How to Promote Your Band on a ZERO Budget - Gain Fans and Friends

I've had people writing me and asking about what they can do to help promote their band.  Now, I'm no expert, but I have put countless hours into research and found a number of things that have helped MY band and for ZERO dollars.  That's right.  So, here is the first of a series on how to promote your band, gain fans and friends, and become better known without spending very much money at all.  All you'll have to do is take the time, in most cases, to do your job well.

Keep in mind--the overall goal here is to get people interested in your music, but also YOU.  People want to know you, they want to understand you, they want to feel close to you.  Music is about passion, and most of us play music to share our passion with others.  Be real, make friends, wear your heart on your sleeve every now and again.  Being jaded is SO last year. 

You, too, can be a gunslinging panda of promotion.  It's not magic, it's work!

First things first--Create a Facebook fan page.  How can people like your band if they can't even confirm you exist?  Once created, put up the BEST photos you can that present the image you want people to see.  Put up the best set of information and details you can.  Assume everyone coming to the page has no idea who you are, what you're about, or what kind of music you make. Give them something to like. What is so unique about you? What makes you interesting? Why should people care? If you get them to care, you've got them--people who are as passionate about your music as you are and who can share the love (or anger or humor) that you're putting out into the world.

***Watch your spelling and grammar, always, or I'll send tiny angry pixies to put your guitars and drums out of tune. Do not doubt me!***

MUSIC.  You're in a band, right?  People want to hear you! There are a lot of decent home recording programs out there--that is how we have recorded our stuff. It can be time consuming to get it done, but in the end our CDs will have cost us about $1 each, which is excellent. PLUS, we have music online for people to listen to.  If you're in a band, people want to hear your music.  End of the story.  If a band doesn't have songs up, it's hard for someone to convince themselves that they should spend money or time to go see said band, especially if they don't have many fans or much activity on the page.

***Generally speaking, MOST people will think like this:  "If no one else cares, why should I?"  Make it look like the whole world cares, and the whole world will start to.  (You'd better be able to back it up with quality, though.)***

ReverbNation has ENDLESS ways to help you.  Click it and check out how WE are using it.

ReverbNation Profile--take the time, go through it, and put as much information as possible into it.  Take the time to make it interesting and relevant. Make sure everything is spelled well, grammatically correct, etc.  Put up songs, put up videos, find a way to get yourself some press so that you can put that information on your profile.  ReverbNation is a great way to connect with other artists as well as fans and venues.

***Make the most out of EVERY tool you have to use, and take pride in what you are doing!***

Videos are great to have--people love to just watch stuff. Anyone have a video camera? Even a bit of an acoustic jam would be great for people to be able to watch and it gives Facebook fans something to "share" that will help get you more fans.  It lets people into your world, to wander about for awhile.  If you think about why you enjoy reading a book or watching a movie, you'll understand. It's an escape.  Give people an escape.  Even if it's three minutes.

"Three minutes in heaven is better than one minute in heaven." -Flight of the Concords.  True, true story.

Get everyone talking on your page. The more interaction you get with people, the more MORE people will want to join in. Get every band member to invite all of his friends to like the band. Do this weekly. It's time consuming, but completely worth it.  Much easier if you download something like the "select all" bot for Firefox--it'll select your friends for you.  If you have 500 friends but your band page has 60 likes, you aren't doing it right. Make jokes, post photos, start conversations, ALWAYS REPLY to things posted on your page.  Someone took the time to do that.  Enjoy and get to know the people who are taking the time to enjoy and get to know you!

Work with other local artists!  Check out Greg Waldrop of DMI Photography for some sweet photos!

Help promote other bands, artists, and events.  Stop thinking of them as competition.  They aren't.  YOU are your worst competition.  Here's a secret: every time you make a post linking to another band/person/venue/event/etc, anyone who is friends with or "likes" those things, has a chance to see your post.  Let's say you're playing a show with Metallica.  You include a link to their profile in your status.  Now ALL of those Metallica fans have a chance to see you talking about it, to go to your page and give your music a listen.  Every time you introduce your fans to someone else, you're also introducing yourself to a whole new audience.  You NEED new audiences.  Another reason to help other bands and artists?  If they find you friendly and worthy, they'll return the favor, and a new contact/network has been created.  You NEED other bands if you want to play shows.  And bands that are more popular and well-known than you are are great to learn from.

Gabe Wilkinson, of Microwaved, says "Remember names, remember faces and shake hands. Have fun with people when you meet them at shows. I know a lot of us musicians are the shy type when we are off stage. It's a part of our insides for some reason. We can't turn it on when we aren't on stage, but push yourself to turn it on. Making friendships beyond the internet is important, too."

Is this what you're doing?  Is this what your fans are doing?

Again, YOU have to give the random person on the web enough information to make them care enough to want to spend their hard earned money on going to see what it is that you do.  That's pretty outstanding and can be pretty difficult to do.  In words similar to what David Lowry of the Lowry Agency used, if you don't have time to promote your band properly, than you may not have time to be in a band.  If you want more people to know about you, stop watching television and spend your time working on what you love.

That's the only way I think you'll get OTHER people to turn off the television and come to see your shows.

Thanks for reading!  Keep checking back--we'll have more of these.  Next time we'll be talking with some of those fancy journalist fellas.  I hear that if you treat them nice, they can help promote your band and shows.  We'll find out if that's true or not, and the best ways to go about it.

So.  When are you playing next, boys and girls?  Tell us about your show, and what you're doing to promote it.

Cirrus Minor To Battle for Spot at Summer Camp

On a trip to Cirrus Minor, saw a crater in the sun... A thousand miles of moonlight later. -Pink Floyd

Tomorrow night Cirrus Minor will be headlining a show at the Vaudeville Mews in downtown Des Moines. It's another in a series of  Battle of the Bands, this one with an opportunity to play at the Summer Camp Festival on the line.

Summer Camp is an annual jam band festival that takes place Memorial Weekend in Chillicothe, Illinois. Since 2001, it has featured such acts as Ecoostic Hookah, The Samples, Umphrey's McGee, Leftover Salmon, Two Cow Garage, Rebelution, Los Lobos, Family Groove Company, Junior Brown, Buckethead, and Victor Wooten. Cirrus Minor won Des Moines' battle last year and made the memorable trek across the Mississippi. Like most kids who go to summer camp, they want to go back again.

Cirrus Minor started out in 2008 when Aaron Lea (of Reality's Flaw) met with Rich Cantrell (Redwing) and Mike Ruby (Alchemist) about forming a band that would appeal to a newer audience. Cirrus Minor was born, and they have been steamrolling ever since.The name was lifted from a Pink Floyd song, made famous from the More soundtrack. (This is my speculation... I have not confirmed this.)  They are the chameleons of the Des Moines rock scene, changing their genre from show to show, and sometimes, even song to song.

"We are like an Ipod on shuffle." Aaron told me last week while sipping beers at the Hull Avenue Tap. "If you are partying all night, and don't just want to hear Reggae, or Funk, or Metal, then we are your band."

Corbin, Lea, Ruby and Cantrell
(Photo courtesy of Sherri Irons)

It works too... Cirrus Minor is, in a way an all-star band, consisting of four of Des Moines' most established musicians (Joe Corbin plays drums). As their influences they list Primus, Tool, Zappa, Floyd, WSP, hundreds more.... and I can attest to the fact that their music is a reflection of each of these bands, sometimes all wrapped up into one. When they play Funk, they play it like Funk is supposed to sound - with sex-infused slap bass and panty-dropping guitar licks. When they play Reggae, it's reminiscent of a party scene in Jamaica. You might as well have sand in your toes and a big old skanky spliff sittin' on your lips. When they play hard rock, they are in their element... Same as when they play Psychedelia. There is no style that these guys don't seem to have a handle on. They even do a Doors tribute show once or twice a year that's unbelievable.

But that's the limit of their cover band status. 99% of the music Cirrus Minor records or plays live is original, with the elements of each style represented in their songs. It's a twisted curvy road they take, but they handle it with the ease of a Maserati on the Autobahn. Nothing seems to phase these guys, and it always seems that they are having as much fun as their audience is, which is usually alot. They have shared the stage with the likes of Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler, Primus and Zappa Plays Zappa. Once they were named the unsigned band of the month in High Times Magazine.

Mike Ruby within the lazers
(photo courtesy of Sherri Irons)

If you haven't heard Cirrus Minor, leave a comment and I will make sure that you get a copy of the new CD "Animadverto-Demens" (Ok, the first 3). Unlike many bands, the CD actually gives a genuine feel as to what Cirrus Minor is all about. Their picture is so much bigger than can be parlayed into words. It must be heard.

And seen.

Head down to Vaudeville tomorrow night and check out their set. They play last, so they can really use your support. Simply enter the venue and put your one vote into the envelope with their name on it. Let's not deny them a chance to go back to summer camp.

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Associated links:

Cirrus Minor Reverbnation

Cirrus Minor Facebook

Summer Camp Festival official

Interview with Aniruddh Bansal of Metal Assault

Photograph by Jennifer N. Martinez

As a child growing up in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Aniruddh Bansal was like most of his peers growing up in Northern India. He dreamt of being a professional sportsman, specifically a cricket or tennis player. And while he was good at both, he was never given the proper training to develop a career playing sports, so like most kids in India, he concentrated on something that was a bit more realistic. His choice was computer science.

It was, in a lot of ways an odd choice for Aniruddh. He grew up in a household that didn't have Internet, and his exposure to computers was genuinely limited. Still though, he realized that the future was in electronics, and a computer science degree would give him the the best chance for success. He decided to pursue his Bachelor's at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Suddenly he found himself in an entirely different world. While Uttar Pradesh is the most populated state in India, he actually grew up in a "small town" called Allahabad. It was a relatively quiet and laid back upbringing, a far cry from the rabid streets of Los Angeles. The music scene in India at the time was pretty basic. There was the traditional Indian music of course, and some jazz, and the obligitory American pop music that filters through and occupies the shelves in record stores world-wide. But there is so much music that don't get exposure in India. In terms of new sounds, Aniruddh was like a blind man seeing colors for the first time.

One day his college roommate was playing an Iron Maiden tape, The Dance of Death and immediately it caught Aniruddh's attention. It was like nothing he had ever heard before, and he fell in love with it. He began to listen to more Maiden, and more metal. Soon he found himself writing about new CDs he listened to on his Myspace blog. Little did he know then that this would evolve into something that would change his life.

One day he was contacted by Tim at Full Metal Rock, who had amazingly come across Aniruddh's writing. He liked what he read and invited Aniruddh to join FMR as a staff writer. It provided Aniruddh an opportunity he didn't have before, with direct access to bands, publisicts and concerts. Suddenly the kid from a small town in India was a full blown journalist writing for a respected heavy metal webzine.

Being a computer science major he had his own ideas about how he wanted to design a website, so he slowly incorporated these ideas into a page of his own. The rest is history. Aniruddh, despite his unrelated upbringing has developed one of the most comprehensive heavy metal sites in the world. He has recently relocated back to India where he continues to write for Metal Assault, and help to encourage a new but budding metal scene there.

"The best lesson I've learnt as a youngster was to give a 100% effort towards whatever I do in life." He said to me. Obviously, this attitude has paid off. He is respected by writers and musicians alike, and his reviews, interviews and rock and roll shenanigans are sought out daily by the masses of heavy metal fans.

Andrew... Tell me about Metal Assault Magazine, and how it came to be.

Well, Metal Assault wasn't my first ever outlet, to be honest. The first outlet I used for writing my reviews was actually, believe it or not, my myspace blog. I will forever be grateful to Tim from FullMetalRock.com, because he came across my myspace blog and saw something in my writing that he liked, and asked me to join his staff. He gave me the first opportunity to be a journalist in the hard rock/heavy metal world. During those months, I started gaining recognition and appreciation from various bands, record labels and publicists, and they seemed to really like my style of writing. But being a computer science major, I had my own ideas on how to run a heavy metal website, so it made perfect sense for me to start my own. In February 2010, I launched the Metal Assault website, and because I already had good relations with people in the industry, it took off straight away. I was getting approved for high-profile shows right from the get go. In fact, the first show Metal Assault covered was the Arch Enemy/Exodus show at the House of Blues in Hollywood, just a couple of days after the website was launched. So that's how Metal Assault came about.

Really... Your Myspace blog?

I used to write reviews on my myspace blog in those days, and just posted the links around on various forums where I thought people might be interested in reading. Tim read my work through one of these forums.

So, it was a pretty smooth transition... What are some of the obstacles you DID face?

Yes it was a really smooth transition from the myspace blog to FMR to Metal Assault. The only obstacle I would say I faced was the name itself. Along with my initial staff members, I went over quite a few names before Metal Assault came to mind, and it stuck immediately as the one we wanted. Other than that, I don't think I faced any obstacles.

Aniruddh and Rob Halford
Photo by Jennifer N. Martinez

What was the crowning moment when you thought to yourself, "Man I am doing something right!"... Was it a show you got credentials for, or was it one particular interview that you landed?

I have enjoyed every show I have covered, right from the early stages of the website's history, but if I had to pick one crowning moment from those days, it would have to be the interview with Bobby Blitz from Overkill, and I remember the exact date, April 20th 2010 at the House of Blues in Hollywood. That was my biggest interview at that time, and my first on-camera interview as well. When I was approved for that one, I honestly did think to myself, "This is really amazing. I must be doing something right to be able to get this interview."

Is there one interview that you've done that left a bad taste in your mouth, or at least didn't quite meet your expectations?

I've had great experiences with just about all interviews I've done, but the one bad experience that truly sticks out in my mind is the interview with Korn bassist Fieldy. He was a total prick to me, and a racist one at that. That was easily my worst ever interview, and it turned me off so much that I vowed never to promote that band again.


What did Fieldy say to you?

Well, basically I asked him a very simple, and positive question about what effect Korn's 10-month hiatus in 2007 had on him in terms of the songwriting. And he said, "What the fuck are you talking about? We've been going non-stop. It must be called a hiatus in the part of the world you're from!

Not only that, there was another point in the interview when he was talking about his merchandise company, and suggested that I should try out the girl shirts they have in store.

He was just downright nasty to me. Never encountered anyone worse than him.

Ok. Gonna switch things up a bit here. Tell me about growing up in India and your exposure to music?

Growing up in India, I had absolutely no exposure to metal. Back when I was a kid, and even in high school, I had no internet at home, and music stores didn't carry anything other than Indian music and American pop music. There were no metal shows either. It was only in college, when I was doing my bachelors' degree, that I got introduced to metal, through my roommate at the time. He had an Iron Maiden Dance Of Death tape with him, and he was the first one through whom I first listened to Iron Maiden, still my favorite metal band. of course I was constantly exposed to Bollywood music when I was growing up, but lost interest in it once I discovered metal.

What genres do you listen to other than metal?

Other than hard rock and heavy metal, I do enjoy listening to jazz a lot. I can't think of any other genres I am fond of. I despise pop, dance and rap, and any kind of music that's associated with those styles.

Aniruddh with Lemmy

Tell me about some positive interviews you have done.

Positive interviews ... there have been lots of those. My favorite interview so far is most definitely the Lemmy interview. He was incredibly funny, made me feel totally comfortable in his presence, and we struck up quite a connection right from the outset. I've interviewed Devin Townsend twice, and both of those have been really enjoyable for me. What stood out about the Devin interviews was the fact that he made it pretty clear that he enjoys talking to me. As an interviewer, that is the most reassuring and confidence-boosting thing you'd hope to hear from the musician you are interviewing.

Who were you maybe a bit leery about who absolutely gave a great interview?

I would cite the interview with Rex Brown and Vinny Appice at the Key Club in early 2011, a few minutes before they hit the stage for the first ever Kill Devil Hill gig. I didn't really know what to expect from those guys, but they gave me a very cool interview. Another one that comes to mind in this sort of category is the one I did with Mille Petrozza from Kreator in early 2010.

One thing I have noticed living here in the Midwest... Every once in awhile, I will read one of your interviews with somebody on the West Coast, and then will see them on a bill playing here in Des Moines the next week, or shortly thereafter. You mentioned Kill Devil Hill, I noticed that with them, as well as Gypsyhawk and Lazarus AD. Who are a few of the bands you have seen play that are a bit above the others in terms of talent, that haven't yet gotten the recognition they deserve?

Oh, there are lots of bands like that. You mentioned Lazarus A.D. and Gypsyhawk already. Holy Grail is at the top of my list when it comes to underrated bands, bands that deserve a bigger fan following. Danava is another one. So is Graveyard. Skeletonwitch also comes to mind. I can go on and on. Another great band I discovered recently is Los Angeles based rock 'n roll band The Shrine.

Even among the not-so-young bands, there are quite a few that should be way bigger than they currently are. Motorhead never got nearly enough recognition in the States. Death Angel is a criminally underrated band as well. The list is endless.

In your opinion, what is it about a band that seperates the great from the average?

In terms of the music, a band has to have something unique in their style. That's what attracts me the most. And that music should translate in the live setting. It's an absolute turn-off for me if a band sounds great on the studio albums but cannot pull it off live.

So is that something you keep in mind when reviewing an album?

Yes, absolutely. Plus, if I'm reviewing an album which happens to be the band's fourth or fifth album (or beyond), I look to see whether they've developed and progressed musically, and aren't simply repeating themselves based on a previously successful formula. The new Lamb Of God album is an example. While it's good music, I don't think the band has done anything new with their music.

Let's say you get to "know" a band and you really like them. Then they release an album that's not so hot. Are you able to be honest and say that their album sucks if that is the case, or do you find a way to sugar coat it? Do you have any examples of this?

Yes I'm totally able to be honest and say that the album isn't as good as I expected it to be. In fact, I'm that much harder on bands whom I'm a huge fan of, because I expect more from them. The latest Iron Maiden and Children Of Bodom albums also received very negative reviews from me, and I love both bands.

Speaking of Iron Maiden, you just attended NAMM in Anaheim last month where you met Nicko McBrain, amongst others. What's it like meeting somebody you are such a huge fan of?

Meeting and getting to talk to Nicko meant the whole world to me. That was the first time I was getting to meet a member of Iron Maiden. If not for them, Metal Assault wouldn't have existed. So they're a very important band for me, to say the least.

Aniruddh and Nicko McBrain

I read that you met Alan Parsons at NAMM. What was it like meeting him?

Meeting Alan Parsons was surreal. I could not believe it. Even more surreal was the fact that he was so incredibly nice to me, and was completely down to earth.

Any other meetings that stick out in your mind?

As for meeting musicians, Lemmy yet again sticks out in my mind. But the first band I ever got to meet, believe it or not, was Metallica. So that will always remain a special memory to me. I was very, very nervous going into that meet n' greet, and the manner in which I was able to handle my conversations with the likes of James Hetfield gave me the confidence to approach musicians at shows from that point on, and I think it the confidence built from that Metallica encounter played a major role in my becoming an interviewer eventually.

So you are back in India. What now? Are you going to continue to write for Metal Assault?

Yes absolutely. The hard work done over the past 2 years cannot suddenly be undone. So yes, Metal Assault will continue. From my end, I will continue with the album reviews, and interviews via email, phone and Skype. In LA, I'll have my writers and photographers cover shows for me.

And of course, now I'm really excited to start discovering the Indian metal scene. It's a lot better than you'd imagine, and I want to show that to Metal Assault readers.

And you are there on the ground floor to see it, in it's infancy. Awesome. The Indian metal scene is lucky to have you Andrew. Thank you so much for your time.

It's been a pleasure, man. Thanks for having me on your blog!

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Links:

Metal Assault

Full Metal Rock

ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS- THE DAY THE EARTH MET... (SMOG VEIL RECORDS)

Ok everybody, gather 'round cause it's time to talk about a classic. Unknown and unheard of by many true, but this thing is a pure classic just the same. Yeah, I know some of you wanna hear about the new, the recent, and the up 'n' coming. Well there's plenty of time fer that, but it ain't just about spewing wordage on the stuff that's new, it's about putting stuff front and center that has not been shouted about from the rooftops.(Or at least not shouted about enough). What we're about here is putting out the gospel of rock 'n' roll, be it new, old, or extra-dimensional.

What we're are talking about right now is truly an object of power. A focal point of such extreme cosmic energy it could only be wielded by those in touch with the primordial fire. This is the sound of the Ubermensch. Don't believe me. Well it's out there to be had and heard, or rather felt and experienced. All you have to do adventurer, is pull the sword from the stone. The stuff on this record comes from 1975, a collection of rehearsals and live stuff from a band who were destined to be heavy hitters if maybe they only could have made a record. Listen, this band is as vital as any you care to mention. as vital as The Stooges? Yep. The Velvet Underground? Uh-huh. The New York Dolls? Absolutely. Dictators, Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer, Led Zep,whoever you wanna name, these guys could stand toe to toe with 'em.

This is the real deal folks. Heavy metal filtered through punk and powered with all the thunder and blast of the Norse pantheon of gods. Heavy metal in the sense of what that term used to mean: Loud, hard and heavy music that was fun to play and to listen to. Back when it meant blazing and raging sound, before the term was pilfered, over processed, co-opted, sanitized, and neutered to the point where a simpering man-puss like Bret Michaels could be considered a rock n roller; and a bunch of whiny pussies are the new purveyors of heavy music; all so it can be sold to the lowest common denominator, because that's how all those soulless zombies with their marketing degrees that have taken it all over roll. Every song on here is a winner. From the first second that you start playing this thing it grabs you. You hear the riffs and you feel it. Like all really great rock 'n' roll, this thing awakens the paleolithic man inside. I think Julian Cope, when talking about their song "What Love Is", said something about Viking warfare. Yeah, but I would say pretty much their entire approach to making music was Viking warfare.

The dual guitar attack of Peter Laughner and Gene O' Conner is as thick and pounding as a brick building falling on your back and as searing as a face full of hot grease. Dave Thomas' (aka Crocus Behemoth) vocals are as intense and urgent as a city block burning to the ground. Craig Bell on bass and vocals and Johnny Blitz round out this line up of the band. Rocket From The Tombs had several incarnations (even a comedy version I've heard) until they finally splintered off into both Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys. Some of the songs made famous(?) by those bands can be heard here in early incarnations, stuff like "Sonic Reducer" "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" "Final Solution" and others. There's also covers of The Stooges and Velvets among this collection of songs. This is definitely a weapon that you need in your arsenal the next time you need to rage against the powers. Seriously, if you can't pick up what these guys are laying down, then you deserve commercial rock radio.

Exhumed-The Roxy,Hollywood CA, 2/11/12

After California Discord Fest got raided, Exhumed hasn't played an all ages venue since September,so I still hadn't seen them. I had already paid $30 to see 'em,but I didn't due to the police. Just my luck Scion hooked me up with a free show. Like the last 2 scion shows (which I missed) they are now doing it by record labels. This one had to be Relapse Records. Only one band I loved who where in it played,but I wont complain for a free show.

    First band was Royal Thunder. Female fronted Doom Metal. I never really gave Doom Metal a chance so I wasn't sure what to expect. They started of really slow,and loud. The bass made me legs shiver and my ears hurt. After a while they played more of a Rock N Roll sound which was kind of cool. Ok way to start a show. Doom/Sludge head will like. A-ok.

The next band I was new to was Tombs. I thought they were a Sludge band  but they mixed it with Post-Metal/Black Metal. I was really impressed by this band. Vocals were sick,drums where pounding heard,guitar riffs where badass. I really need to get some of their discography. Deafheaven/Trap Them where bands that came to mind. I need to see 'em again.

Technical Death/Thrash metal band Revocation was next. Ive heard good stuff about em. Thrashers got all crazy as soon as they started. People pushed and the pit broke out. They reminded me of Havok with better musician's(meh) . They also had nerdy lyrics. Pretty cool band. Both guitar players and bass sung. Great vocals. If your into stuff from Warbringer or Obscura you'll love em.Probably the 2nd best band that played that night.

Black Tusk was the final opener. Sludge metal with the beards and the tattoos. First song was pretty cool cause he kept shouting "Six Six Six". Rest of the set was bleh. As always I apologize to the Sludge fans.

Finally after 3 fails,I finally got to see GoreGrind/Death Metal. Exhumed. Everyone started screaming. They came out with their brutal vocals. Kids started to jump on stage. They started off with some new songs like As Hammer To Anvil and such. After the bouncers started to throw kids off stage they did some old songs like "Limb From Limb" and "Casket Crusher"and their most known song "Matter Of Splatter". They were great the crowd by talking to them and giving us high fives. Some Zombie guy came off  stage to throw fake blood from decapitated head. After being pushed all over and screaming my lungs off,show was over. Hopefully ill see em soon. They were amazing. I recommend them to fans of Carcass,Cannibal Corpse,and even Slayer. The album "Gore Metal" is a true great Metal album. 

Aquamarine Dream Machine Battles for Wakarusa

Editor's note: Last night I met with two local musicians, Aaron Lea of Cirrus Minor, and Richard Way of Aquamarine Dream Machine to talk about two battle of the bands competitions that are coming up in the next couple of weeks. They are both scheduled at Vaudeville Mews in downtown Des Moines, one this week (Thursday) and one next (Saturday February 18th). Each one will send the winner to a popular summer music festival, a true lifetime event in terms of playing on a major stage. Aquamarine Dream Machine is hoping to win a spot at the Wakarusa festival in Arkansas, and Cirrus Minor a spot at Illinois's Summer Camp. Next week I will cover Cirrus Minor's bid, and this week Aquamarine's.

The Vaudeville Mews in downtown Des Moines will be hosting the first contest on Thursday night. The winner will get the chance of a lifetime, an invitation to perform at the 2012 version of the Wakarusa Music Festival that takes place in Bigfoot country, just up the road from Ozark, Arkansas on the majestic Mulberry Mountain. It would be great exposure for a local band to play at this event which annually draws around 15,000 music fans from all over the world. This year's lineup will feature the likes of Primus, Bob Weir, Matisyahu, The Avett Bros., Prairie Lights, and Split Lip Rayfield, amongst many others. It is a four day party beginning on Thursday, May 31st, that lasts throughout the weekend. Camping is available.

Last night I met with Richard Way, the drummer for Aquamarine Dream Machine which is one of the bands that will be vying for this spot. I have seen Aquamarine play several times and I've gotten to know them as friends. Whether it's Daniel Wipf's guitar wizardry, Justin Kurtz's effortless bass playing, Joe Antelman's funky keyboard grooves, or Rich Way's Bonzo-style drumming, each time I have seen Aquamarine I have been blown away by the subtle intensity that this band creates. And, with the addition of Erik Brown and his magic trumpet, it's enough to tip the scales of aural delirium.

Call it progressive rock, or psychedelia, or whatever you want, but this is yet another band that hails from the Des Moines scene who's music defies categorization.

When I asked Rich how he would describe the band's sound, the term he used was "Light Haze Rage."

"Huh?" I said in response to his seemingly premeditated answer.

"Light-Rage, with Haze in the middle." he explained to me as he swallowed a mouthful of whiskey and coke. "It's not Rage, because it's Light, which means it's weak, not to mention there's Haze in there. Haha! It doesn't have a true impact. Maybe it's a group thing that doesn't require much attention at shows and allows an "in a moment thing" hangout I'm usually against... Like total background noise, but I'm not into it! I like thinking and, expanding my mind...  Remember though, this isn't to imply I'm into direct, mechanical focus, because that halts creativity in my opinion."

Rich then took another drink of his cocktail, while eyeing me surreptitiously. Correctly he sensed that I was still absorbing this concept.

He continued. "It's uppers, downers, screamers, walk-abouts, meditations, inspiration, visions,...you know the ground I'm covering here...You can't physically deal with ALL of them everyday. However, bands create molecular drugs that you get into your ears all night, also allowing you to function at the end. I'm not pro-drugs, or anti-drugs... Be responsible. Do your research, hippie... But if you understand drugs, use them, know people who use them, or like the idea of them, then turn to music. Hell, think of all the crap jazz bands went through because of the ear drugs it gave the stiffs WELL before death metal! "Burn the witch with new wisdom!" they shouted, in more of an uneducated manner."

It made perfect sense to me at that point. And, based off the times I have watched them play, I knew exactly what he was talking about. Listening to Aquamarine Dream Machine is the equivalent of a mental tongue twister. While the guys in the band might actually be sober themselves (they are not about excess while on stage), they are putting out a sound that cracks a proverbial hand grenade inside your brain... It's absolutely mind altering. If it is something that could be captured and capsuled inside a pill, it would immediately be commissioned by the state and made an illegal substance.

Light Haze Rage... Didn't know there was a name for it. Now I do. Rich sure has a way of clarifying things.

"We have a nice edge that a lot of jam bands don't," He continued. "Aquamarine Dream Machine, for me, defines that. We have dream inside of waves, we have the toughness and edge like a marine, and we're a machine because we refuse to let the trash out there bury us when we have great music to share, regional or not."

Like hypnotists, they put you in a trance
(Photo by Sarah Cartwright)

I get his point.. Aquamarine Dream Machine is a band that will literally sneak up on you. Dan and Justin are so smooth with their style that it seems that they play their instruments without the burden of effort. Like a hypnotist, you  are put into a trance. Then, when you are comfortably floating through the cosmic seas of mental beatitude, they suddenly jack it up a notch, and suddenly you are fixated on the individual sounds of each performer. It's jaw dropping, especially when Dan goes off on one of his extended guitar solos. While Justin and Dan take turns punching you in the nose, Joe and Erik seep into your ears like an electronic waterfall which ebbs and flows against your conscience. Richard's drumming is the pounding wave that causes this give and take, relentlessly drawing itself into you as it takes you out to sea.

The name is perfect. Together on stage they truly are a cosmic dream machine.

The battle of the band works like this. When you come in the door, you are given a raffle-style ticket, which you hold onto until you deem it reverent to place in an envelope, each one marked with a different band's name. At the end of the night the envelope which holds the most tickets is the winner. The idea from a band's standpoint is to be the name on that envelope. The Bigfoot Diaries is endorsing Aquamarine Dream Machine.

"Playing Wakarusa would be a giant step for me." Richard explained. "I'm the Tour-craving-freak in the band. Playing another huge show, not to mention sharing the stage with Primus and other major acts, would be excellent. As long as the sound guy gets some guidance and does his job during this opportunity, I have full confidence the audience will translate a strong, insightful vibe that they can grow with just as other major acts have. ADM let's my underground roots get 'chanty' on the drums to bring the fire to the tribe. Playing at night, with this band, with people prepared for an outdoor experience, is the perfect environment.

"So if you win, are you going to schedule other gigs in the area?" I ask.

"That's a great question the band needs to stay on top of." said Richard after a pause. "The legendary Uncle Michael Parker recently moved and lives about 10 miles from the festival grounds. He contacted us before we even mentioned Wakarusa. A couple venues already want us down there asap. It'd be great to play to the locals that really want us there, and are probably going to see us if we play the huge stage as well. I like the idea of it being back to back. More personal, outdoors with a lot of land, and more natural."

Rich Way and his Bonzo style of drumming
(Photo by Sarah Cartwright)

Rich has offered a cool little package exclusively for Bigfoot readers. If you have managed to make it this far into the article, your indulgence shall be rewarded. The first person to leave a comment with the words, "Light," "Haze," and "Rage" as words in a complete sentence will get a free ADM T-shirt, and a free pass to the show Thursday, assuming that you are in the proximity to get there.

Otherwise please come out to Vaudeville on Thursday night and support Aquamarine Dream Machine. They are scheduled to play last behind four other bands.Whether they win or lose, it would be nice to see them get your representation. Your ears and your brain will definitely thank you for it Friday morning.

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If you enjoyed this story you might enjoy these links:

Wakarusa Official Site

Aquamarine Dream Machine's Reverb Nation page

Cirrus Minor's Reverb Nation page