This has going around the net for awhile, but it's always good for a reminder....
1. Never start a trio with a married couple.
2. Your manager's not helping you.
3. Before you sign a record deal, look up the word recoupable in the dictionary.
4. No one cares who you've opened for.
5. A string section does not make your songs sound any more important.
6. If your band has gone through more than four bass players, it's time to break up.
7. When you talk on stage, you're never as funny as you think.
8. If you sound like another band, don't act like you're unfamiliar with their music
(Oh, does Rage Against The Machine also do rap-rock with political lyrics?)
9. Asking a crowd how they're doing is just amplified small talk.
10. Don't say your video's being played if it's only on the Austin Music Network.
11. When you sign to a major label, claim to have inked the best contract
ever. Mention artistic freedom and a guaranteed three-record deal.
12. When you get dropped, insist that it was the worst contract ever, and you asked
to be let go.
13. Never name a song after your band.
14. Never name your band after a song.
15. When a drummer brings in his own songs, and asks to perform one of them,
begin looking for a new drummer immediately.
16. Never enter a Battle of the Bands contest.
17. Learn to recognize scary word pairings such as rock opera, white rapper,
blues jam, swing band, open mike, etc.
18. Drummers can take off their shirts or they can wear gloves, but not both.
19. Break it to your parents: it's rock 'n' roll, not a soccer game. They've gotta stop
coming to your shows.
20. It's not a showcase. It's a gig that doesn't pay.
21. Getting a tattoo is like sewing platform shoes to your feet.
22. Don't hire a publicist.
23. Playing in Akron, Ohio doesn't mean that you're on tour.
24. Don't join a cover band that plays Bush songs. In fact, don't join a cover band.
25. Although they come in different styles and colors, electric guitars all
sound the same. It's not necessary to keep changing them between songs.
26. Don't stop your set to ask that beers be brought up. That's what girlfriends are for.
27. If you use a smoke machine, your music sucks.
28. We can tell the difference between a professionally produced album cover and
one you made with the iMac your Mom got for Christmas.
29. Remember: if blues solos are so difficult, why can so many 16 year olds play
them?
30. If you ever take a publicity photo, destroy it. You may never know where, when,
or how it will turn up.
31. Don't wear shorts onstage. Or a suit. Or a hat.
32. Rock oxymorons: major label interest, demo deal, blues genius, $500
guarantee, and Fastfall's second hit.
33. Three things that are never coming back: gongs, headbands, and playing slide
guitar with a beer bottle.
Peter
