Starting off in the world of rock.

[lachlan]

Im 16 and in a band at school, we decided to start becoming more of a serious band instead of playing cover tunes in our lunchbreak. We're writing originals and planning to record them. We will be distributing copies for free at our shows we have booked for next year. We will be playing pups, clubs, community and youth centres etc, to promote our songs, we are a developing rock/metal band. We have been playing at school quite regualry and i was hoping if somebody could give us some tips on what it takes to make it in this industry. Much appreciated. would love to hear other peoples experiences aswell.

 

[Syn]

Patience, undying dedication, the willingness to pay to play in the beginning and getting your name out there as much as possible.
Flyer-ing local gigs and using all the free media outlets available to you (facebook, twitter, myspace, youtube and a band website) to promote your band name, image and music to maximize your your fan base reach is a must.
Always look after any fans you gain who become close friend of the band. As they can also help a great deal with promotion.
Make as many contacts as you can in venues and the industry, they may not be able help you right now, but they may come in handy in the future.
As far as the music, make sure your songs are all strong, no fillers in your live set. If you do a cover or two pick a song(s) that fit the style of the band rather than individual taste, also try not to do something too obvious.
Practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more, get your band as tight as you possibly can. Work out all the kinks in the rehearsal room, not on stage. You only get one chance at making a first impression make sure your band blows people away, musically and performance wise. Practicing a lot as a band will also help if you do make a mistake on stage as you'll all be so aware of each other that you can cover it up without the casual listener knowing. If you've already been parcticing as a unit for a while, you'll probably already be in a groove with each other.
The only other thing you can do is get out there and learn, don't be afraid to ask questions of other musicians, technicians and business people. Experience is probably one of your biggest assetts as a gigging musician.
Oh and don't ever sign anything without legal advice. Managers, venues, promoters, booking agents and record labels may want you to enter in to a contract, make sure you seek legal advice and if you aren't happy with the terms walk away. You can still get most people to work for you on a comission basis without entering into a contract, this usually keeps managers and booking agents on their toes.

There's a lot there and probably too much for a band in it's infancy but I hope some of that helps you at some time or other.

 

[Hotspur]

My first advice would be simply to play every gig you can, and to push yourselves - as a band and as individual musicians - to constantly improve. You're 16, and although instant fame and fortune would be nice, realistically you're likely to spend the next couple of years developing your identity as musicians.

My point is, look, have your goal to be paying your bills with your music by the time you're in your mid-20s. I know that sounds eons away, and if it happens sooner, great.

Your first couple of recordings are going to be for you, really. If you are playing and gigging a lot, you will quickly progress beyond them. It will be hard for you to have tape that represents who you are, because of how fast you'll be growing. This is a good thing.

Lastly, I'll just point out that it's a rare band indeed where the personality of the band is something different from the personality of the lead singer. So choose wisely.

 

[lachlan]

We've been self promoting our asses off, rehersing like crazy, a studio session booked in in january, a producer for the session work and a half decent website in the works. things are starting to look good. we're just focused on grabbing peoples attention. We play balls to the wall, no nonsense, rock n roll. Getting it out there is the problem we are resolving.

If you guys wanna check out our bands tour dates for july next year head over to our website at satindiamond.t83.net