Are you in it to win it, or are you in it for fun?

[BATCAT]

I know what you mean- there seem to be a zillion metal bands, but the venues and opportunities are pretty scarce.

 

I'm lucky, I guess, in that the music I like, and the style of most of of what I write, is reasonably mainstream and marketable, at least compared to metal, or free jazz, prog rock, or other difficult-to-sell formats. So it's not really an issue I have to deal with, asking "what do people want to hear", because, at least in the case of a good chunk of people, it's reasonably in line with what I want to hear.

 

This thread reminds me, though, lately I've had this idea of, in my spare time and under a pseudonym, doing as an experiment, a totally blatant attempt at some sort of disposable dance pop... take everything I know about chord progressions, melody writing, and rhythm and put it to use while at the same time jettisoning any hang-ups I have about songwriting cliches, stupid lyrics, or frivolity. Just to see how it did.

[Dthraco]

 

This thread reminds me, though, lately I've had this idea of, in my spare time and under a pseudonym, doing as an experiment, a totally blatant attempt at some sort of disposable dance pop... take everything I know about chord progressions, melody writing, and rhythm and put it to use while at the same time jettisoning any hang-ups I have about songwriting cliches, stupid lyrics, or frivolity. Just to see how it did.

 

 

You should.

 

RE: Metal bands...yeah, there are tons of them and very few venues that will tolerate..errr..I mean have them. Won't see me there though.

[BATCAT]

 

I hear you action! It listen to the hits that make it onto the pop scene, and they are so infantile its outrageous, but how can you argue with the money it brings in!? I guess I wouldn't be so disgruntled about that if it took SOME talent to put that music out there. It wouldn't be so bad if Lady Gaga wasn't just a drum track beat, a pre recorded synth and AUTO TUNE.

 

 

I was thinking of writing a bunch of really obvious, repetitive lyrics, but ones that are very easy for people to identify with. Try to set them to a time-tested chord progressions with lots of solid, satisfying resolutions. Maybe I'd have my fiancee (who can't sing) sing them (because I sing more like Nick Cave or something, not gonna work) and then, multi-track, compress and pitch-correct the living bejesus out of them. Then play the danciest beats I can, and sample them.

 

I dunno, it would be hilarious to try my hand at that.

[piersonm]

Every show I played with my old Met-lulz band was either a 'fest' style or we put it on. For music that people like so much (well, kinda) it seemed like you only played for the other bands. Crowd....what crowd? And I've never seen so many people that make it a competition, nobody willing to help anyone and always putting everyone else down. Just like crabs in a tank, right when they make a pile and one has a chance to get out, the guys on the bottom get jealous and pull away. Crabs in a tank!

 

I keep it in the basement now and only record it for myself. Much better that way.

[ckcondon]

I LIKE commercial music... Well, commercial rock.

I also dig metal (More old-school Maiden/Priest/Savatage), but don't get the cookie monster thing at all.

Never "got" punk or hardcore.

Any original stuff I've been involved in writing has always meshed well with covers.

To the guys who just have that stuff in their veins, good luck and I applaud your dedication to something that will most likely never pay off.

I watched "The Story of Anvil" and while I am amazed at their tenacity, I really though the songs were awful.

[BlueStrat]

I play in a cover band*, my own band, I do a duo and a solo.

 

Except for my cover band, I don't play any songs I don't want to play. What is interesting to me is that I have more fun and make better money by far playing in my own band and in the solo and duo.

 

I'm in it for the fun, the respect from my peers, the persona challenge, and spending money, pretty much in that order.

 

* when I say cover band, I mean a band that plays well known covers from the 60s 70s and a few 80s. I play covers in the other configurations, but they're mostly unknown stuff, mixed in with my original stuff)

[tim_7string]

I enjoy the music my band plays, because 90% of the songs are songs that I picked for it.

 

I like stuff like The Cars, Tom Petty, Van Halen, The Doors, Cheap Trick and Cream. Songs that are danceable with good hooks and melodies. They seem to work well in all kinds of different places and it's great to see women dancing and enjoying themselves, dragging guys out on the dance floor. No one's putting a gun to my head to play these kinds of songs. I already love 'em!

 

Then again, I also like some pretty heavy stuff. I already know that most people aren't interested in hearing that in a setting where I can get paid (at least in these parts). So, it's kind of my own guilty pleasure to listen to thrash metal. I sometimes fantasize about having a Megadeth-type band, but it seems like too much work, especially at my age, so I doubt it will ever happen.

 

At this point in my life, I'd rather just concentrate on one band and put all my energy into that. Thankfully, the music I want to play is music other people want to listen to as well.

[TrickyBoy]

I play in a coverband as well, and I really enjoy it, even though many of the songs we play are songs that I'm not particularly fond of. The reason, I look at what I do in the coverband not as playing music, but as entertaining people. I really have a blast creating an atmosphere where the audience has a really good time.

 

I'm messing around with either starting a side project or doing some solo acoustic stuff. That will be my musical outlet.

 

As an aside, I think y'all will be surprise how difficult it is to write a catchy pop tune. Yeah, turn on the radio and all the songs you hear use the same basic chord changes. But go to the local original music bar and listen to thousands of {censored}ty originals using those same chords. If it were easy to do and didn't take much talent. we'd all be rich.

[SeniorBlues]

[YOUTUBE]aTj1_70BH0A[/YOUTUBE]

 

A story, if I may. A fraternity hires Link Wray to play for their annual party. They hated him. Next year, they hire a band very much like the above and they thought it was terrific. I doubt any of them had ever heard that style of music before.

 

In a way, I don't think we have much choice as far as our own playing style is concerned. You play the way you play and try to find other musicians that you can work with, personally and musically. Rock tunes covered by soul bands become soul music and vice versa. The choice is in the tunes you decide to cover, so let me ask you all - what percent of the songs you play on any given night are probably not recognizable to most of the clientele?

[tim_7string]

A story, if I may. A fraternity hires Link Wray to play for their annual party. They hated him. Next year, they hire a band very much like the above and they thought it was terrific. I doubt any of them had ever heard that style of music before. In a way, I don't think we have much choice as far as our own playing style is concerned. You play the way you play and try to find other musicians that you can work with, personally and musically. Rock tunes covered by soul bands become soul music and vice versa. The choice is in the tunes you decide to cover, so let me ask you all - what percent of the songs you play on any given night are probably not recognizable to most of the clientele?

 

Funky band! I especially enjoyed the organist doing the left hand keyboard bass thang.

 

To answer your question, not too high. Probably 5%? We do some songs that were hits, but not really big hits, like the two Tom Petty tunes we do (The Waiting and Here Comes My Girl). I also enjoy seeing other bands that whip out a semi-obscure tune once in a while, such as The Beatles' "And Your Bird Can Sing."

[rhat]

I do it for the fun of playing music and entertaining people. If they have as good of time as I do, I win.

[b1ackie]

Obviously, there's a market for all that unbearable heavy metal. They are playing their generation. As a teacher, I have 4 bands that play that stuff, and the kids LOVE IT. So?

 

[guitarman]

I used to be in a 'top 40' band when I was younger and people came to see and hear us play. We were the main attraction.

 

Now I play in a worship group in church where we'll always be in the background and I'm cool with that. My ego needs no attention anymore.

[qcb79]

 

I LIKE commercial music... Well, commercial rock. I also dig metal (More old-school Maiden/Priest/Savatage), but don't get the cookie monster thing at all. Never "got" punk or hardcore. Any original stuff I've been involved in writing has always meshed well with covers. To the guys who just have that stuff in their veins, good luck and I applaud your dedication to something that will most likely never pay off. I watched "The Story of Anvil" and while I am amazed at their tenacity, I really though the songs were awful.

 

 

had to quote ya cause I've heard your band and you guys rock, your band is tighter than a virgin on prom night.

 

anyway, yeh I'm also an old skool metal fan, old metallica, megadeth, anthrax, maiden, testament etc etc...and as far as anvil, meh I agree, I can understand why they never went big.

 

but to the OP and the question "How much does your bands future influence the style of music that you play?"

 

everything on our song list is aimed at the dance/party crowd, getting the chicks on the floor and keep em there. If that means I gotta play Bon Jovi or Lady Gaga or throw some hip hop in the mix so be it.

 

Back in the day I would have been embarrased to say I even listened to a Bon Jovi or some commercial radio pop song. My metalhead friends would have never let me live it down. Nowadays I just have to go with what i think will get the gigs and draw people in. I guess that makes me a sellout but I dont care what anyone thinks anymore, I do what makes me happy.

[THX1138]

 

I guess I wouldn't be so disgruntled about that if it took SOME talent to put that music out there. It wouldn't be so bad if Lady Gaga wasn't just a drum track beat, a pre recorded synth and AUTO TUNE.

 

 

I find statements like this a bit annoying. As if every big pop star out there is nothing more than a corporate creation - void of actual talent and ability. It's extremely dismissive. I'm not a huge Gaga fan by any stretch, but I have a hard time finding lack of talent with this... (and without drum tracks, autotune, etc)

 

[YOUTUBE]93h9aCRp8eg[/YOUTUBE]

[jeff42]

 

I do it for the fun of playing music and entertaining people. If they have as good of time as I do, I win.

 

 

THIS!

 

I am a huge metal fan. traditional metal, speed metal, doom metal, folk metal, viking metal, prog metal I enjoy a few bands from ever genre of metal! every one but metalcore really... But I entertain people in a dance/party band. I'm ok with that. I played in a prog metal band in the late 80s early 90s and while it was fun the gigs were almost zero.

 

I do think that marketing a "metal tribute" as a show (ala elvis or any tribute band) would be cool. I just don't have the time to put it together... yet.

[MartinC]

Can you play songs your audience doesn't know? Can you play instrumentals at gigs? Can you play long instrumentals at gigs? ETC. This vid shows the answer, and one way of doing so. I loved it.

 

The lady ga ga vid shows why she got a record deal and I think simply trounces any argument that she doesn't have plenty of "talent"

 

As to the future, everytime I practice, it's because of something I want to do in the future, but my band does not do gigs for some future benefit. It has to pay now. I'm in it to win it, but what I want to win is the ability to play what I want to play. If I can move towards that, I'll be winning it.

 

 

 

A story, if I may. A fraternity hires Link Wray to play for their annual party. They hated him. Next year, they hire a band very much like the above and they thought it was terrific. I doubt any of them had ever heard that style of music before. In a way, I don't think we have much choice as far as our own playing style is concerned. You play the way you play and try to find other musicians that you can work with, personally and musically. Rock tunes covered by soul bands become soul music and vice versa. The choice is in the tunes you decide to cover, so let me ask you all - what percent of the songs you play on any given night are probably not recognizable to most of the clientele?

 

[qcb79]

 

I do think that marketing a "metal tribute" as a show (ala elvis or any tribute band) would be cool. I just don't have the time to put it together... yet.

 

 

that was the plan when I originally put the band together, 80's hair metal stuff. Crue, Ratt, Poison, Cinderella, Skid Row, Great White.. etc but I decided that was a niche kind of thing.

 

Still may do something like that but for now I gotta get this band off the ground.

 

 

oh and the Gaga video was great, she has a great voice, much better than I thought.

[BlueStrat]

 

The lady ga ga vid shows why she got a record deal and I think simply trounces any argument that she doesn't have plenty of "talent"

 

 

Yes, which is why I find what she's doing very curious. Her outrageousness far overshadows her talent, and IMO makes people discredit her. In 25 years, she won't be remebered as a hot singer with talent, she'll be remebered as that crazy lady with the goofy outfits. Which is a shame. It's one thing to be outrageous to get noticed, but another to make it your career. Gene Simmons once said Kiss did what thy did because they knew they were all mediocre players and singers and had to do something to get noticed. But Lady Gaga is quite talented. Too bad the schtick gets in the way.

[modulusman]

Yes, which is why I find what she's doing very curious. Her outrageousness far overshadows her talent, and IMO makes people discredit her. In 25 years, she won't be remebered as a hot singer with talent, she'll be remebered as that crazy lady with the goofy outfits. Which is a shame. It's one thing to be outrageous to get noticed, but another to make it your career. Gene Simmons once said Kiss did what thy did because they knew they were all mediocre players and singers and had to do something to get noticed. But Lady Gaga is quite talented. Too bad the schtick gets in the way.

Well there are a million "talented" musicians out there that won't be remembered at all. By being different she stands out.

[BlueStrat]

Well there are a million "talented" musicians out there that won't be remembered at all. By being different she stands out.

 

Well, yeah, if your goal is to make a lot of dough. But if you want to be remembered as a great singer, not so much.

 

 

*goes to basement and starts designing outrageous stage clothes*

 

[rhat]

everyone knows who she is... now she can really start showing the talent You will see he evolve into a megga star

[zekmoe]

I remember playing in a Punk band or 2 back in 79, and we had no intention of playing bars or anything. But our gigs, such as they were, were renting a hall above Cosmo's restaurant, charging $5 a head at my high school for band, pizza and beer, and blasting away the 10 songs we wrote. Believe it or not, we had impact on some of the 200 people who showed up, which I've been commented on even today. Certainly better than playing Mustashe Sally to Cathy Cubicle for $400. I'm sure the death metal practicers have something similar in mind. Play what they like, to a few freinds and similar music fans and not much more than that. It's enough.

[bigjd]

 

I do it for the fun of playing music and entertaining people. If they have as good of time as I do, I win.

 

 

This is where my hearts at.

[THX1138]

To answer the original question, I'm in it for both. Ultimately, I need to enjoy what I'm doing, and I do, so it's fun. But yes, I also want to "win".

 

With that in mind though, the older I get, the more I realize that success depends on how you measure it. I'm not likely to ever be selling out arenas, but we do have a dedicated bunch of people who love our music, support our shows, & buy our cds (there's even numerous folks who sport tatoos of our band logo - blows my mind). When I decide to hang it up, I can hang my hat on the fact that I was a part of something that resonated with some people.