moneywise or artistically?

[pbradley]

So I was out drinking with my friend last weekend and we swung by this party of a friend of his. Being pretty much 3 years older than anyone else there, we were the old men hanging around of this college party. Anyways I'm sitting there with my friend drinkin and this semi-tossed yet still chattable freshman girl (I swear she looked older) began talking to me. We got to majors in typical ice-breaking fashion and she said she was majoring in music somethingorother mostly because she tried to get into popular music as a musician but failed.

What surprised me was how unsurprised I was by this revelation. It seems to me that more kids nowadays (or maybe white middle class to well off) are really into the idea of becoming a famous musician or rockstar. I just don't understand that fame drive thing.

[ALIEN ANAL]

yeh, i didnt mean goldmine as in money i just mean there are this group of people that should be getting appreciated or something like that

i wasnt looking at them as a way to make money

[Glice]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

I have a friend who is one of the best musicians I've ever seen. Can literally play anything. A true musical prodigy, has had no training whatsoever. I mean, the dude can touch ANYTHING and make it sound great. But he's too lazy to play live very often, too lazy to advertise himself, etc. It's really remarkable... but he still has no inclination to do anything with his talent.. it's weird.

Originally Posted by pbradley

What surprised me was how unsurprised I was by this revelation. It seems to me that more kids nowadays (or maybe white middle class to well off) are really into the idea of becoming a famous musician or rockstar. I just don't understand that fame drive thing.

The problem I've noticed with a lot of people I've seen get a degree of success (with a few exceptions) is that the drive to succeed is a really important part of succeeding. Like Herr Park says, sometimes massively talented people get no-where. You do have to push yourself. Sometimes this might involve having a more appealing live show. Musicians tend to be a curmudgeonly lot with a shit sense of stage apparel. And, unfortunately, unless you're as gorgeous as Cobain, you will look like shit in shitty jeans and shitty t-shirts. It's not true in every case, but it's sadly true in most cases.

For myself, I'm pretty proud of what music I've made, and there's going to be more of a push next year, but if I could say that the people who mean most to me enjoy it, then that's better than having 10,000 friends on myspace. For me, the bottom line is - I can make a better life for myself without music being at the centre of it. I have that option. I'm not saying I have the art/life balance right, but at least I have the option to push my music (and choose not to). Some people can do nothing but make music, and make it as a career.

The thing that really puts me off is a few bands I've know who are mid-20s to 30s now, and they've worked their arses off for 10-15 years for nearly no financial return (just keeping roofs over their heads) and are starting to fall out of love with music. Some of these are very good musicians. Some of these are very good musicians with very good tunes. One of these bands produced a metal album that is much better than most metal albums released for the 5 or 6 years of the band's life.

I personally have no problem with people who are into music for 'the wrong reasons'. As many of you are aware, I'm fairly opinionated with music, and that opinion tends to err towards saying that most music is shit. If somone's doing something they enjoy, even if it is ripping off something that was terrible in the first place wearing cloths I don't like, that's fine, I don't have to go to their shows. I have much more empathy with Herr Park's friend. I live with someone who's a better violinist than a great many, but has very little inclination to push himself. The problem is that when you've got a lot of talent, you're much more of a perfectionist than someone who is entirely talentless but may have the skill of self-promotion. And rarely do the two marry up, sadly.

I possibly am sat on a goldmine. I'm sure a small bit of the world will hear it one day.

[afterthefact]

I feel that the small group I play with (Me, RdTv, and his brother) could really do well, but we hardly get to play now that I have to drive an hour to get there...

Also, there is this other guy here that I play with, just guitar and drums, and I'll be putting that up on myspace here soon, I'll let you know when I do...

[afterthefact]

Originally Posted by Glice

The problem is that when you've got a lot of talent, you're much more of a perfectionist than someone who is entirely talentless but may have the skill of self-promotion.

I love this point, and it's something that I've always felt without summing it up in my own mind like that.

I know too many guys who will play a simple, talentless guitar riff, get an excited look on their face, and turn it into a mediocre song. I (and I am not trying to say I am some musical genius) can't do that. I will work on something much more complicated than that, and something that I'm sure in all reality sounds much better, and give up because I am never able to perfect it the way I want it.

[Glice]

Originally Posted by afterthefact

I love this point, and it's something that I've always felt without summing it up in my own mind like that.

I know too many guys who will play a simple, talentless guitar riff, get an excited look on their face, and turn it into a mediocre song. I (and I am not trying to say I am some musical genius) can't do that. I will work on something much more complicated than that, and something that I'm sure in all reality sounds much better, and give up because I am never able to perfect it the way I want it.

I started improvising initially as a way to break writer's block with songs. Now it's my mainstay, although I do work on pieces (but not necessarily 'songs')... eventually, some of them get completed.

[_slavo_]

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

I have a friend who is one of the best musicians I've ever seen. Can literally play anything. A true musical prodigy, has had no training whatsoever. I mean, the dude can touch ANYTHING and make it sound great. But he's too lazy to play live very often, too lazy to advertise himself, etc. It's really remarkable. His bands have played live with My Chemical Romance (?! Don't ask, it was the early days of MCR), Melt Banana, An Albatross, and a lot of other well-known bands... but he still has no inclination to do anything with his talent.. it's weird.

He was in a band with this other dude who is the best keyboard player I've EVER heard, in any band EVER. I mean, this guy.. wow. He joined the band Murder by Death and they did this huge tour and then this guy quit and now he's working on film soundtracks in Texas or something.

After a long-term observation, I can state you're using the word ever a bit too much, Adam.

[afterthefact]

Originally Posted by Glice

I started improvising initially as a way to break writer's block with songs. Now it's my mainstay, although I do work on pieces (but not necessarily 'songs')... eventually, some of them get completed.

That's how I come up with anything and everything. I usually start bangin around on the guitar Derek Bailey style and something takes form.

[gmku]

I would make them grow their hair out and dress like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Then I'd get them hooked on heroin. Then I'd generate all kinds of press buzz about them, how they're like the new Rolling Stones and all, only better. Then I'd make them go on a long tour, record a bunch of albums, and stage a free concert in San Francisco policed by the Hell's Angels.

That's what I'd do.

[Rob Instigator]

if you think their tunes are good, YOU should set up and record them, and YOU should promote it and make a myspace page, and sell CD-r's of it, and pay them a bit or just give them copies for them to sell. You can do all the work!

[gmku]

Aw, shit, forget Cd-Rs. Vinyl is where it's at, man!

[ALIEN ANAL]

thanks for the replys guys
and that was a good post glice

like i said before, im not thinking of the money which is why i called it a musical gold mine.

i think next time i get the opportunity i will get a bunch of their stuff and get it out there

i also understand this thread has prob hyped them far beyond anything they are

[dust in orbit]

Originally Posted by ALIEN ANAL

yeh sorry for not saying much

i have a large circle of friends that all play music pretty well and its all pretty natural to them

They are forever making tunes that sound so fresh

but non of them are getting heard by anyone except our selves

their sound isnt other worldly but its something special and i think that its a potential goldmine for great tunes aswell as possible financial success

yeah, this happens a lot here in L.A.
For a few months this past year i hated the whole idea of creating music that your core audience is into and respects more than what's happening in the main stream of music. i thought it was a waist of time to play for so many years, tour parts of the country and have your songs play on college radio but in the end not come up from the "underground" to show a wider audience that music that is more special IS out there. I'm not saying to become rich and famous and stung out on drugs all the time. all i'm saying, is to become recognised for your passion and be able to make a humble living off of that.
but recently i saw a show that changed all that, and music can be fun and creative and give people that lost feeling of going out there and just doing it to complete something that you have a strong passion for.

so in short, yes YES YES!!!! share that gift. i'm pretty sure your better than half the junk that's on the radio anyway.

[ALIEN ANAL]

Should i make a thread on non sonic sounds called

Alien Anals friends

and in it i will post all the music that i am talking about in this thread?
just because the styles vary from dub step to acoustic

[greedrex]

You've got
friends who rule at composing kool tracks + lots of friends that like them + a bit of money saved collectively + a lot of time = START A LABEL.

[greedrex]

Dubstep? Do yr friends look like huh this?

 

[ALIEN ANAL]

haha no they dont look like that

[ALIEN ANAL]

Here are a few samples of these guys (a very small sample) i dont have much recent stuff on my computer just old songs from a while back


http://rapidshare.com/files/15457808...brown.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/154578838/BOY_BAND.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/15458014...easons.m4a.htm

http://rapidshare.com/files/15458074..._Clot.m4a.html

This is not all done by the same person

[ALIEN ANAL]

http://rapidshare.com/files/15458681...y_Ben.wav.html