To Musicians.

Well, I'm back.
Cal will follow in due time, I'm sure, but for now, here's my most recent blog post. Lol.

I know it's been a long time, but it's like, me and cal that read this blog so I'm sure nobody was truly affected by that.

So; here we are.

I'd like to extend a greeting to musicians who aren't reading this blog. Well done to you for taking the initiative. Although you may not be as commercially successful as bands like Metro Station, be thankful you're not as shite. First off - the key thing to do is to write your own stuff. Never spend too long covering Master Of Puppets or you'll run out of patience for music. Trust me on this, the best way to do it is to write your own music before you're in a band. That way you've at least got stuff to start on as soon as you join a band.

Next up - Never, ever sing with an accent. That shit is getting old pretty quickly and I can't see any bands coming out now with an accent that would be tagged as the most original band on the scene. Secondly, find a singer who sings with passion. For metal bands this is easy - particularly if you've got screaming going on, it's not particularly difficult to hear screams that aren't angry. For everyone else, it's a matter of having a very good range and being able to hold a note (even if it wobbles) for ages.
Musically, don't be too fussy. And you don't have to be god's gift to guitar to make good music. As long as you have a few basic techniques under your belt and you can write good, catchy music it doesn't matter. Get a good bassist though, not enough bands have amazing bassists these days.
If you're in a metal band, never be afraid to be funny. In your 16 minute thrash odyssey, don't be afraid to throw in the occasional acoustic bluegrass section - it keeps your listeners keen, it's entertaining, and it gets fans in unusual places.

Take every opportunity you can to get your band heard. Even if it's a competition on blue peter, just send in a CD or whatever and get the attention. Take any possible gig, even if it's at your youth club. Fanbases always start among friends. Contact other bands in your area to see what's happening gig-wise, and even try to support them on gigs that they perform.

And guys this is the most important thing:

never sell out. seriously.