Rockstar 103: AKA Everything I Thought I Knew About Being in a Band until I Went On Tour
Disclaimer: These opinions are not the opinions of any band members beyond myself, and any resemblance in beliefs or feelings of any band member, real or imagined, is purely coincidence, or is cited directly. Terms used often by fellow band members may be used, but this does not mean it came from them. It means I talk more like them now.
I have just finished my first “mini tour” with the band The Dark Clan, and it was an eye-opening experience. As in, my eyes were open for WAY too long. I thought I’d report the things I learned that I could have ONLY learned on tour. And in pure rockstar fashion, I think I can say that Vanilla Ice summed it up with “Stop, Collaborate and Listen.”
I'm a dork. Here's "Listen" for you.
LISTEN
- Listen to the Bands Before You and After You
And not just because you have to wait to load your stuff out. Stay to listen if you can. Even if they didn't stay to listent to you. Because, frankly, you probably make up a good portion of the audience. Every performance is an experience, even if you've seen the band before. If you haven't seen them before, you're gaining insight into another group. If you have, you are being a supportive community member - and probably enjoying yourself. And when they ask you how it was, you can answer honestly. And it gives you insight into the type of venue/performance you're a part of.
- Listen with Earplugs In
HOWEVER, earplugs are necessary. I never knew this. Somehow, I thought that wearing earplugs during a band performance was rude. It is, in fact, necessary. And as Mercy pointed out, sometimes you hear the music BETTER when you cut out some of the sound reverb. Your ears are not ringing for days afterwards. I now own a whole pack of earplugs. They really felt weird the first few times. Now, I loves them.
- Listen to Other People
I could have gone straight to bed. I was SO DAMN TIRED. Instead I talked to Sean for about 30 minutes or so. And now I know Sean - who's pretty friggin' cool. I talked to Dave for a bit too. And ranted with Jean about the evils of municipal ticketing schemes. And now I feel much more connected to these events.
When I started this whole band thing, I thought I'd be so taken up with thinking about what I'm going to do on stage, or remembering my parts, pre-performance thoughts, that I wouldn't want to talk to anyone. But talking to other people before the show actually makes me feel more comfortable - puts faces in the crowd that I'm performing to. It's nice and alleviates a little of the pre-stage jitters.
- Listen to Feedback
SO important. I wish everyone would be honest about the performances. I wish they'd tell me - "when you make this face, you look like a complete fool." I know that a lot of responses are, "Great show. Great show," as they walk by you. It's almost obligatory. So when I do get something more - positive or negative - I am fantastically happy. What could be tighter? What was a great add? What sounded good? What needed more work? Was there enough blend?
I'm not sure there's such a thing as a perfect show, really. I can imagine one feeling REALLY good, but I constantly want to grow and expand, throw some more of myself out there. So perfection is an ideal on Plato's cave wall - shadowy and elusive, never wholly attainable. The striving is the key, and feedback necessary for
- Listen to Yourself
If you think something is wrong, take a look at it. Duh, right? However, so many times I don't listen to what I'm feeling. My intuition is much more the guide in these situations than anything else. It appears that no gig is really the same - even in the same place. So, be ready to listen to yourself.
As in, when you start to feel sick, take some damn time off so it doesn't get worse. I did not improve my situation by trying to force myself through all my obligations when I felt like crap. My day job might not care that I am coughing my lungs out, but everything else I love is affected by it.
Also - the showmanship. If something feels "old hat", it might be. Perhaps repeating the same antics of a performance might be a signature, or it might be pulling me down. Yeah I'm new, so right now it isn't as big a deal. But I want to constantly be aware of what I'm doing and not get into a pattern where someone says, "She always does that stupid move during this part. " (This goes hand in hand with feedback - hopefully there's an intervention to help.)
Finally, also related: every now and then - I take a moment and listen inside myself about what I'm doing. Am I still happy to be there? Does something feel uncomfortable or tired? This little check-in with myself helps at times when I'm really frustrated with a performance or uncertain about my direction.
Very important to always be careful to be honest with myself about my performance and use it to get better, not for ritual flagellation. Grow and learn, as ever.
Any other Listens you can add? Anything resonate with you?