Indie Band Guru

It is true in every type of media, Repetition = Recognition,  just look at commercials.  Seeing or hearing something one time really won’t help it sink into a persons consciousness.  But seeing or hearing something repeated over and over will work its way into the human mind and deliver the desired effect.  Recognition.

Now lets apply this to our music marketing.  Seeing the same band name, hearing the same song, and seeing the same logo will make an impression and people WILL remember your name.  That is the start of getting your band known and popular.  This can be done very easily and at next to no cost.

Get the crowd you deserve

First off, play shows often.  Not in the same spot 4 times a month, but get out there in the surrounding towns.  Get you band’s name on different venue marquees.  Now list all your shows in every media you can.  Get the show listed in the local newspapers.  The venues will help with this too if they run ads.  Post the show on every website you can find with show listings.  Put flyers (with your band name in big letters) everywhere that you can.  Bombard the viewers sense of sight.

Another great way to get your band name in front of people is with stickers.  A simple sticker with the name and logo of your band extra large is ideal.  They are cheap and can be placed in all kinds of locations.  Some of my favorite spots are in venue bathrooms, stop signs or traffic lights on busy roads, even outside on the street in heavily traffic areas.  People seek out stimulus when they are in a stagnant position, such as stopped at a red light or using a toilet.

Even more importantly, always talk about your Band.  Don’t just mention that you are in a band, but say I am the singer/guitarist/bongo player for Band X.  When a person hears the name it will work its way into their memory through another sense. Hearing as well as sight. 

The brain works in mysterious ways but when a band name is repeated over and over to someone it will eventually stick.  Even if the future fan doesn’t know how they know your band’s name, they now know it.  Now the next time they see that you are playing a show they will think you are even more famous then you are because they have heard that name somewhere before.  True music fans hate missing out on the next big thing so they will get to your shows, buy your CDs, and talk about how they knew you before anyone else.  All this because they have seen and heard you band’s name so many times that they feel that they know you.

Try it and you will see the results quicker than you think.

The upcoming album by Seattle progressive-pop rockers Minus The Bear is now available for a free listen here at Indie Band Guru thanks to KCRW.  The new album, OMNI, is the bands fourth album, but first with new label Dangerbird Records.  It will be officially released on May 4th, 2010.

Formed in 2001, Minus the Bear earned immediate attention with their distinctive prog-pop hybrid, featuring swirling synths and multi-layered guitar acrobatics. The band was prolific from the start and let loose with a series of EPs and albums, each drawing acclaim and a host of new fans. They embraced the road and began touring extensively, building up a dedicated fan base and discovering the powerful connection they could make when playing live.

The new album features the quirky time signatures, hyperactive riffs, and prodigious hooks characteristic of the band’s earlier work.  OMNI may be the album that helps them crossover to an even larger audience.  There are some indie-pop darlings in there. 

What do you think?

Well it seems as if LCD Soundsystem and their record label have given up trying to hide the new album ‘This Is Happening from the leakers and now have made the entire album available as a free stream on their website:

 Click here to listen to This Is Happening

Give it a listen but don’t fret because I was a little alarmed for the first minute and a half into the album as well.  But when the synth beat kicks into the first song ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ you will know LCD Soundsystem is back. The second song is the 1st single ‘Drunk Girls’ that you have probably heard all over the radio already. It is a song that will be staying in your head for a while.
Listen and Enjoy!

PS. I was having trouble with the website on Internet Explorer but it worked just fine on Firefox.

http://www.lcdsoundsystem.com/thisishappening/

Let us know what you think about the album.

Hope you are enjoying Coachella if you are out in Indio, California. If not here is the full lineup with some music samples of some of the great bands there this year. Enjoy!

Let us know which band you think will be the breakout star of Coachella.  We really love and need your input.

We see many actors try to crossover into the music world, especially in the pop genre where they can have their voice so overproduced that nobody will notice that they can not sing. That is why I took notice when Zooey Deschanel entered the indie music world with M. Ward to form She & Him.

She had shown some singing chops in her movies before, most notably in Elf with Will Ferrell and The Go-Getter where she met M. Ward.  Now She & Him have released their second album Volume Two back on March 23rd and it seems to be another good one, I believe even better than the first. 

She & Him have announced tour dates for the spring of 2010.  They dazzled at SXSW again and will perform at music festivals such as Coachella, Bonnaroo, Savannah and Sasquatch. 

Above is a live recording of She & Him at the Sirius XMU studios from a couple weeks ago.  Stripped down i think her voice sounds even better.  It reminds me a little of June Carter Cash which is always a good thing.  She is living up to the new ‘Omaha Sound’ label and I feel will be singing for years to come.

Bottom Line:  This cute chick can sing!

In the past two decades – even before the time of John Mayer’s debut – there has been a slew of indie rock coming out of Atlanta, GA. In recent years especially, the genre of “indie” music has gotten a huge boost of talent from the Peach state. The city has most recently produced bands like Jackyl, Kaki King, and indie darlings Deerhunter (hipsterdom has indeed been on the rise in the South, largely due to the indispensable indie mecca SXSW). So we welcome the latest addition to Atlanta’s indie music scene, Future Self.
 

Future Self is one hungry band

Don’t let the name fool you. Future Self isn’t a ‘80s-inspired, post- (or Neo- ) New Wave band, although there is a good (but subtle) amount of synths and shoegaze on display. The music is firmly rooted in classic songwriting styles, such as Billy Joel, Nick Drake, and even a little bit of Captain Beefheart. Appropriately enough, Nick Drake and Randy Newman are high on Future Self’s  Top 20 friends on Myspace.
 
To this mix of ‘60s and ‘70s singer-songwriter heart-and-soul, the band brings electric guitars, a bit of musical theater, and most distinctly, a very ‘00s approach to the beats and rhythms that update the classic pop genre for the twenty-first century (a little bit like putting Barry Manilow in skinny jeans and converses, and sticking a Blue Moon in his hand). The band even claims to have a certain bit of bluegrass in their music that can also easily be called Americana.
 
Future Self, co-founded in 2008 by singer-pianist Will Mitchell, showcases their music in a 6-song debut LP Debt to a Muse. The result is a dreamy collection of feverishly gentle romantic yearnings that has all the aforementioned influences injected with healthy amounts of Death Cab for Cutie. The Ben Gibbard in Mitchell’s vocals is most apparent in the Pink Floyd-flavored “A Certain Fool.” It’s a world-weary Ben Gibbard that he channels here (and a little bit of  Brandon Flowers in the Killers’ “Read My Mind”) singing a story of a love that’ll probably go unrequited. It’s also a decent entry into the stalker-rock genre popularized by the Police’s “Roxanne.” Watch out for this song though – the “La-da-dee-da” part is infectious.
 
The disc opener “Admit” has a little bit of Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom” in the verse that betrays the loneliness in Mitchell’s voice. Which brings to mind Mitchell’s voice: he is indeed a competent singer (the entire band seems to be doubling almost every line, which is interesting at the best of times but eventually gets grating), but the question isn’t “Is his singing good?” as much as it is “Will his performance here stop the object of his affection from leaving?” It might, but it will definitely buy him time (at the very least a lunch on a beautiful fall afternoon).
 
Mitchell’s voice falters a bit in the exciting bluegrass (but what I call Americana) tribute “Wasn’t Your Fault,” but the song lets lead guitarist Shim Gartner shine whereas in other songs he’s buried in the mix. The shoegaze-y hipster waltz of “Looked for You” similarly betrays Mitchell’s shortcomings (only in the chorus), but also gives his lyrics a chance to take center stage: playful in character, but also gently biting when they have to be. There’s honesty when he says he “looked for you…like an original sound.”
 
“Some Things” – along with “Admit” – is a decent piece of chugging piano-rock that showcases what drummer Jason Pearlman brings to the band: a little bit of Ringo and the Dresden Dolls’ Brian Viglione, but a lot of Nathan Followill from Kings of Leon. It works well, giving the songs the thunder that nudge them closer to the swelling fever-pitch that the band seems to strive for but never quite reaches.
 
“Hung Up On You” is the album’s Beatles song, where Mitchell and the rest of the band work on “Fixin’ a Hole” in his love life.
 
The production is competent, with the impressive mixing of Mitchell’s voice in with the rest of the band, but the focus on Ben Williams’ bass – and the low end overall –  leaves much to be desired.
 
While in Georgia some years ago, I remember driving past woods (that I later camped in), watching the sun come up on nondescript highways, and then arriving at the green fields of Emory University. Future Self’s debut brings to mind a feeling of the calm and serenity I felt that morning, similar to cracking open a bottle of pinot grigio or pinot noir and leaning back in your favorite lawn chair as you watch the sun set. What Debt to a Muse doesn’t do is reach the swelling energy that the music calls for. As gorgeous as it is, the music constantly simmers and shivers, but never explodes. Mitchell and co. long for love, but they don’t yearn hard enough to win the girl. It’s difficult to see how the material would transfer live, or even if you would want it to. So until Future Self can turn up the fire underneath their pot of emotion, they are best experienced next to a slow-burning campfire as you hold hands and reconcile with the one you love. Who knows? Maybe the band can help you patch things up and give you and your loved one a chance at a brilliant future…Future Self, that is!

Find out more and hear them for yourself at:

www.futureselfmusic.com

www.myspace.com/futureselfband

In our exhaustive, yet constant search for great new independent music to introduce you to, we came across another winner.  Lil Daggers, a psychadelic garage rock band from Miami, FL.  They are relatively unknown as of yet, but I don’t think that will be for too much longer.  And they are coming up to NYC this weekend to visit you and me. 

Listen first:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Then get out to see them this weekend:

• -Friday, April 9th, ‘Midnight til Death Party’ @ Don Pedros- Lil Daggers -with- Medication, White Mystery, and Girls at Dawn
• -Saturday, April 10th @ Don Pedros- Lil Daggers -with- Brown Ghost, Naked Beach, Estrogen Highs, and Wild Yaks
• -Sunday, April 11th @ Glasslands – Lil Daggers -with- Dream Diary, White Mystery, and Shark?

These guys crowd the stage with interesting musicians, including an organist (something that always excites me a little), and work hard to put on one hell of an interesting show.  The Indie Band Guru will be there, will you?

Welcome to our newest feature, The Indie Band Guru Book Club. Let’s face it, we can’t always be listening to music. Sometimes we like to just curl up with a good book for inspiration and ideas. Granted, that curling up may be in the back of a packed tour van. Reading the books that Indie Band Guru suggests will further your knowledge of the music industry and how it works. if we can’t be playing or practicing music, we may as well be learning how to advance our musical careers.

This must read is the never before told story of the musical revolution that happened right under the nose of the Reagan Eighties – when a small but sprawling network of bands, labels, fanzines,radio stations, and subversivesreenergized American rock with punk rock’s do-it-yourself credo and created music that was deeply personal, often brilliant, always challenging, and immensly influentual. This indie rock classic features chapters on bands such as Black Flag, Minor Threat, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and Mudhoney.

Read it ASAP and be inspired to re-create your own scene with your music at the forefront.

I just love when I like side projects better than the music of the band that they are spun off from.  Let me introduce to you Neon Indian.  Alan Palomo of the band Ghosthustler, and also known as the artist VEGA has spun off some of his recordings that just weren’t right for either of his other two personas into new moniker Neon Indian. 

Here is ’Sleep Paralysist’.  use the download link to have the song for yourself as well.

Neon Indian came to be in 2009 after a few of Palomo’s ‘extra’ tracks were posted around the internet and picked up by some influential indie music taste-makers.  Pitchfork gave credit to the debut EP Psychic Chasms as Best New Music of 2009. 

Neon Indian is also getting a big push now after being picked up by Mountain Dew and their Green Label Sound promotion to introduce great underground music to the masses.

The Plan: Provide an Apparatus that Introduces Indie Artists’ Music to Listeners looking for new independent music

– Immitter.com presented their plan for a new internet startup at the 2010 DEMO Conference in Los Angeles, CA this past weekend.  Immitters’ specialty is music; its platform is the Internet. Immitter proclaims itself as the Internet Music Transmitter. Its mission is to broadcast music from aspiring independent artists to its intended audience — people who value it.

Immitter operates on the premise that everyone enjoys discovering new music. Many of us are willing to venture beyond the traditional label driven model to listen to music from aspiring artists. We do not, however, have time to sort through current platforms for independent music discovery, namely the millions of profiles on Myspace music, Last.fm, and tons of other social networking sites. And, even more problematically we don’t always know where to begin when confronted by an overwhelming number of unsigned bands to sort through.

Jermaine Kelly and Andre Nurse, cofounders of Immitter, understand  this very specific problem — they are independent musicians endeavoring to get their music to its intended audience. They founded Immitter in response to meeting listeners who are open to discovering hidden musical gems being overlooked by the major record label model. Though those audiences are open to listening to aspiring musicians, they are not open to spending hours sorting through hundreds of music profile pages on social networking sites to discover them.

The solution is to deliver the music to the audiences. Currently, there is no Pandora like promotion engine that broadcasts music from aspiring independent artists. Musicians hoping to have their content heard must wait for people to stumble upon it. Immitter imagined the possibility of aspiring artists being able to upload their original content onto a transmitter to be broadcasted according to specific parameters, just as Pandora does with music from labels.

The company and website www.Immitter.com  are still in their infancy, but they may be some potential there.  At Indie band Guru we are always on the lookout for great new music and ways for bands to get their music out to the world. 

Let us know your thoughts about Immitter and its’ potential.