No one cares about your creative integrity.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

HERE IS FRIDAY 7TH DECEMBER’S TOP 5 ALL THINGS AWESOME.

LET'S GET INTO IT...

1) Track of the week.

Rival Schools - (live) The Five Spot Philadelphia,Pa 6.01

2) Video of the week.

Mac Miller - Jet Fuel

3) Quote of the week.

“No one cares about your creative integrity, all that matters is that you’re here, working.”
- Marc Rebillet

4) Interesting thing of the week.

How to make Prodigy's legendary track "Smack My Bitch Up" in Ableton. Video describes, which samples were used by Liam in this wonderful track. Reworked by Jim Pavloff.

5) Gig of the week.

Pieces with Glam Racket DJ’s.

Local legends Pieces play louder than hell and do it well, with Glam Racket DJ’s to finish, guaranteed to be a busy one so get in early.

Speak to you next Friday,

Strange things happen in the nighttime hours.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

HERE IS FRIDAY 2ND NOVEMBER’S TOP 5 ALL THINGS AWESOME.

LET'S GET INTO IT...

1) Track of the week.

More Bounce featuring Tranzformer, Grey Era and Spray Money. Scratches and cuts by Dj Mark Ski. Filmed, produced and edited by J-Sci Films.

More Bounce featuring Tranzformer, Grey Era and Spray Money (with cuts from Northampton’s finest Mark Ski),

2) Video of the week.

"The first full length album by Alexisonfire completely embodies the sound of late teens and early 20's. Full of dumb confidence and lacking in concentration. Hundreds of parts and riffs strung together in to a fun little hodge podge. We were living and writing freely. Sometimes too much freedom isn't always a good thing."

Alexisonfire - Documentary. A great look into the highs and lows of musical success.

3) Quote of the week.

“Everything's sh*t, so f*ck off.”
- Anon

4) Interesting thing of the week.

Thom Yorke performs Unmade live at Maida Vale studios for BBC Radio 6 Music This track was written by Thom Yorke as part of the score for the horror movie Suspiria & is featured in Mary Anne Hobbs' 6 Music show on Sunday 28th October.

Thom Yorke - Unmade, Live on BBC 6Music.

5) Gig of the week.

Wolfmania - S.G. Wolfgang/Future Love/Pieces/Howlin' Owls

Speak to you next Friday,

Josh

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

HERE IS FRIDAY 26TH OCTOBER’S TOP 5 ALL THINGS AWESOME.

LET'S GET INTO IT...

1) Track of the week.

"Juicy" by The Notorious B.I.G. From The Notorious B.I.G. album "Ready To Die" (1994). Download on iTunes: http://bit.ly/Havuw2 Listen on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/HGeoal © 2011 WMG

Notorious B.I.G - Juicy.

2) Video of the week.

The Clash Belle Vue Elizabethian Suite, Manchester, UK 15. November 1977 Capitol Radio : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4VPkYzc1nE Janie Jones : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOgwuwzfyvQ What's My Name : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YX4EBf93pU Garageland : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPTBP53xdDM This was a specially arranged full gig which was recorded by Granada TV, of which 4 songs have only ever been broadcast on the So it Goes shows.

The Clash - What’s My Name, Live 1977.

3) Quote of the week.

“Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
When I was dead broke, man, I couldn't picture this
50-inch screen, money-green leather sofa
Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur”
- The Notorious B.I.G.

4) Interesting thing of the week.

Music venues create communities too, but this is exceptionally articulate in explaining a problem we have in Northampton at the moment.

5) Gig of the week.

Big Lad/Sleep Beggar At The Lab.

NOT TO BE MISSED. This will live, loud and lovely (?). Get involved.

Speak to you next Friday,

Josh

Stop listening to music.

I recently went camping for the night with a friend and it was great fun. We left at 2pm and got back at 8.30am the following day.

We didn't listen to any music at all, the only noise was conversation. I can't remember the last time I did that. I usually have music on in the studio constantly, and when I'm at home i'm usually listening to podcasts, while I'm walking i'm listening to podcasts, when I'm at the gym there's music on. The only silence I have is while sleeping, and I live in town so silence is hard to come by.

I noticed how much more I thought about stuff. I understand how some people don't like to be left alone with their thoughts, but I realised that I rarely am, and it can be very beneficial. Being forced to think about problems or issues and not having any distractions can really help you work out a solution, or at least give it more thought than you can usually.

When I got into work on Sunday morning, the music went straight back on again, and i certainly paid more attention to it, rather than being that constant background noise. I actively 'listened' to it.

So, I learnt something new, I'm going to take time off from music and headphones every now and then. I'll appreciate the quiet time, but also the music when I come back to it.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Speak to you Friday,

Josh

(image found HERE)

If you really want to make it, be insane.

I was fortunate enough to see a covers band on Saturday that had been together for over 20 years. It was a reunion gig so they have had breaks throughout that time. It made me think about what current bands will be doing in 20 years time.

It's safe to assume that most members of covers bands started out playing original music. They then make the transition to make some extra money, or carry on playing music without the hassle of writing new material/chasing gigs.

The music industry, certainly regionally is a difficult nut to crack. It seems that you have three options

1. Get a record deal and get paid to play original music.
2. Play in a covers/function band and get up to a couple hundred a weekend.
3. Perform your own original music, often for no more than petrol money.

Arguably, if you're doing it for the music then the money and fame doesn't matter. In reality it does, it costs money to be a musician, there's equipment, travel, rehearsal, recording and the hundreds of hours it takes to run a bands online presence. Unless you are already financially well off you need to be generating money to even be able to continue to do it.

The deciding factor is usually time. If you don't have the passion/love/stubbornness to carry on long after people have told you to quit you probably aren't going to make it (unless you got signed of your first single).

Any successful person will tell you that it's trial and error. It's true for other ventures too, be that technology (Steve Jobs) SEE VIDEO BELOW, Media (Gary Veynerchuk) or music (Anvil). If you keep going you well get there, or at least your significantly more likely to 'make it' if you don't quit.

I'm still in the trial and error phase but here's to hoping we're all going to get there.

Speak to you Friday,

Josh

(image found here.)

How to have the perfect band rehearsal.

We've had a fair few bands through our doors at Audio Works Rehearsal Studio, over 5,000 rehearsal slots in the last 5 or so years. We've learnt a lot about how different bands rehearse and now you can too...

The shortest rehearsal we've had was 30 minutes, the longest was 6 hours. The smallest band was one person, and the largest was seven.

Top 5 most common practices;

1.  2 hours average duration.
2. Average of 4 band members.
3. 1 ten minute break.
4. First half jamming or writing.
5. Second half set run through.

It does seem that the bands that rehearse for 3+ hours get more rehearsal time, particularly as they tend to stay in for the duration of the slot, rather than having several breaks. Perhaps it's that 3 hours is more of a commitment, therefore the attitude is get in the room and get the work done. It's not clear why, but obviously with more rehearsal comes more productivity.

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book outliers, posed that it takes 10,000 hours to achieve mastery in any field. That's 13 years of two hours music rehearsal a day. Obviously, you don't have to be a master to play music and have fun, but the more you know, the more you can do.

In summary, It's important to find the best way your particular band works well. I also think it's important to push yourself, and try out new things. I've been to many rehearsals with a less than perfect attitude. If I had pushed myself a little more, tried a new style/technique to further my musicianship I definitely would have benefitted from it.

Ultimately, I think you need find your way, find your preferred style, but push the limits a little to help yourself grow. I'm trying to do this with my own pursuits and it certainly seems to be working.

Speak to you Friday.

Josh.

p.s. How long is your band practice? Do you have any band rehearsal rules? Let us know in the comments.

How to cure jealousy in one easy step.

I recently saw a friends band play Glastonbury, half of me was cheering them on and half of me was jealous, which is wrong.

I've had that reaction before, I went to see another friend play guitar in a band to 10,000 people as part of a world tour. I was so inspired and proud that he was living his dream. Although I couldn't help feeling a little jealous. It stems from the feeling that I could be doing that, but through my actions I took a different path. His position seemed more exciting, more valuable, therefore I feel I may have made the wrong decisions, which is a difficult feeling to deal with.

I think that I'm doing a good thing with my life. I am fairly confident that what I have dedicated this portion of my life to is going well, and I give it my all, but I must admit I do tend to compare myself to other people and inevitably fall short (wether that's highly successful musicians, athletes or business people). I compare myself to people further down their road than me, rather than people at my level or just getting started.

"Compare, despair"

- I heard Ari Shaffir say this although I think it originates from Alcoholics Anonymous. 

If, for example you compare yourself to Keith Richards, you'll fail. You can't be Keith Richards, because he is Keith Richards. You can be a version of you that has dedicated yourself in the same way, you can be a similarly skilled/experienced person, rather than a copy of someone else.

I think it is that simple, If I had dedicated myself to those pursuits, I would be doing similar things. I have dedicated myself to this pursuit, and hopefully I have 50+ years left to do whatever I feel. I can't be everything all the time, so I must learn to focus on what I want to do and do it, and for now, I am.

So, I need to learn to not be jealous. I need to think 'good for them for doing what they're doing'. We're not comparable, it's apples and oranges. We're on different journeys, if i'm on the wrong path, now is the time to stop and get on the right one, otherwise, keep on keeping on.

Speak to you Friday.

(Cover image found HERE.)