Children’s singer-songwriter and Parent’s Choice Award winner Andrea “Dre” Towey writes and performs music that resonates with children of all ages as it touches a wide range of subjects, from the dog across the street to the harrowing experience of losing a balloon. A former elementary school teacher and art educator, Dre “unleashed” her first solo album, “Chester The Dog” in 2006. Her award-winning follow up recording, “Sugar On Top”, was released in 2008. Dre shares her thoughts on writing, recording and performing children’s music in the email interview below. Learn more about Dre Towey at www.litteloomis.com

How did you get your start in music?

I entered the music business as an illustrator. I was illustrating and writing children’s books with hopes of being published when a teaching associate asked me to illustrate her cassette (did I say cassette?!). Later I wrote songs for her and eventually performed with the band. My specialty was monkey noises, ant noises (very subtle) and the shaker.

When did you start writing songs?

I began writing songs as toasts for my family on special occasions. It was kinda the family joke like, “Oh jeez, here goes Andrea again.” I was writing the words to existing tunes. Eventually I found my own sound and I still don’t know where it comes from. Then I picked up the guitar and kept practicing in front of anyone who would listen. Libraries are good places for this because it’s free to the public.

While Michelle Shocked is a clear vocal influence, who are your songwriting influences?

I am a big fan of Michelle Shocked and honored by the comparison, but the truth is I didn’t know who she was until a reviewer covered my CD and said that I sounded like her. I would say that my influences are Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and more recently, Sheryl Crow and Ariel from the Little Mermaid. Ariel has red hair and I really like her shell bikini and man, does she have pipes!

What made you decide to focus on children’s music?

The music just happened as I taught and as I had children. It wasn’t like, should I do this or should I do that. Any decision I made regarding my music happened because it felt right, it felt natural and it felt good.

How is writing songs for kids different from writing for adults?

Don’t know. I never write for anyone but myself. Maybe it’s easier for me to connect to my inner child than my inner adult. More recently though I do like to have a couple songs that the kids can follow along during live performances. I think this is same for adults. People, in general, want to relate and sing along to songs. A simple catchy chorus can define a song.

What is your songwriting process? How do you go from initial idea to finished track?

It usually starts with something a child says or does that either hits me or triggers a personal memory. It can start with a phrase and I usually play with it until the melody reflects the imagery of the song. I don’t usually complete a song until I have to – I can’t tell you how many beginnings are on my laptop.

Do you own any type of home recording setup?

Amateur set up. Things I get frustrated with. Not a tech person at all.

How do your songs change once you hit the studio? Do you work with other musicians and/or a producer?

My songs burst when I hit the studio because recording and playing with other artists is the most exciting part for me. Most of the time I like them better, there have been only a couple of occasions when I didn’t put a track on an album.

Are your live shows different from your recordings? In other words, do you play solo or with a band? Is there a different vibe?

My live performances are more interactive than my recordings. Considering my age group they have to be. Sometimes I play solo, or with a percussionist and other times the whole band. It’s always a different vibe catered toward the audience at that given moment.

Where do you find inspiration?

Obviously, children inspire me. Usually I am inspired when I have a quiet moment and I am taking time to listen. Nature inspires me. Dogs inspire me. Humor inspires me.

How often do you write? Do you have a set writing schedule?

I am writing all the time. Not physically at my desk but constantly churning ideas and recording them (even if it’s just on my voicemail). No schedule unless I have a deadline.

Where do you think children’s music fits in to the larger music industry?

Children are born all the time. Why not make more music? They are the perfect audience. It’s been going on a long time, Woodie Guthrie, the Beatles – they got it. It’s not a new thing and believe me there is a lot out there, good and bad and really bad.

Have your albums sold well? How do you promote them?

Ah marketing. My nemesis. Just tackling that now. This interview should boost sales, right?

What are your future plans?

A third CD is pending, a couple of video shoots (I can’t wait!), and I plan to open an intergalactic studio for kids and adults based on Mars with spaceship carpools. Just kidding. How about one in SoNo, CT??? I am going to call it JAM, an acronym for Junior Art & Music. Seriously, come visit me this September.

Listen to Dre Towey’s music at http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/DreTowey

This is the final installment in the series about things that typically go wrong and how to best respond.  Again, the audience is newer, less experienced artists.  The goal is to share experiences so that others would benefit.  At the end of the day the focus is on the songs and the performance of those songs.  The catchiest hook ever created means nothing if it cannot be shared with others.  We have covered sound issues and how others have responded.  Were you able to add something to your repertoire?  We covered knowing your environment and responding to the unforeseen.  Were you able to glean useful information from that?  The final piece speaks to the skill of creating genuine rapport with others.  You never know when the success of the gig boils down to who you know…

Collette McLafferty – collette@thewinkwinks.com
Lead Singer – edibleRed
http://ediblered.tv/
http://www.myspace.com/ediblered

After touring for years in cafeterias, prisons (Ok only one…Riker’s Island), parties, dive bars etc., we finally got a shot at opening up for our first national act…a LEGENDARY 80′s band…

The show was last minute… there were many details to coordinate and it literally became a full time job setting up the show. I even got the band good openers in other markets and on our own show.

About 36 hours before the show, I got an email from the venue saying that there would be no time to have edibleRed play the show. Earlier in my career, I would have cried and not played the show. But I decided that come hell or high-water, edibleRed was playing!

First, I emailed the venue and explained that we would not have time to “unpromote” the show and that we had so many fans who were expecting us to play. I also gave suggested that the other opener condenses their show so we could play a short set.

Then I wrote to my contact at the national act and nicely explained that after all the work I had put in that not doing the show just wasn’t an option. They agreed! The national act then told the venue that if we were not playing, neither were they!

I never actually told the rest of the band that we were getting bumped until the show was over…I was confident we would play no matter what. And we were going to show up ready to play despite the circumstances.

And the gig was awesome! I ended up bonding with the lead singer from the band and made some great friends that night! If there is anything I can pass on to other bands… learn how to stick up for yourself and do it nicely!

Eric Whittington – ewhittington@piercom.com
Band – Exit 314

In February of this year, we were set to play a corporate function at the House of Blues in Houston, Texas.  A couple of days before the show, our bass player had a heart attack and was, of course, totally out of commission.  Then, the day before the show, the drummer’s wife became ill and had to be hospitalized, so we lost our drummer less than 24 hours before hitting the road to Houston from San Antonio.  Amazingly, we scrambled and lined up a substitute bass player and drummer.  Fortunately, the drummer had played with some of us before so he at least had a sense of our style.  And the bassist turned out to be extremely talented and versatile, so the show was fine.  We found the bassist as a referral from another bassist who had filled in for us several months earlier.  So the lesson here is to maintain a network of musicians and phone numbers so you can quickly find someone to fill in.  I’m still amazed that we were able to find TWO substitutes for a road trip on such short notice!  Keeping all those phone numbers handy really paid off!

Can you relate?

Did you see yourself in any of these situations?  Were you able to improvise, adapt and overcome like the artists in this article?  Or did you handle the situation differently?  If so, share your wealth of experience and knowledge so others may benefit.  All artists experience challenges like these, it is how one responds that dictates growth as an artist as well as a human being.

Gordon Lightfoot once said, “You just get the vibes of your surroundings and it rubs off on you.”   For better or worse, our environment has an effect on our performance.  Think about how you feel when you play a familiar place for the 20th time.   Now compare that with how you feel when you play a new city and/or venue?  You are the same band right?  Playing the same songs right?   Why the different feelings?  Our environment has an interesting way of increasing anxiety.  This effect is multiplied when something unexpected happens.   How do you minimize this effect?  The first step is preparing physically and mentally for the things you can control – namely your reaction.  This week’s series will focus on knowing your environment…

Bobby Owsinski – bobby@bobbyowsinski.com
Author of How To Make Your Band Sound Great

photo by Tambako the Jaguar

Getting to a venue and finding out that you’re playing in the dark because the lighting is poor or non-existent. The best thing is to buy a small lighting rig since they can be had for the price of a small amplifier these days. Lights should be considered an integral part of your show and you should always assume that the lighting will be inadequate to make you look good. Even if the lighting rig at the venue is sufficient, your lights can always be used for additional impact. At the very least, carry some colored gels with you since most lighting gels at venues are usually washed out from constant use. It’s amazing how good you can look with a fresh gel.

The stage is too big. This doesn’t sound like a problem on the surface, but I’ve seen too many bands try to take advantage of a large stage when they’re not used to it by setting up too far away from one another and completely loosing their timing and balance. A large stage requires some getting used to and sometimes even some different gear if the monitor system is inadequate. Stay set up as close to one another as you’re normally comfortable with if it’s your first time on a large stage, and gradually spread out in subsequent gigs (if there are any) as you become familiar with the situation.

The stage is too small. So you have a 5 piece band but the stage is only big enough for the drummer and maybe the bass player? Not to worry, use the stage as a drum riser and take as much space as you need out onto the dance floor. You’ll need it to put on any kind of decent show and being scrunched together on a tiny stage doesn’t do anyone any good, if you can help it. This is where having your own lighting rig really helps because it can act as sort of a demarcation line of your “new stage.” This only works if you’re already pretty good and can get the audience quickly on your side and doesn’t work if you’re just starting out.

Stan Wiest – stan@stanwiest.com
President – A. Stan Wiest Music
http://www.stanwiest.com

I was playing a wedding on a charter boat in New Jersey. The boat left the dock and was on the way to pick up the bride and groom. Our high end amplifier for our PA system takes AC current. The boat only had DC current. We had no sound system- no keyboards-no vocals-nothing. The amplifier shut down. The boat captain complained that I was brining extra equipment on the boat. Fortunately I always carry 2 back up amplifiers-of different power levels. The amplifier with the lowest power level was able to work with the DC current and the wedding was a success. By the time the boat picked up the bride and groom I had the connections changed-bride and groom never knew how close them came to disaster.

I was playing a reception for the actor TONY RANDAL on at a upper end nursery on Long Island’s north shore Gold Coast. The power supply was extremely limited-not enough power for our system. The circuit breakers kept cutting out. The typical band would have been stuck. I always bring a high end voltage regulator just in case. I connected the voltage regulator to the power supply and the band plugged into the voltage regulator. The reception was saved -again without the voltage regulator there would have been no band.

Can you relate?

As Stephen Covey is famous for saying, “Between stimulus and response is the ability to choose.” Poor lighting, little stage space, too much stage space, loss of power; all of these are apt to happen at some point. How we respond speaks volumes about professionalism and how serious one’s craft/art is taken. It is often the correct choice that makes a performance a success or failure. Have you experienced any of the above? How did you respond? Leave a comment and share with others. Until next time…

It has been said, “If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.” (Anon)

Artists are not immune to this law of nature.  Undoubtedly, if something can go awry, it probably will.  How one responds is the true test of character.  You may have the technical, musical abilities, but do you have the mental game to endure and overcome?

This series of articles is aimed at artists who have few road-miles under their belt.  Think of it as friendly advice on how to enjoy the performing experience even more.  Sit back and read the experiences of others.  First up, sound issues…

photo by jhowell852

Dave Scoven – david.scoven@dss.virginia.gov
Drummer – Tele-Phonic
Engineer, Producer – Floating Iris Studio, Richmond, VA

I was the house sound engineer for Rockitz, in Richmond, VA, which, at the time, was the smallest “A” club in the U.S – capacity 325 (and that was generous). I would say that the PA there was adequate for the size of the venue. It was nothing special, but adequate.

On the night that English rock band Lords of the New Church played, I was surprised to see four full Marshall stacks rolling in. There were two guitar players in the band. To my utter amazement, each guitarist was using 2 full stacks. That’s 400 watts of guitar. I hoped against hope that the guitarists would be using the “extra” amps as stage props, and would be playing through one stack each, set at a reasonable volume for the stage.

No such luck. Lords of the New Church took the stage for sound check, and I measured the guitar volume coming from the stage – not through the PA, mind you – just directly from the stage. One hundred and twenty-six decibels, at the mix position. That’s the equivalent of having your head inside a jet engine. I approached the band an informed them that the audience would hear nothing but guitar during the performance if the guitarists didn’t turn down – considerably. Of course, I got the stock answer to such requests, which was “we cannot get our ‘sound’ unless the amps are all the way up.”

“All four?” I asked. Silly me.

Well, the crowd arrived and the place was packed and the opening band sounded fine. Then the Lords of the New Church broke loose all Hell. Stiv Bators, former vocalist for the Dead Boys and a sub-cultural icon in his own right, seemed to be mouthing words, but there was no audible vocal sound. Neither was there much in way of drums, except for the all-too-familiar sound of cymbals getting a brutal thrashing. The crowd was there to see AND hear Stiv Bators, and they we not amused. In fact, they went absolutely ballistic. As for me, I stood dumbfound behind the mixing console, with 126 decibels of guitar in my right ear and at least that level of road manager in my left. Then, just when I thought it could get no worse, Stiv Bators stooped the show. Let me repeat: stopped the show. He announced that band would not continue until the sound was “fixed,” and if it could not be “fixed,” everyone would get a refund and could go home.

Now I had 126 db of road manager in my left ear, and 126 db of club owner in my right. I seriously considered running away, very seriously. Anyway, the more I explained that the club’s PA simply could not compete with an excess of 120db in stage volume, the angrier everyone else got. The Army has a great phrase for this type of situation, and it probably isn’t appropriate to print, but the first word is “cluster.”

The road manager went to talk to the band, and the club owner retreated to his lair in the basement, not to be seen again that night. Lords of the New Church finally did perform, but to say that they sounded awful doesn’t begin to paint an accurate picture. It was, in a word, the worst night I ever had as a Front-of-House engineer, by a long shot.

As for lessons learned that fledgling bands can take away from this experience, the first one ought to be obvious. All sound systems have limits, and if the stage volume is louder than the PA, you might as well not have a PA. The best bit of advice I can give is this – it has to sound great on stage for it to sound great out front. Especially in a club, because the stage mix is always part of the main mix. It’s inevitable. If the mix is bad onstage – too loud, out of balance, etc. – there is very little that even a great a sound mixer can do to make the house mix sound very much better. In all my time at Rockitz, this correlation was verified time after time – if it sounds like a record onstage, it will sound like a record out front. If it sounds like muck onstage, well, you’ll just sound like muck, and if muck isn’t “your sound,” it’s going to be a very long night.

A typical problem with playing any show is poor monitor sound/consistency, especially for a guitarist. The sound quality is either terrible or too low. Some places don’t even allow you to put your guitar in their monitor! A guitar player cannot be effective if he cannot hear himself. This will make any gig miserable for a guitarist (this would apply to other instruments as well, but I am a guitarist and this has been my personal experience. I play no other instruments).

What I’ve done to add some consistency and get the same guitar sound EVERY show is purchased a set of wireless in-ear monitors (with the molds, they are useless without custom molds), a 4 channel mixer, and my own speaker mic. What this allows me to do is separate my guitar from the rest of the channel in my ears (via the mixer). I mic my own amp and run it into my mixer and then take a line from the soundboard for everything else I need in my ears. This way my guitar signal goes directly from my amp’s speaker into my ears and I control the volume. This way I’m not subject to the soundman’s gain tweaking, coloration, or effects, and I get the same guitar sound every show.

One way to make sound consistent for the whole band is to hire your own man with his own rig. This can be expensive. We are a 5 piece working rock band that plays clubs that hold anywhere from 500 to 3500 people. His price ranges from $300-over $500 depending on what equipment he needs to bring with him to cut the gig. The up side to that is he is very consistent, can tackle and solve almost any sound issue we might have, and his equipment is constantly maintained and working properly. It is important to find someone you like and trust and stick with him as long as you can afford to pay him. There a lot of really bad soundman out there and chances are, if you’re hiring different guys every week you will find all of them.

The most common issue to arise at a gig involves the medium used to connect with an audience. All of the talent in the world will be wasted if you cannot tell your story the way you intend to.  It is comparable to a painter with a soiled canvas.  They may still create a masterpiece, but it will probably require an inordinate amount and effort.  With a little forethought, knowledge and preparation, you can ensure your message will not be lost in the cacophony of noise.  Have you experienced any of the above?  How did you respond?  Leave a comment and share with others.  Until next time…

photo by IntangibleArts

You’ve been rehearsing your songs, promoting your gig, and chose the perfect t-shirt to wear on stage tonight.  Now it’s time to pack your gear for the gig.  This is a crucial step in the process because one forgotten item could potentially turn a great gig into a nightmare.

Open Question to Musicians

In this open question post, I ask you to list the must-have items that you bring with you to every gig – aside from your primary instrument.  Also how do you carry everything?  Can you fit everything in your instrument case, or do you have additional baggage such as a backpack, suitcase, or flight cases?

My Gig Bag Checklist

I am primarily a guitarist who occasionally sings.  When playing in a band situation, I mostly play the electric (strat).  Sometimes I play solo acoustic guitar gigs using my Martin.  I will qualify some items on this list if they apply to only one of these set ups.

On with my gig bag checklist:

1. Tuner - No brainer.  This is a must have for any guitar player.  In my electric rig, I use the Boss chromatic tuner stompbox.  When playing acoustic, I bring a cheap but reliable Korg tuner which I plug into right before my set.
2. Extra strings – Remember when I said that missing something on your packing list can turn a good gig can quickly turn into a nightmare?  Guitarist’s break strings.  It happens.  You must be ready to jump off-stage and throw on a replacement in minutes or else your gig is through.
3. Guitar strap – It’s a must-have piece for any musician who plays their instrument standing up.  I have forgotten this item on more than one occasion and it’s not fun.  You either have to ask another band if you can borrow a strap, or you have to play your show awkwardly sitting on a bar stool.
4. Extra cables – If you play an electric instrument, it’s important to bring enough patch chords to fire up your rig plus an extra cable or two.  Cables can crap out on you – even if it’s your lucky cable you’ve been touring with years.
5. Extension chord – This one applies for my electric guitar gigs.  Most stages have outlets nearby where you can plug in your effects rig, but some only have them near the back of the stage or off to the side.  That works for pluggin in amps, but what about your pedal board up at the front of the stage?  I carry an extension chord to use in these situations.
6. SM57 Microphone – It’s very rare that a venue won’t have several quality vocal / instrument mics on hand, but every now and then, things happen.  Mics are lost, stolen, broken.  I like to carry my SM57 with me to every rehearsal and every gig, so that I know the vocals are covered.
7. Pen and Paper – This can be used to write up a setlist if you haven’t done so before hand.  Or it can be used to write down email addresses for your mailing list.  Or you may meet an important industry contact and need to jot down their contact info.  Having a pen and paper handy at every gig is a simple task that can go a long way to advancing your career.
8. CD’s, Promo Cards, Merch – Perhaps you have someone in charge of packing and selling your band’s merchandise.  But many of us are solo giggers and it’s up to us to pack all of the goods ourselves.  If you’re handing out free promo CD’s or promo cards, be sure to grab enough of them.  It’s better to bring too many, than to run out of CD’s and send potential fans home empty handed.

Over to You

Share you gig bag checklists in the comments section!

photo by Scarleth White

In a previous post I proposed 4 reasons keeping a day-job can benefit your songwriting career.  This post will tackle the flip-side.  Freelancing, or making a living without a steady nine-to-five job can be the perfect support system for the working songwriter.  The first part of this post covers freelancing as a career choice.  The second part ties freelancing to the songwriter’s career.

The Freelance Lifestyle

What do I mean by freelancing?  I’m talking about using your professional skills to service a wide variety of clients and companies – not one single company.  Many freelancers work primarily from home, or travel to various companies and locations to perform their service.  It comes with a tremendous amount of freedom, but also lots of additional responsibilities.  Aside from working in your field, you’re running a business and that can become very time-consuming and stressful.  But also rewarding.

Freelancing lends itself well to a few specific skills, particularly creative fields.  Here are just a few examples of common freelance career paths:

• Graphic Design
• Copywriting
• Journalism
• Web Design
• Computer Programming
• Audio Engineering
• Session Musicians / Instrument Instruction
• Video Editing

Professional freelancing comes with several pros and cons.  First lets look at the pros:

• Flexible working hours
• Little or no commute
• Often work from the comfort of your own home
• Involvement in a variety of projects and industries

And now the cons:

• Lack of a steady paycheck / fluctuating income
• Less or no interaction with co-workers
• Additional responsibilities (you’re running your own business)
• Work can stretch past 40 hours per week

If you are considering dropping the day job and diving into the freelance lifestyle, you should take some time to take all of the angles into serious consideration.  For more valuable info about freelancing, check out the fantastic blog, Freelance Switch.

Freelancing + Songwriting

As any dedicated musician knows, pursuing a career in songwriting takes a tremendous commitment of time and effort.  It’s hard to strike a balance between paying the bills and meeting your musical goals.  Freelancing, whether music related or not, can offer the flexibility many songwriters and musicians are looking for.  Lets break down the benefits:

1. Flexible work schedule = Writing songs when inspiration hits.  Since you’re not stuck in a nine-to-five every day of the week, you’re free to use your daily time however you want (for the most part).  If you work from home, you might decide to dedicate 2 hours in the middle of each day playing and writing music.  Or a great idea may hit you at 10:00 am and you want to spend the morning laying down recordings.  Of course, this doesn’t mean you don’t have other paid work to attend to.  It means you have the freedom to work at night, or arrange your schedule however you see fit.  It’s hard to capture your songwriting inspiration when you’re stuck in a cubicle all day.
2. More networking opportunities.  While it’s true that as a freelancer, you probably won’t see much daily interaction with co-workers.  You might be working completely alone most days – especially if you work from home.  However, as a freelancer, you will get meet many clients, work at many different companies, and attend networking events.  This makes for broader networking opportunities.  Whether you meet someone who can directly help your songwriting career or not, knowing more people in more places is better than knowing a bunch of people in only one place.
3. Freedom to Let Your Creativity Flourish.  Many songwriters (including myself) find it difficult to talk about writing music with their co-workers at the daily nine-to-five job.  It can also be difficult to shameless self-promote weekly or monthly gigs to your co-workers.  When you’re in “work mode” you’re not in “creative mode”.  That separation can cause you to downplay that part of yourself – the creative and emotion-driven songwriter part.  Since freelancing brings in you in contact with a wide variety of people from week to week, it can be easier to put forth your true self.  Of course, this is different for everyone, but seems to be a common thread among many musicians.
4. Mix your freelance work with music-related goals.  Freelancing allows you to dip your hand in a wide variety of projects and interact with professionals in a variety of industries.  Even if your specific skill as a freelancer is not directly related to music, you may find opportunities to apply your skill in a music-related context.  For example, I make a living as a freelance web designer.  For the most part, my client’s websites are not music related, but from time to time I’ll work on a website for a recording studio, or music publisher.  I’m still doing web design work, but I’m involved in the music industry and networking with people connected to music.
5. Songwriting as a freelance career.  Of course, songwriting, composition, and many other skills within the music industry lend themselves well to freelancing.  You can easily apply any of the advice for running a freelance business to your songwriting career efforts.  Working as a freelancer also gives you the flexibility to work in several fields at once.  Once again, I’ll use myself as an example here.  The majority of my income comes from freelance web design work.  However I earn some of my income from producing music for picture – more on making money in music for picture here.  Freelancing gives me the freedom and flexibility to dedicate time to both web design and music composition.

As you can see, there are arguments to be made for both sides.  Freelancing and keeping a day-job both provide sufficient financial support systems to songwriters who are in pursuit of a career in music.  It’s all about finding that balance and keeping your lifetime priorities strait while staying financially secure.  It’s tough out there, but there’s always a way to make it work for you.

taken in Union Square, NYC

Anyone who has traveled the underground metro system of New York City is familiar with NYC subway performers. If you’re a band, songwriter, or solo performer, you (yes you!) can set up shop in a busy subway station and perform for thousands! This article serves as a guide to performing in public in New York City.

Street and subway performers are everywhere in New York City. You see sax players in the tunnels of Central Park, mariachi bands jumping through subway cars, jazz quartets in Penn Station, acoustic folk rockers in the Union Square subway station, and horn and drums combos at Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. They’re in all five boroughs, covering all genres and styles. I have witnessed some of the most amazing and unique talent just by walking the streets and tunnels of New York City.

If you’re a musician living in New York City, performing in the transit system could be a tremendously rewarding experience.  You have the opportunity to share your live music with thousands of listeners from all walks of life.  The convenience of living in the NYC area allows you to try out different locations to see which spots work best.  Once you have a few favorites, you could stick with them in hopes of reaching repeat-passers-by and gaining fans.

If you’re not local to the big apple, you might want to consider traveling here to take advantage of the live music culture of the NYC underground.  Be sure to walk the city a bit before you start playing.  Watch the subway performers and see how things are done.  Take note of where they set up, the volume, the way they interact with listeners, etc.  Take in as much as you can first, and then get out there and and perform.

Can anyone just play in the NYC subway?

There are mixed messages out there about the legality of performing without a permit (more info on permits below). It seems to me that many people DO perform without a permit and without hassle from police or station agents. To be sure you can rock out without problems, be sure to follow these general (and obvious) guidelines:

• Play acoustic, or with a low-volume, non-intrusive amplifier.
• Don’t block any stairways, escalators, elevators, entrances, exits or subway boarding areas.
• Don’t block the flow of walking traffic.
• Don’t play during public service announcements.
• Use common sense.  Be cool.

For the most part, your music is welcomed and appreciated by commuters who dread the daily grind of riding and waiting for the subways.  Serve them with well-rehearsed performances and pleasing and interesting material.

Permits and Music Under New York (MUNY)

There is an official program sponsored by the MTA (metropolitan transportation authority) called Music Under New York.  This program  sponsors musical performances at 150 of the most popular locations inside the New York City transit system.

To join MUNY, you must complete an application and perform an audition to be considered for membership.  It’s a fairly exclusive program which makes for a high level of talent as well as diversity in genre and style.

The advantage of performing with a scheduled MUNY permit is that you have the exclusive right to the most popular spaces and times.  If another non-MUNY performer is in your space, they need to stop playing or relocate during your scheduled performance.

More info

Arts for Transit: Music Under New York

NYC MTA Rules of Conduct

A Guide for Subway Musicians & Other Performers

photo by fiskfisk

I admit, I don’t own Guitar Hero or Rock Band so I can’t say I’ve had much practice.  But the few times I picked up the dinky guitar with the colorful buttons, my virtual rock-god skills were less than stellar.  I sucked.  My non-musician friends shredded me off the stage with ease.  Unfair!  I’m the only REAL guitarist of the bunch.  Why do I suck at Guitar Hero?

I have come to the conclusion that having real musical skills actually diminishes your skills on Guitar Hero and Rock Band.  While the concept of these games is genius, it’s pretty far from simulating actual guitar playing or drumming.

Guitar Hero for Real Guitarists

The first thing any guitarist will notice when they fire up the game in beginner mode is that they over-simplify the guitar riffs and rhythms.  As a musician, your inclination is to play along with the song, not a fraction of the song.  It usually takes you up to the second verse to figure out the dumb-downed version of the patterns.

The other obvious hurdle for real guitarists is understanding the fret board (if we can even call it that).  It’s a set of 4 big buttons in the shape of frets.  Nothing like six strings.  They randomly represent different chords and notes, with no sense of high and low notes.

Rock Band for Real Drummers

Rock Band has a drumming component in addition to the guitar.  I found better luck here than on the guitar, but still ran into many of the same challenges.  I also play drums in the real world, so this took some getting used to.

Again, they over-simplify the rhythms on the beginner and medium difficulty levels so it takes some time pick up the drum track for dummies version.

Once you have a handle on that, you have to get used to the latency.  Each physical drum hit must strike a fraction of a second before the beat in the song.  Any type of groove is far gone at this point.  We’re back to just playing a video game.

Monster Fills = Monster Points

My friends show me how they rack up the points by whipping out totally ridiculous fills when the game gives you the “fill” queue.  On the guitar, that means choking the life out of the virtual wammy bar.  Not even the most legendary of hair-band rock stars would over-use the pitch bending effects like we see with top scorers in Guitar Hero.

Drummers get to rack up the points at these “fill” queues as well.  These are more along the lines of a 10 second drum solo with the drummer having both an ego and a coke problem.  Come to think of it, this might be the only real part of the game.

Musicians, am I right?

I’ve said my piece.  I shamefully suck at Guitar Hero.  The game itself is really not bad, and great for hangin with friends.  But real musicians, beware.  It won’t be as easy to master as you think.

Have you experienced the same thing?  Are there any musicians out there who are actually good at Guitar Hero or Rock Band?  Maybe you can give us some tips for representing next time we’re up against the non-musicians.

sxsw.com – The official site with all of the information about the festival, schedule, music players, blog, email feeds, a tons of great videos. I especially dig the artist interview videos.

YouTube.com/sxsw – The official YouTube page for SXSW. Check out conference videos, films, music videos, concert clips… you know the drill.

twitmatic.com/sxsw – Another great place to get all the SXSW video goodness you’re looking for.

facebook.com/sxsw – The official Facebook page for SXSW. Get down with the community at SXSW.

Twitter @sxsw – The official Twitter feed of SXSW, spewing out festival updates and links by the minute. Good stuff.

npr.org – NPR is providing some excellent coverage of the events. You can stream the live feed from NPR, and they’re offering a free 10-song sampler download.

wired.com – Wired is also hosting in depth coverage of SXSW. They have a strong focus on the interactive festival which has many people buzzing around the tech world.

Flickr – Flickr photos tagged with “SXSW”. So many golden snap shots all piled up in one place!

I’ll now leave you with a link to audio and video clips of the Avett Brothers performance at SXSW. Great, Great band. Check it out!.

The key to putting on a successful live performance is to engage your audience. You need to play each song like there’s no tomorrow, but it’s also important to keep things lively in between songs and throughout your time on stage.

In this article, I will address the art of speaking to your audience during the periods when you’re not playing music. This aspect of live performance seems be very natural for some but very difficult for others. I will attempt to address some of the reasons for this and provide some tips for how to effectively engage your audience when you’re on the mic.

For many great songwriters out there today and throughout history, the ability to let their personality flow out to a large crowd comes natural. They crave the spotlight (in a good way) and bring a confident command to their stage presence. They have can speak meaningfully into the microphone and engage in an intimate conversation with their audience.

For many other great songwriters, talking it up between songs can be a real challenge. Writing songs, performing, and singing require a high level of emotional flow. You need to totally let yourself go and soak up the moment. Expressing your emotions to a large audience through music requires a great deal of vulnerability. When you’re wrapped up in this moment, it can be extremely difficult to transition to a personable speaking role.

I have often found that when I am performing and singing a song, I have a very different self awareness than when I’m socializing with friends. When I’m performing a song, I’m totally lost in the feeling and emotion of the music and lyrics. Socializing with friends I tend to have a much more laid back and humorous approach. While I try and work my social personality into my songwriting, it doesn’t always blend seamlessly. Flipping between song mode and personality mode is a unique and difficult skill, but one that can be mastered with practice.

Here are some tips and ideas to consider:

Nothing can be mastered without lots and lots of practice.  The only way to practice speaking to a large audience is to do just that.  Throw yourself onto the stage often and regularly.  Participate in open mics. Book a steady gig schedule. With each performance, you will become more comfortable handling the microphone and your speaking voice.

Realize that your on-stage personality might be different in some way than your normal social personality.  When you’re on stage, every statement will be more pronounced and definitive.  Again, through practice and steady gigging, you will gradually develop your stage personality.  Start with very short statements and work your way up to longer and more frequent crowd interaction (but be careful not to talk your audience’s ears off.  They came to hear your music!)

Try sticking to a few pre-planned statements during your set.  For example, you might always use the same sentence to introduce your band, or use a simple “hows everyone feeling tonight!”  Try setting up a unique / funny / witty / bold statement to use as your go-to crowd interaction.  Repeat it at all your performances.  Of course, there are drawbacks to this idea.  Returning audience members will hear the same stage chatter at all the shows.  However, when you’re on tour and you’re just starting out, the majority of your audience will be newcomers, so you can deliver your trusty statements with confidence.

That said, I do think variety is very important.  As you grow into your role as a front-man (or solo performer), you want to mix it up as much as possible.  Comment on the venue you’re at, the mood of the audience, a recent development, anything to keep things fresh.

It all comes down to creating an intimacy with your audience.  As much as you want your listeners to love your music, you want to sell them on you and your personality as well.  This may sound strange at first, but it’s true.  Audiences connect with you on a personal level, even if they haven’t met you face to face.  Make them feel comfortable, excited, and entertained.

Over to you…

How do you interact with your live audience?