ASK WEEGE - 22 August 07

Welcome to The Pier's first 'Ask Weege' Column. Every week the 880 South's frontman and music scene veteran will be answering questions and providing tips for up-and-coming bands and musicians.

Got our first 'Ask Weege' question right here. Gary asks 'What's the best way to promote a show? Basically how do you get a lot of people to turn up?'

Weege: I got a ton of methods. So I'm just gonna run off at the mouth here.

Press & the Press Kit - This is so important. But the rules have changed so much in the last 10 years. When I started out, the 8x10 Black and White photo was a standard. Hell some venues were even requesting TAPES and not CDs. Let's not go there. In this day in age, a must is your press kit, but more importantly - VIDEO FOOTAGE.

Nothing looks cooler than a (well edited) video of your band rockin' in front of a kickass crowd. Catch 22 right? How do I get a kickass crowd? Haha. Welcome to the music business folks. There are ways to pull it off. I've even heard from a band, that a lot of us know, how one time they were playing with Pennywise and they used footage from their crowd for their EPK. Cheesy, I won't name names, but that band is f'n HUGE right now! Smart tactics I must say. Dishonest? Maybe, but that band is rocking it solid right now. I can't get into specifics.

I can tell you what we use for our press kit to get shows, get press, get ourselves on the radio. Each need is different. So every press kit you send out, should have a personalized flair. Some radio stations don't need anything more than a 3 song demo, your picture, and a short bio with a cover letter. Maybe even some previous press clippings. Whereas a music venue just wants a 3 song demo, your picture, and some video footage. Every need is different, and every band is different. Do your research. You don't wanna send a rock venue your press kit if you're in a rap group. Know what I mean? It's a waste of money and time.

Presentation is key. Make your press kit unique and special. This is where you creative talents will benefit you the most. Always send some free shit, but more important than ANYTHING. Put your contact info on every page, every CD, every item you send should have your band name, contact name, phone number, and email address. Do a google search and use the key words, "Band Press Kit', also search for 'EPK' which stands for Electronic Press Kit.

Free Stuff & Guest List - Give free stickers and CDs @ the door. Announce that in your flyers/posters. The cheaper your door cost, or free, the better. Why should people spend money to see you? Don’t guilt trip your friends. Be a salesman. Tell them how much babe-age is at your show! Tell them how Kickass the bar is (but you better hope it is). Nothing worse than getting your friends out to a venue, and they show up to have a $7 beer. You have to remember, this isn’t the ultra lounge scene. It’s live music. People want to be entertained. People just like the thought of something free. So make it free.

If you’re just starting out, you obviously wanna get paid, but you need to impress a venue first. It’s not easy. If the venue gives you a guest list, use it. Tell your friends, hey I’ll put you on the guest list if you can bring 5 more people. It works. As long as you’re giving something out for free. You could also ask the venue if they have any drink specials. Tres Gringos in downtown San Jose has $2 Tecates. I put that on our flyers when we used to play there. We’d fill the place up. People love beer for $2. Sometimes a venue just needs to push out overstocked brewskis.

Friends & Family - Are a great resource, build a fan-base by encouraging your fans & friends. Give your friends incentive to bring people. Talk about your crowd, take pictures of the action. Get your family involved. My number 1 promoter was my father. He would tell every person that walked into his auto shop about my band. He’d even play our CD at full blast. It sounds cheesy, and sometimes he’d embarrass me by doing it while I was there. But hot damn it did work.

Over-exposure - This is my biggest peeve. It is mostly because tons of bands do this in San Jose. It drives me crazy. It’s so simple, don’t play in your neighborhood more than once a month. Some venues like the Fillmore, Slim’s, Catalyst ask that you don’t play a local show within 60 days of the show you booked with them. It‘s common sense. It’s really one of the biggest reasons bands in San Jose for example get dogged on by the clubs. As long as there is someone to take advantage of, the venues won’t change their ways. They will milk your product dry. That’s why you have to play in different places, like Santa Cruz and San Francisco in the Bay Area.

Spend Money on Advertisement, Swag & Freebies - If you can’t get press for yourselves, shame on you! Then put some funds aside and buy some adspace in your local metro (magazine). Every big and little town has their local zine/newspaper. You know, full of restaurant ads, etc. It’s more expensive in the bigger cities, so you may wanna shop around and find the cheapest alternative.

In the 90’s I did this to promote a Floppy Rods Music Video Party. I slapped Slightly Stoopid’s name on there with our name. People love the fact that they could be in a video. We packed the shit out of the Cactus Club that night. Spillin’ out the door and rowdy as hell. Good times. The obvious expense is FLYERS. Which we still do. For every show we circulate about 5,000 flyers. Unless it’s a smaller venue, we’ll do something in the 1,000 range. This can cost a lil bit of money, so you must wonder if it’s worth it? I would check out psprint.com for great deals!

Flyers are great, however they aren’t as effective as you’d like them to be. One, you need a kickass design that will bring the eye to it, so try not to clutter the information. Two, they are more effective when you hand them to someone in person. Leaving them at record shops and smoke shops is cool. It’s not bad for visibility, but more than likely won’t get you to bring people to your show. If you’re lazy and don’t hand people flyers in person, you don’t create any interest.

People are going to reject you. That’s just a matter of life. You have to learn to live with that. Don’t be shy, if you get someone’s interest then be ready to talk about your band. This is where you make the sale. Rehearse it if you have to. Ask yourself? What kind of music do you play? Where is the venue? What kind of crowd is it? Can I get in free? What other bands are playing?

Never tell people you’re something totally new and different and unique. You just can’t explain it because that’s just a huge load of CRAP. Everyone sounds like someone. Sometimes that works to your vantage. Know the venue, obviously the info is on the flyer, but people overlook things. So know every detail. Talk about your crowd. If you’re talking to a guy then let him know, tons of single chicks. If you’re talking to a girl, flirt a little. It helps. Most people will say something lame like can I get V.I.P. or backstage? Haha. You can figure that out if you like on your own. I always laugh and say the guest list is full. Unless it isn’t, then do your worst my friends. Know the bands you’re playing with. People don’t wanna sit through 3 crappy bands so they can see you perform. So talk them up.

You’re better off spending money on posters. Visibility is everything. You put up a poster every time you play or release a CD. People will remember your logo and your name. Now that might not get you a 100+ people at a show, but the next time your band’s name comes up in a conversation amongst friends. Someone is bound to say ‘Hey I’ve heard of them’. They won’t know where, but the more you plug, the more you show, the better it is for your reputation. This is why I encourage making sampler CDs. Hit up a place like www.rhythmaticproductions.com on great CD-R deals. Then you can leave like 10-20 CDs at a record shop. Include professionally recorded tracks. Maybe 3 songs and like 5-7 live tracks. Give them a feel for your material and performance.

One last thing, the Mailing List. It’s not as effective as it once was, but if you can get people to sign up for your mailing list it’s a smart idea. Take the time to make it happen and don’t be a slacker. Announce it during your set. Have one of your extremely hot girlfriends walk around with a clipboard, pen, and nice printed out mailing list sheet. Tell your fans they can find pictures of the show they are at on your website. People are vain. They love to see themselves on the internet. Why do you think MySpace is so hot? We give out stickers to people who sign up for our mailing list. It works, try it!

Have a question for Weege send them to askWeege@thepier.org