I listen to a lot of crappy music. Not intentionally of course, it’s just the nature of my job. Doing what I do requires me to sift through the mountains of CDs, MP3s, and Myspace links that I receive on a daily basis. The hope obviously is that I’ll find that one band whose songs are going to rise above the rest and get me to take the next step in my search-seeing them live.
The problem is that 99.9 percent of the time, that hope is not realized. It’s baffling the amount of bad music that’s out there, or I should say the amount of unoriginal mediocrity. But that’s what makes it even more exciting when I come across something that’s really great, or hell, just good. Those moments are what keep me sifting through that proverbial mountain.
So if I do find a band with compelling songs, I’ll take that next step. I’ll fly to their home town, or wait until they come to Atlanta to see them play. Part of me knows that I’m going to be disappointed, but there’s still that tiny part that holds out hope that maybe, just maybe, this will be the band that backs up what they do in the studio with a killer live performance. Again, 99.9 percent of the time I’m dreadfully wrong. I often know within 30 seconds of the performance that I wasted a plane ticket or gas to get to the venue, but I sit through it anyway, dreaming about the day I’ll find the one band that has it together. A band who’s singer can really sing, or who engages the crowd and draws them in, or whose drummer can actually keep time. It’s a tough combination though. Being a band/artist with amazing songs and an equally amazing live show doesn’t come without hard work, and that’s why finding it is so rewarding. Over the last couple of years it has probably happened more often than I give it credit for, it just seems that relative to the amount of music out there, it’s a very rare occurrence.
The point is that too many bands beat down the doors of record labels trying to get a deal way too early. Having a decent recording is one thing, but there is so much more that goes along with that. In an era where people don’t buy CDs, the live show is more important then ever. Having a fan base that consists of more then close friends and family is key. The window to label-land doesn’t stay open very long, so if you’re a band reading this, get it together before making the big push.
Of course the judgment of other people’s art is a totally subjective call, but it’s a call that my salary is based on, so I wish more bands would deliver the ol’ one two punch more often so I could sleep at night.
Current Listening–Oasis Dig Out Your Soul, Girl Talk Feed the Animals, Death on Two Wheels Separation of Church and Fate
