To those about to Rock: Some advice.

So, you are in a band. Good for you. And now, you are ready to break into the Denver music scene. Whoa, slow down there Axl. There are a few things you need to know if you are going to get anywhere. I can’t guarantee that you are going to make it to the top but, if you follow these simple steps, your chances are much better.

Step One: Practice

Your Band needs to be tight. Your songs and transitions between songs need to be smooth and practiced. No audience wants to watch you stand on stage and discuss which song comes next. Put together a solid 30 minute set and practice it until it is perfect. As a new band, getting your first gigs, you are going to get a half an hour to show off your best stuff. Make every minute count.

Remember, no one knows your music yet. No one is going to be singing along. It might be smart to start your set with a Cover Song to get the crowd involved by giving them something familiar. Then, play your stuff.

You are going to need to practice a lot, so if you don’t have a garage or basement at your full-time disposal, you might want to rent a Rehearsal Space.

Step Two: Gear Up

If you are going to start playing shows, you need equipment. Your 10 watt practice amp is not gonna do it when you are trying to play over a roomful of people drinking beer. But don’t go crazy. Strip down your band to the bare essentials and only get what you really need. In your first shows you are going to be expected to load on and off stage in 10 minutes. If it takes you 45 minutes to set up your 38 piece drum kit and it puts the whole show behind schedule, the venue will never have you back. Even the smallest venue has it’s own P.A. system, so don’t bother buying mics or stands. You won’t need them.

Also, give some thought to the look of your stage. A few cheap moving lights or a smoke hazer from Guitar Center can give your band a much more dynamic look. Remember, you are trying to make an impression. You don’t want to just look like some guys standing in front of a drum kit.

Step 3: Look the Part

Decide what your band should look like. Almost every local band looks the same: Four guys in T-shirts and jeans. For some bands, that’s okay, for others a little more thought ought to go into it. When people see your band for the first time you should make some sort of impression.

Remember those silly matching suits that the Beatles wore when they first started? Of course you do, they made you look twice.

There are lots of places in town to get your rock wardrobe together.

Step Four: Get a Gig

There are a number of small clubs, bars, and venues in Denver that put local bands onstage every night. A lot of local bands will mail a Demo CD or a picture of themselves to a club and wait to hear back. They never hear back. No one is going to listen to your Demo. They have never heard of you, so why should they?

If you want a gig, put together a package. Venues love this, because it saves them the hassle. They need to have shows, that’s how they sell drinks and stay alive. Give them something they can sell. Find two or three other bands that fit with your sound and put together a show. Ask who does the booking at your favorite small club and give them a call. Say, “Hey, this is Joe with MONSTERDORK (or whatever your band is called). We are putting  together a show with BUTTHAMMER, NEEDLE EXCHANGE, and DEATH BLOB. What nights do you have open next month?”

You’ll get a gig. It won’t pay much. It might pay nothing, but that’s okay. Some clubs will give you a percentage of the door, after a certain number of tickets have sold. That’s called a Door Split, and it’s the best deal you are gonna get as a brand new local band.

Step Five: Promote!

This part is the hardest. Promoting your local band is like trying to sell a product that people have never heard of, but are pretty sure that they don’t like. It’s a hard sell.

Once you’ve booked a show it will be your job to let people know about it. It’s not enough to tell all your friends. They will all promise to come to the show and support you, and then two-thirds of them will bail. Really, they will.

First, make a flyer and a poster. Make it look good. Keep it simple and make sure it tells people when and where the show is happening. Don’t be tempted to put a picture of your band on the flyer. No one knows what you look like yet, so no one wants to see your picture. People like to see pictures of famous people, not pictures of random strangers. Come up with a logo for your band. Make it simple, memorable, and easy to read. Don’t use some spidery font that can’t be read no matter how cool you think it looks. Make it a logo that teenagers can draw on the cover of a textbook or carve into a desk. Think of the logo for KISS or AC/DC, or Nine Inch Nails. Simple, and perfect.

Hang your posters everywhere. Every record store, every coffeehouse, every telephone pole, and outside every club in town. Go to concerts and hand out flyers on the front sidewalk when people are leaving. If the club you are going to play gives you a stack of comp tickets to distribute, put them into people’s hands. Don’t leave a stack of them on the counter at a record store and hope for the best. Better yet, ask the venue if they can print up some tickets for you to pre-sell. Make all your friends buy one. People will actually show up to a show if they have already purchased a ticket.

Step Six: The T-Shirt

Your band needs to have a T-shirt. All of the money that your band is going to make in the beginning will be from the sales of your shirts, so they should be good. Consider having it designed by someone who knows what they are doing because no one will buy it if it is lame. Make your shirt even better than your band.

Bands that travel on big national tours as the opener or support are getting paid almost nothing. If the headlining band is getting paid $2000 dollars a night, then the opener is probably making $150 a night. And out of that they are paying for gas and food. Bands live on the T-shirt money, it’s the only way they survive.

To buy shirts and have them screenprinted it will cost you about 3 or 4 dollars per shirt. Sell them for $15 a piece. Don’t give any away.

Step Seven: Never Look Back

Play your first show and no matter how it goes, book your next one. Make each one bigger and better. When you start getting spots opening up for National acts, you will know you are on your way. Keep rehearsing and keep making that 30 minute set as perfect as it can be.

Eventually you will need to tour. You will probably be asked to open for a band a few nights in a row as they play around the state. Say yes. Have all the members of the band chip in and buy a van. Use money from the T-shirt fund if you need to. Purchase a used cargo van that has no side doors and when it has your gear in it, always park backed up against a wall so the rear doors can’t be opened. Don’t paint the name of your band on the side of the van, it will just make it a target to get broken into. Musical equipment is a dream come true for a thief.

Hit the road. Every new place you play, be easy to work with and friendly. Don’t be a pain in the ass, you aren’t a Rock Star. Yet.