Yep, It's that time again; Band of the Month. This month after some of the best submissions we have had, we finally decided on Zepher.

Let's here what they have to say!

How did you guy’s form?

- My brother (Toby) and I (Louis) put the band together by advertising in local music shops and our university. Sam originally wanted to audition for lead guitar but we had already found Luke for that role. Sam then got in contact a second time to audition for bass and the rest is history.

“Brand New Day” is an awesome track and demonstrates a very unique style – how did that track come about?

- That's a song that I (Louis) wrote before we put the band together. It's simply a feel good, life affirming summertime song that seems to resonate with a lot of people for whatever reason? I guess that explains the vast amount of MySpace hits?

How did you get some many listens to the track on Myspace?

- Promotion promotion promotion! We would each spend hours adding people, sending messages, posting blogs..but I guess you have to acknowledge the strength of the track too, you can advertise all you like but if the songs ain't strong it's all in vain.

What is your general writing process?

- Well it's usually either myself (Louis) or Luke that will come up with the bare bones of a track i.e. a guitar riff, chord sequence or vocal melody. We then bring the track to the band and work on each instruments part and any harmonies.

What do you find most difficult about being an unsigned act in 2011?

- Not being signed! haha

What are your top tips for other unsigned bands?

- Give up, so there's more room for us.
Work hard, always give 100% live, add a small amount of luck and hope for the best.

What is your fantasy band line up?

- Louis Ellis (Vocals), Toby Ellis (Drums), Sam Evanson (Bass), Luke Hall (Guitar)

Tell us an amusing band story

- We once threw a t.v out of a hotel window, drove a rolls into a pool an various other clichés. haha

What are your views on Band Assist?

- Your doing a good job lads, there aren't many (if any) web sites dedicated to helping up and coming bands with the business side of the industry. And bands need to learn about the legalities involved with the music business..after all, it's your career look after it.

What’s next for you?

- Well, we have a brand new EP out entitled: Who The F**k Are Zepher, which is available to download from iTunes this very second! It will also be available to buy from us at our shows.
We are currently in the running to play this years FIB Festival in Spain, and you can vote for us by following this link: http://www.supajam.com/fib2011/entry/zepher-1

Other than that, we'll be gigging as much as possible, writing new tunes and having a good time.

Band Chemistry

Here are a few top tips to help with your band. Getting this bit right makes everything else far easier. Battle the world, not each other!

Quick Advice

Pick your band members wisely (the easiest way to avoid bad band chemistry)
Talent isn't everything. Sounding good is only half the battle - you need to gel as a band. If you're having fun together, the audience will feel it. If the guitarist and singer can't stand each other, the crowd will pick up on that, too. You might be able to fake your way through it, but you better be great at it. Otherwise, your audience won't respond well.

Know your goals.

If you each know what you want out of the band, you'll have a lot less problems. If you agree on what you want (just playing locally versus becoming world famous versus something in between) then you're all set. But what if the drummer loves playing shows, the singer desperately wants to be famous, and the bassist is just hoping to pick up a date? Well, now you know that your drummer will say yes to any kind of tour, the singer will want to tour in big cities, and the bassist will want big crowds and post-show mixers. Know what will make everyone happy, and go for it.

Let go of the egos.

Just because it's your idea, doesn't mean it's the best one. Be flexible - especially with the minor stuff. Does it really matter if the guitarist wants to move the third song on the set list up a spot? Be civil to each other, and try not to take anything too personally. Remember, you are in this to have fun, right?

Know when to cut your losses.

If someone in your band isn't working out, know when to say goodbye. Don't avoid it because no one wants to be the bad guy. Draw straws if you have to, or approach it together, but take care of it. It's always better than the alternative - practices becoming further apart until one day you realize you broke up without knowing it.

Have fun.

It will solve virtually any problem.

Play SOLD OUT Shows

Promoting your band’s website locally is about getting more people to come to your gigs (if you don’t gig, don’t bother), it’s usually only locals who’ll turn up and support you. By promoting your band’s website locally you are also promoting your band locally - it works best if you’re hands-on, real world, for instance, if you want to get a link from the local press or local radio, it would help if your band proactively supports a local charity.
Local is the area around your favourite venue (the venue you like and play most) or your town. Get a map. Find the venue or town centre. Draw a circle with a radius of about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) around the venue or town centre. That’s local. 25 miles represents the distance people would be prepared to travel to see an independent band in the UK. Because of the transport infrastructure and familiarity with commuting, you can have a 35 mile radius around a London venue (same in most large cities). Bands who operate in large cities have a big advantage - of course you don’t have to target everyone!1. Swap links and get involved with local: businesses, charities, record shops, fashion shops, cafes, pubs, clubs, venues. Get links from local: press, radio.
2. (Legally) Hand out, post, pin up, stick and drop (accidentally!): flyers, stickers, business cards, button badges - in and around: schools, colleges, universities, record shops, fashion shops, cafes, pubs, clubs, venues and churches. Include your band’s name, website address and free gift details.
3. Team-up and collaborate with 5 or more local bands of the same or complementary genre and promote each other online and offline.
4. Use the networking communities (esp. Facebook, MySpace, ReverbNation) to communicate with the locals. Always make your website The focal point.
5. Create a mailing list / database of fans, friends and family, target those within your locale and ask them for support. And don’t forget, if you can’t make it locally with the support of your fans, friends and family, you’re not going to make it anywhere!

Take Cover?

Thes 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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Career Musician Advice

Career Musician

Many musicians mistakenly deem career-building tasks to be anti-creative.
For them, ‘career development’ equates with writing newsletters, updating websites, emailing presenters, and the like – things that take them away from practicing.

Of course, we all have to carry out administrative chores to sustain our careers. But, as I see it, the most important career moves we make are those that inspire us, that give direction to our creativity.

And the more excited we are about our professional prospects, the more effectively we practice and the less onerous those administrative chores become.

This post highlights seven entrepreneurial strategies that can boost any musician’s creativity and career.

Craft compelling concert programsPresenters will flock to hire you if you offer programs that draw media attention and bring in listeners. Plus, you’ll be keen to promote shows that you know break new ground. So explore innovative ways to package the titles you love. You might even craft programs that tie into current events – say, “Music of Protest.”

Expand your audienceAre there venues where your type of music isn’t normally heard? Have you ever put together school programs? What about interactive concerts for the elderly or infirm? When you reach beyond your typical audience, you increase your relevance to your community and stretch your creative powers.

Compose on commissionDancers, filmmakers, theater directors, singers, and even business leaders often need music for their presentations. If you make yourself available to them, you open up possibilities for both income and creative synergy.

Record distinctive musicAs with live music, recorded music that blazes with novelty can rise above the competition. Classical performers, for instance, who commission and record new works stand out as pioneers (and plenty of grantmakers support commissions).

Team up in unexpected collaborationsNot only do collaborations broaden our musical abilities, insightful ones can lead us to new soundscapes and trigger bursts of compositional invention. These in turn can bring on ideas for concerts and recordings. So keep networking with other musicians and artists, and stay open to unforeseen collaborative prospects.

Create educational materialsFrom one generation to the next, aspiring musicians need up-to-date pedagogical materials. Who better to create those materials than you? The publications you devise can aid countless music lovers and earn you royalties far into the future.

Tap new technologiesSuppose you land a string of concerts: Why limit your audience to those who can attend your show? You might acquire some video production chops and stream your concerts live via sites like UStream. Or you could audio-record your performances and sell recordings right then on flash drives, as Aderra does.

In sum, whatever your musical style, there’s an audience eager to hear high-quality work in your genre. It’s up to you to think imaginatively and then do the work necessary to deliver that music.

Write Great Guitar Riffs

The thing to keep in mind when writing a riff, is that the rhythmic phrase you created should be representative of a chord. What I mean is you should be clearly playing to one particular tonal center with your root.The best way to achieve this is to pick a key to write your song in. For this example, we'll use the Key of "A".

Lets say the chord progression we have in mind for our song is a typical rock or blues I-IV-VSo, our chords go A5 -D5-E5 (if you aren't familiar with 5 chords you may want to check out my lesson on Power ChordsLet's assume we want our progression to be 4bars-A5, 1bar-D5, 1bar-E5, then repeat.The idea we want to work with is to replace our A5 chord with a riff. Let's use the minor pentatonic scale to create the riff. If the riff is going to represent the A5 chord well, we have to make sure that we favor the A note.

A good idea is to start and/or end on our root note.(A) It doesn't hurt to play the A note repeatedly in a catchy rhythmic fashion before moving on to any other notes in the scale.If you can come up with a 4 bar riff great! Then play your 1 bar of D5, 1 bar of E5 and go back to your riff. That's it! You've got the next big rock hit on your hands.I know what you're thinking, "But, I can't come up with a riff that's 4 bars long!"No problem.

Let's say your riff is one bar in duration. All you need to do is play your one bar riff-one bar of A5-repeat your one bar riff-one bar A5-then on to ! bar D5-1 bar E5....and repeat....etc....Now you're really rockin'!

Get a great bass guitar sound

How to get a great live Bass sound I have always been struck by preponderance of poor live bass sound. Bassists show up at gigs with thousands of dollars worth of rig and bass yet the results are often dismal. The bass sound seems clouded with extraneous noise. The sound person's best efforts are usually for naught so the sound person takes the bass down in the mix, inevitably filling in the mix with extra kick drum. Many bassists are oblivious to their predicament, having long since relegated such responsibility to others.

The challenges to getting good live bass sound are many. First is the source, the bass itself. Most players imagine their sound in a vacuum. Unfortunately what sounds good solo in their bedroom has little in common with what is needed at the concert hall. When bands practice there is seldom enough thought given to how the instruments blend, who will fit in where in the sound spectrum. Guitarist thrill with extended bass in their sound, while bassists think that every sibilant nuance of their new strings must be broadcast to the masses. Drummers rightfully cover the spectrum from bass drum to high hat. The result is that no one is heard correctly, a volume race ensues in the practice room and on stage. Bassist must compete with their best foot forward; clear, fat fundamental tone enriched with some clean midrange and not much else.

We could start by taking our cues from the electric bass pioneers of the 50s and 60s who, with modest equipment were able to propel their music in a most effective and memorable way, often using short scale basses or hollow bodies and flat wound strings of prehistoric vintage that they played with felt picks. Few of us today would stand for dead strings but we should consider that much of a new string's sound is high frequency clutter. On stage most of those highs will be masked by the guitar, cymbals and other high frequency sources. Trying to poke through the mix by boosting mids and highs won't clear up the bass part since the upper content is mostly finger noise, sympathetic ringing from adjacent strings and buzz or hiss.

Much can be gained by filtering the sound before it is amplified. Bass intelligibility is determined by wave shape. Certain wave forms can cut through better than others. Of course it's best to fit the song with an appropriate tone and then strive for intelligibility from there by cutting out the parts of the signal that aren't essential. In practice this might mean having a couple of different basses. In general it means playing cleanly and staying away from effects. Many times the culprit is too much low end in a misguided attempt to fatten the bass. It is better to get a solid 60 or 80Hz center and cut out everything below 50Hz than to pile up standing waves at 40 or 30 Hz.

If you play several styles during a set you will need to sound check each permutation from reggae to smooth jazz to see how the room will respond. If you are touring a regular circuit, you should take written notes on each venue. Always talk to the local sound person to find out what works. They in turn will appreciate your concern and do their best on your behalf.

If you own a big rig and are playing in a small venue, stay out of the house mix entirely. A single point source is better at avoiding wave cancellations around the room. For a deeper sound, set your rig against a back wall or in a corner to enhance the "boundary effect". If the low end is overpowering move the rig up towards the middle of the room. 10" drivers tend to focus sound in a narrow beam and aren't as good for filling big rooms. You can try bouncing the sound off a back wall to get better propagation though you will loose some highs in the process.

If you mic your amp for the house feed, make sure you aren't distorting your amp unintentionally on stage. A D.I. (Direct Inject) is a much better way to go and you should probably buy one that you like, it's a small investment that can make a big difference. Most bass pre-amps and amps now come with built in D.I.s that work well but you might want to experiment. Some of the best bass players I know simply use a D.I. and the house monitors for their signal and leave their rigs at home. They sound better because they avoid interference between their rig and the house mains while they are more conscious of what their bass sounds in the house. These lucky guys save their backs too. Some of my favorite DIs:

AVALON U-5 Radial Reichenbach DB- 1:12 Little Labs

Keep your stage volume at an absolute minimum if you are going through the house mains.

Smaller enclosures are better suited for monitoring, set them up at ear level or angle them up from the stage. Use them for side fill rather than aiming them indiscriminately out at the audience. This will let the mains sound their best and won't confuse the sound person with a hot bass signal beamed right at the mixing board from the stage. The latest trend is in-ear monitors for the whole band with Plexiglas baffles around the drummer. These in-ear systems are still expensive but can be built up slowly starting with the vocalists who seem to love them. You will probably love not hearing the vocalists in your mix. Drummers seem to be the most monitor-needy after vocalists. Consider a "shaker" throne for the drummer so that she can feel her kick drum and your bass meshing rather than blasting her with 2 monitors and side-fill.

Tell the front of house engineer that you want less overall house volume. A house system running at 100dB will have headroom and will sound far better than a system that is maxed out at 129dB. Sound engineers often believe their job is to wring as much volume as possible out of the house system. Bass requires most of the power in a house system but if all the power is used up with kick drum reverb and vocals, your low frequencies will never get a chance and your audience will go home with their ears ringing and won't have benefited from a note you played. I just heard about a club that uses a low power FM broadcast instead of house sound, each patron gets their own FM headset and can adjust their volume as they wish. Now that's utopian.

Playing Live Tips

I realise haven’t mentioned the performance yet, and there are a few very important things to bear in mind. You need to be confident that you love what you’re doing, and portray this in whatever way feels natural to you. It’s easy to feel nervous on stage, and this will can be remedied over time, but do try not to look awkward as this will be conveyed to your audience. As music fans we have all been to gigs, some great, some not so great. As well as having a good set of songs to showcase, you need to think about the context. A little work at rehearsal can change 5 or 6 good songs into an amazing set. Crossover time between songs has to be kept at a minimum. There’s nothing worse during a set than a song finishing, then being treated to an awkward silence. People will lose attention and start chatting, when you want to keep their attention throughout. Practice a performance as you would play it live, and try to minimise gaps as much as possible.

Decide when you will say things, create bridging bits between songs; anything to keep the audience’s attention. Also think which songs to put in which order. It may sound obvious, but if it’s a short set, don’t fill it with your slowest songs if that’s not the intention. The last thing I will say for now (I have been rambling on for quite a while!) is to set yourself up a mailing list. This is a great way to let your fans know when you are playing, or of any news or important stuff that is happening. Perhaps include some interesting facts with each issue, the choice is yours. Don’t send out too many emails however, otherwise people will get fed up. All this will take is a clipboard, and some professional looking A4 sheets where people can enter their name, email, and possibly a phone contact.

Recording Vocals at home

Blog: Recording Vocals at Home Recording vocals can be one of the more challenging tracking phase processes you may run into. If it wasn’t enough of a tough cookie in the studio, you can be sure it’s a daunting task in a bedroom (or a home office or any other room you’ve set aside for recording fun that wasn’t purpose-built for it).

The sad truth is that you can’t get pro quality vocals happening at home. But you can improve the sound by a mile if you’re armed with a few tricks and tips, and that’s what I intend to give you.

The Room

The number one factor in vocal recording is the room. You might’ve thought it was the mic you’re using or the pre-amp you’re running it through, but the truth is if you’ve got a U87 and an Avalon but the room you’re recording in is crap, you won’t be much farther ahead than a guy using a Behringer mic through an Mbox.

You could buy one of those (often rather expensive) reflection shields that attach to the stand and sit behind the microphone, and this will do you some good, particularly if your mic is omnidirectional. However, most common vocal microphones for both home and studio users are cardioid, so the shield will still help to an extent but the majority of problem reflections will come from the front — that is, the surfaces behind the vocalist’s head.

This article isn’t about treating your room, which is a great idea if you own your home and you can learn more about doing so on a budget here. We’re talking about cheap, fast and temporary solutions for the moment. The best thing you can do in this case is to grab a blanket and tape it to a wall or hang it over a reasonably tall and wide bookshelf with some books pinning it down on top.

You want to get as much of the surface on the wall behind the singer covered as you can. Don’t neglect the area behind and above the head in particular — if your singer is taller than your bookshelf (or even around the same height), forget about hanging the blanket and tape it to the wall. The thickest blanket you can find is best.

Here’s an example that compares a bedroom recording without a blanket, and then with a blanket — I’ve used a clap, the industry standard reflection measurement technology: As you can hear, the first sound has a very metallic reflection to it, which isn’t particularly pleasant. The second clap shows that you can’t eliminate reflections in a bedroom this way, but you can control them and give yourself some room to apply a nicer reverb later.

You’ll have the best luck in a carpeted room. If you’ve got floorboards or tiles, get a rug that covers as much of the floor as possible. You should also ensure your curtains or blinds are drawn as window glass is incredibly reflective. Slat blinds are not particularly good at blocking the reflections because of the gap between each strip, so try to hang a curtain even if only for the duration of your recording session. Again, the thicker the better. In some recording rooms a bit of liveliness isn’t a bad thing when the reflective surfaces have been purpose-designed, but in a bedroom you’re best of deadening as much as you can and adding reverb during the mixing phase of your project.

Dampening the vicinity behind the singer’s head can be enough to reduce reflections to decent level for home demo recording, but if you’re full of energy and have more blankets than you know what to do with, put one on every wall and maybe even lay one over your desk surface.

The last suggestion involves a lot of work — you need to move your gear, put the blanket down, put the gear back, and then repeat the process when you’re done, but a reflective desk can cause a lot of problems.

Positioning

Positioning the microphone can be tricky in a home studio situation. You don’t want to be too close to walls or other reflective surfaces such as desks (especially desks, as frequencies, in particular bass, will build up underneath the desktop). On the other hand, you don’t want to be in the middle of the room — the frequencies that build up due to non-purpose specific room design are most prominent here, and are known as standing waves.

In a small room, as most home recording environments are, it’s tough to get away from walls and from the center of the room. My recommendation is that you put yourself closer to a wall that is dampened with a blanket and face the other side of the room. Get a few feet away from the wall if you can do so without putting the microphone in the middle of the room, and make sure the wall you’ve chosen is furthest away from your desk or windows. You may want to rearrange the room so your desk is at the window! It might increase the reflectivity of that area of the room, but if you can get far enough away from it, this is better than having nowhere to go because your desk is at one end and the window’s at the other.

If you can get a few feet in front of the wall you’ve chosen to dampen, make sure you can dampen as much of that wall as possible. Using a few blankets is a bit of a pain, but worth it in the end.

Your singer should stand about a foot away from the microphone as a general guide. Softer singers might be better off standing at half that distance, while a loud metal screamer might need as much as two feet of distance. Good microphone technique plays a part in the process, which unfortunately requires the singer has some experience with studio recording. Someone who has sung live for years but has never entered a studio is not going to be much better than a total neophyte, particularly if you’re using condensers, as the correct technique differs in both situations. They may have a bit of an advantage if you’re recording with dynamics (and I’ve only ever seen a dynamic mic used for studio vocals a couple of times, and one of those times was because the singer was too loud for a condenser even with a -20dB pad on and low gain!). It’s also advisable to put the singer a couple of degrees off the center of the microphone, where it’s less sensitive. Singers like to move their heads, and a centimeter can make too much of a difference at dead-center. Which leads me to…

The Proximity Effect

Almost all dynamic microphones and the vast majority of condensers used in a home studio have a proximity effect, which is to say that the closer the sound source is to the microphone, the more the bass frequencies will be exaggerated. 90% of the time, this is undesirable in vocal recordings.

There are a few ways to combat this — your best bet is to use a singer with good microphone technique and awareness of the various problems that can crop up when they move their little heads too close. When you’re dealing with a less experienced singer I’ve found an effective quick fix is to move the pop filter a few inches away from the mic so they physically cannot get too close to the microphone (you are using a pop filter, right? If not, get one right away!). Be careful, as this may limit their ability to compensate for a sudden drop in volume by moving in a bit closer.

Gain

Most people have a tendency to record vocals too loud, which causes clipping and definitely cannot be fixed in the mix. Unfortunately, if you’ve got a home studio with typical home studio gear, you don’t have the luxury of recording too soft, either. With a studio quality set-up, you can record quietly without danger (usually) of running into noise floor problems. At home, the equipment and cables are almost always too noisy and you need to record with enough volume to escape that ugly sound.

Every time you set up a vocal recording session, you’re going to need to spend time getting the levels right so that the quietest point in the song can be heard loudly enough without introducing clipping when the singer gets a bit more passionate in the chorus. To make matters worse, you need to remember that a singer — be it yourself or someone you’re recording — will get louder as they get further into the session and begin to overcome nerves, particularly those singers who are not experienced in the recording studio. So even if you spend twenty minutes getting your levels right at first, there’s a good chance you’ll need to compensate for it by the time you’re doing the real-deal tracking.

Make the Singer Sound Great

At least, to them! Almost all singers are suddenly and magically able to sing better if they hear their voice after is has been processed a bit. Different singers have different needs, but a bit of compression and reverb on the monitoring bus are usually the way to go. If your compression and reverb units are hardware units, make sure you can route your headphone bus through them so the hard effects aren’t recorded for good, unless you know what you’re doing and don’t intend to change it later on.

For those of you with a more basic setup, such as an Mbox, headphone mixes aren’t an option. You’ll need to satisfy yourself with slapping a plug-in or two on the vocal track and using software monitoring, or going without if the latency is too high for that.

Singers — and have no illusions, every singer from yourself to Rob Halford — will try to overcompensate for the flaws they hear in their voice if confronted with the raw sound from the microphone. Some are better at focusing on the performance and doing less compensating than others, but they all do it. Put some artificial control in place with the compressor and a more natural sounding room with a bit of nice reverb.

Ever seen someone who has never worked in a studio enter a treated dead room or anechoic chamber before? I was surprised to find that many people find it disconcerting. A disconcerted singer is not a very good one, so liven up the deadened sound and you’ll notice an immediate improvement.

As it happens, they say this is why people sing in the shower more than any other location!

Writing Lyrics

How to write lyrics As an aspiring songwriter myself, I am constantly listening to the albums of my favorite artists in the hopes that some inspiration strikes and I can someday write the lyrics to a song that people will listen to over and over again. And though I have not yet hit the jackpot in my own work, I think I have learned a few things about how the good songs get written. But first and foremost, I would say that the guidelines for writing good song lyrics very much depend on the genre in which you choose to write. The standards for good heavy metal song lyrics are going to be very different from what will be expected of a pop rock song and even more distinct from the lyrics in a country song. Of course, this is not always the case, but it is important to understand and to consider the stylistic differences in the genres before you start writing so that you can decide whether you want a standard sound or whether you want to go with your own unique creation. Here are some thoughts on writing lyrics in the different genres:

For Heavy Metal Songs:

Convey a singular thought, emotion, image, or idea and write lyrics that are somewhat short or punctuated

Stick with that one idea throughout the whole song and keep your lyrics very simple and unilateral. You might want to do something as basic as finding a catchy way to repeat that idea over and over rather than to dilute it with several other lyrics. This might make for a very repetitious song, but this idea seems very true to the already released heavy metal.

For Mainstream Rock-n-Roll (Pop Rock) Songs:

This is a much lighter and catchier sound than heavy metal. Here, you might want to draw inspiration from an event, person, place, or emotion in your life about which you can create a story. Conjure up the catalyst first, and then think of the story you want to tell or the emotion you want to convey and create it. Keep in mind that you want a beginning, middle, and end to your story so you want the idea or emotion to fit tightly within the standard song structures. Example: Use A (chorus) B (chorus) structure. Make verse A be the beginning of the story, the chorus be the major emotion, and verse B be the middle and end of the story. Repeat the structure using as many verses as it takes to tell your whole story or to convey your emotion. The lyric lines here are usually (not always) longer here than those in heavy metal songs and the words themselves are more elongated.

For Country Songs:

The rules here for lyrics are somewhat similar to those in the writing of pop-rock lyrics. Old country songs were very twangy and sad (sometimes sappy). Over the years, country songs have joined hands with the rock-n-roll genre and become both more mainstream and upbeat. My tip here:

If you want to write the old, twangy version of country, think of the saddest thing that has ever happened to you, write a story about it in your head, and follow the rules above to produce the final product.

If you have trouble connecting with the sad experiences of your past, you can always incorporate alcohol to reconnect with the weightiness of the experience. But, should you choose to do this, drink responsibly, do not drive drunk, and be sober when it comes time to write the song. I cannot emphasize enough here, though to drink moderately and responsibly.

Should you choose to write a more modern country song, see the tips for pop-rock songs.

Now genre aside, here are a few tips that apply to all the songs that you wish to write:

1. Keep your verses no more than 4-6 lines and your choruses the same

2. It is a good idea to have the lines rhyme. This rhyme can be a perfect rhyme, but can also be something close. Think creatively here; if you do, you would be surprised what can rhyme with what.

3. Remember that your lyrics will be set to music and can be stretched and manipulated accordingly. So, where you can't get a rhyme, you can use words with the same number of syllables or words that rhyme closely and make them work for you.

4. It is often the case that every other line of your verse or chorus should rhyme. This is not always true, but this element occurs frequently in lyrics.

Mastering Music!

read a lot on music, so I've come across my share of interviews with pros in the field of recording. When asked about the specifics of a particular mixing/mastering technique, I've noticed that many guys will respond something like this: "Man, if it sounds right, it is right."

Then they talk about how one time they had to boost the snare by 16dB at 5.38kHz and it really made it pop. The album made platinum and the mixer was presented with the “Best Snare Sound Award” from the Canadian Council of Superior Recordings.That’s a great story and all, but in my opinion “If it sounds right, it is right” is the worst piece of advice you could ever give someone learning about mixing/mastering. Why? Because most newbies to recording have neither the experience nor the training to be able to hear the way a mixing/mastering engineer has learned to hear.

What sounds right to a newbie could sound right for all the wrong reasons. Amateur recordists should actually dedicate a fair amount of time trying to learn what it is exactly that the pros are hearing.Once I was...eh-hmm…"mastering" a track and trying to give it some sparkly top end clarity like a radio cut. Over the course of the session, I thought I was making all the right moves. In my mind I was a mastering badass. The next morning I almost wet myself when I heard how absolutely horrible I made the track sound. Instead of making it sound radio-ready, I made it sound like a straight pin was used as a stylus on a record player.My point? Newbies don't know what "right" sounds like. Heck, it took me a good year before I was able to hear how each of the parameters on a compressor changed the sound of the effect. Do you remember your first experiments with EQ? At that early point in our development as mixers, how were we supposed to know what a tasteful amount of EQ sounded like? I know I‘ve made my share of bad mix moves over time. But through these mistakes—and hopefully through critique as well—we slowly start to understand how a pro hears.

Anyhoo…now that I’ve been around the block a few years, I know what the pros really mean when they say "If it sounds right, it is right." So, let me translate for you, because I think it’s instructive. Here’s the translation:

“In my 25 years experience working in the recording industry on hundreds of major-label projects, where I've become extremely familiar with the best gear money can buy, I have learned through countless opportunities of trial and error that occasionally it's okay to violate a general recording guideline in order to achieve the sound I think will benefit the song as a whole. And even though I will sometimes push a principal beyond what is typically acceptable, I make sure that my decision will not jeopardize the sonic integrity and fidelity of neither the individual part nor its relation to the whole."

This is what they mean. Not as easy to toss off as a zen-like maxim, I know. But, until you're in their same situation, which won't be for a while, you may think twice when the violation of a generally-accepted recording axiom sounds "right."

My advice: if you're new to mixing/mastering or recording in general, just stick to the general guidelines you read about in trusted books and blogs. You might not create stellar mixes but they're also not going to suck really bad because you decided that boosting all the tracks 12dB at 2kHz sounded “awesome.”

Wehn to Leave you Band

Quitting your band is one of the hardest decisions you’ll ever make. You’ve devoted time, money, and your heart and soul in to this group. Every band sees some trouble from time to time, and you don’t want to be a weenie and quit just because someone used your guitar pick to clean their teeth. But there may be a time when you have to seriously consider if being in your band is still in line with your personal goals.

Here’s a list of things that may serve as red flags.

1. You don’t feel inspired any more. Music is art. If you don’t have the inspiration to keep making more—or if you feel like you’re just going through the motions in your practice or performance, it’s time to re-evaluate whether or not your band is the right vehicle for you to express yourself. There are a lot of reasons why “the thrill is gone”: personal changes, artistic growth, or the discovery of something new and more exciting in your life. Whatever the cause, you can’t “fake” inspiration, and you’ll resent your band the more you try.

2. Practice sessions are unproductive. So, one of the guys is late...again. Another one brings his girlfriend to practice and they spend twenty minutes making out on the sofa. The drummer’s cell phone rings three times and he insists he can’t turn it off because he’s waiting for his roommate to call him with the game score. It is pretty clear that no one is taking things seriously. When people don’t take practice seriously, it is a clear indication that the creative energy is low, or worse, non-existent. If your efforts to keep things on track are met with continued lackadaisical attitudes by the other members—it’s probably time to find another home for your talent.

3. There is regular conflict between two or more members. Everyone’s been here: egos clash, opinions are aired. It’s actually healthy to have some disagreement and dialog in the creative process. But if there is regular conflict between members of the band, the negative energy is only going to stifle the creative process. Not to mention it’s a pain in the ass for everyone else to have to set aside practice time only to have it turn into a bad reality television show. If the conflicted members are not interested in resolving their issues, there is only so far you’ll ever be able to go as a band.

4. Creativity has come to a standstill. You may have had a good couple years. Maybe you’ve recorded a disc and played a series of shows with success. You’ve built your name in the community and have a following. But now, there’s nothing new and you feel like you’re rehashing the same old same old stuff during practice. There needs to be a serious discussion in the band about new material. If you’re not constantly creating new music, you might as well be a cover band. If it’s not happening here, then you might want to find another outlet.

5. You feel that your contributions are being ignored—or resented. A band is not a dictatorship. Everyone has a role to play, and everyone’s contribution is important. That’s not to say that your drummer can come in to practice one day and decide he wants to play lead guitar; but it is important that every member feels comfortable making a contribution and that everyone is able to push themselves in new, exciting directions keeping them stimulated and creative. If you feel that your band mates are trying to keep you in a creative “box” and resent your efforts to expand your contribution, then you need to decide how long you’re willing to do that before it’s time to move on.

6. You have an opportunity to further your career somewhere else. When you’re in a band, you are part of a team. So when something else comes along, you don’t just run off and leave your buddies high and dry. But the bottom line is that your career is your own. If you have an opportunity to do something that will change you life, it is worth considering. There’s no right or wrong answer—only you can tell if it’s worth taking the risk of leaving your band for another opportunity. Don’t automatically discount an offer for something big just because you’re already in a band. Weigh the decision carefully, and if you decide it’s worth it, make your choice and stand behind it.

7. Members have started flaking on practice and rehearsal. Unless you’re independently wealthy, chances are that you’re not only in a band, but you are working to pay your bills; and you have family commitments, relationships, and other responsibilities that are all vying for your time. A band is not meant to be a cult where you shun everything else in your life: members need to be sensitive to one another and not make unrealistic demands on time. However, if someone can’t carve out regular quality time to practice with your band, they need to admit it. You can’t just show up once a month and play a gig without regular practice.

8. One or more of the members has a serious problem with drugs or booze. Musicians are famous for their partying, and there’s no reason to expect your band mates to be Quakers. But when someone crosses the line and their drug-use or drinking affects their relationships, their commitments, and their performance—it’s time to take action. If you’re dealing with an addict, you need to talk to a professional about how to approach them. Confronting someone about their addiction is painful for both sides, and the bottom line is that you care about the person—but you can’t let them continue to destroy themselves and take advantage of you and your time. If the band doesn’t want to have this conversation with the member who has the problem and doesn’t think it’s important to address, you are wasting your time. Additionally, if the whole band seems to spend more time partying than practicing; it’s time to move on.

9. There’s not an equal commitment or contribution by all members. An independent band requires its members to play more than one role. Often you are responsible for your own management, public relations, and marketing. You need everyone to cooperate if you’re going to make it. It’s unfair to expect one or two people to handle all the ‘grunt’ work. There’s no room for a prima donna in a band. If people are slacking and you can’t seem to motivate them, you have three choices: continue to put up with it and hope your band magically achieves success; try to convince them to step it up; or leave the band.

10. You can’t keep up your end of the bargain. You’re the only person who can make this call. If you’re over-extended in your time and energy, or if your energy is being used up by your wedding, a new baby, a job, your PhD or the Boston Marathon—then you need to admit it to yourself and your band mates. Being in a band isn’t supposed to be juts another obligation in your day planner. If that’s what it has become, then you need to seriously reconsider whether or not you should be doing it.

How to Win a Battle of the Bands

A winning band needs visual style as well as an accomplished sound. A regular fixture in the programs of many schools, radio stations and communities across the World, a "battle of the bands" gives new bands the chance to compete for exposure, popularity and prizes. To win the top spot, your band will need to display musical skill, stage presence and the ability to engage with and win over the audience and judges. Top Tips o 1 Read and follow the rules of the competition. If you neglect an important rule, you've lost before you've begun. o 2 Advertise the event and encourage your friends, family and fans to come along and support you. Their enthusiasm can go a long way toward creating a positive response when you're onstage. o 3 Plan an original performance. Even if you cover someone else's song, you can make the arrangement your own and add touches such as solos and your own harmonies to make the performance fresh and exciting. o 4 Perform songs that showcase your technical ability. In addition to showing the judges that you can make music that sounds good, you need to demonstrate that you have sophisticated technical skills. Examples include improvisations and playing chords that require complex fingering. o 5 Add choreography, props and other visual elements to enhance the performance. What you wear and how you move make just as much an impression on the audience as how you sound. Even simple movements, such as jumping around during a particularly explosive part of a song, excite the crowd. A quirky addition to your costume, such as gloves or striking makeup, can make your band stand out from the rest. Make your visual appearance fit the genre of music you play. o 6 Practice thoroughly, tune your instruments beforehand and be on time for the performance. This preparedness shows a professional attitude. Show good sportsmanship toward the other competitors, even if you lose, and introduce yourself to the judges and organizers of the event to make a good impression. o 7 Have a back-up plan in case anything goes wrong. Agree beforehand on what you'll do if equipment fails. For example, have a spare guitar waiting in the wings in case a string snaps. o 8 Interact with the audience to generate atmosphere. Ways to interact include introducing the band members, giving shout-outs to fans and encouraging dancing, clapping and cheering. o 9 Relax before the performance and enjoy the experience. If you let your nerves get the better of you or you struggle through the performance, the audience can tell and will judge accordingly. A relaxation exercise, such as shutting your eyes and taking several deep breaths, can put you in a calm frame of mind right before you step onto the stage.

Band of The Month - The FIx

Well it's that time aain and this months winners are hard rocking quartet The Fix. We caught up with the guys to see whats new with them, plus see how they are promoting thier music.

How did you guy’s form?

I moved to London 3yrs ago from the midlands with the sole purpose of forming a band. Lots of advertising and meeting people in pubs and practices. It took me two years before I met Mike (Bass Player) and then another six months to meet Fando (Lead Guitar). Phil (Drums) I found on a musician advertising site.

We get on really well and that was as important as being able to play and create.

“Bob” is an awesome track and demonstrates a very unique style – how did that track come about?

Thanks man! I write most of my songs on acoustic guitar and have a vision in my head when I do. I remember it taking me quite a while to write, I always start with music and came up with the verse riff first. The chorus came very naturally but it was the breakdown that took time to perfect.

The lyrics were an idea i’d had for a while and something that isn’t your standard theme. I called it Bob after the character that i’m singing about, I’m really proud of it and it’s probably my favourite track to play live.

What is your general writing process?

All of the songs on the current EP were written by me on my acoustic guitar at home that I already had written for a band. Now we’ve started writing at practices together. Someone will bring an idea to the table and we’ll generally allow each other to find a part to play. We’re not afraid to suggest other ideas or constructively criticise either and I find it healthy to do so.

During the writing I’ll usually have an idea of what I’d like to sing about forming and just have to feel it out and think about it. I take time over my lyrics as I think they’re incredibly important. What do you find most difficult about being an unsigned act in 2011?

Getting noticed. I know nowadays there are more ways than ever before to get your stuff out there to be heard and people can watch you on youtube or myspace but with that comes the problem of the other million billion other acts out there trying to do exactly the same. Hopefully our quality can stand out haha.

What are your top tips for other unsigned bands?

I played a gig with a previous band once and the band we were supporting were due to sound check first. They were a local band and we were travelling from stafford to manchester. We got there on time but were doing our check after the headliners as is standard. They strolled in 45mins late, were rude to the sound engineer and had no interest in acknowledging us when we said hi.

Basically the opposite of that! Be professional, be polite, be respectful. We haven’t done anything yet, we’re an unsigned act trying to get noticed and one of the things I believe people appreciate is professionalism, politeness and respect. What goes around comes around.

Also, don’t just record something, stick it on myspace and wait for the call to come. Don’t kid yourself, you’re going to have to work your arse off! What is your fantasy band line up?

That is just so unfair!

Ok lets give it a go

Vocals - A choice between Eddie Vedder, Guy Garvey and Tom Waits Guitars - John Frusciante, Josh Homme, Johnny Greenwood and Dean Deleo Bass Guitar - Robert Deleo, John Paul Jones or Paul Mccartney Keys - Ed Harcourt or Ben Folds Drums - Dave Grohl, John Bonham or Stewart Copeland

Tell us an amusing band story

This is a story from my old band.

When we did one of our tours we would hire a van, two in the front and all the equipment and the other 3 in the back, in the dark with an old sofa and a matress.

Our lead guitarist had a bladder the size of a flea and constantly needed to use the facilities. On one of our longer drives back from a gig, that call of nature came again but no service station in site for at least 20 miles. Unable to hold out he found an empty plastic milk bottle and proceeded to do the deed.

Unfortunately for him he hadn’t realised there was no lid or cap and so for the next 20 miles was holding an open bottle of piss in the dark in the back of a van.

During those 20 miles there were many swerves and close calls as piss sloshed back and forth from the open bottle when all of a sudden the services were upon us. A sigh of relief as we pulled in, then, we hit a speed bump into the services car park, the bottle flew from his grasp and drenched the back of the van in stinking hot urine. The amps, the sofa, the matress and 60% of the band completely soaked!

Those last 100 miles were very quiet indeed!

What are your views on Band Assist?

Fantastic, Some good sound sensible advice from people who have seen it done it and got the t-shirt. Real friendly and nothing but good things to say about you guys!

What’s next for you?

We’re recording our second EP in June, before then we have photo shoots, gigs at the bowery (8th april), the troubadour (11th may) and are starting to put together our website. Lots of hard work, fun and cups of tea ahead!

Twitter Tips for Bands

Twitter Tip for Bands Do you follow some awesome band on Twitter that you would kill to jam with? Why not tweet at them? It can’t hurt. You never know who’s going to be down to hook up with you — especially if you don’t try. Eric Victorino of The Limosenes was able to score a kind of collaboration with DJ Samantha Ronson by merely paying attention to mentions of his band on Twitter. “We keep tabs on who’s talking about [us] and who’s mentioning us,” Victorino says. “Samantha Ronson and Lindsay Lohan were both talking about us once, so we just reached out to them, like, ‘Hey, hi.’ And from that came — I wouldn’t say a friendship — but just sort of an