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. |
