Luck meets opportunity meets black leather pants
The Indie Band Bible is the latest complete how-to guide for Canadian bands
Mark
Makoway, guitarist for Moist, may be the last person you'd expect to be
giving advice on indie band success. I mean, aren't all the hot snots
we see on MuchMusic automatically given shiny record deals simply
’cause they know someone or look the part?
Maybe their
cleavage wasn't deep enough or they didn't have pristinely flashy
smiles, but the fairytale signing did not happen for Moist. The quartet
worked hard, touring across Canada over and over again to achieve
exposure. When their video and single for "Push" took off, the band was
ready to be catapulted into success.
Love or hate his
band, Mark has detailed advice derived from his experience as a
Canadian independent musician who "made it." It's for all to read in
Mark's The Indie Band Bible, which should be in the guitar case of any
musician hoping to gain an insider's view of the industry and make a
real career out of playing in a band.
Mark decided to
write The Indie Band Bible three years ago. He was sitting on the Moist
tour bus, slightly bored and about to embark on a long American tour.
To help pass the time, the thirtysomething musician began compiling the
book, believing that it would help the people who ask him for tips.
Conveniently,
he was hanging out with all the people he'd need for his research –
seasoned road warriors including sound people, managers and techs. And
in every city that Moist toured through, Mark met and interviewed all
sorts of media crucial to the promotion of bands – people involved in
print, radio and television. During the last three years of drawing all
the necessary information from major Canuck players in the music biz,
Mark has been able to define the conditions a band needs to create to
find success.
"You really have to lay a lot of
groundwork so that when an opportunity happens, like getting a video
into rotation on MuchMusic, you're in a position to take advantage of
that opportunity," says Mark, reflecting on his band's big break. "Too
many artists get out there and an opportunity comes their way and they
squander it, sadly. Opportunities do happen to just about everybody
from time to time and you've really got to make sure that you've got
your ducks lined up and you can capitalize."
One of
the biggest complaints from local musicians (not that y'all are a
whiney bunch, but there's definitely one common concern) is that those
opportunities aren't as frequent in Calgary as they are in major
centres like Vancouver or Toronto. Since there is less of an A & R
presence, living in Calgary poses immediate drawbacks when it comes to
finding the core industry. Mark says don't sweat it. Just make certain
your songs are gold and then dive in.
"We do live in
the modern age of the Internet and very fast communications," says
Mark. "You get a following going in Calgary, where you're selling out a
(200- or 300-seat venue), and you start playing in Edmonton. Next thing
you know, you're swapping shows with bands, you're opening up for them
when you go to Vancouver, and suddenly you are playing in a big music
city....
"A lot of it is people in the industry
catching the buzz, right? Hearing that (the band is) actually selling
out shows. It's really hard to sell out a show in Toronto and if your
band is doing that, you will be noticed by the industry. If you just
stay in Calgary, you may not get discovered. But if you're proactive,
you're getting out there and you're making connections – and it does
involve a bit of touring – then you probably will get discovered."
Mark
underscores the importance of using the Internet for creative promotion
and using it to reap financial benefits through online merchandising.
Musicians can entirely bypass the industry and sell merch through their
Web site.
Also in the 233-page book are useful tips
about how to name your band, deal with contracts, release albums, get
gigs, make music videos – and how to avoid illness (and affairs you'll
regret) while on the road.
Moist is in the middle of a
break, but will begin writing their next album when David Usher is back
from his solo tour this autumn. The Indie Band Bible is on sale in most
major bookstores now and may soon have a sequel for the American market. |
