Pro Tip #8: Knowing value – Part 1

by harlowmedia | Oct 22, 2019 | Pro Tips

“Hey dude, you playing at Wombats, that new bar in town?”

Hell no man.

“Why dude?”

Not enough money man.

“What do you mean? Isn’t some money better than no money?

No man, we know our value.

As someone who has booked myself and artists, I have actually used the phrase “We know our value” as to somehow tell those bars / venue owners that I’m the stuff and they can’t low ball me (1990’s). I think it was mostly arrogance as if I had some band that was better than others, never realizing there are a lot of bands (even better) that wanted that same gig. I think it was my idea of a marketing tactic or something. I want to go back in time and punch myself in the face. Why?

1. I didn’t really know our value.
2. I didn’t really know our value.

Read on.. maybe that will make sense.

So, what is value? By definition:

Noun: a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life.

Verb: estimate the monetary worth of (something).

Interesting huh? It can have two meanings! One is based on an internal need in someone’s life (playing music as an example) and the other is based on the worth in dollars.

Frankly, I was always looking at the verb (money side), as if to share with pride my accomplishment to make that extra $100 over the last band. It’s human instinct to want to be better I suppose. My use of “we know our value” didn’t play out as I expected. It showed my cards and ultimately prevented me from being able to work with the venue for mutual benefit. Even worse, telling them “I knew our value” meant it opened me up to the question back “ok, what is your value?” .. uh oh.. what is my value? If I would have just changed the words to “we feel we can bring value to you”.

Fast forward many many years, the good news is I’ve found the money is a byproduct of what’s actually important (the noun)… not the other way around.  It comes after you establish the core values.

Anyway, I’m writing this article / rambling because I think sometimes we get this stuff confused and end up losing opportunity over our perceived value (in dollars) versus our real values to get out and play. It’s a two parter because it’s long and I could go on and on about this. I expect people will disagree with me on this and that is perfectly OK. In honestly, I’m looking for others opinions and their experiences. That’s the whole idea around putting these articles (ramblings) out there.

So, back to the story, it’s a good question. If money is what you value, then any money is better than no money right?

• If you said yes: Go get that money, go forth and prosper. No need to read further. (I’ll give you a tip though, you can make more working at Publix or Walmart than in a band –  and you get insurance!)
• However, if no: Then we agree, money isn’t everything. You may actually value being in a band because it’s the coolest thing ever!

So, what are some things that you may actually value over money musically?

• Being in a band / rockstar
• Playing to a room full of folks / fans
• Connecting with others musicians
• Sharing your song / music
• Getting in the spotlight
• Being a part of a community
• Being on tour / travel
• Meeting people / getting followers and fans
• The energy / excitement
• Fame / Ego
• Giving back / charity
• Getting drunk (I hope not)

Obviously, there are many more reasons why someone plays music and enjoys it but when you start adding things up, money may not be the only single thing of value. It may be what comes after the “noun” value happens.

Side note: I can tell you with my own venue that money was never even talked about. The thought of having a venue dedicated to supporting bands / artists and providing a real listening experience trumped any thoughts of money. It’s our value that creating experiences and helping bands at that place is much more important than making a buck. We’re blessed to be in a spot to pay bands and do this type of thing and it’s great to pay the electric bill (our goal) but being a part of community growth and seeing and hearing some great bands is more than enough payment. I digress.

By now, I’m sure you are either disagreeing completely, or just maybe, it has caused you to realize that being in a band is not all about money, and you would be right, there is much more value to be had.

My goal in this part 1 was to try and look back to why you starting playing, singing, running sound, doing lights, or whatever role you have in a band.

I think you’ll find that you started playing because is the most fun experience on earth to be able to make noises, be in front of a crowd, and connect with others. It’s just plain cool. It’s hitting on some of the intangible values, which based on some of the previous articles can be most important (see the love languages article).

When I manage / managed bands or artists, I always ask the question. Why do you want to do music? The expected answers are: Girls, Money, Fame.

However, once in a while, I get someone who says “it’s all I want to do”. Those are the people who truly love and value music. Those are the ones I gravitate towards because they are fully committed at any cost and their goal is about creating something for others to receive, not the other way around.

I hope maybe this spawned some thoughts for you. It’s something I think about often. For those who play music, please don’t forget about the noun value. Don’t let the verb value be the only thing that determines your real value(s).

Don’t worry, we’re about to talk money in part 2 and I like money.

Pro Tip #7: The Ruinous Monster of the Unchecked Ego

by harlowmedia | Oct 22, 2019 | Pro Tips

By Carey Henderson

I’ve been playing guitar for nearly 31 years. I started like many people: my parents bought me an inexpensive guitar, because they were smart enough to start this way to see if I’d stick with the instrument first, I took lessons (from Jason Harlow himself), and spent a lot of time driving my parents nearly out of their minds playing the same chords and riffs over and over until I began to find some proficiency.

I can still remember the moment when I knew, however, that I wanted to be a serious guitar player. My parents were on vacation somewhere. At the time, we had one of those giant satellite dishes, not these tiny DishTV ones you see remnants of now. I was still in the early stages, and I happened across Van Halen’s ‘Live Without a Net’ special the night that they were gone, and at the moment just before Eddie took his prolonged solo. Sammy noted that this was the time during the show where he got to kick back and drink a beer, and Eddie went to town. I was floored by his grinning self, in those ridiculous pants and that wife-beater tee, as he began to rip the sky from the ground in the way only Eddie can. I’d already been a fan of bands like Stryper, and of course Van Halen, Motley Crue, and I had discovered players like Steve Vai and Satriani. But I’d never seen anything like the spectacle of Eddie doing what he does best.

From that moment on, I was hooked and knew that I wanted to be able to do what Eddie could do.

In those early years, I was mostly into hard rock, hair-metal, and some thrash, as well as instrumental guitar music. I can remember riding with a friend at the time to the local mall any time we found out that a shred guitar player had been released on the inimitable Shrapnel Records. Marty Friedman, Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert, Tony McAlpine, and then one day I heard Micheal Lee Firkins. Firkins became very quickly my favorite of the lot, with his wild but precise use of a whammy bar to mimic slide guitar, and his obvious blues and country influences. I cut my teeth, so to speak, on these players. Some years later, I discovered Zakk Wylde, and then Stevie Ray Vaughan, and to this day both remain my two biggest influences.

As my proficiency with the instrument grew, even in my younger years, I could see my own limitations. I’ve never been any good with arpeggios. I could tap well, and within a Pentatonic scale, I could do two notes per string fast and with precision. In those early years, as well, I used a Floyd-Rose set up, and learned to work the whammy bar with some precision, though I never came close to achieving the skill of Michael Lee Firkins. One thing that I credit to being a good player today is coming to terms with my own limitations early on, and working within them, stretching when and where I could, but never pretending to be something that I wasn’t. I’ve always enjoyed serving the melodic sensibilities of a song anyway, so my limitations didn’t hinder me terribly when it came to making music that I enjoyed making, and music that other people seemed to enjoy listening to.

But the thing I credit most in terms of both being a good player and never losing my love of the instrument some 31 years later was learning quickly to command my own ego.

I find ego to be something like a drug: with the correct dosage, it can push you to become the best player you can be, but abused, it will derail progress, alienate you, and take all the joy out of playing in any situation other than by yourself. There are few things that can be as much fun as sharing the stage with other competent guitar players, and enjoying the back and forth as you serve the music and the moment. But when the ego is left unchecked, there is no hope of this joy.

I’ve played in live band situations since college, though not consistently. I’ve had years on end where I took breaks from it, only to find myself drawn back to it again because the shared experience of music is something that I enjoy. In my many years on many stages, I’ve seen the ego ruin the experience for many a guitar player (not to mention the band backing them, and often the audience!) I’ve had so many of them step on the stage with me and proceed to try and make the moment a competition, which for me steals all the potential fun from serving the songs and the moment. I’ve been off the stage and watched guitar players compete with each other from the perspective of the audience member, one cranking their amp louder, only to lead to the other player doing the same, until the entire thing became a spectacle of ego rather than enjoyable back and forth that can come from two competent players who respect one another.

I’ve always tried to keep my ego in check by competing with one person only: myself. I want to be the best player that I can be because I think that serves the music, and because it keeps out the toxic need to ‘show up’ other players. When I want to improve, I listen to my influences, and when I know my ego needs to be checked, I do the same. And these days, if any adult player begins to find their ego taking over, thinking that we are more special than is true, we only need to pull up YouTube. We can then see kids at ridiculously young ages who can already ‘shred our faces.’ We can also watch consummate players like Eric Gales, Andy Timmons, Joel Hoekstra, and a host more, who all respect one another and share a stage with respect, and learn from their example. I find doing this to be a marvelous tool in making certain my ego is being administered at the correct dose.

Of course, there are always those players who derive a sinister joy from wanting to show up other players, and nothing can be done about or for them, as this is just the human condition. But most genuine musicians want to serve the music and not destroy others. Some have this quality early on in their journeys, and some find this as they age, realizing with time and the wisdom of growing older that an unchecked ego is a zero-sum game. Like the habit of abusing a drug, the ruinous monster of an unchecked ego can never be satisfied, only satiated moment to moment in a never ending cycle.

Carey Henderson is the lead guitar player for The Michael James band and one of three guitar players in the band Reagan and The Advisors.
He can be found on Facebook and can be emailed at [email protected]

Pro Tip #6: Practice at home / Rehearse with your band

by harlowmedia | Oct 15, 2019 | Pro Tips

Oh no, pucker factor 10! (pucker factor – the amount your butthole clinches up during a tense situation)

In a world far far away, this is a fictional story.

Jim Smuckatelli, bass player who played with the band “Sasquatch” comes into rehearsal with a new band called “Lazerbeam”. Now everyone knows that Jim is a player, he’s got 87 Facebook followers and has recorded at Larry Gussledorf’s (a.k.a. Night Rider Band) home studio right outside Nashville at the microtel Rm #23 . Jim will self-admit that he is a bad ass and when he walks in a room, people don’t notice, I mean notice.. this is fiction.

Jim, who is now playing with a cover band (strictly for money to pay for his drinking habit) approaches the night of rehearsal.  Jim knows that his “reputation” will prevail and he will slay the 3 songs set as goals for the rehearsal, because, that’s what Jim does.   

Enter the “rehearsal”: The drummer kicks it off 1,2,3,4.. and boom. Jim is playing some weird progression, it kinda sounds like something I’ve heard before… hmmm… what could that be… I know! “shit”. Yeah, it sounds like “shit” (as if it has some musical properties to it).

The band stops. Other members confused as to what has occurred given the pedigree of such a player.  The poor leader asks “Jim, what was that?” Jim is at pucker factor 10.

And like clockwork, the excuses start coming out. (Have you heard these? I probably said some of these when I was younger!)

• “Man, I didn’t have time to really learn them, I “mapped” them out though!”. – I’m not sure what the term “map them out” means but I’ve heard it a lot in my career. I can only deduce that “Mapping something out” appears to be a term that means “I really don’t know what I’m doing but trust me… I listened to it!” Net gain: 0
• “Man, I learned the tune in a different key / different version” – As opposed to the tab that you were given and the explicit instructions to play the version on the album in the key of “g”? Net Gain: 0
• “Hey man, show me that one part” – Because you just now realized you don’t know how to play it? You are now asking others to learn your parts as well? Net Gain: 0
• “Hey man, I’m gonna be honest (like you are not always honest?), I got with a chick the other night and didn’t practice”. – Well, at least you now know where the commitment is and I appreciate you being honest the day of rehearsal (yes, I’ve heard all of these). Net Gain: 0
• “Man, I thought we were doing our own version of it” – i.e. My musical integrity would never let me play something like the original recording, after all, people will be able to recognize my version.. NOT. Net Gain: 0
• “Nobody told me”. This is a fabulous excuse given that everyone else seemed to know what was going on. How about some self accountability bro, maybe ask if you don’t know what songs to learn? Net Gain: 0
• “I listened to them all week” – Awesome! I never knew you are one of those people who can just listen to it and know the parts, that must be nice. Did you just develop Alzheimer’s before rehearsal cause it appears you can’t remember anything. Net Gain: 0
• “I’m a dumb ass and I think my time is more important than yours” – BINGO! I’ve never actually heard this one but I’d respect it much more than the others because it would be the truth. Net Gain: 1 – at least you know who to escort out of the band (politely).

The Impact:

What Jim failed to realize is:

• His actions have built frustration / distrust with his fellow band members.
• His actions have spoken louder than words and have wasted others time.
• He does not possess the same commitment as others.
• He has no integrity. Cannot be relied on.
• He has disrespected others.
• He is the weak link,
• He sucks.

Awe, come on, give Jim a break! He works and does not have time to practice like the others.

My response: You are exactly where you want to be (as a band).

If you are ok with Jim not learning his parts and you not really progressing, rock on. It’s ok, you folks do you. It’s totally your choice as I’m sure Jim is a great dude, maybe your best friend and you folks will have a great time. I’ve been in bands where it was all about just jamming, in which case someone like Jim may thrive playing part and pieces of songs because nobody cares.

However, I’m talking about a band, a unit of people with the same focus. I’m just saying that I’ve never seen anything become great by choosing to be average, below average, or not putting in the work. As for me, I cannot recommend enough finding people who have the same commitment, values, and work ethic. I personally value my teams time as well as my own so I don’t know how long Jim would last in one of my bands. LOL

So, what’s the different in Practice and Rehearsal and why does Jim suck?

As nouns the difference between rehearsal and practice is that rehearsal is the practicing of something which is to be performed before an audience, usually to test or improve the interaction between several participating people, or to allow technical adjustments with respect to staging to be done while practice is repetition of an activity to improve skill.

More specifically, Practice is what you do at the house. It’s what you learn prior to a rehearsal with a band. It’s what you do to ensure you are NOT Jim.

It’s where you are learning your songs, and yes, to the very detail of what is recorded.

Why do I want to learn every detail?

Ultimately, by learning the details from the album or even official tab, you and your band now have a baseline. The baseline provides the same “operating picture” to work from. From there, you can always make the tune your own (if you want to), but knowing the baseline will not only make things smoother, it will give everyone confidence that you are nailing a song.

What is Rehearsal?

Rehearsal is where everyone comes together as a band to “practice” together. It’s a different mindset completely because knowing your parts now allows you to work on the other aspects of the musical journey such as dynamics and performance. The rehearsal provides that fine tuning of the songs and allows for the band to take the song and make it their own (if required).

“Practice is personal; rehearsal is relational.”

Bottom line: Please, don’t be a Jim!

If you are a Jim, do yourself and your band members a favor by communicating what you are able to provide. Don’t sign up for something you cannot accomplish given whatever circumstances you have. It’s so much easier to be honest and upfront so band members can plan properly and manage expectations. We all have jobs, we’re all busy..etc. This is why it’s important to consider everyone’s time commitment, not just your own.

If you have a Jim in the band, speak to them about the standards you have and what is needed, otherwise, consider removing Jim. Jim could essentially be robbing you of your time, talent, and opportunity.

I realize this article was a little touchy and if you have been in one or more bands, you’ve seen it. There is no rule that says you have to run a band like a business or take any of this advice. It’s just things I’ve seen and have grown to despise at times and getting rid of the Jim attitude and ethic is crucial to growing.

I will continue to say this over and over, find people with your same commitment, values, and work ethic. From there, you can do just about anything your band sets out to do. Rock on.

Pro Tip #5: It really don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing…

by harlowmedia | Oct 15, 2019 | Pro Tips

Written by Jason Boyd – Professional Drummer

When Jason Harlow invited me to write an article, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about first… Groove. Groove is such an important element of music that I find is too often overlooked. In my opinion it is what makes music truly enjoyable. I really look forward to hearing everyone’s input on this topic. As musicians we should always try to learn from one another, so your input is valuable to all of us!

A bit of history… I have always considered myself a mediocre drummer. When we look at people who are “experts” on our particular instrument, we normally tend to gravitate towards the ones who are extremely technically proficient. This always left me feeling a bit “less than” as a musician. However, I started noticing a pattern, especially moving to Houston, TX. What I noticed was that I could be on the call list with drummers who were without a doubt more technically proficient than I, yet I would still get the call. The only thing I can contribute this phenomenon to is that I tend to get the same compliments. These compliments are “You have a great feel” and “I love what you don’t play”. That last one felt kind of offensive the first time I heard it, but it is probably the best compliment I’ve ever received.

Is groove something learned or is it something you either have or you don’t? This is the question that I’ve wrestled with more than any other. I think for the most part it can be learned, but not in the same sense a learning a new riff. To me, groove is a feeling and a state of mind.  As a kid, I remember when my dad would say “find the groove god”. It sounded ridiculous back then, but makes complete sense now. Groove is kind of like a dance. It has multiple layers that I’ll expand upon below.

Tempo: In order to have great groove you need great tempo. Tempo is the foundation that a good groove is built upon. Without this solid foundation, everything else WILL crumble. Most of us have heard those dreaded words, “can you play with a click?”. Those words used to throw me into an immediate panic attack until I was forced to do it. After a little experience with a click track, I began to love it! Now I welcome a click track and realize that it relieves a lot of pressure off of me. Try to look at the click as another band member in your mix and embrace it.

Listen: It’s impossible to find the groove if you don’t know where all of the pieces are! Listen to your bandmates and compliment them! It’s not all about you!

Beat Placement: Now this is the hardest element for me to explain, yet it’s critically important. In a 4/4 measure there are 4 beats, yet where you choose to place them is critical! You can play ahead, on or behind the beat. This is the element of feel that’s so elusive, yet it’s what gives a song life. This is the “dance” part.

Relax: It’s next to impossible to find the groove if you’re stiff. Relax and play with confidence! We’re human beings and will never be perfect. Those imperfections are the subtle life of the song. This is why a “perfect” computer will never replace an imperfect human musician.

Again, this is a tough subject to teach, but I hope this has given you a few things to think about. If you are constantly working on new riffs, I urge you to stop and analyze your feel first. There are so many bands out there that are technically talented, yet I could care less about listening to them. I appreciate the technical abilities of Neil Peart, but I enjoy listening to Steve Jordan more any day of the week! My dad was a brilliant musician and could groove like no one I’ve ever met. Something he said about my old band The Mutt Brothers that always stuck in my mind was this… “Y’all are like a locomotive that’s getting ready to derail, yet you’re right on track”. Be a beautiful trainwreck and embrace your human imperfections. You’ll be a better musician and probably get more jobs if you do.

Pro Tip #4: That’s how we role

by harlowmedia | Oct 15, 2019 | Pro Tips

Have you ever stepped back and considered all the moving parts of a band? It’s a miracle things actual happen at all given how humans interact.Ever thought about your role in a band?

• Am I a support or lead musician?
• Am I a volunteer or getting paid?
• Will I be allowed and/or expected to contribute creative ideas?
• Do I have even have a role?

Maybe you’re in a situation where you feel like you are pulling all the weight or feel like you are not being used to your full capacity. Look no further as roles may solve your woes.

Why are roles important?

Roles and Responsibilities provides clarity, alignment, and expectations to members in the band and those executing the work to make a successful performance, record, or any other musical venture. Roles & Responsibilities enables effective communications between the various members, preventing folks stepping on each other’s toes and building trust… not to mention making things much more efficient.

As you can imagine, there are many roles doing music. To prevent this note from being a book, I’ll touch on the more common roles and be leaving out roles such as manager, engineer, publicist, publisher, social media strategist, music supervisor, video tech, promoter, a&r, radio promoter, tour manager, website designer, stage crew…etc.

Leader: The life blood of the band. The role is to guide the band, mission, and to be an effective communicator on goals, schedule, and all band affairs. If you are the leader, you have the greatest responsibility. The bands health, morale, momentum, and success rely on your ability to communicate effectively, to serve, set goals, to inspire, and to be honest and transparent with your members. It’s a role which requires patience and the ability to understand others perspectives while holding members accountable as well as yourself. As a leader, you need to be the solid rock who exemplifies the standards that you expect from others. The disposition a leader has in the room drives everybody else’s behavior to a large extent. A positive and confident leader not only stands like a rock for the team, but helps promote and dissipate the same reaction among the team.Band

Members: Without you, the band doesn’t exist. You and your input are critical to making the ship move. Make sure you exercise diligence, flexibility, support, and participation in transforming the band. You must be transparent and honest with the leader and let them know when they could use extra perspective. Learn others strength and weaknesses and always respect the capabilities of others and encourage. Continue exercising your commitment to the band through learning material, lending a hand to others, and ensuring the standards are also met.

Sound guy / light guy: Well, maybe you are the most important after all. I include the sound / light techs in with the band because after all, they are your ears and eyes to a successful performance. They know more than you do in terms of what the crowd is seeing and hearing so respect them and be kind and let them do their role. When there are literally hundreds of variables going on and there is a small feedback, realize it’s a bit more complicated than you think and many times this could be caused by changes in stage volume. Pro tip: loud stage volume leads to less control on the mix, louder isn’t always better because you end up competing with each other in smaller clubs.

Booking / Promotion: If you don’t have an agent, most likely you or someone on the band is doing this role. It’s not the most fun role and it comes with a lot of pressure. It’s not just making calls, it’s doing flyers, promotion, managing schedules and people. The trick I’ve found is to define what the bands requirements / goals are up front and allow the person booking to negotiate on the band’s behalf. If you play in a band because you want to have fun, rock on! Do that and enjoy having the best time of your life. If you play in a band to make money, rock on, Do that! However, when booking, please respect the venue / bar or establishment and look at it not from what they provide you but how you can partner with them to equally benefit. I’ll write an article on this by itself as I see folks who do not completely understand where money comes from to pay bands, the death of live music, or understanding actual value versus perceived..etc. Hint: Remember why you got into music in the first place. ?

The everything role: Unfortunately, the role many people find themselves in. Although it can feel rewarding at times, I’ve seen it personally take a toll on the individual and the band leading up to eventual problems. We’re human and we all want to give everything we got but running everything can ultimately lead to error and burnout.

Example: If you find yourself doing the promotion, booking, setting up PA, running sound, creating the song lists, doing the website, social media..etc. You will inevitably start the human instinct of feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated (it happens, it’s normal). You may even start to feel like others just don’t care when in reality, it could be because:

• Roles were not defined
• Roles were not equally distributed and accountability not in place
• You failed to rely on others
• You have members that are in fact included but not committed (uh oh!)

If for some reason you can handle the load of everybody and everything, rock on, you are better than most! However, in my experience, that’s not a band.. that’s a boss that just tries to tells others what to do.

I realize this was a bit less exciting of a read, however, please take time to evaluate your roles and place people in the roles where they have strengths.

Everyone cannot be the leader and there are no leaders without followers.

Hopefully this rambling can help in your band and personal development. I continue to make mistakes and learn from them. These notes / articles are meant to establish thought and if you have other experiences, please share your insight! Rock on.