Page 14 - August InDesign

WILL THEY BELIEVE?

By Wild Bill O’Halloran
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f you’ve been carefully reading each issue of Write If you’re making a demo for industry…..record com-
Away, and applying the insights you’ve gleaned as pany guys, agent/manager guys, producers…..let me
Iyou sharpen your passion for songwriting into a save you some time (and heartbreak).....you will hear
pro level skill,... hopefully,.... at some point…..you’ll ALL the time how quality of the demo doesn’t matter…..
have something good. You’ll feel it in your bones…..”- they can HEAR a quality song in the lowest quality
this time”, you’ll think “ it all fits together flawlessly, recording…..WELLLLLL….I’ll stop short of calling that
saying EXACTLY what I wanted to say”. But you may the biggest lie in the music industry (first of all because
find a disturbing lukewarm response when you show there’s so MANY lies, it’s hard to favor just one).....if you
your masterpiece to others. If they’re friends and family, know one of these folks personally, you can tell
you may be surprised (and hurt).....if they’re your band, them the WIldcat didn’t mean them, they’re probably
you may question whether THEY know anything about in that top one percent that actually can. But follow the
music (quite a double edged sword there, no?). Worst of logic: People who are bombarded every day with
all, you may be unprepared for how INDUSTRY peo- recorded music that was produced at great expense,
ple react….the plain ( but sometimes crushing truth) intending to compete with giants of the industry (who
is: they will probably listen to 30 seconds…..possibly incurred even MORE expense), and who REJECT a whole
while talking on the phone. One of the “success in bunch of this music because it DOESN’T compete with
music” books I bought told of a band house next to a club, the major label stuff...all day long they say “no”, possibly
in the age of cassettes. The band in the story asked the because an expensive failure gets them fired….and….
bar if they could have the discarded demos dropped off say it with me…...dismiss these recordings after…...
by prospective entertainment, for use as blanks to record that’s right, shout ‘em out when you know...30 SEC-
their rehearsals. To their amazement, every single cassette ONDS!!! They say “Ugh, those drums are so 80’s” or
was stopped, 30 seconds in. (They were also amazed that “The lyrics didn’t hit me” or “ I don’t hear a hook”. But
the club had actually listened to them all!) ANYHOW…. you tell me you want to believe that your recording (on
the point is, the next step in communicating your vision your phone while on the subway) is gonna make them
to others must necessarily involve: A DEMO! drop everything and take notice?……’cause you’re so
special?…..and you were gonna fix the mistake on the
Some of this may be obvious, or a review of concepts chorus, but ran out of time?…..ummm…..aren’t you a
you already know. A lot of the technical stuff can be precious little lamb? (Remember, we don’t mean your
accomplished other ways….your friend who does sound buddy….just all those other BAD people in the industry).
may be horrified….but, here’s some thoughts to consider:
But what’s a mother to do? Going to a real studio, or
One-- If the demo is for club work…...or wedding recruiting a producer seems expensive….know why it
work…..what the hell is your original song doing in there seems it? ‘Cause it is. And the difference between that
in the first place? Only kidding, there are original music and the stuff you produce at home on your computer
venues….few…..and non-paying….but there are. (Just doesn’t seem that great…..to you…..the beginner….who
kidding again) (maybe?) DOESN”T listen to 100 professional demos a week…..see
a flaw in THAT logic? But budgets are real, so let’s
Two--if the demo is for your band, a simple sketch of how assume that you’ll be home recording. ( If you do
the music and lyrics proceed is probably fine. (If you have decide to spend the cash, make sure you listen to a whole
a long term band that will be happy with a horrible acous- bunch of the studio or the producer’s other work. There’s
tic mess, cause they just know you’ve got something good another well- meaning falsehood that they don’t have a
in there, and can’t wait to flesh it out with a combination “style”.....but they almost always do…. going with what
of your direction and their own skills…..congratulations! worked before) . If only there were a way to start making
I feel very lucky about that right now, but am WELL aware decent sounding home demos…..
that it’s not the norm) You might try playing something
that suggests their part, to tie into skills that you know are Drums: The most daunting, (that’s why the folks who
in their wheelhouse…..DO NOT>>>>REPEAT NOT try can get “the sound” get the big bucks!) because there’s a
to play their parts better than they can! That’s annoying, bunch of them, they’re really loud (then silent, then loud
and a band-breaker. again on the next stroke), the mics you put near them will

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