This was written by a dude named Dan Evans. He plays in a band called Modern Movement. He used to play in another awesome band called Apocalypse Pow! Check both bands out. It's worth your time. Also, read this about sending out demos. He's spot on.

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Seeking advice or tips about where to send demos

I've seen or heard this phrase many times over the years and I've finally decided to address it, since I have some experience playing in bands. I know it might be hard to hear, but the truth is: Don't bother sending your demos ANYWHERE. That's right, you heard me. Save the postage. It's a waste of time and it kills morale (when you get no response or a poor one). The only way shopping your recordings is going to work is if you know someone who owns a label, or you know someone who knows someone who owns a label. And even then, you're better off putting that energy into other stuff, which I'll get to in a moment.

Even the term "shopping" kind of gets my goat these days. Record labels are not malls! They are in the business of making money off of your product, unless they are a small indie or punk label, in which case, they probably won't be able to help you much anyway, other than pressing a CD. Don't mess with shopping your record. The only people who need to have your record are your fans. Remember, the term "fan" is short for fanatic. When there are hundreds or thousands of fanatics for your band coming to see you perform, there will be record labels chomping at the bit to shower you with money, buy you a bus to tour in, and pay for your big budget music video. But that, my friends, is not how it starts. The first thing you should do is figure out how to get your recording in the hands of people that might like your band. Record labels don't care if your music is good or fun or original. They only care if it SELLS. Guess who does care if your music is good or fun or original? That's right. THE FANS.

I have a lot of friends in bands. Really good bands, in fact. The only problem I've noticed is that when they get to a certain age (myself included) they begin to feel like, "Hey, I've been doing this shit for years, and I'm still no closer to achieving my goals than when I started my first band in 9^th Grade." This little spike of fear that we may be running out of time starts to affect our judgment. We start to get antsy and try coming up with short cuts or quick solutions. Believe me, I know because I've been there several times myself.

Here's the good news: There are some tried and true methods that WILL WORK if you have the right people in your band and a little perseverance (assuming your music is decent).

1. PLAY SHOWS. I don't care if it's at your local bar or in a friend's basement, you must play, play, and play! If you get paid, put the money in a "band fund", don't spend it on drinks or food. If you don't get paid, that's ok, you can make money off merchandise (see below).

2. MAKE MERCH. Make shirts, stickers, buttons, even coffee mugs for fuck's sake! If it has your band logo on it, someone that likes your band will want to show off that they know about your music, which makes them cool. Guess what? You can help them achieve that! And in the process, you make your band more popular, which gets more people coming to your shows, which later on will attract record labels, etc.

3. GET YOUR MUSIC TO THE FANS. This is where a lot of us get tripped up. We think, "Oh, my last band was on a label, and we had boxes of CDs to sell which made our band very popular. I need to find a label to put out my new project." FUCK THAT! If there is no label at your fingertips, waiting to do whatever you ask, then you need to figure out a way to get your music in the CD or mp3 players of your fans. They are the ones who will decide your fate. There are many ways to do this. You can sell mp3s from your myspace page; you can burn CDs and make cool looking covers, or if you have some dough, you can press a thousand copies with jewel cases or slip sleeves or whatever works best for you, and whatever you think people might want to plop down 5 to 10 bucks for. If you play a show and don't have anything for someone to walk away with, there's a good chance they'll forget about you. Have you ever heard someone say, "I saw this cool band last night." Oh? What were they called? "Uh, I forgot."

4. TOUR. I know, I know. This is the hard part. The most expensive part of being in a band is touring (remember that "band fund" I mentioned). However, it is also the best way to get new fans. If you don't have a booking agent (none of my bands have ever had one) then you need to book the tour yourself. This can be a huge headache, don't get me wrong, but you have to start somewhere. And the first few tours will probably suck, and no one will be there. But if you keep touring, selling merch, and playing your ass off, you'll start to notice more people coming out. Another thing you can do is work out hopping on a tour with one of your friends' bands. Be prepared to invite them to hop on your next tour, though. It's not only polite, it means you get to go on tour again and get more fans!

5. KEEP IT POSI. People will be more apt to get fired up about your band if they think you're doing well. Most people like to feel like they're part of that. If the band is having problems, don't be too hasty to advertise it.

6. GET THE WORD OUT. This includes all of the above, as well as posting bulletins, handing out flyers, and general word of mouth. The more people know about your band, the better.

We've all heard the tales of how The Cranberries got signed from a demo, or how The Cure got their recordings into the hands of influential record executives. There's always more to the story! The Cranberries might have had an inside connection we don't know about, and The Cure were most certainly playing a shit-load of shows, even if it was their demo that got them signed. Remember that band The Juliana Theory? Whether or not you think they sucked has little bearing on what I'm going to say. When they were just picking up steam, EVERYBODY knew who they were. The reason was they were good at getting the word out and were RELENTLESS about it. True, I found this quite annoying at the time, but it sure made them popular. Then one day, a few years later, I heard they signed a million dollar record deal, and were touted as the next Pink Floyd! Word is they gave up complete creative control to the label. Then they disappeared.

Joe Strummer of The Clash wrote a song called Complete Control. He was talking about the artist having control over the art. Don't trust record labels, and don't seek them out in the hopes they will make your band more popular. It's all about the fans. Oh, and write the best kick ass music you possibly can.<> That helps.

TOURING

Ok, so everyone in your hometown thinks you're the next Bon Jovi. You've got a good local response and you want to hit the road and give touring your best shot. Everyone in the band agrees that it's time. Some people will look for booking agents, managers, or a friend that could completely flake out on the band. I say all of that is bullshit. Do it yourself. It's going to be a lot of hard work, you're going to feel insecure, and you'll get confused and frustrated but it's the best way to make sure it gets done, you'll know exactly what's happening, and I find it to be fun sending things and receiving things from bands/promoters across the country and talking to other people that want to get their band across the country, too.

Before I begin with helpful tips, I'd just like to say that if you're expecting to play sold out arenas and make tons of cash or sleep with lots of girls and do tons of drugs while on tour then please don't read this. Not only will this guide not help you reach those goals... if that's your goal for your band the I honestly don't want to help you. If you're looking to consistently work hard, meet amazing new people, make friendships that will last a lifetime, explore your oppurtunities, and see the larger picture... and all of these things regardless if you make or lose money... then this will be very helpful because there is a whole network of people out there who are just like you.

Also remember that touring is hard. If you have a nice comfy home life then you'll probably hate touring a great deal. If you're constantly broke (probably living on friends' couches) and wondering where your next meal is going to come from... then touring is sometimes an improvement on your life as people at least will help you out along the way. Touring is not for everybody. It's just not. It is probably one of the biggest tests a band will face on whether or not they will stay together.

This is not to scare you. This is to hopefully get you past the mistakes before they happen so that you don't have to fuck up like the many bands before you. Good Luck!

TRANSPORTATION

Before you even start booking a tour you should make sure that you have some form of transportation available. Whether it's borrowed, rented, or bought you should make sure that the van is not going to shit out on you.

I wouldn't really recommend renting a van just because it's so pricey and you're probably not going to make enough money playing basements and teen centers to come out close to anywhere near expenses.

If your parents or someone really close (someone that won't kill you or sue you if the van gets wrecked, stolen, or breaks down) is willing to let you borrow their van then you should only really do so if it's really forgiving parents. Most friends will say it's ok but some people get really weird when it comes to money. Don't lose friendships over this.

Buying a van is probably the best way because if you're going to be serious about touring then you're going to have to buy one anyways. A decent van is going to cost anywhere from $1,000 to some insane price. I've heard of people buying them off of shady dudes for about $800 and the van never dies. I've also seen people buy vans off of a church group for $2,000 and it breaks down on their weekend tour. It goes either way and I can't really say if there's a science to it. I would ask around and find a friend of a friend that's a mechanic, check out some vans, TEST DRIVE IT, and make a decision based on the needs of your band.

Some things to look for in a van are: heat vents (a lot of people crammed in a hot stinky van for a 14 hour drive can break up a band reeeeeaaaally fast), seating and space (obviously), and, as bad as it sounds, make sure it has at least a tape deck. I've heard lots of horror stories coming back of drivers on long trips with everyone sleeping and they have to make the trek alone at 3am with nothing but the radio... on the other hand, Cryptorchid Chipmunk listened to the Coast to Coast radio show while on tour and I have to say that it makes for some fun conversation.

BOOKING

Ok, now you are ready for the daunting task of booking the shows! Fun! Although I'll explain how to make a press kit and that bullshit... with the internet and everything, I don't think you'll really need to send one out.

First, you're going to want to pick the area of the United States that you want to tour in. Weigh in the pros and cons of some different regions (example: the southeast is cheap but venues are far apart... whereas, the northeast is more expensive but all of the drives are really short). You'll then want to find the time frame that you're allowing yourself and plan a route. You'll want to hit the city farthest in your route towards the middle of your tour so that you can play shows on your way back home, also (duh.). So, let's say that you are touring from Louisville, KY to New York City in 10 days. Your routing might look like this:

Day 1-Louisville, KY
Day 2-Cinncinati or Columbus, OH
Day 3-Pittsburgh, PA or Morgantown, WV
Day 4-Pittsburgh, PA or Morgantown, WV
Day 5-Baltimore, MD or Philadelphia, PA
Day 6-New York City
Day 7-New Jersey or Washington D.C.
Day 8-Charlotte, NC
Day 9-Asheville, NC
Day 10-Knoxville, TN

That's a good mix of northeast and southeast states.

Now that you have your ideal schedule laid out, it's time to go through your contacts. If you've been playing locally for a while then hopefully you're a friendly face to outside touring bands when you're on the same bill and talk to them, let them stay at your place, and get their phone number or email so that you can remain friends. If you're into this for anything other than meeting new people, helping them out, and playing music then you'll probably be disappointed with the whole touring experience. Don't forget to keep track of all of those emails scrawled on the back of bar napkins and phone numbers on match books. Keep a drawer at home designated for when you come home late at night then you can just throw those numbers and emails in that drawer and worry about them later.

Before the internet (Oh my! We really did exist before the internet!) bands used to keep many phone numbers of touring bands and the foot work of scamming a phone card, calling someone for a show, asking them for more phone numbers, and working your way through the web of the music community. You could get a print version from Book Your Own Fucking Life, also. But now, luckily, the scene has grown and there are literally countless contacts at your fingertips.

With the internet, there's no more long distance bills, scamming phone cards, hours spent calling countless numbers... You can simply type up an email, copy it, and send that sucker out to as many people that will read it. Send it to the people you know first then check out sites like Book Your Own Fucking Life (www.byofl.org) for promoters in the area that you're looking for. Since the shutdown of MP3.com, myspace.com, purevolume.com, and virb.com have been terrific resources for contacting bands directly. Look at their tour dates and see if you can hop on, doe a show trade (you should want to bring these bands to your town, anyways), or just see if they know someone that will put on a show.

You're going to have to send out about 50 blind emails to maybe receive one or two replies. Underground music is supported by people without the most security in their lives so a promoter might usually do shows but they are evicted right now and don't have a house space for shows or some kid broke a window at the last VFW hall show so they're not renting it out for shows anymore... that kind of thing. It takes a lot of time and personal interest in who you're dealing with. I'll always give my friends priority on getting on my shows. That's just how it is and I think that's how most promoters work.

If a promoter replies and asks for a press kit... you'll probably not want this show... but if you're hurting for shows and you'd rather play than have a day off then here's some things bands put in press kits. Excuse me if I don't elaborate. I think press kits are pretty cheesy... kind of like guarantees, waivers, and green m&ms.

Press Kit:
contact info (email, phone, fax, paiger number, work number if allowed)
a picture of your band in one of those pre-arranged dumbassed photos that I see all over myspace
a pretty little self-boasting story about your beginnings (that noone cares about) and what bands you've shared the stage with (that noone cares about)
a demo cd of no more than 3 songs (a promoter usually isn't going to listen over 3 songs and they'll know if they're going to book you or not based on those 3... song #7 rarely ever convinces them, trust me)
and anything else your little heart desires.

MONEY AND MERCH

Sadly, if you want to support yourselves and break even on tour then you're going to have to sell merchandise. You'll also have to keep track of your money carefully.

Some things to keep track of money-wise are: merch sales, merch giveaways, door money, gas, vehicle maintenence, repair, loans to band members, loans from band members, equipment, tools, medical expenses, misc. (towing, etc). Just keep track of them in a notebook that is always near the band fund.

Door money and merch sales are probably the most respectable ways to support your band on the road. I would like to suggest sliding scale since money is the last thing your band should be thinking about while on the road and having new people listen to your music be first. If you're not familiar with sliding scale, it is a system with a low and high price based on how much the consumer can pay for the item based on how much they are able to pay for your record.

Other creative ways to earn money on the road are distroing other bands' and labels' merch, selling used books and cds, selling bootlegs of anything, selling crafts or art that the band members make, and other countless things.

HELPFUL TIPS FOR MUSICIANS AND SINGERS

Singers:
-eat healthy! a singer getting sick on tour can cancel a tour faster than you can order a happy meal.
-bring lozenges, honey, and stuff for hot tea
-warm up! Your voice is just as much of an instrument as the rest of the band and you should warm up then make as little sound as possible before and after the show.
-don't smoke, dumbass.

Musicians:
-bring extra strings, batteries, drumsticks, drum keys, drum heads, a towel for the drummer, extra hi-hat stand, pedal springs, and some handy tools for your instrument
-road cases are a must but take up extra space. Road wear is inevitable but it's nice to try and keep that to a minimum.
-make a checklist of your equipment for every night to make sure you leave nothing behind and make sure at least 3 members do a walkthrough to also make sure nothing has been left behind.

HOUSING

To be blunt, sleeping in the van sucks. When booking your tour it's good to note if you have any friends or relatives in some of the places you'll be playing to stay with after the show. Generally, it is a common courtesy that the show promoter will set you up with a place to stay. If the promoter is a young kid or some splinter of society in which they can't provide housing and you know noone in the town, then try talking to people that have attended the show and announce it in between songs. This generally works in one way or another.

Once you reach your destination, it is wise to avoid parking the van in downtown areas and any street with lots of litter and glass. Find a well-lit area and have one person sleep in the van. This avoids the van being burglarised at night time.

Don't be a dick to the person you're staying with! Take off your fucking shoes when you go inside, smoke outside, and do some of their dishes in the morning. Kindness goes a long way.

PACKING AND FOOD

Pack lightly but responsibly. Always bring a pair of pants, jacket, and a long sleeve shirt even if you're touring the southwest in july. I've hit more freak weather on tour than, I dunno, something else that happens a lot. Try to pack your clothes, sleeping bag, and pillow as small as possible. I also recommend books and a portable cd player. It will give you some much needed escape from your band mates regardless of how much you love them.

Also, don't forget general items like:
toilet paper, duct tape, general repair kit, cell phone, possibly a very organized and helpful friend, no nice shirts, socks!

When it comes to food, avoid gas stations like the plague. They are over priced and unhealthy. You're paying more to make yourself feel like shit. Pack non perishable healthy food and always ask where the nearest grocery store is located. There are also many free food scams! I'm keeping my lips sealed on those, though. Sorry!

COMMUNICATION AND ATTITUDE

This is most important for keeping friends and your own personal ego in check.

Plain and simple, touring is hard. Try not to complain. Everyone is in an uncomfortable state. It is how you welcome this that will determine whether everyone stays happy or not. Communication is key about everything whether it be inter-van or intra-van. Always let petty arguments go to the waste basket, approach everything with a positive mental attitude now more than ever, and avoid phrases like, "I told you so" or "You don't listen" and so on. Those phrases ignite arguments quickly.

This must be addressed. I wish it didn't have to be but while on the road you're going to encounter young people who's lives are in a confused state. What I'm trying to say is, "DON'T SLEEP WITH YOUNG PEOPLE THAT CAME TO YOUR SHOW!" It's just going to mess up this young person's life more and possibly yours with pregnancy, STDs, etc. Consensual sex between two people is one thing. As an adult, though, recognise the difference and try and talk to someone who might be confused or wanting attention. Sometimes they need someone to talk to them.

Shit, son! More can be said on this subject so go ahead. With these tips, some creative thinking, and positivity you should be making friends, playing interesting shows, and have the time of your life! Good Luck!

To Guarantee or Not to Guarantee...

I was recently sitting at home when a friend of mine messaged me asking about some booking information. He said that his band couldn't take it anymore and was going to start asking local clubs for a guarantee. He wanted to know what I thought of this and how to go about it when asking clubs about it. I know something similar to this has caused a heated debate on other forums but it is something that I think should be discussed at length. Please note: any comments that are blatant remarks to hurt someone will ALWAYS BE DELETED so don't waste your time or mine, please! With that in mind, if you're going to give your opinion please try to be respectful and always be informative. This is here to help the uninformed.

When I think of guarantees or how the money is situated for a show I think of four factors: the venue, promoter, bands, and the kids. Now, I'm sure everyone knows how I feel about guarantees. I don't like them and refuse about 95% of the bands that I come across that ask for a guarantee. I will, however, try to explain why I feel this way and try to shed some light on why bands ask for them, some promoters won't work with them, where the kids' money is going, and how venues are effected by guarantees.

THE CASE FOR A GUARANTEE (the band's perspective)
Being in a band is hard. You spend your time organising practices, writing songs, working out these songs, saving what little money you make from shows for transportation, broken sticks and guitar strings, merchandise for the kids, and almost an infinite list of other expenses. It would be nice to be appreciated a little bit and get some help with these expenses.

A friend recently told me, "I'd love to play California but you can't get there on passion." A guarantee, in some ways, is to know ahead of time that the promoter will do their responsibility in making sure people show up for the show. All promoters provide a space for the bands to play... but, sadly, some promoters do that in a literal sense and just provide a space and nothing else and help the band in no way possible. It's not good for your tour and it's not good for the mood of your band. Sadly, money causes as many breakups as cheating relationships and day jobs.

So, basically, for a guarantee... we all wish we lived in a perfect world where all bands played sold out shows and money wasn't a problem but in reality that's not the case. Bands have to work and pay to play. They have to protect themselves with previous arrangements.

THE CASE AGAINST GUARANTEES (the promoter's perspective)
"Dear Mr. Promoter,

My name is Ace Freely and I play in the Doom/Math/Dark/Sludge/Christian band called Church Burner. We've been playing shows for about 6 months and it's time for us to take the show on the road. We don't ask for anything just $100.00 to cover gas money and will be in your area from July16th-July18th. We don't have any songs up on our myspace but we've got some bitchin' pictures with the guy from Lincoln Park. We should be releasing our debut ep on Mommy's Uterus is Exploding Records (produced by the bass player from Dick Shifter!) in August and it should be big. We think we'll have a huge draw in your area.

our influences include:
Mayhem
Venom
Corpse Grinder
Sunny Day Real Estate
Dick Shifter

Thanks in advance,
The Ace Man"

Sadly, as a promoter, these are about 80% of the emails I get from bands today. A band that has been around a year or less, have never been out of their hometown to build an audience, and decided to leave out any personal interest in the state or venue they're playing... yet, they want me to contractually obligate myself to paying them $100.00 (possibly from my own personal money).

Promoting is a thankless job. Hundreds of bands beg for a chance to play. Most get offended or think you're flaky when you can't help them out 100% of the time. You walk around town for a month posting fliers, bulletins, and handing out handbills to get people to come. Spend your own personal money on making those fliers, food for the out of town band staying at your house... not to mention losing money on requesting that day off of work at the resturaunt... the show comes around, you're the go to person if there's anything wrong... the weather could cause a bad turnout... the lead singer of Naughty By Nature wants to go on first because he's got a chemistry final the next day... and aside from your D&D buddies, noone else knows that this show happened because of your hard work... oh, and now the out of town band wants $100.00 for gas to make it to a town that's 15 minutes away (that you called up your D&D buddy from that town and helped set up that show, too). Oh, and not to mention that as a promoter... if you take any of the money from the door to cover your expenses you look like a total asshole.

Basically, when does money become the motivating element for your band to go on the road? What happened to, "I just want people to hear my music" and what happened to, "if noone liked us or came to our shows, we'd keep playing" yet... you don't want to save up any of your own personal money to do the thing you claim you love more than anything? Why should the promoters give you $100.00 when the people aren't showing up for your band, you're getting free room and board, and your next show will probably use about $30.00 in gas to get there? Is there something you're not telling us? Does your band need to eat out at resturaunts every night while they're on tour?

When it comes to Morgantown, the only band that I know of in this town that consistently tours is Cryptorchid Chipmunk. They've been touring pretty consistently for years and don't get guarantees. They've survived. Passion might not fuel your van but passion will drive you to find a means to what you want to do. So what if you work a shit job nine months out of the year and save money for tour? The other three months when you're doing something you absolutely love to do makes it worth while... are you going to let something like money make you work that shit job for 12 months out of the year with no satisfaction because you couldn't suck it up and save some money? I don't think I've ever been on a tour where it costs $700.00 a week in gas. If so, you might want to reevaluate who's booking your shows!

Like bands... sadly, this is a big reason why people stop promoting shows. You get burned by shitty band #3975 and have to pay them out of your pocket and they come back to your place and eat all of your cereal... it can disillusion the people with the most honest of intentions.

And so basically, against a guarantee... why? why does someone have to pay you $100.00 for asking for a show? This is supposed to be about showing art, meeting people, and having good times? Does money fit into that? Not really. Promoters don't get paid. They give the bands all of the money that the show makes. Is that not good enough? If your band is this big then why don't you have more fans to support your money habit?

THE KIDS (God Bless'em)
And where does the audience fit into this? Where is your money going when you go to a show? Yes, this does concern you. You should know that bands are getting treated fairly and that you're not getting ripped off. Would you rather see your favorite band in a bar where your favorite band can't support themselves or at a house where they are getting all of the door money that you paid to support them with?

Some promoters have been asking for the people attending to start paying $6.00 for regular local shows. They say that the extra dollar will help out of town bands get money. I disagree with this because of running a house that holds about 60 people... if there are 3 bands on the bill split at a dollar a piece ($3.00 split between 3 bands=$1.00 a piece) would mean that each band makes $60.00 and if the two locals don't mind deferring some of their money (because they only traveled about two blocks to play) that easily adds up close to $100.00 for a band... or take 123 for instance with the 80%/20% split. Their capacity is much larger but say you only get about 100 people at your show (which is very feasible for a show at 123 if done properly) 100 people paying $5.00 each equals $500 dollars... with the 80/20 split, the bands get $400.00 of the $500.00. $400.00 split between three bands is $133.00 with that stingy promoter allowing themself a dollar for their hard work.

So, now with your new knowledge... how do you feel about someone asking you to pay that extra dollar? Is it worth it? It's hard to pay $15.00 a week on shows supporting your friends isn't it? Well, $18.00 a week isn't any easier especially with minimum wage at $5.15, right?

With higher prices, less people will attend shows on a regular basis. What's more important? Possibly more money and less people or slightly less money and more people watching?

I'm not going to make a new section for venues because venues are businesses working with guarantees. That's their decision and theirs alone. The bands have all of the right to ask a business for a guarantee because they are bringing that business customers. It is working within the capitalist system and a band should try and get as much money for themselves in that situation to fund their art as far as I'm concerned.

***Just ask Ben Roethlisberger, kickin' ass takes gas!
***Comic by Brad Neely. www.creasedcomics.com
***I dunno, I typed in "Show Promoter" into google and got that guy.

Some Hopefully Helpful Tips on Flyering

To further the discussion that was on Couches on Fire. I've decided to make an update dealing with flyering before I make my next topic that I've been working on.

So, why would you want to make flyers for your shows?

The answer to this is very simple. It's probably the lowest form of cost and most excellent way to get the word out on a local show that you're involved with. Not only do you get out of the house and get a little exercise (which all of us heart attack Americans could use, anyways) you also insure that you'll have a good time with a group of people enjoying some music at this event.

How should someone go about making a flyer?

Hopefully you're inventive enough to get your band noticed by making your own creative flyers. You can do anything from the old flyers of cutting out an image from a magazine and using scotch tape to put in your band's text and logo and going straight to the photo copier. You could make your own art or have your art school dropout friend to make one for you (don't ask the kids in the art school... they'll want some money or something... just kidding! or am I?) Screen prints, magic marker, photographs, hand made with crayon, or any other way your brain can perceive someone seeing this and wanting to know more about your show.

When starting out it is usually best to stick to putting on the band's names with a description (the description is so important, honestly), the date, the venue (directions to the venue if it's not that well established), the time, the age restrictions, the cost, and any other important information that you want to put on there such as drink specials, a little rebelious quote, or whatever.

As your band (and in most cases, your ego) gets bigger then you can leave things off that are already understood to your fans and might draw a curiosity to someone that doesn't know about the band. Sometimes a band's logo is just as prominant as the name of the band.

Where should I get my fliers made?

There are not really that many places in town to get copies. I could recommend Office Max, Staples, or some other overpriced copy shop in town but they're just the same as cheaper places and if you're going to get something like copies from a larger place it's usually better to scam them out of some copies anyways.

Whenever you do anything in this town, it is always good to look into using your resources to use WVU to your advantage. The university is set up for such a large mass of students that if you can't get it for free somehow then it's usually dirt cheap anyways.

If you go to the copy center in the Mountain Lair you'll notice the self serve machines are a nasty 10 cents per copy. You can do better than that. If you walk up to the counter. The very nice lady or even Jeremy Groghan will do your copies for a cheap 5 cents a piece!

One helpful note on cool fliers that I like to do is take an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and make your design with the band names on it and whatever art work you'd like. Go to the copy center in the lair and ask them to make it 11 x 17. They'll blow it up for you and it will leave about a 3-4 inch gap at the bottom. Write your show date, price, time and venue in that area and get the rest of your copies made. For 2 cents more on the copy your fliers will be much larger and stand out in the general public of those 8 x 11s. This is all about getting your project noticed, after all.

Now, I've got the flyer made. Where should I put them up?

Everywhere!

Now, I've heard how illegal it is to post in public areas downtown... but looking around, if The Pita Pit, D.P. Dough, the WVU Rugby Team, and any other person that has no general knowledge of fliering rules can post their fliers on every trash can, street light post, and electrical box then I say go right ahead. Aside from having some etiquette (which I'll get into later) then it should be equal time and space for everyone.

Now, I've heard about possible fines and things that can happen to a club but aside from one instance (where it sounded like the bar in question was just squeezing these kids for their door money) I've only heard of one person getting a minor complaint from the manager at the Dairy Queen on High Street.

I've gone in a three man group flyering every trash can (both sides to get all walking traffic), light post, wall, and public stature and was in open view of police and have never even been given anything more than a stink eye from a cop.

Put them everywhere. All they usually do is tear them down. All you have to do is put them up again.

Some friendly places (if you're too concerned about such things as causing a stink) are:
the Mountainlair (make sure to get them stamped at the front office)
The Den
Any College Building WITH A GENERAL POSTING BULLETIN
The Tomb of the Unkown Fanboy
The Blue Moose
The Pita Pit
The Mountain People's Co-Op
***The venue you are playing (123, Flipside, 213 Green St... we'll let you post them downstairs in the basement)
***I know that Matt at Quiznos usually doesn't care about posting a flyer in the window
Black Bear
The Creative Arts Center
The corner of Walnut and Beechurst underneath the PRT rail
Buisnesses with a general posting outside (Kroger on Patteson)
Cool Ridge (hey, trendy hippies go to shows, too...)

Wheat Paste Recipe

Personally, I'm tired of hearing people complain about torn down fliers. If you're too lazy to make round trips on the town and post them back up then don't bother posting fliers in the first place. Post a bulletin on your myspace. Asking cleaning people or cops not to tear them down is ridiculous. Fliers are always going to be torn down by these people. If you don't want your flyer torn down then there is only one last resort and that's to make sure it sticks with wheat paste.

Please note that store bought is more consistent but if you're broke or whatever and have these items around the house. Here's a nice recipe for you.

Pour one cup of corn flour starch into 1 1/2 cups of water
Stir to remove all lumps
heat to boil until it thickens and add more water until it turns into a thick clear goop
cook on low heat for at least a half hour
DON'T BURN IT (it'll expand a lot)

voila!

When using wheat paste, use a wide paint brush to slop it on the back of the poster. There's a debate on whether to slap some on top of the poster, too. I think it looks messy. Just go over the corners. The corners are extremely important to make sure that it can't be ripped down.

This is definitely a two person job. Have one person handle the posters and one person handle the paste. you don't want a stack of gluey fliers all stuck together. It'll suck and slow you down extremely (which is something you really don't want when doing something like wheat pasting... most policemen REALLY don't like this method).

I've read about people using everyhing from a bucket on the front of a bicycle to an empty dishwashing soap bottle to squeeze it right onto the brush. Get comfortable with a method that you can quickly and cleanly get your stuff up. Good luck!

Some asshole put their flyer directly over mine. What should I do? (Etiquette)

I don't know about other people, but there are just certain things you do and don't when flyering. Rather than write a story about it, here are some do's and don'ts that I've thought about and experienced:

DO tear down all fliers you see of someone that has posted a flyer directly over one of yours (I'm looking at you WVU Rugby Team)
DO feel free to move another flyer on a posting board if it's necessary for you to get some space on the board so that everyone can share the board.
DO ask a buisness before slapping a flyer on their window.
DO try to take down some of your fliers after the show has happened. Litter sucks.

DON'T post your flyer of someone else's flyer.
DON'T post your flyer at a venue for a show at a different venue (ex: playing at 123 and flyering all over the Corner Cafe for it)
DON'T tear down other people's fliers no matter how lame you think their bass player is.

Treat others how you'd like to be treated in return.

Some other helpful tips.

Some other things that are a great way to get noticed are:

Chalking-if the weather's nice get a box of chalk at the Dollar Store, hit the sidewalks of Morgantown, put a unique piece of art... maybe a directional trail to the venue... be creative! make it better than the horrible frat party chalk you see all the time

Handbills, handbills, handbills-You really don't know how much more effective this is than almost flyering itself. It puts you out in the public. You meet new people. They get to meet you and see what your band is about. You can put 4 handbills on the page that would be the price of one flyer. The get to keep it and can look at it later. Position yourself in front of the Mountain Lair right before noon and hang out for two hours. You can easily move over 400 handbills. 100 more than a sold out show at 123.

Whenever you get some fliers made. It's nice to "accidentally" drop some in high traffic areas. The entrance to the student library, the hallways of Armstrong or Life Science, or anywhere that has that little section of doors before you enter the actual building.

The internet is a great tool for promotion. Myspace bulletins, email lists, instant messages, or anything else that doesn't require them to click a link or do any form of work. The less a person has to do to know about your show, the more likely they are to actually sit down and read what it's about.

***all fiers by me.

CD Pressing

***Please note that there are literally thousands of places to print CDs... These are either places people have brought up to talk about, places I recommend, or places come across on random internet searches.***

One of the heavyweight questions asked by bands that have just spent their time, money, and sanity locked away in their respective recording area to put their lifeblood into disk form is, "Ok, the cd is recorded... now what do we do with it?"

Well, depending on what you're trying to accomplish with your shit is what and where you'll want to go with. I'm only going to talk about short run cds vs. large run cds. Doing a cd completely DIY (packaging and everything) will be saved for another article and time as I'm sure we all have more experience in that route and this has not been explored as much. I'll try to explain what I look for in getting cds pressed, write about some places to look at, and give my recommendations.

-WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Overall in cd pressing I look for quality, price per cd (one of the most important points!), extra options, hidden fees, and turn around time. If you can think of anything I missed here then please comment and let me know. You really want to cover all aspects of what a company offers because each project is different and could make any of the things listed previously more important than the other.

For quality, it's obvious. You don't want to have a cd that looks like shit. It's kind of a bummer to buy a cd that looks like shit. It's part of the experience of buying a cd. Most companies will send you samples of their work with either a self-addressed envelope, a small charge, or my favorite... for free!

Price per cd is so important to me. This is the highest risk when determining what to do. It also is a good way to determine whether or not to go with a short or large run of cds. For example, I feel that any band that plays regularly in and out of town should sell at least 300 albums in their first year supporting it if they do it right. So, let's say that my band recorded an ep that we're going to sell for $5.00.

If I do a short run of 300 cds at $800.00 that is going to mean I am being charged about $2.67 per cd. This means I will have to sell160 cds to make my money back and have 140 cds left over for profit making $700.00. Not so bad, right? The bad thing about this, though, is that you're now out of cds and will have to spend another $800.00 for another run.

If I do a large run of 1,000 cds at $1,200 dollars that puts me at $1.20 per cd. Now initially this will not look as good as a short run of cds because you will need to sell 240 cds to make your money back with 60 cds making that initial profit. It puts you $300.00 in the clear. The big thing to look at here, though, is now you have 700 other cds to send out to radio, out to music review magazines (don't say there aren't any that will review general submissions, I will list some later as I write more articles... and yes, they are nationally circulated magazines), to your grandma... anybody! Also, let's say you sell 100 more cds total. With a large run pressing, you're not losing any money where as a short run press you have to sell another 160 for every run you do or you're going to lose money. Yes, I hate money but it is the only way to make your band function and grow, sadly.

Also, always look into special deals. One company that you go with might have a better regular price but another company might have a better temporary deal that would be worth your dollar.

***Just a quick note... Most short runs are CD-Rs and personally, I would feel like an asshole charging $5.00 for an ep printed on a CD-R. So, with my personal ethics I would calculate the CD-R short run pressed cds at $3.00 which would completely make the short run cds not worth your time.***

Extra Options is something I think people forget about when looking into getting their cd done. What can you do that might make it a little more kickass for a kid that's going to pick up your bands cd? Enhanced cds are not only special but are becoming the norm of having a release right now. Inserts are a good way to maybe push your other merch or a cause you feel strongly about. Most of these things come at little to no cost now and should be taken advantage of. Always exhaust every option you can get out of a company. These small things are only going to help you connect with a listener and make it better for everyone. I know what you're thinking, "I've never heard of a place that has enhanced cds as a free option." but there is, and I will tell you where later in this article/blog thing.

Hidden Fees and Turn Around Time are pretty self-explanatory. A common hidden fee is the 10% over/under which means if they fuck up some of your cds you might have to pay 10% more so they don't lose money on pressing your stuff. The good thing is, some companies sometimes have the 10% under and will give you the extra cds. And turn around time is another thing to look at. This might be where short order cds will win because if you've got a small weekend tour coming up and you know your door money just isn't going to cut it, get a short run of cds so you have something to sell at the show and make some gas money.

-SHORT RUN CDS

Here are some places that I have looked at, been recommended to me, or popped up on a search engine. I'll try to get as in depth as possible but my biggest suggestion is to always research for yourself. It's just too much for me to guide you through all of this.

DollarCD.com. http://www.dollarcd.com
I can't vouch for the quality of this company but everything else, to me, looks very appealing. They only offer black and white print. Your cds will be CD-Rs. It's only a $10.00 one time setup fee for the artwork and packaging and $1.00 per cd for hard stock sleeves and $2.00 per cd for jewel cases. They've got a 1-2 week production period and 2-7 days for delivery. Total turn around time: about 3 weeks after approval. They also distribute the cds through their website for free (meaning you can refer a fan to the site so they can buy it from a secure site). You can also dropship orders to radio, magazines, fans, etc. They will even download MP3s from your website. Very simple instructions to follow. No hidden fees that I came across.

Parasol Duplication http://www.parasol.com/cdmanufacturing.asp
CDR duplication up to 250 with a 25 minimum. Full color artwork on the disk face (printed on white or silver cds) for $1.25 each. Extra costs for cases. Doesn't look like this is their passion in life. They also do large runs.

Latex Records http://latexrecords.com/cdmanuf.html
Has no fee for over/under but effects quantity you will receive. All prices include barcode, assembly, wrap, and ground shipping. They do not do CDRs (they do actual cds). On your first order they will print 1,000 inserts which will save you money in the future. You have to send them quotes for prices but the short run deals they have are: 300 cds/$812.00 for 4 Page 2 Panel layout with 4/1 insert, 4/1 or 4/0 traycard; clear, white, or black tray; 3-color discs at $2.71 each with extra special deals... and the other: full color - 300 cds/$919.00 4 Page 2 Panel layout with 4/4 insert, 4/4 traycard; clear, white, or black tray; 3-color discs at $3.07 each with extra specials.

Oasis Express http://oasiscd.com/music/shortrunCDR.asp
Oasis Express offers runs as little as 100. Can do full color printing. CD-Rs are quality checked. Thermal printing onto the cd (nice!). Turn around time as little as 5 days. HIDDEN FEE: shipping calculated separately. Will design your cd for you for $75.00 for those artistically challenged. For 100 single color (black) printing, cds run from a range of $2.90 to $2.95 each depending on packaging and for 100 full color, cds range from $3.35 to $3.59 each. Oh, I just saw this... if you move up to 300 cds they are not printed on CD-Rs anymore. It's under the Pricing: Start Here on the menu to the left.

Record/Play Duplication http://recordplay.homestead.com/packagepricing.html
As low as 25 cds can be printed. 2 different types of packages that will vary the cost of 25 from $3.00 to $3.80. Also, a Window Package that has a minimum of 50 that brings the cost down to $2.18 each for cd duplication, color print on cd, and white paper window envelopes. Couldn't find much more information on the site but still looks like a good deal. These are CD-Rs.

In my personal opinion, I would only go with a small run if were desperate to sell cds quicky, was going for really cheap black and white demos to send out and sell cheaply, honestly could not get the funding for a large pressing or doing a free compilation cd. I just feel like if you're going to get a cd pressed and try to do something with your music then do it to it's fullest possible extent meaning: have the best quality you can, send out the promotion, send it to labels and such, and tour on a kickass quality cd that people are going to get something out of.

-CD PRESSING (1,000 COPIES OR MORE)

Yes, this is expensive. Yes, you're going to have to be serious about your band or you're going to lose tons of cash. Nobody said being in a band was lucrative or easy. I find it funny how many people think that. If you can make your money back after paying for studio time, cd pressing, and all of the minor expenses (gas for going out of town, free things to your friends, promotional shit, anything you don't do for yourself as a band) then you should consider that a huge success. Anyways, if you're going to do it right then getting a large pressing is a step in the right direction of making it better for your band.

ICON OMNIMEDIA http://www.builtbyicon.com
Ok, so maybe I'm biased but I honestly feel this is the best company to go to. For as little as 85 cents a cd to up to $2.33, this place has so many options all pre-priced and easy to navigate. There is the 10% over/under and shipping hidden fees. Turn around time is 2-3 weeks from approval. The best thing about this place? All of those extra options are here! If you have someone author and enhanced cd (which is simple now with free programs downloadable from the internet) they will press it with NO EXTRA COST. If you find a better deal somewhere else they will match it. The quality is great. For what you get, every other company I have checked out is at least $200 more on the overall cost. Check it out for yourself, please. Some local cds that have been pressed by Icon Omnimedia would be Cryptorchid Chipmunk's new enhanced ep, Librarians' Neo-Rodeo ep, and the Caterpillar Scheme's self-titled ep.

Furnace Manufacturing http://www.furnacecd.com/
I can't really say much about this company since I have never worked with them and you have to do pretty much everything by mail and quotes. They are highly recommended, however. I've seen some albums made from there and the quality is just as good as anyone else's. I'm hoping Mr. Iafrate will share his experience with this company.

CD Forge http://www.cdforge.com
Again, like Furnace, I haven't dealt with this company directly. I think it's because their quote was too high for my liking. They have done some pretty famous indie cds which means the quality is top notch. The site is definitely worth checking out.

There are not many more large pressing places that I would recommend. Whatever you're trying to accomplish should be covered by those three companies at a fair price. If you have thought of something that wasn't covered then feel free to comment and I'll look into it. The only way this blog will be good is if people comment so that everything can be covered.

image #1 was taken from Icon Omnimedia's site. It is for a Daughters cd. Clarksburg, West Virginia native Perry Pete was the bass player for the successful underground band.
image #2 is from Librarians' Neo-Rodeo cd. Artwork by Dave Klug. Pressed through Icon Omnimedia.
image #3 is from the Caterpillar Scheme's self-titled ep. Artwork by Scott Andrew. Also pressed through Icon Omnimedia.

Getting Your First Show in Morgantown

Ok, so you have the right guys, the songs are written, and the songs are solid enough to play in front of a crowd. Who do you have to talk to for a show around here?

Unfortunately for a new local band, places like 123 Pleasant Street and the Rosewood get a lot of established local acts, regional touring acts, and the occasional national act all trying to get a spot on any given night at one of their clubs. This is a good thing that the clubs have such a demand for shows but for a new band this can be very discouraging.

When I moved here and was in my first Morgantown band I didn't know anyone and was eager to be the booking agent of the band eventhough I had no clue or experience in any aspect of booking shows. I don't know if LJ still recommends this or not, but when I would request shows in the beginning he would either not reply or say "why don't you come down to an open mic night and show the locals what you're about and get a buzz going around."

So, basically what I'm saying is start from the ground up. Register for the open mic nights at 123 and play the smaller places that have a less demand for shows. The Corner Cafe, Fuel, The Side Pocket Pub, open mic night at the Brew Pub (although it's recommended you're a bluegrass outfit for that), Fielder's (watch out for Fielder's though... it's quite the redneck joint) and house shows are all great places to start... and if that's not enough then be creative, one way that Cryptorchid Chipmunk would try to get people to come to shows would be after practice we'd grab an acoustic guitar, trombone, and anything else not electric and sit somewhere on High St. playing our songs and dancing. It became such a hit that we actually had some fans come from Parkersburg just to see us play on the street.

Open Mic Nights at 123 are one of the best ways to get your band started in Morgantown. They are every Wednesday night and all you need to do is call the bar (304.292.0800) at around 9pm and talk to the sound guy (currently at this time it will be Paul) and just ask what is available for the time your band can play and sign up! 123 has an established open mic crowd and you can make great contacts while playing. When I started out we were lucky enough to share open mic nights on a consistent basis with Pats!e, Egoslavia, Lover, and the best open mic night band Morgantown has ever seen... the Tighty Whiteys. You'll even meet some bands that are on tour and just filling in a last minute open slot (the High Strung is a big notable). Aside from the contacts you'll get to work with a sound guy, have complete freedom that 123 offers, and almost all of the other perks that playing at 123 has to offer. The only cons is that you're not playing your own shows yet, gotta have those 18 and over friends, and no free drinks but hey, you can't win them all.

213 Green St is my house. We do about two shows a month depending on how lazy we are. We open up our basement for bands and friends to play music. We open up our living room and dining room for artists of all types. Want to put on a puppet show? Want to show a film? Want to put up your life's work? Contact me at: t.shirt_revolution@yahoo.com or Anthony at: withoutapause@gmail.com All shows are $4.00, all ages, and alcohol free. $3.00 of the door is split between bands and $1.00 is split between the artists. We're really laid back dudes. If you have a problem with anything just talk to us or email us and we'll try and work it out.

IThe Flipside is a new venue that has taken the place of the old Rosewood venue. I haven't been inside there or talked to anyone about it. So, I know virtually nothing about this place. If someone could comment and give me contact information and a general rundown of how things work and the atmosphere... that would be pretty rad.

The Side Pocket Pub requires the submission of a demo and two hours worth of material but it's still pretty easy to get booked there and the pay out is enormous for local bands. A guaranteed $200 is well worth is eventhough you'll be using your own PA and playing to some exchange students under some NASCAR decorations. What a lot of band will do is rent a PA since they have a guaranteed amount of money to pay off the rental and will split the two hour time with another band so that it's still a good pay out and you're not overkilling the crowd with too many songs. I don't have the specifics for contact information for this either because every band I've ever been in has been the band asked to play and never booked it ourselves.

One more thing is to talk to other bars and places about holding shows. We used to nag the bar Spanky's into having shows every week until it became a regular thing. Brian Pennington and Jeremy were spinning records at Fatty Loaf's... most owners like the idea of live entertainment. It brings people in to eat and drink. Don't be afraid to scout some places and look for a place where you could clear some tables for a show.

Remember in the beginning to never turn down a show. Play as many as you possibly can until you start building somewhat of a following. No matter how many times you play in this town at first someone new is going to see you every time. Hit every open mic night that's available, attend any party or show and talk to people and make some friends (because honestly, if you're in this for the money then quit right now. If you're into playing shows because you want to get your music heard and have some adventures then this is for you), and always look for oppurtunities to hop onto some shows. Help out the other bands just starting out when you can and never forget about the already established bands that helped you out or gave you a chance on one of their shows.

image #1 is from April 28th, 2001. First official Cryptorchid Chipmunk show at 123 Pleasant Street with Kids Eating Pizza.
image #2 is the first show ever held at Liquid Lounge
image #3 is from a house show featuring Devil Inside Her (amazing surf rock), Eli from Devil Inside Her made this flyer.

What is DIY Music and Ethics in Morgantown?

"How do I get my favorite band to come to 123?"

"I want to play as many shows as possible... but how do you get shows out of town?"

"Hey, can you get me a show at 123?"

"Gee, nobody ever shows up to my band's shows. It's like nobody cares about independent music in this town."

Maybe it's because I've been listening to too much Bikini Kill lately or maybe it's because I've answered these questions over and over on a monthly basis but I've been inspired to write it all down and hopefully others will contribute for the purpose of helping each other so that the process of trial and error doesn't have to keep continuing.

So, I Double Dare Yah to ask questions, answer questions, keep each other updated on new places to post fliers, play shows, and anything else that could possibly make this town a better place for art, music, and expression in general. We all know West Virginia can use all it can get.

You don't need a mohawk to do it yourself.

Image taken from Amy Spencer's highly recommended DIY: the rise of lo-fi culture. You can order the book from AK Press.

http://www.akpress.org/search?action=find_book&search_key=title&query=diy