I
was a hippie, a product of the 60’s. I could tell another hippie
very easily. If I saw a guy with long hair driving an old Volkswagen
bus with a peace sign painted on the sides, I knew exactly what he
was about. We had a sort of communication of the counter culture.
That is branding. I know you hear that a lot. And I know you have
heard that branding is more than just creating a good band name and
logo. There was an entire identity of the counterculture that
pervaded the country. This culture had more or less a single
identity. Or I should say a single consciousness held by many
thousands of young men and women. We were one. Long live peace and
love. Well your band is the same.
There
are three ingredients to the identity of your band. The first is
based on a mission statement. I bet you never thought of that. You
need to change the way you think. Your mission statement includes
the bands values, vision, and ethics. This prevails all of your
performances. You have to have a purpose that includes giving to
others. Such a purpose involves, for the most part, in really
understanding the audience and fans. If you really understand what
is going on in their dynamic
then your band’s
purpose may involve what they are wanting instead of your motives
being based upon money or the band’s business advancement. Money
and advancement comes more easily if you, as a group, are committed
to the happiness and well being of your audience. It is amazing how
many groups miss this. So the group’s responsibility is to exude
this band-ideal. You have to totally embody your values in your
behavior toward others. You have to show as well as tell others what
you stand for and then follow through with your actions. This will
bring you much love from fans and club owner’s alike. This is the
band to audience dynamic.
And it is controlled by a set of values that you control, not a club
owner or an audience. Please get this right. You are in control of
all dynamics.
The
second ingredient is the bands collective self image. If the band is
happy and positive then the collective image of the group will be
just that. But if the band dynamic
is off, as it sometimes is, then it needs to be addressed
immediately. There are always underlying issues that sometimes never
get taken care of. They boil and boil until the smallest thing will
bring about a break up. If you are all committed to this process and
are all on board for the duration, then it is to your group’s
benefit to make sure that you have honest bitch
sessions. Remember to set some ground rules and never ever leave a
session, no matter how long it takes, with anyone feeling slighted or
not understood. You have to have full agreement in your group’s
thinking and beliefs. And please remember that this over all band
image is extremely affected by how well you are performing in your
marketplace. This means how your music is not only perceived by the
group, but also the perception of your product by the fans, crowds,
and club owners.
The
final ingredient is the total sum of the self-esteem of each
individual player in relation to the sum total of the image of the
band. You know the old story. Some one just does not feel like they
fit in. And honestly sometimes they do not. This is where you have
to be honest between each other. And I have to tell you. If you
have someone in the group who is not as committed as you, no matter
the playing ability, you have to let them go. This is so hard. I
struggled here until I looked at my career as being in the balance
and then you just have to make a decision. It is easier to put up
with someone who is very talented and make excuses. But that one
person can be replaced. And you are trying to make this a
profession, not a high school gang of buddies. Treat it carefully.
Fear
is the greatest problem of the band dynamic. Fear is the greatest
problem of the human life. Fear often sets our comfort zone. We
tread close and dangerously to the outer limits of our fear but do
not make many break throughs. I am not talking about stage fright.
That is something that all musicians have to overcome. How you do it
is strictly personal. Just be careful with the alcohol and drugs. I
am not going to preach. You should be smart in your day to day life
as well as your stage life. I am talking about the fear of
rejection, which is probably the main motivator in our musical lives.
It is a monster that is often hid by enormous egos in our line of
work. Be humble and thankful and treat all with respect. Do not be
afraid to succeed as a professional musician. Your fear will hold
you back from what is possible for you to obtain as an individual or
group. Confront the fear of rejection and fear of failure by your
positive thinking, speech, and actions.
Because
of your multi-dimensional mind you can make your life into anything
you want by simply really deciding to do so. When you really decide
you will not entertain any thought contrary to the belief of success.
When you really decide to be successful as a musician then your
actions will positively reflect that decision. If you are making
decisions that are not in line with the utmost and higher calling of
musicianship, then you have to diagnose the problem. And that
problem lies within the belief system of one or more members of the
band. This is heavy stuff, but it is the way things get done. Do
you not realize that this is exactly what is going through the minds
of coaches of professional sports teams? The athletes are all given
material along these same lines. The professional athlete is the
same as you. They have had to program their minds for success and
you do to. They started at a young age. When they played little
league baseball everyone would comment on their talent. They
believed in their talent. Every decision they made in their young
lives was geared to become a professional athlete. They programmed
their thoughts as a baseball player. They identified their self as a
professional baseball player. And nothing was allowed to get in the
way. You have to have the same mind set. If you take this thing any
other way you will not succeed.
There
is a law of habit that you should give notice to. Ninety five per
cent of the things you do are because of a deep seated habit that you
have developed. Newton’s first law of physics states that an
object at rest tends to remain at rest and an object in motion tends
to remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. You have
to be that outside force. You have to bring your energy into your
beliefs and get your business in motion. It is easier to keep
momentum going than to let it die and try and get it going again.
Get it going and keep it going. Whatever it takes. Just do it. The
good news is that whatever you want to change you can change. You
have to develop the habit of success. And yes that is a habit, just
as failure is a habit. Practice being successful.
Be Cool,
www.littleroygene.com
No comments:
Post a Comment