By Jason Verstegen

Being the strapping young lad that I am, I’ve played plenty of gigs in my short time on Earth. Seedy biker bars; hot-shot resorts; fancy weddings; family festivals; and everything in-between. Yet, just when I think I’ve been there and done that, a true-blue learning situation tends to rear up and kick me square in the chops. That realization is what led me directly to the theme of this month’s article. I’ve asked some of our area’s finest working musicians for some advice to help my whole learning it the hard way problem. Boy, do I appreciate the help… 

Practice, practice, practice . . . and promote, promote, promote. In this Internet age, musicians and bands cannot afford to ignore online marketing and the power of social media. Like it or not, it’s where booking agents and fans are searching for their next favorite thing these days. Think you’re too cool (or busy) to spend the time and energy to set up and maintain accounts on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, ReverbNation, iTunes and your own website and blog? Then you don’t have a presence in the current musical marketplace and you’ll get lost in the shuffle. Quit whining and do it. Or, at the least, hire someone to do it FOR you. – Mark Powers (Powers Percussion)
Musicians/ performers should contribute to this art form by frequently documenting their unique musical ideas. Studio recording equipment is relatively inexpensive and live performances can be captured easily. Arrangements and original music pursuits are often developed this way. And it will help you remember what you did decades from now! – Tom Theabo (Janet Planet, KWT4)

Rules to Gig By:

1. It’s not about you...the audience is doing YOU a favor by showing up to see your band; you are not doing them a favor by playing.
2. Have the right tools for the right job...you don’t need a Marshall stack to play a coffee shop gig. (P.S. Learn how to run a PA.)
3. Don’t let ‘em see the chinks in your armor...mistakes and problems are bound to come up. NEVER throw a fit on stage, or attack another band member. Get through problems together, and don’t let the audience know you are having them. If it’s obvious, laugh ‘em off.
4. Music is a team sport...your band is only as good as its weakest member. A good rule of thumb is to do 70% listening, and 30% playing at any gig or jam.

- Kurt Stein (Sounds Alive Music Education Center)

Just give up. No, I’m kidding. Really though, my suggestion would be to not see people as potential fans, but rather, potential friends. Get to know the person putting on a show. Begging doesn’t work too well, and don’t get mad when someone says no. Use it as motivation, and it will definitely pay off. Also, support your scene. The Fox Valley has a pretty awesome one, with some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.

– Tyler Streeter (Hunger Strike Riot, the Orange Iguanas)

Pre-cocktail: I tend to look at gigging as just one of many steps in the songwriting process.  There’s no better, or brutally honest sales pitch than what you chose to deliver in the one on one situation that a live show presents. It’s certainly a good mix of freedoms and limitations. When it comes to listening to recorded music, and all the inexpensive digital manipulation that is available these days, I don’t think our ears always get the truth.

Post-cocktail: You got me man, if a painter spent all of their time only painting other people’s paintings, we’d deem them nuts. Yet somehow the idea of playing a subtle mix of Journey, Green Day and Taylor Swift is the proverbial magic gigging key. I don’t know who should be more disappointed in themselves, the listeners or the musicians.

- Andrew Johnson (Happy, Holly & Plastic, Jeremy and the Jupiters)

Always bring your own stemless wine glasses, for two reasons;
1. Cables + dancing + pedal boards = broken glass, angry bartenders, and hurt feelings.

2. Some establishments don’t even have wine glasses, or wine for that matter. Better yet, bring your own wine too.

– Charlotte Nooe (Charley & The Cynics)

In my opinion, these are the 3 rules of thumb; don’t worry about trying to come off as one of the best musicians around, just be the best at what you do well. Always keep an updated and evolving playlist, here in the valley, people want and expect the “human jukebox” experience. They bore easily, if it gets stale, they’ll notice. And get the crowd involved, they love feeling like they were part of the band, even if only for 3 seconds.

– Michael Harrmann (The Broad Street Band)

Sean Ryan Miller once said “Never forget son, people want to go to a SHOW not a HEAR.

- Shane Dar

The best advice I could give any musician is to play with as many people as you can and steal every lick, trick, riff, joke, insult, pick up line....etc. It is not a secret: the people you play with are what make you better! I remember playing with bands that treated me like a cheating boyfriend...very uncool! There is no need for monogamy in music. Music is so much better when we can all be friends and just have fun playing it.

– Andrew Mertens (The Jazz Orgy)

Seriously, work hard. There’s thousands of people and hundreds of bands that want that paying gig. Talk to people who are playing gigs. Talk to professionals at your local music store. That guy that just sold you some picks might also tell you where a gig is or who is looking for somebody right now. Be ready. Remember, you don’t decide if you’re good enough for the paying gig, other people do. Network, network, network. Don’t be a jerk. Your people skills are just as important as your musical ones. Remember, it’s the music business, and there are thousands of smarter, harder working, more talented and better looking people than you. You play music; you work in the music business. Repeat that over and over. Remember, there are 4 revenue streams 1: beer sales, 2: tickets sales, 3: merchandise (cd’s, t-shirts, stickers, panties with logos) and 4: government grants. That’s it. Go get ‘em kid.

- Bobby Evans

July 2010: I wanna riot

Every now and again I come a cross an oh so special set of tunes, a gem that truly tickles my insides. This time, it came in the form of surf-meets-garage pranksters, Hunger Strike Riot.

The Appleton-based ensemble, composed of Tyler Streeter (guitar, vox), Trisha J. (clarinet, backup vox), Nate M. (theremin), Emerson (emo) M. (drums, guitar) and Matt (bass),  is excitingly ‘hooky’ and beautifully lo-fi. The sound is chock full of superb doo-wop harmonies, reverb-soaked choruses and enough punky swagger to get you all weak in the knees.

To quote directly, “…sounds like Dick Dale on a week-long coke binge with the power of a Macho Man Randy Savage elbow drop.”

But best of all, they’re fun.

If their latest musical endeavor, “Grandpa's Naked Present (At The Circus Clown Surprise Bonanza),” doesn’t get your head swimmin’ and your blood boilin’, their live show will.

I stopped by the guys’ place (titled The Patti Mayonnaise, where I had witnessed their musical debauchery only weeks prior) for a couple of PBRs and an afternoon chat.

As I entered the home I was met with a barrage of video game trivia, dirty one-liners, and Michael Stipe insults. (Author’s note: Nate was kicked out of a bar by Stipe’s bodyguards because the REM front man allegedly ‘wanted to sit there’. What an asshole.)

JV: Your sound is a mix-up of many genres. Who are some of your key influences?

Emo: It’s like an ironic beach party in the middle of winter.

(lnstant laughs.)

Emo: Wait, what was the question again?

Matt: What are some of the bands that influenced you...

Tyler: I like oldies, like the Standells and Del Shannon. The surf stuff comes from The Ventures, I was really into them. Your turn! (He points to Matt.)

Matt: For the bass playing, it’s mainly Matt Freeman of Rancid, Paul Simonon from the Clash, Chris #2 from Anti-Flag…

Tyler: Not Rush?

Nate: Geddy Lee, dude!

Matt: Ah let’s see, anything Michael Stipe did…

JV: What are some of your thoughts on independent DIY musicians?

Tyler: Well tape recorder, I’ve been “doing it myself” since the sixth grade. My mom found a lot of Victoria’s Secret magazines in my closet…

Nate: Let’s face it, the record industry as we knew it, is dead. Let’s accept that. It’s dead in the sense that, you’re not going to get picked up by a major label that throws tons of money at you and totally supports you. Unless you’re the Scorpions or Michael Stipe, of course (laughs). Instead of just giving up and being a fan, you can just do it your damn self! If people like it, they like it. If they don’t, they don’t.

Tyler: These artists on big labels get on the bus; go to a show; maybe talk to a few people; then leave. That’s just totally crap.

Emo: That’s why I love Patti shows and other house shows. No one’s there to get wasted and hassle chicks. Everyone is cool and there to hear music. It’s fun to build your own scene in your area.

Tyler: It makes it much more community oriented and less money driven.

JV: What kind of gear do you use to get your lo-fi sound?

Matt: A Fender bass. I don’t know what my amp is.

Tyler: I use a lot of Danelectro equipment. It helps get the ‘surfy’ sound. (He also plays a bitchin’ Vox Paddle knock-off, with a Bigsby trem, of course)

Emo: I play whatever drums Tyler hasn’t broken yet.

Nate: I built my theremin myself (laughs). Fuck your mainstream theremin dealers, man! (Even more laughs.)

JV: And now the question you’ve all been waiting for; favorite pornographic films?

Matt: Who’s Afraid of a Vagina Wolf. It’s pretty scary.

Tyler: I don’t know if anyone else saw it, but we rented that Seinfeld porn. That was pretty cool. Otherwise, The People of Wal Mart is a good one.

JV: If you could sleep with any ‘80s superstar, who would it be?

Nate: To put it on record, David Bowie. Specifically speaking, Jareth the Goblin King. (Labyrinth refrence? Check and mate.)  

Tyler: ET was pretty popular back then…

Matt: Chevy Chase.

Tyler: Any Fraggle Rock character, wait Jim Henson!

Emo: Cindy Lauper.

JV: If you could equate your band to any videogame, which would you choose?

Tyler: Tecmo Super Bowl for NES.

Nate: I totally agree.

Matt: Gauntlet Legends for Nintendo 64, that’s what we are.

Tyler: Wait! If I could personally do any ‘80s superstar, it would be Michael Stipe!
(Laughs.)

The Hunger Strike Riot boys take their hijinks seriously. They bust ass to play and host their own shows with other groups from across the country. Check out their collective at myspace.com/thepattimayonnaise. Want some more Hunger Strike Riot in your ear-hole? You can preview and buy the tunes at myspace.com/hungerstrikeriot.

Schooled in Super

By Jason Verstegen

Batman and Robin have nothing on the sensational song-crafting duo The Superhero Academy. The two-piece writing and producing outfit, featuring Sly Joe (Smooth Operators, Broad Street Boogie) and K-Tron (Clifton Remedy, Solar Static Radio), spend countless hours honing in on an eclectic mix of ear-pleasing gems for film, TV, video games and other commercial uses.

The focus here, my precious reader, is far from bar gigs and sleazy groupies. Believe it or not, there is much more to the music industry than cover bands and beer sales. Many of the finest songs, soundtracks and jingles were written not by the performer, but by a cracker-jack team of musicians and audiophiles.

No, Britney did not write “Oops…I Did It Again!” Sorry to burst your bubble.

I was recently given exclusive access to the Academy’s secret lair of sound. Amidst the walls of audio-gadgetry I discussed the dynamics duo’s take on the production behind the songs.

And, of course, saving the day…one note at a time.

JV: Each of you are stellar performers and instrumentalists, but who are some of your individual influences in the songwriting realm?

KT: I’ve always loved the Beatles. Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin really influenced me in how far you can actually take a song.There are lots of legendary artists that captivate me with their own unique brand of music.

SJ: The Beatles are excellent writers. Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Marvin Gaye for sure. Holland-Dozier-Holland. You know, the guys behind those great Motown hits. There’s just so many to choose from.

JV: Both of you are also involved in a handful of other projects outside of Superhero Academy, what made you decide to work together?

SJ: We both started to collaborate this way about 10 years ago, when we performed together in the group Something Phonic. We were pretty much the creative force behind those songs as well. So, we already knew we could work well together. I’ve tried meeting and collaborating with other musicians, but it just never really caught fire.

KT: We’ve definitely gotten along over the years and are excited by similar things. That’s why we were in a band so long together, because we share very similar outlooks. We’re excited about creating music.

SJ: Not only do we enjoy it immensely and bring a lot to the creative table, but we’re both committed enough to do it consistently. Anything you put time into consistently is only going to get better and better.

JV: Modern technology has made home recording and production more popular than ever, can you tell me about your own production process?

SJ: We’re students of the songwriting craft. We try to approach a genre and create something that is our own fresh take on it.

KT: We’re not copying a specific artist, more so trying to get inside their head to get the style and the feel.

SJ: Both of us are running our studios right out of our basements. Fortunately, we use the same format, which is ProTools. So, it’s very easy transfer ideas and files back forth. The great thing about the DIY approach is that the limitations are gone. Now we can take as much time as we like to build up a track. A song may take three or four months to create, because we can work on many tracks at a time and chip away at each one. There definitely is a learning curve as well.

KT: The engineering and the mixing can sometimes be just as challenging as coming up with the actual song.

SJ: But as much studio trickery as we learn, it still comes down to having an awesome song or idea first. K-Tron and I were discussing this today. We’re in such a rich musical area, but there’s really not too many great producers or production teams for hire. That’s another facet of the Superhero Academy.  We’d like to collaborate with other’s ideas, say like Timbaland or the Dust Brothers.

JV: I know that personally, I’m always interested in the specifics of a song; who wrote it, where was it recorded, the engineering behind it, etc. Is that also part of what draws each of you into the production aspect of music?

KT: The majority of the population usually doesn’t dig that deep, but I’m always interested.

SJ: A big part of it is just the ongoing education. There’s so much to learn about music. My passion for it makes it exciting everyday. You know, what else can I find out?

KT: Taking a song all the way to the finish line is a great accomplishment. It feels good to take a genre and put your own spin on it; to create something you really think is fresh.

SJ: You know, when we were in Something Phonic, it was ‘Let’s take this all the way and become rockstars!’, which was all fine at that point in time. Nowadays, I don’t mind being behind the scenes. I enjoy providing the material that could potentially help someone’s career or be part of a soundtrack. The journey and the process itself has become the reward.

To fully take in the spectrum that is the Superhero Academy, check out the duo’s mix of tunes at myspace.com/superheroacademymusic. Watch out dark streets of underproduced musical doldrums, K-Tron and Sly Joe are on the loose!