made me think. He stated the way to be a career musician and always ensure you are working (he expanded this to the “famous” musician too) is to copy or be affiliated with trends. At first I was amazed by this rather contrived method of thought and said that I considered this to be “selling out”. He disagreed and backed it up with a few interesting example. First stating pop stars do this all the time and constantly reinvent themselves to ensure they are bundled in with what is popular. Take Madonna – huge star who no matter what you think must command a little respect as she has stayed at the forefront of the industry for nearly 40 years. She has gone from bubble gum pop to dance and hip hop based star. He then reeled of Kylie, Robbie Williams and a few others.

Ok I concede this is fine for these “artists” where (in my somewhat jealous opinion) the fame is more important than the art. He then went on to claim I was naive if I thought this was just the tactic of pop royalty. He continued “The stones simply copied The Beatle to start with” and more recently “Muse were simply a Radiohead copy band when they first arrived on the scene”. I do see his point but stated all of these bands then grew into a form of their own. He agreed but said at some point to achieve the level they had they mist copy the trends or be associated with them to move forward.

The only reason I bring this up is I wanted some of your views as this was a real thinking exercise for me. Maybe this is where I went wrong in my early music career, I was to busy trying to push my sound that I lost sight of what was around me and how I could push my music forward had I been a little bit more affiliated with what was popular.

So I ask you – should you compromise your art a little to get noticed and move forward with the ultimate goal of pushing your true self once you have an audience? Or should you stick to your sound and try to get people that way?

Warm up or Else!!

Ok, so who amongst you actually does this? if out of the whole lot of you 1 did I would be suitably amazed. The worst culprits are rock bands and rappers and I was exactly the same. Looking back it is crazy because it makes a huge difference. I guess it does seem a bit “Music and Drama” and is hard to do at a pub gig but I can honestly testify to it being very worthwhile and if you want to take this business seriously you don’t want to have blown your voice by the time you are 25!

Warming up does have a number of serious benefits. Firstly it will actually improve your performance when you go on. If you do a 10-15 minute warm up around 20 minutes before you are due on, you will be surprised how loose your voice actually is when ShowTime comes around making that first track far easier to get out. These exercises should also be done as often as possible (daily if you can) as it will actually build you voice and strengthen it in the long run. Finally, and this is why most unsigned acts should take heed, these exercises will assist your recovery, meaning if you have a few gigs in quick succession then your voice recovers and doesn’t sound awful in gig 3!

So I used to do a time old technique that after a bit of searching (because I am too good for you) I actually found on YouTube. Now before you laugh I know this is pretty cheesy but trust me it works – not too sure about the final part but the moving your head up and down is a great little warm up




Hope this helps and don’t forget to submit your tracks to us for a review as there is still time for this month’s Artist of the Month competition. There are some awesome acts and quite the eclectic mix from Hip-hop to Hard Rock – something for everyone!

Taking on the Old Enemy

Only Joking, the press used to be known as the enemy but for the unsigned acts they will pretty much be your best friend. However you need to go into interviews and press pieces with your eyes open. The amount of acts I have interviewed who mumble, giggle or sit in silence when you interview them is incredible. To be totally honest about 50-75% of the interviews I undertake I simply can’t do anything with. Again, to make it in this business you need to have a certain level of professionalism.

There are 2 core things that you need to keep in your mind every time you do an interview. Firstly and most importantly what do you want to get out of the interview? What is your aim? Secondly you need to think about why the press person is interviewing you and what do they want to get from you? The second part is usually pretty easy, they want readers to be interested in what you say and ultimately push their Magazine, Fanzine, etc. So they want interest and entertainment. The first part is core for you. What do you need to let them know? Are you playing a gig soon, hosting and event, releasing a CD – you simply must get this across and always have something to talk about.

To be totally honest you will always get a set of pretty similar questions but the true pro will do their home work. Read the publications previous interviews and prepare answers (loosely, don’t learn them parrot fashion). Have a few anecdotes to roll out, a few gig stories, a few interesting facts – sure you will end up rolling these out in most interviews but if you keep reinforcing your image people and potential fans will start to become familiar with you.

More Soon

BA

How NOT to Promote your music!

So You Tube is a great way get your music and act out there but you need to consider what you are putting out ther and is it a good representation of your music. So here is how NOTto do it:

Lesson 1: If you can't afford decent effects do use any!



2) If you put in a bad performance, learn from it for Heavens sake don't put it on the Internet!



more to come soon

What ever happened to....

Ok so I know we are mainly an unsigned resource and I guess this is most commonly thought of as the first part of a musicians career. The “making it” phase but unless you’re The Rolling Stones or Madonna you could also face this when the dream is over. We were talking about the artists of mainly the mid to late nineties and what the hell happened to them. Here’s my 5 missing in action – remember them?

Soul Asylum
So grunge they made Kurt Cobain look over dressed. Everyone must remember the smash hit “Runaway Train” a great song and an absolute blessing for buskers all over the world! In the mid nineties they were everywhere and were even commissioned to write the sound track for numerous Kevin Smith (Cult director of the awesome Clerks movie) projects. Then nothing.
Well they are still going but sadly original guitarist Karl Mueller died from cancer in 2004. The boys are due to unleash their next grunge-tastic offering next month, incredibly this will be their 11th studio album!

Cast
Ah Cast , remember them rubbing shoulders with the star in the Brit Pop revolution. They blasted out a series of indie hits in the late nineties including the huge “Walk Away” and even delivered 2 platinum selling albums. Tony Blair stated he was a fan and Oasis main man, Noel Gallagher describe their live show as a “religious experience”
Sadly for Cast Brit Pop came to an end in 1999 and unlike Oasis, Cast never evolved. Sadly they died with the trend finally calling it a day in the early noughties. Good news though on the 22nd June 2010 they announced they would be reforming!

Garbage
God I loved Red haired vixen Shirley Manson. She was the perfect rock front woman and man was she a sight live (plus she could sing a bit). Even though Nirvana NeverMind producer Butch Vig was on drums it was the flame haired Scottish temptress that stole the lime light belting out hit after hit like “Stupid Girl”, “Only happy when it rains” and even a bond song. Also who could forget the delightful story of when Shirley discovered he boyfriend was cheating on her and she took a shit on his cereal! God I hope he wasn’t having Coco Pops.
There seem to always be rumours about these guys getting back together to play some festivals but it has never really materialised. The Crimson queen is currently in Hollywood acting! She was last seen in the TV version of The Terminator movies but I guess the real question is will she be back?

Coolio
I really can’t think of a better cross over track in the past than Coolio’s legendary “Gangsta’s Paradise”. It was part rap, part hip-hop and a twist of pop. It was dark yet accessible plus the video had Michelle Pfeiffer in it back when it was ok to fancy her. The track was a monster and was at number 1 in over 30 countries. Sadly it was his only real hit and he was soon replaced with other rappers picking up where he once trailblazed!
Things are still not looking to good for Coolio who was last seen in the UK Big Brother house in 2009 with Latoya Jackson and Terry Christian. Dear God!

Therapy?
Our school uniform may have well been Therapy? Hoodies back in the 90’s! The Northern Irish rockers were our answer to Nirvana. Dark, sometime depressing and full of teen angst/rage they burst onto the scene with hits like “Die Laughing”, “Screamager” and “Knives” How could anyone not love a band which started one track with an opening line of “Masturbation save my life “Genius.
Well most of you will probably know that the boys are still rocking and recently release their latest opus “crooked timber” – I know a load of reviewers claim this but this album really is them back to their best. Check them out all over again.

So who do you remember? What happened to them? Leave comments below.

Oh and a few honourable mentions for:

Sisqo (Thong Song anyone?)
4 Non Blondes (The lead singer now writes a load of songs for Britney, Christiana and Pink!)
Deep Blue Something (and I said what about Breakfast at Tiffany’s!)
Mark Morrison (Return of the Mack!)
Everything but the Girl (Very dull but always in the charts!)

Who did we miss?

Top Tips for Home Recording

So having listened to around 200 new songs this month varying from hip-hop to country, Via Death metal and saccharine pop I notice a simple thing that makes me want to keep on listening rather than press skip. Its recording. Now I know most can’t afford to rent out Abbey Road and home recording is quicker and cheaper but there is always one flaw.
Let me put it this way, if you are going to record one track well (notice that word) and mix it to a level where people will happily part with their cash and not feel ripped off then you should expect to spend 1 day in a studio with a proper engineer. If you are doing it at home you should aim to finish a single track in 3-4 days. You must strive for perfection and scrutinise every single detail. Mix, remix, re-re-remix is the order of the day. Now I have 100’s of tips and opinions on this but here’s a few that I was reminded of by 90% of the tracks I have recently listened to.

Mics

Here is one area not to scrimp. Microphones make or break a track, even if it is just for vocals. I strongly recommend buying a good quality mic simply for recording so it does not get damaged in the live arena. Personally I don’t think you can go wrong with Shure but shop around as prices vary dramatically. I have seen the Shure SM-57 (great for recording) as low as £46!

Reverb

It seems that people discover reverb and realise it can hide a manner of sins. DON’T overdo it. I have heard so many lead vocals lately where the singer sounds like they are performing in a tunnel. Learn the art of reverb, experiment and get others view on different levels –It is far better to redo a vocal over and over than try to mask a poor performance with a tonne of reverb.

Volumes

It does amaze me that people don’t play with these throughout a track. Nothing makes a song sound flatter than a “One size fits all” approach. Boost the chorus, build the intro, and drop the middle 8. Playing with volumes is guaranteed to grab the listener’s attention and make you sound more dynamic. Don’t overdo it as when it comes to volumes a little change makes a big difference.

Vocal

I don’t know if people are shy or other musicians fight harder to be heard but face facts, most people when they first listen to a new piece of music are focusing (albeit subconsciously) on the vocal track. Push it to the front and make sure you hear every word, every refrain – if your bass player thinks it is too loud it is probably just right!

Drums

Drums are a nightmare to record. You need tonnes of good mikes, loads of tracks and somewhere relatively sound proof to avoid horrible, song ruining “White Noise” (that horrible underlying hiss). I am quite a big advocate of quality drum machines (a good one nowadays will set you back around £100). It never loses beat, never speeds up and never tries to have sex with the lead singer’s girlfriend (only joking drummers!) seriously add some effects and you can get it to sound live- this is vital so it does not sound too mechanical and stale. Look into it

Compression

Most modern multi-track recorders or software packages have compression and I am a fan. Again don’t overdo it but experiment with it. Many people don’t understand what they are trying to achieve with compression. It is used to tighten the peaks and drops to make a more dynamic sound. A good understanding and use of compression effects will make you sound very professional.

So there are a few tips and I promise to do another blog with more soon. Do you have any top home recording tips? If so let me know via the comments section – let’s help each other out people.

Till the next time

Is X Factor Killing Music

Ok, so I have avoided talking about this for as long as possible and to be honest I simply dismiss this whole programme as the disposable entity that it is but recently many unsigned bands have cited x-factor as a serious thorn in the live music and unsigned world. So i X-factor really killing the art of music? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

I really try to not let it bother me but this instant fame concept does bother me but are we not competing in different worlds. Most unsigned acts ultimately want recognition but simply having a stage to perform their labour of love is enough. Disposable pop has always been around and talent shows (opportunity knocks, stars in their eyes) have always been a very cheap form of entertainment. True X-Factor does it a little better with it’s Glitz and audience participation but ultimately the performers career is in the hands of the marketing machine. They do as they are told and their riches are there (Leona Lewis) but dare to not conform and you are out ready to be replaced a year later by the next hopeful (Steve Brookstein).

I try to remain impartial and look at the flip side. The wise mouth of young Dappy from NDubz recently stated his disgust at the competition and argued that his band had struggled for years and worked hard to get where they are. Now this is probably the same for most of us and a few will succeed. This is the true way of the unsigned act isn’t it? Learn your craft, pay your dues and build your crowd through hard work and word of mouth. I also think this is a far stronger proposition, your fans remain your fans and don’t care what label you are on. Essentially you are selling your songs and act. Purity comes through. Now I have seen a lot of great shows in my time and I actually went with the missus to see Leona Lewis at the O2 recently. A great flashy show but the energy and passion seemed to be lacking. I also recently saw Aerosmith – now that was a show. They had something you can’t teach or buy with a marketing budget – chemistry. It may be unfair to compare veterans to the new girl on the block but I think it is a valid point.

We live in an age where people want instant gratification and that is far more damaging. X-factor may contribute to those who think they want to get into music but see this as the only way. To them a music career is simply an audition once a year. You can also look at the “rockstar” games, why pick up a guitar and spend years practicing when you can play “stairway to Heaven” in seconds on an Xbox 360! Music is art and Art takes time. The journey is a far more satisfying one when you have tasted the sweet and the sour. I ask myself would I change one of my well attended, audience loving gigs at the local club for a night on the X-factor stage? No, I honestly would not.

I feel that the “long Slog” also prepares you better than being thrust into the limelight and then suddenly being dropped. Real musicians always get by on their talent and always have that to fall back on. All X-Factor stars have is their waning fame. Good music always comes through and I feel the tide will turn on X-Factor. Look at the 70’s – the hippy pop was flowing then along came Zeppelin and gave the industry a shot in the arm. Eventually Zeppelin were seen as dinosaurs and safe until Johnny Rotten and his crew came along an tore the world a new arse. Next came electronic pop which was smashed by the hard rock of bands like Guns n Roses and Metallica. This “hair metal” era was then seen a fat and arrogant and out for itself so it was inevitable that when a young man from Seattle came along with Grunge it would be a revolution. Ok so maybe this is not how everyone see’s it but the history of music has a habit of being a reactionary process. At the moment instant fame and disposable pop is here and I guarantee their will be an organic reaction to this. The Urban scene with it’s almost punk like ethic has threatened to strike at the heart of pop. Something street and very real taking on something slightly contrived and pop based?

So I don’t hate X-Factor with the venom I once did and I think there will be an uprising and it will come from something real, something that cannot be faked. The key is (and the whole reason I started band assist) being armed and ready. Ok you may not have the £1,000’s to spend on marketing but you need the skills to prove if you were invested in you would be a contender. Sadly simply playing your local venue is not enough anymore, you need to fight them at their own game and take your music to the people. That is what we want to help with (still for FREE I may add) and to be honest I am getting some many review requests from simply awesome musicians that I would certainly buy CD’s from that I know you have the talent. The issue is arming yourself because like the X-Factor hopefuls you get one shot – so fire a cannon.

Would love to hear your views on the whole X-Factor thing as an unsigned act – leave me some comments!

Sampling and the Law

It seems at present everyone is sampling and I wonder if artists are aware of the legal issues here. The problem is copyright and it is one of the few laws in this great nation that actually works for us (as musicians). So the basic facts are if you are going to sample someone else’s work you need to get their permission. The problem nowadays is once you commit something to CD or MP3 and upload it to your website or Networking site, it is out there in the world wide web free for anyone to hear and take issue with and believe me they will. Record labels are really struggling at the moment as the revenue from CD’s falls and music piracy becomes smarter and more widespread. So a quick way to gain another source of cash could be to go after “illegal Samplers”.

As with all Laws this is not straight forward as the copyright will be owned by a few people and in law the least important is the writer/artist themselves. You will need permission from the record company that originally released the track (presuming they did not sell it to another label), you will also need permission from the artist who will still own a form of copyright. Finally add to the mix any other middle men such as publishers. It can get very messy to find all of the parties but if you don’t and your track featuring the aforementioned sample makes money they will find you. Money has a strange way of flushing interested parties out of the wood work.

Normally all parties will be fine as they assume it will make money and that is what they crave – as long as you are not using it in a damaging way (e.g a Right wing political punk combo may find it difficult to use John Lennon songs legally)

So where to start? Well the record label that originally released it is a great way to start – go to www.thecmuwebsite.com for contact. Be open with them about what you want to sample and how. They can then point you in the right direction and will often contact the artist for you but this is how to start the ball rolling but, be prepared for a slog, this will take time but could save you £1000’s in the long run.

In terms of cost this really does vary. It will depend on how you intend to distribute it, your credibility (following) and the popularity of the song. Normally there are 2 options in terms of cost. First you can pay a “buy out” fee which is a once of charge or you can negotiate a %. This will depend on your own cash flow and how popular the track will be. If you buy it up front the issue is if it flops you are out of pocket. If you choose the % option and it does well you are cutting your future income plus you have to account for the cash made which is not easy and can lead to disputes which land you in court.

The key thing is to stay on the right side of the law and don’t chance it but also think about what you are doing and how it affects you now and in the future. There is some good news though – after 70 years music loses its copyright protection so sample away! Anyone know any good tracks from the 1930’s?

Speak soon

5 To Watch out for!

Afternoon All

So the review requests have been flying in but I have been asked a few times what are the artists that I tip to make a breakthrough in the next 12 months. Well there are some great acts out there and I aim to get full reviews on the website as soon as possible (this Blog is not really the place for reviews just tips and advice) anyway here are, in no particular order, 5 acts you should check out and are on their way:

1) Logan – Ok this is a bit of an obvious one as they are quite well known to everyone and they have just got signed but still worth being on the list so others can catch on before they explode. These guys have supported some big acts and played numerous festivals. Great riffs, awesome tight feel and a classic rock singer that ties it all together. Proper rock with proper melody – I defy you to listen to “Out of Mind” and not be a convert
Check them out at: http://www.logan-net.com/

2) Goober Gun – Now a little bit of a confession. I have known of these guys in a few different incarnations over the years and all have been awesome (Rat:daddy, Idiot3). It is almost a crime that their songs are not bothering the charts on a weekly basis whilst we ask “Cheryl Cole? Isn’t see married to that camp Chelsea chap?” Anyway, the latest version Goober gun looks set to put this straight. More mature, but with an urgency and 21st century feel. Listen to “1979” for pure pop rock perfection.
Check them out at: www.myspace.com/goobergun

3) Rhyme Asylum – A grimy Urban act that is music at it’s street level. Awesome rhymes, hard beats and a real fresh approach. Every word is spat out and meant; street poetry does not come more real than this. Honed, dark and threatening. This is hard music for hard times. There are a load of pretenders but these guys are the real deal plus so innovative, just listen to Strange Deranged.
Check them out at: www.myspace.com/rhymeasylum

4) The Lottery Winners – From sunny Manchester comes some modern beautifully uplifting pop indie stylings for a great little outfit that are sure to be hassling the top 20 very soon. This is the modern sound of “Madchester” and these guys storm in with some unique songs and harmonies that are simple divine (check out “Sheeps and Dogs” if you don’t believe me). Listen to Lovers Lane and you will be humming it all day –short to the point and utterly awesome.
Check them out at: www.myspace.com/thelotterywinnersmusic

5) Albany Down – I only heard about these guys when they contact me and signed up to band assist a few weeks back. Since then they asked for a review and thank God they did! If they hadn’t I would have never heard “South of the City” which is currently my favourite song in the world and reminds me why I do this, so I get to hear tracks like this. Albany Down are part Skynard, Part The Doors and bring a great vibe.
Check them out at: http://www.albanydown.com/

So these are my thoughts, let me know if I am missing anyone and I am sure in a few weeks I will have 5 more suggestions.

Well Said, Mr Grohl

Some pretty simple but great advice from someone who has been in a fair few decent popular beat combos!



Easy to forget this simple bit of advice when ou focus some much on the business side so just keep this in mind

Don't Do this - It's NOT the Law!!

Hello all

I was speaking to a couple of guys the other day who have just finished recording a 10 track album which they are really please with and after a brief listen I think they may have recorded something quite special. Anyway we got round to talking about Copyrighting their music and they informed me they had sorted it already. Wow I said how much did it cost you (knowing that some people charge an absolute fortune to do this). Nothing they said. It turns out they have believed the old “poor man’s copyright” story.

If you have never heard of this let me quickly fill you in. The concept is simple. The idea of copyright is to prove (in case of plagiarism) that you had a particular idea first. So under the “poor man’s copyright” theory you burn a CD, put it in an envelope and send it to yourself. Then when it arrives never open it and keep it in a safe place. The idea is that the piece of mail will have a date stamp on it proving that the music on it was created at that particular time. So in 10 years time you can sue the latest Simon Cowell robot that is stealing, and I imagine murdering, your song.

THIS IS A MODERN DAY MYTH AND WILL NOT STAND UP IN A COURT OF LAW

Sorry to break it to you but there is no provision for such an activity in Copyright Law. It is kinda obvious why as it is so open to being faked. You could send yourself an empty envelope, not seal the envelope and put anything in it, etc,etc. I know a load of bands think that this is ok and will give them some level of protect but it will not give you any protection at all. In fact you could even in extreme examples face a lawsuit of your own for such a move.

Copyrighting is not that expensive anymore, particularly if you do it online. I have heard about 2 UK companies that offer Copywriting for a good price (Please note: I have no affiliation with these companies – see no affiliate links and no need to mention Band assist. Plus I have not delved 100% into them so do a bit of due diligence yourself):

Copyright Services – provide a 5 year copyright for 1 song for £39 or 10 years for £65

Protect my work – do things a little differently and you pay £25 a year then it only costs £1 per song after that (at the moment they seem to be offering 5 free songs when you sign up.)

Copyrighting your work is always a good idea – there are a lot of bad people out there looking to make cash from others hard work – but it is not essential to copyright everything straight away. If you have the funds get it done, if not just focus on the music – you can always write another Rock Anthem!

Till next time

Ok, Where's the Catch

Ok, so we have had a few emails from people who seem a bit hesitant about joining Band Assist, not many but a few. They all seem to think there is a catch that we are going to become a subscription service. Shame on you, where is your faith in humanity! J

Put simply we have all been where you are and learnt a great deal by finding the pitfalls. We’ve been ripped off by labels, cheated by venues, threatened with legal action and played some really bad gigs to no one! In summary we never reach what we believed to be our potential and a while back I uttered the famous expression “Man, if I only knew what I know now then”

So what choices do I have? I could be bitter and curse my ignorance whilst I watch Simon Cowell squeeze the life out of hard working and hard gigging musicians and bands simply because they don’t fit his “saleable requirement” or we can use the knowledge we have to help get bands credit and keep live music alive. You see, speaking for myself, I love music, simply adore it. Nothing gives me a bigger thrill than discovering a band before other people and finding tunes I absolutely love. So not only does Band Assist push me to find new music (and be found by it) it also allows me to give something back

So sign up – I promise:

1) Band Assist will never cost you a penny.
2) We will always be fair and have no agenda.
3) We won’t sell, give or distribute your email address to anyone.

See you soon. Oh and please become a follower of this Blog. I know people read it as I have had emails but we don’t have any followers – we’re loners!

Should you compete?

I often get asked about battle of the bands competitions and their value. There certainly seems to be a great deal of scepticism surrounding them with many of you thinking they are fixed! Now I can’t speak on all of them but in the past I have heard from a member of a panel that before the final of a national competition she was instructed to vote a certain way as a deal had been put in place. It also seems to be a common phenomenon that these competitions are simply vast money making machines where bands have to sell ticked at quite expensive prices.

The Negatives

Well selling tickets at an over-inflated prices can damage your gigs around the same time as people can’t attend both (so plan gigs carefully in this period). A lot of promoter for battle of the bands actually award points for selling tickets which puts some people at a severe disadvantage and it would seem popularity/number of friends is more highly valued than talent. Personally I have never bought a CD due to the artists number of friends, maybe I’m missing out! This does mean that bands at college or school tend to do pretty well here as they have a vast pool to draw on.

The other issue is does not doing well in such a competition make you look bad? If you came dead last, potentially through no fault of your own, does this mean people may write of your music in the future?

My Advice

On the plus side due to the increased pressure to sell tickets these events are usually really well attended and can get you in front of a larger crowd, many of which may never go to gigs. So you could actually pick up a few fans and sell some CD’s. The key thing here is to play harder and better than you ever have. Win over the crowd rooting for another act and try to pick up as many fans as possible. Treat it as a real opportunity and don’t focus on winning plus make sure everyone in the band feels the same. Your aim for this gig is to gain fans not win prizes.

Finally even if you don’t win you can put a positive spin on it stating you go through to the final or even the fact that you were selected to play in the first place above other acts.

See you soon

Introducing, Introducing

Ok so a quick update for today. I am sure 90% of you already know about this service and are using it so this post if for those of you not familiar with BBC Introducing.

This is a absolute must for bands and you really should use it to it's full extent. It is a new place to load songs, information and gigs onto the 3rd most popular site in the world! Aside from having a presence you can also get a break here for periodically the BBC pick acts for various events and activities. For example you could feature on a local radio station, get to record a single or get on a festival stage PLUS it is free!

Personally I think this is a real bold step for the BBC to put resource into this and you need to be on here. So simply google "BBC Introducing" and get involved!

But ensure you put up as much as you can and don't leave bits blank - a photo, video and song are absolutely essential and don't forget to link it back to your own website. I would also recommend checking out some of the other bands pages and try to emulate them so your profile is professional and is attractive.

Local Rivals are not the enemy!

A real issue I have found in local scene's (and I have been involved in a few - from London to Manchester) is the hatred and backbiting. Local scenes slag each other off and generally don't support each other!

The local scene needs to be just that. If you want local bands to come and see you you must go to see them. It makes total sense but is the complete opposite of what actually happens. You are all in the same boat, all seeking the same thing and getting these likeminded people to your show should be easy! If ultimately you want a record deal or any degree of success lets be honest you need to create a buzz. Remember nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.

So get the local bands to form a community and really look out for each other. This will help build a vibe and should stop the bitching - it is hard to slate someone you get to know and that you go and see on a regular basis - you might even like their music.

It drives me insane that people think that supporting the competition means they will get the success. I want to let you in on a little secret - there is enough fame and fortune for everyone - if you are good and saleable you will gain success (of course you need a few other bits - visit http://www.bandassist.co.uk/ to see what). so build a scene and soon other bands will want in and their friends so. So you can see how this would spiral.

So let me tell you how I would do this - be the one to take the first step. Go to a local gig and speak to the band, make friends and just drop in when you are playing next - then get them to commit to coming along. Do this a few times to a few different bands and it will soon pay off. If you are a band split up and go to different gigs.

Trust me this works, build a scene with you as the epicentre. Make what you once considered to be your enemies/rival,your friends.

Till next time

BA

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Advice from Blink 182

Not a massive fan but some very true words, worth a listen



Simple stuff but it is soooo true

Should you covet covers?

It is an age old question. Should unsigned bands cover well known bands? Should you start or end with a much loved tune or simply stick to your own material.

I am in two minds here to be honest:

When a Cover Works:

In previous bands and projects we have often thrown a well known cover that everyone can get into - think "Whole lotta love" by Zepplin, "Paradise City" by Guns or "sex is on Fire" by the kings of Leon. They can really grab the audiences attention and make them engage with you then you can take them along the trip with your tunes or finish with a much loved song to end on a huge crescendo. Yep I have had some of my best audience reactions from playing covers live plus it's so easy to learn someone else's stuff.

The Problem

The problem is no matter how good your stuff is due to the audiences familiarity with the cover your material just won't stand up. You run the risk of people simply going away remembering that 1 song (albeit, an awesome rendition of it) and you can fast become the band/artist that covers "xxxxxx". I have also seen many a fine musician love the reaction to a cover that they throw in another, then another and soon your playing 50% original and 50% cover versions.

My 2 Cents (about 4p for us Brits)

I have a few feelings on this one:

1) have 2-3 create covers in your arsenal ready to bring out if a crowd is flagging and you want to grab their attention. Do not play them in consecutive gigs and replace them every 3-6 months, so you don't get too known for that song alone. The constants should be your material.

2) Make it different - many artists have changed a cover significantly and really made it their own. In fact many launch their careers in such a way. Look at Limp Bizkit with Faith, Robbie Williams with Freedom or the late Sid Vicious with My Way!

3) A little bit of honest plagiarism. Lets face it you probably have a few artists in your CD collection that most people won't have heard of but one or 2 of their songs are simply awesome on first listen. Why not cover them! DON'T Claim they are yours, just don't claim anything! This is honestly what Metallica did in their early days - they didn't have enough songs to fill a set so padded it out with obscure yet catchy covers.

Use covers sparingly and cleverly. Plus if you are going down the road of altering an original to make it your own be prepared to play it a fair bit, as people really latch onto this.

Good Luck

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Welcome to Band Assist

Hi All

Welcome to the New Band Assist blog - not too sure what happened to the last one, I blame bill gates!

Anyway Please subscribe and don't forget to visit our website

http://www.bandassist.co.uk/

Speak Soon