The flying death circus that navigated the land of eon with the bejewelled sword of neon and the band of pre-dawn space avenging monkey dancers

Long Band Names

I don’t recommend giving your band an excessively long name. I’m not referring to names with two parts like "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" or "Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention" that flow — but rather the flat-out, unnecessarily long band names.
Here are some examples:

· When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water (9 words, 49 characters)

· The Presidents of the United States of America (8 words, 46 characters)

· …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (10 words, 44 characters including ellipsis)

· I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness (7 words, 35 characters)

· I Can Lick Any SOB In The House (8 words, 31 characters)

While "The Presidents of the United States of America" can be nicknamed and referenced as "The Presidents,"the rest of the names don’t have a lot of options unless you want to go the Excessively Long Acronym route. Here are some reasons to avoid a long name for your band:

· Does not flow in conversation

· Can be difficult to remember

· Often does not sound like a band name

· Website domain name will need to be different than your name (unless you want to make the mistake of using the actual long version) Note: There is a 67-character limit on domain names

I’d like to add that the occasional song or album with a long name is okay, but Fiona Apple went too far with her "When the Pawn" album title that is 450+ characters in length!

What do you guys think? Do they work?

Any other long band names that are worth noting?

Do you have a long-winded band name?

To Cover or Not?

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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In it for the long term?

Bands and artists should always try and remain self-sufficient and look after their own affairs as much as possible. Sustainability, the most demanding aspect of longevity, is down to a band’s continued belief in why they formed in the first place - the scene that inspired them and in turn the music that inspires the fan base. A fan base will care for a band and keep them alive, so bands and artists must care for them back with a true to themselves attitude and great music. Nurturing this fan base and realising its importance is crucial.

Before you record

One of the biggest wastes of money I come across when talking to unsigned acts is in their studio recorded demo. The amount of acts that listen back to it 1-2 months later and hate it and can spot a multitude of errors always amazes me. Why not take this a seriously as possible so you can have something to be proud of and that represents your sound!

Most artists will listen back to older demos and hear areas for improvement but not in terms or recording quality and sound. So a few top tips I wish I knew before I first went in to the studio:

1) Singers/vocalists learn your words and melodies inside out – do not adlib as this can go one of 2 ways; awesome or terrible with 99% coming in the later category. You should know every word and every accent on every word. DO NOT ADLIB on a record!

2) Leave enough time. In 2 x 8 hour days you should be able to comfortably record 3 songs well. So many artists substitute quantity for quality. Do not push for 4-5 songs just get 3 done really well to a level you are 100% happy with them. I guarantee 95% of you reading this will ignore this point.

3) Ensure your equipment is working 100% before you get to the studio. Not buzzing or rattling as locating and fixing these issues takes up valuable recording time. This also means new stings, skins and leads.

4) If using Studio equipment, such as a drum kit, ensure you are happy with the sound before you get in there.

5) Tell the engineers exactly what sound/results you are after. Talk about records you like and what you want to be seen as. Are you a finely tunes, sweet pop outfit or a thrash, rough around the edges combo. They want happy customers who will recommend them so be very specific and define your sound.

6) Make sure you have spare strings, picks, skins, sticks – hell even back up guitars borrowed from other people if possible. You are in the studio to record and mix your tracks do not waste this time by rushing out to pick up these items.

7) Vocals. It is very common for rap artists (and metal screamers) to wrap their hands around the “ball” of their mikes – this looks cool on stage but totally destroys the sound in the studio. You can look cool onstage but you need to sound cool on record

.These are just a few from the top of my head – I will jot a few more down when I have time.

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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.

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The flying hip hop circus bats tied to the cage that breaks the dam with a 1000 lost souls uniting for the end of tims with the saving grace of all...

Long Band Names

I don’t recommend giving your band an excessively long name. I’m not referring to names with two parts like "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers"or "Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention" that flow — but rather the flat-out, unnecessarily long band names.
Here are some examples:

· When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water (9 words, 49 characters)
· The Presidents of the United States of America (8 words, 46 characters)
· …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (10 words, 44 characters including ellipsis)
· I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness (7 words, 35 characters)
· I Can Lick Any SOB In The House (8 words, 31 characters)

While "The Presidents of the United States of America" can be nicknamed and referenced as "The Presidents,"the rest of the names don’t have a lot of options unless you want to go the Excessively Long Acronym route.Here are some reasons to avoid a long name for your band:

· Does not flow in conversation
· Can be difficult to remember
· Often does not sound like a band name
· Website domain name will need to be different than your name (unless you want to make the mistake of using the actual long version) Note: There is a 67-character limit on domain names

I’d like to add that the occasional song or album with a long name is okay, but Fiona Apple went too far with her "When the Pawn" album title that is 450+ characters in length!

What do you guys think? Do they work?

Any other long band names that are worth noting?

Do you have a long-winded band name?

Its too LOOOOOUUUUDDDD!!!!!

Someone always plays too loud at band practice. It is one of those things that tears bands apart and makes band members hate one another. This is sad and we can add it to the long list of easy things to avoid that can be taken care of very easily. If someone is playing too loud the first thing to do is take it back to square one. Have only the drummer play and then add the main chord change instrument (probably rhythm guitar). Slowly turn the chord change instrument up until you have a good level. Then one by one add each new instrument and repeat this procedure until everyone is happy with the levels.

At times this is going to mean some people need to stand closer to their own amps or move them up to ear level to compensate for hearing loss and/or ego problems. This easy technique can make you sound better as well as save your bands relationship.

Love/Hate relationship? Try Hate/Hate

Today, we are going to cover that strange, curious condition that afflicts most bands eventually. The formal medical term is "insecurity-induced musical estrangement syndrome," more commonly known as "I hate my %$#% [choose instrument player] and I'm going to beat his dumb ass disorder." How do you get along with people that drive you crazy? It's hard, but I have some ideas.Let me get this straight. One guy in your band shows up for gigs drunk. Another has developed a coke problem and, as a result, can't afford to pay his share of studio costs for your new CD. The other guy is always fighting viciously with his girlfriend and it negatively affects the band. The last guy acts like a spoiled 5-year-old, constantly complaining and implying that without him you'd be nothing. You just can't stand him. You, on the other hand, are perfectly normal and rational and can't understand why fate has determined that you must play in a band with these boneheads. Yet, when you play together, there's this THING that happens, this magic that has never been present in any other musical situation you've been involved in.

Does any of this sound familiar? It certainly mirrors some of the band experiences I've had over the years. Egos, drugs, dysfunctional relationships and plain old musical disagreements often get in the way of bands functioning at 100 percent and reaching their full potential. If your band is suffering through these kinds of problems, there are a few things you can do to try and improve your relationship with one another.No one ever said that being in a band is easy. It is really like a family, complete with all its positive and negatives. The key, though, is to remember that you don't have to love one another; you just have to get along. Rock and roll history is rife with examples of incredible bands who constantly fought with one another and are still here to talk about it. The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, The Kinks, Guns N' Roses, the Black Crowes, Megadeth and Black Sabbath are but a few.

The first step is to locate the problem. Sometimes it can be simple: the guitarist has a drinking problem. Other times, especially when it is primarily a clash of egos, it is much more complicated. Still, you obviously cannot fix the problem until you know what its origins are. You have to do some work to figure out why people behave the way they do. That may require more than just a prima facie understanding of human psychology and behavior. If necessary, read a psychology book or talk to a counselor. Do whatever it takes to get a grip on what the real root cause of the problem is.The next step is trying to fix it. Don't ever presume that just because you were the person who recognized the existence of a problem, you may not be partially to blame for it. Even if you are the "rational and responsible" guy in the band, you may have unwittingly contributed to the genesis of this problem. As with most disagreements, there's your side, my side, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

There are two critical components to working through any personal disagreement. The first is communication and the second is respect. Talking through a complicated issue is very difficult. The only way for it to work is for both sides to be willing to discuss their concerns rationally. Both parties must do everything possible to avoid getting emotional and upset or to take things personally. In theory, at least, it is in everybody's interest for people to get along. Don't push people's emotional triggers simply to upset them, as that ultimately benefits no one. Do everything you can to respect your bandmates and their position, even if you disagree with them. If people believe that you are trying to invalidate their opinions, chances are that they will respond by becoming defensive and you will accomplish nothing. Remember, your goal here is to find common ground and for all sides to be conciliatory. If your discussion degenerates into a screaming, insult-laden argument—or worse, a fistfight—you may be searching for new members in the morning (and getting some stitches tonight). If necessary, find a neutral third party to help you talk through your problems. Perhaps a counselor or your A&R person or manager can help.

Once you work through the major issues, the focus must be shifted onto relationship maintenance. This means revisiting issues as they crop up and also being willing to take on new problems early, before they grow bigger. All involved must be willing to have respectful, nonjudgmental band meetings frequently to work on that old cliche of "building bridges." If you respect each other and, maybe more importantly, respect what you each bring to the band, you will do what is necessary to ensure domestic tranquility.

Selling Out or Moving up?

In the history of modern music there are plenty of well-known, almost classic examples of talented, inspired, oftentimes experimental musicians who at some point in their career have decided to change direction and to begin making commercially orientated music deliberately designed to have a wide mass appeal as possible – Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, even Metallica, and the list goes on.

When this happens to a well-known act, there is at least a sense of gratitude in their fans for the fact that a band had still managed to record and release a few albums where they sound like no-one else - genuine, sincere and unique. It's a different story when an unsigned band who you have known, whose music you have admired and who you have hoped would get signed so that a wider audience would hear their inimitable music, suddenly decides to abandon true creativity and makes a calculated move for pure commercial success. You start feeling melancholy knowing that their early material which was honest and daring will remain buried and undiscovered.

All musicians want to be signed and be successful, but all need to establish what their priorities are - to expand creativity and develop as serious musicians or to target the teeny or mainstream market in a hope to get a profitable record deal as well as recognition which most likely will be short-lived. What most people forget is that if you are really smart and not afraid of hard work you can still become successful and win respect as well. Real talent doesn't need to compromise much. A truly talented musician can still forge a long-lasting career out of music that he or she believes in, but this is what people forget when they are tempted by a quick reward.

The reason why most talented bands struggle for years without getting signed isn't because there is something wrong with their style or because their genre isn't 'in' or trendy. Sincerity has always been in fashion. A sincere musician will never stray in a wrong direction. He or she will never have to worry about style, gimmicks or publicity stunts. The only thing that talented and genuine bands need to work on are usually instrumental skill, clarity of expression and an ability to write in a way that people can easily remember their music, and if it's all in place, trends and fashions will not matter.

It is doubly disappointing when people try to sell out at a young age, because it will inevitably damage them both as musicians and individuals. It is often managers and A&R people who pressure young bands to write simple, trendy stuff and to sideline their truly creative and experimental ideas. If there are any young musicians reading this, I have only one thing to say to them - don't let other people's greed, vanity and short-sightedness ruin your talent and damage your self-respect.

The Importance of Websites!

We are often asked if in the times of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter whether you really need your own website. Our answer is always the same.Band websites are extremely important. Having your own domain name is also a key to your success. Let us show you just a few reasons why:

Band Website vs. MySpace/Facebook/Other
First of all, you never want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Relying on a service like MySpace, and not having your own website is extremely dangerous. Many bands think that due to MySpace's popularity, it's the website that they should focus all of their time and energy on. Yes, MySpace/Facebook,etc is important for musicians, but relying on someone else's service can be a ticking time-bomb waiting to go off. What would happen if MySpace was suddenly shut down? It's not as impossible as it may seem. Just think of all of the problems that MySpace has had, with predators using the social-media site for preying on people and how much trouble MySpace has gotten into with parental-control groups. Having your own site, and mailing listeliminates a lot of those issues because you have complete control of what happens to your site and gives you the ability to contact your fans, should something go wrong with MySpace (or similar sites). One other reason why it is important that you have your own domain name, is that it's usually much easier to remember than a MySpace URL!

Your Band's Domain Name
You want to have a domain name that is easy to remember; hopefully your band's name, if it is available. You'll want to put it on everything that your band puts out, postcard mailers, flyers, cds, t-shirts, everything! Matter of fact, make some t-shirts up and wear them all the time! You also want to make sure that every person you know, knows your web address. Make absolutely sure that your fans are told, many times a night, what your website is...and tell them to go there!
Registering Your Band's Domain Name
Registering your own domain name is no longer expensive (under £10/year for .com's). Some of the most popular domain registration sites out there also have web hosting available.

Awesome Performance

Now I am totally against any form of organised dance routine but a bit of choreography wouldn't go a miss here!!

The Power of the Tube

So there are a huge number of ways to use YouTube to your advantage and help you gain a bigger audience. I will look at the key ways in future blogs and newsletters but right now I wanted to let you in on a quite novel and almost sneaky way of promoting your music. Now this does require a little bit of editing skill but nothing too strenuous and I am sure if you can’t do it some someone else will be able to assist. If you have a windows machine you may find that you already have “Windows Movie Maker” which will do the job perfectly.

The idea is relatively simple. You put your song/s as the backing track to a compilation and credit your acts in the video. So if you are a feisty Hip Hop act create a skate or BMX compilation then overlay your tracks. To really do well here ensure the video is on a topic that links to your type of music. So something people are generally interested in. This may involve a little bit of stereo typing but ultimately they are stereotypes for a reason. If you are not 100% sure then look around YouTube for other compilations and see what genre of music backs them.

The idea here is that on YouTube to find your act or your music the listener must search for your name or the song title. This means they must already know about you. So if you are a soundtrack to a video they are interested in then you have got them there in a different way. For Example – Say you are a fast paced rock band. You might choose to create a top 10 car crashes compilation (always popular) and apply your tracks to this. So when someone searches for this and sees top 10 it is likely to be selected. There is also a bit of psychology here as they will associate your music with the video subconsciously. So in the car crash example your music is directly linked to a adrenaline pumping awesome speed freak compilation.

Get clever with your marketing and you will really stand out.

More on You Tube Techniques soon

Winehouse Blunder

So constantly wrecked mess but incredibly talented Sid Vicious look-a-like; Amy Winehouse is in trouble again. This time she is said to have insulted the King of the Zulu Nation by getting drunk and falling asleep. This made us think of the amount of times we have reviewed bands and acts where one member is clearly smashed. Never a good idea - we know there is notmally a large amount of waiting around plus alcohol is a great wa to help stage fright but sadly it does not help performance.

You normally have 1 chance to impress people and if you are sloppy and a mess people won't want to see you again. Every gig is your wembley, you must build you base from day 1 and keep people coming back.

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.

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

Advice from Blink 182

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



Simple stuff but it is soooo true