Dynamic duo

...continued from front page

With support from Holland-based swamp-blues band, Big Low, Brunswick’s Retreat Hotel saw the launch of Walker and Davies’ latest single Try Harder, from their self-titled album released last year through Walker’s own label, Stovepipe Records. The venue was packed to the front of the stage with a mix of punters; some of whom eagerly took to the dance floor while others made room, appreciating the music from the sides. I was one of the latter, finding myself captivated not only by the enormous sound of the duo, but also impressed by the skillful songwriting and musicianship. Despite their instrumental skill and dexterity, both musicians played with an unpretentious ease, which is not always common among players of their calibre. The honesty and sincerity of the songs really shone through and their delivery was devoid of any brooding rock-star arrogance.

Walker swapped between electric and acoustic guitars, lap steel and harmonica, handling them all with equal skill. His understated vocals could be likened to David Gray or Ryan Adams. Davies’ drumming was full-sounding yet uncluttered, the perfect accompaniment to Walker’s guitar. His voice was smooth, reminiscent of Levon Helm (the singing drummer from The Band).

Experiencing the duo live is completely different to listening to their records. Hearing them on your stereo system, you could be forgiven for mistaking the band for a three, perhaps even a four-piece lineup. However, in a live context, to witness just two musicians on stage creating a wall of sound is really something that must be seen to be believed.

When I recently chatted with drummer Ashley Davies, I asked him if he preferred playing with or without a bass player. Despite his love for the more traditional setup, Davies relishes the freedom brought about by the band existing solely as a duo. He said that the duo format allows him to experiment more musically with the drumkit, to play styles which, in a bigger band, he perhaps wouldn’t necessarily be able to play.

“I love that about the duo, in that from a drumming point of view, you’ve got a lot of freedom. There aren’t really too many rules with me and Matt and that goes for each of us…you can get a bit off those traditional style grooves - which is what I’m into too - but with the duo you can definitely work the drumkit a bit more, explore the kit, with noises and sounds, you know, and work on some grooves in a different way.”

Additions to the lineup would undoubtedly change the duo’s dynamic and perhaps extra musicians might even detract from it. However, the band’s 2000 release, Soul Witness, recorded primarily as a four-piece,successfully managed to maintain Walker and Davies’ signature sound, and won an ARIA award in the process.

Davies said that the pair will soon start planning for their next album and discussing what it will sound like. If their latest release is anything to go by you can expect some soulful blues, a good dash of country, and some rootsy-rock, all mixed together to create a sound that is undeniably Matt Walker and Ashley Davies. This is one fan that is definitely hooked.

For more on Matt Walker and Ashley Davies, go to Rising Stars.

Home

How to get a paid gig (7)

...continued from front page

We have looked at the first phase in detail and have been dealing with phase 2. We are nearly ready for phase 3 but we have to address preparing to market. This series has stressed the idea that the band/act is a product, we need to keep this in mind as we prepare to market it and this leads us to the area of promotional material.

You should not confuse promotional items that are designed for the punters with those designed for agents and venues. Both have an important place and punter promo material can represent a significant secondary income stream if handled properly. What we are going to focus on at his stage, however, is the stuff that is going to help sell the band to agents and/or venues resulting in the achievement of our ultimate aim… Properly Paid Gigs!

First put yourself in the place of an agent or venue operator. These people are constantly being approached by bands trying to get gigs. They also have another demand, the need to actually engage bands to fill gigs. Our aim is to convince them that out of all the bands who have been hassling them for gigs, your band is one that should be engaged.

Remember in part 1 of this series we spelled out what venue operators need: bums on seats! We are trying to convince these people that you can provide this. An agent once told me about a band who sent him a promotional package and demo tape, shortly after the band called him and asked what he thought of their act. The agent said that he thought they were a great band and that he was very impressed by the quality of their musicianship. The representative of the band was very excited by this positive response and asked the agent when, since he was so impressed with them, he would be able to get them some gigs. The agent replied: “never”.

This may seem confusing, the agent may seem like an idiot or a scoundrel and the whole scenario just another example of musos being screwed by “the industry”. If this is your response then you have made a fundamental mistake in your analysis. Let’s try to illuminate this situation using the old “concrete example” trick (regular readers should be used to this method by now!). If I am running a pie shop and someone comes in and shows me the most beautiful hand-crafted furniture I have ever seen, will I take orders for it? NO!!! I am in the business of selling pies not tables and chairs! The point is not how good the furniture is in itself but how good it is as a pie! (Most furniture, hand-crafted or not, does not fill this role very well; it splinters in the mouth!) In the story above, despite the fact that the band was excellent musically, their repertoire or some other factor made them not the right act for the gigs the agent had to fill.

Don’t misunderstand what you are selling. You are selling an act that can put bums on seats. Convince an agent or venue operator of that and you are likely to get a gig. Fail to convince them of that and you won’t (apart from non-paying or “pay to play” gigs; remember the title of this series). There is often, of course, a correlation between quality and public appeal but the quality is not the decisive point; the public appeal is.

Now that we know what we are selling, what will help us sell it? If the act is ready, the best way is for the potential buyer to see it in action at a successful gig. This is seldom possible for a number of reasons:

• The agents or venue operator is too busy to traipse all over the city checking out bands.
• T he band hasn’t got a gig yet.
• The band is only doing private gigs.
• Matching the availability of the agent or operator with the scheduled gigs is impossible.

There are many more reasons but suffice to say that the standard practice is to promote the band using a promo package.

So… what’s in a promo package? Here is a list of some of the things that might be in it (you can include other stuff but always be aware of maintaining the balance between the advantages of providing lots of attractive material and the disadvantages of drowning the potential purchaser with bucketloads of irrelevant junk!)

• Audio demo
• Band biography
• Poster
• Contact card

We’ll first deal with these items one by one and then look at other potential goodies you might consider including:

The Audio Demo Recording

Demo is short for “demonstration”. The purpose of the recording is to demonstrate to potential purchasers what the act sounds like. The single most common mistake that bands make with demos is to record entire songs. Time is money! Agents and venue operators routinely receive a deluge of demos and do not have time to sit down and devote half an hour to listening to your precious performance. The recording should consist of 20-30 second snippets of about half a dozen representative songs. IT IS EXTREMELY UNLIKELY THAT ANYONE WILL LISTEN TO ANY MORE THAN THIS!!!

The snippets should always be the “hookiest” part of the tune, the bit that everybody recognises. When preparing a demo the band must put their collective and individual egos in their respective pockets. This is not about everyone's “best bit” getting onto the recording. You are attempting to give a favourable (in a bums on seats way) impression of the act, not trying to massage band member feelings. A useful model is to view the demo as the ultimate “greatest hits” recording reduced down to its essence and lasting under three minutes!

Some demos include a “voice over” introducing the band and using the snippets to illustrate various points (“… The Wombats can also play Eskimo wedding songs, here is a sample.”). This can work well but only if you have access to someone with a seriously good speaking voice and only if the narration doesn’t use up too much demo time.

Where to Record?

We are fortunate to be in the middle of a technological revolution when it comes to audio recording and this has increased the possibilities enormously. The flip side of this is that the number of decisions to be made have also increased in the same proportion. There are three requirements for the production of a successful demo:

1. Appropriate equipment.
2. Appropriate technical recording skill.
3. The band’s ability to play the material well.

For more ideas on recording, where to record and how to prepare for it, see The Songsmith's article in this edition of The Dues.

Next time we will look at these further and continue our examination of the Promo package.

Home