I was just reading David Kershenbaum’s blog again and revisited his post, Top 10 Mistakes Unsigned Artists Make.
Even though all ten tips are pretty solid, the one that struck out at me today was the importance of being able to pull it off live.
…I can’t stress enough that with the advent of digital “bedroom” recording, it’s possible to create tracks with a quality that can take you months to re-create live. If you are a band make sure you are rehearsed, that you have your image down pat, and that you achieve as much control over your live sound as possible. If you are a singer-songwriter you must be able to pull it off live with just you and your instrument. The chances of hiring sidemen and taking them on the road in the beginning are slim and very expensive. Nothing will hurt you more than to create excitement in your recordings and then fall on your face in front of expectant fans. -David Kershenbaum
With today’s focus on the live show, it’s arguably even more important. People can videotape shows on their cell phone and have it on YouTube right after the show. If you’re fantastic, word will spread. If you don’t have your live show together yet, there’s work to be done. Just think of it like you were paying your hard earned money to see a show. Do you want to leave feeling ripped off ? Consistently push yourself to make your live show an experience worth remembering.
I leave you with a band who was built on their live show, the Dave Matthews Band.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d29bwpqVbfU&feature=related]Take Control of Your Music
Hoover
2 Comments
Dave Mathews has an amazing band though. They were all trained musicians so they understand playing live from the get go. But I agree that ‘over-production’ is a curse in the studio.
Yup, my band played live for about 5 years before we got down to recording our first studio EP. By that time we were well rehearsed and knew which songs work best with people in general.
Atul
http://www.donkeybox.co.uk