A Look Back at the Old Days, Part III

It is around 2:30am and I just finished recording the vocals and piano parts for one of our new songs. I didn't expect everything, apart from the drums, to be recorded in one single night. Talk about productivity! The album is officially coming about!

In the meanwhile, here's a video of when the "Feu sound" was born, in mid 2007. I still remember coming up with this song out of boredom at school. What happened with it with the rest of the band afterwards was magic. Here is "Unstoppable" at its early stage. Wait until you hear the album version!

A Look Back at the Old Days, Part II

So, back in the "Seeking Pandora" days, which was what the band was called before "Feu", we used to be instrumental.

Here's a video of a performance at a Planned Famine dinner. This was probably the first time anyone heard us. Ever. And well... we had to start somewhere... No comment...

A Look Back at the Old Days, Part I

So I decided to share with you some old videos, one per blog, to show you the progress of what Christopher and I have come through.

Our first band was called Seeking Pandora. My senior year, I made a project... and a music video was made as part of it.

Enjoy! [Or even laugh if you want!]

Poll #1

I had a poll up for the past two weeks. Though it was well hidden all the way at the bottom of the site, ten people managed to answer it for me.


"What would you rather invest in when it comes to a local band?"

3 people said they'd go to their shows
1 person would buy their CD
1 person would buy their shirt
5 people would show their music around


Things turned out the way I expected them to. Lots of bands make CD's and spend so much money on making T-shirts, but I've realized people aren't so willing to buy them. Is it because they're not well known? Is it because it might be too expensive? Maybe a little bit of both.

When someone doesn't know a band, the only way for them to see first if they like them or not, would be either by seeing them live for the first time, or listening to their CD. Once they're hooked, the first thing they do is show around their music.

I thought about this, and it makes sense. I do that when it comes to even big bands. If I can't see them live, I go listen to them, then spread the word if I like it. It's only after I choose to buy their CD or not. And shirts... I personally only own one Muse shirt. That's it.

This is exactly why we're handing out CD's. Why would anyone PAY for something they've never heard.

This is exactly why I ended up giving out all of our T-shirts.

What's there to lose? If people don't like your CD, they just won't listen to it again. The whole point of having a demo is to see what people like. So no need to invest so much money into it. If you get response from the demo, you know you're doing well, if not then you have work to do.

As far as giving out the shirts, without knowing it, it spread the word about our band. Amazingly, people were wearing our shirts more than just once. That's because I didn't give them to random people, it was people I knew whom personally inquired about the shirt. They were our free walking advertisement and they willingly doing it. Bingo!

So, bottom line is to focus on the music. Simple. In the end, if you don't perform well live, you could say goodbye to the hope of having anyone come see you again. If you got that part down, don't invest too much in a demo, but do make sure it's the best you have on there. And work your way up from there.

More polls to come!

Finances and Budgetting, Part Two

A great way to earn some extra cash is to rent the equipment you've invested in. Not many people can afford that type of material, nor do they need them on a regular basis. It's a great way of making it pay for itself.

Couple nights ago, a friend of Nelson's needed speakers and mics for her signing party. She asked us last minute to show up there to provide live sound for her and her friends' performances. Not only we saved her big night, but we also made the money we needed to finally buy the rack.

A lesson from all of this and previous blog, never mix business and friendship. In other words, don't get personal when it comes to the band. Business is business, the rest should be dealt in private. We realized that money was not the real issue of the conflict, but mostly that it got personal instead. It's easy to overreact, but the big lesson is: never fight over money.

Finances and Budgetting

There is a current conflict in the band that gives me the opportunity to bring this topic.

For the sake of not point fingers at anyone in the band, for it isn't necessary to know who did what in order to learn from this, I will not use names. A, B, C, and D will represent all four members.

Let's face it, music in general is not cheap, especially when it comes to equipment. So it's really important to budget when it comes to making such big investments.

And it is in those kinds of situations you get to learn the real financial skills of each member. And sadly, the HARD way.

A, B, C, and D had made a deal concerning the purchase of a rack, and that within a month the money would be ready to do go through with the purchase.

A and B don't have a job. A had invested for most of the equipment so far back when he had two jobs, and feels like the rest should start pitching in. Though looking for jobs, no luck so far. He is already having trouble paying off credit from the equipment he bought earlier this year.

Lesson from A: never, ever, put something on credit if you don't have the exact amount of money to begin with. Don't buy something you don't have the money for. Easy rule that he had to learn the hard way. Never depend on the next paycheck either. If you get laid off... where is the cash supposed to come from?

C and D both have jobs. D has been investing in equipment and spending most of his cash for that. C got injured and couldn't work for 4 days. Yet, knowingly that the band really needs the rack and that his injury may push back the purchase of it, he goes out and buys a $100 jacket. When the band brings it up to him, he chooses to not take responsibility of his action and gets defensive about it instead.

Don't get me wrong, any member has his own financial freedom. But what is wrong with this picture? The fact that C disregards that one member is already in some sort of credit debt because of his financial miscalculations for the band? The fact that C doesn't look at the fact that D has been spending most of his cash for the band? The fact that C ended up not going through with the deal made with the band without giving heads up? Or that C can't recognize his lack of reasoning when coming to the jacket?

Lesson from C: you might have to put up with a member who won't make smart financial decisions. You need to be able to see it, and try to handle it the most mature way possible, which is not an easy task. Money isn't easy to handle, and sometimes you have to teach each other and learn from each other about financial responsibilities.

Is this whole situation a big deal? No, but nonetheless important. The rack could be bought in the long run some other time. But having a band is like having a job, you just can't blow it off without taking the necessary responsibilities.

It's actually an important problem to face now, rather than later down the road, and I'm glad we're actually going through this. It helps all of us reflect on ourselves and learn from all this.

Let's hope this dilemma gets handled properly, in adult manner.

Muse Hits #1 Billboard Charts

Finally! It's about time Muse gets what they deserve in the US.

I just checked, they hit #1 with their single "Uprising" on the "Alternative Songs" chart. Amen!

Check it out! Billboard

Now, the depressing part: I've been looking for the album, "The Resistance" and it appears absolutely nowhere. Let's hope in the upcoming weeks it will eventually pick up.

Local Artist: Bella Novela

After we had done playing our set at The Old Towne Pub in Pasadena on Thursday, we stayed a little after to check out the next band. It sure was worth it.

Before they started to play, I gave it a quick look. A [female] drummer, a guitar player, a bass player, and a vocalist behind a keyboard. I was intrigued already.

They started playing and we all knew we had a made a good choice to stay. Powerful vocals, cool guitar riffs, strong bass lines, and catchy beats. The dynamics of the performance really got to us.

I'll try to give an update, on which I'll give you the input of what the other band mates thought of Bella Novela.

In the meanwhile, you could check them out for yourself: Bella Novela

Backyard Gigs

Ah! Those don't quite get old.

What are backyard gigs? Simply 'concerts' held at a house, and though its name implies 'backyard' it may well be hosted in a garage, or who knows, a front yard too.

What are the advantages?

1. If you host the event, then you get to pick who plays, and who doesn't. If you're not hosting, you still know which bands or artists will be part of the event, and you get to choose whether to ask to be part of it, or not.

2. One of the biggest advantages would be that you get to expose yourself locally and get to meet the local people. Like I've said before, I'm not in a band to play for myself. I play for others. From the best friend who shows up to a total stranger that comes to a show; they are as important. By playing backyard gigs, it helps us remind them that. We're not here for us, we're here for you type of deal. So come on down at our house and let's have a good time.

3. You get to hang out after the show. Unlike at venues, where you are rushed in on stage to play, then rushed out to let the other bands play, you are in a more relaxed setting, where you get to put instruments aside if needed, and just hang out with everyone afterwards. Mingle time!

4. My most favorite: cost free! Most venues nowadays have a "pay to play" policy. You have to sell a number of tickets in order to play there; it usually translates into bands having to pay out of their pockets, for it is a difficult task to sell the amount of tickets required. And if you're hosting, you may choose to charge, which creates income.

What are the disadvantages?

1. Regulation. Who comes to your show? Who is responsible if something goes wrong? If you host an event, those questions are important to be answered. And even if you're not hosting, once something goes wrong and you're there, you never know what can happen.

2. Police. Ah yes! Let's not forget about them. If you're lucky enough to have neighbors that don't complain about the 'noise,' it might not be the case if there is underage drinkers at the event.

3. You have to provide your own live sound. If you don't have mics, and speakers to 'amplify' the musical experience, it might not be so attractive to the audience. That's why I have personally invested in a lot of 'live sound' equipment, which I will talk about in detail in future blogs. That's definitely one of the keys to our 'backyard gig' mini success; the live experience for the audience is good.

Old Towne Pub

Improvised and last minute shows are always fun.

About a month ago, I was on the band's MySpace and saw a bulletin from a pub asking for a band to play there. I messaged them and we got to play at the "Old Towne Pub" for free.

It's a tiny little place in the heart of Pasadena. It was quite hard to find at first, since it is located in the alleys, as opposed to the main streets. Once you get in, you find a bar onto your right, and a tiny stage in front of you. If you feel like relaxing outside, there's a patio outside where you could sit and enjoy your drink. It's a really chill place where I wouldn't mind going back to.

The first time we played there, there was a little problem as far as live sound, for the sound tech was being a bit difficult. Nonetheless we pulled a really fun show.

Apparently, the bartender that night was the sister of the owner. She told us she liked our music. It was definitely nice to hear that.

Just this week, Aaron, her brother and owner, contacted us, asking us to play there again on Thursday. And, well, it was just another fun show. This time, we got to run our own sound, and it came out really neat.

We'll let you know if we ever have another gig there. Definitely worth the trip there.

I've always looked down on MySpace for many things, but when it comes for local artists trying to find their place, I think it's a wonderful tool. Though we will probably soon won't be using as much once our website will be updated, MySpace has definitely helped us get to where we are.

Another thing is, never turn down a chance to play a gig; when you don't have to pay to play that is. Any gig is a chance of exposure, experience added in the bag, and in the end, just fun. You want also to make sure that you're always willing to make yourself available. It doesn't matter the place, the time you play, or if you can't bring anyone to the show with you, there's always new people you can meet. Always. And we sure did.

Review: Mute Math

Since I made a review on my previous blog about my top favorite band Muse, I figured I'd review Mute Math as well, for they are one of our favorite bands too, and as much influential as Muse to our music.

Mute Math came out with their second album entitled "Armistice." They also clearly have printed their own style in the music scene ever since their first album.

They've been getting the attention they deserved, ever since they came up with a cool and unique music video for their song "Typical," which got them a Grammy nomination last year.

After that, they got their single "Spotlight" on the Twilight soundtrack and have been getting a great boost from there.

Mute Math is amazing live. I saw them a couple years back, and their stamina on stage blew me away. It was a performance that I'll never forget. Maybe, the fact it was a small venue made an easier impact on the crowd, but sometimes that's what it is all about. In October, I will be making the comparison when I will go watch them in LA.

Going back to their new album, their style has grown also, and it's always fun to listen to it on a bad day. The vocals are much more powerful than the previous album, and there's a lot more piano than before. Great stuff. Check it out.

Review: Muse

Last night, the band, along with some friends, made a trip all the way in Hollywood, to go to the Amoeba records store on Sunset Blvd. Our most favorite band Muse, at least for Christopher and I, came out with their new album that day, "The Resistance" and we figured we should all get our own copy.

This is Muse's fifth album. Muse had created their own style in their four previous albums. Composed of Matthew Bellamy [guitar, piano and vocals], Dominic Howard [drums] and Chris Wolstenholme [bass], the trio had moved the music scene in Europe. Their songs "Time Is Running Out," "Hysteria," "Butterflies And Hurricanes," "Starlight," "Invicible," and "Newborn" are few of their most popular.

For the first time, they produced the album themselves. They wrote the songs, recorded them, mixed them, editing them, created the sounds, wrote parts for orchestra, etc... They did what we're trying to accomplish, except they have more, much more money, much more experience, much more people behind them, with excellent engineers and assistance.

I'm not too sure how the general public, or Muse fans as a matter of fact, reacted to the new album. There's a point where a band, even like Muse, needs to grow musically. And they did. Matthew's classical background led him to compose orchestral parts and a three piece symphony; pure musical genius.

Feedback

Feedback is an important key for us to be able to progress and move forward in our effort to accomplish a good album.

We've been getting a lot of good feedback about our pictures. It feels great to see all the preparations paid off.

Afterall, we're not writing music, spending hours of practices, hours of recording, hours to take pictures, to just end up playing to ourselves in our garage. We are doing this for everyone else, so everyone's opinion is golden to us.

Being open about criticism is important as well. The good and the bad. It's the only way to improve what you're doing. Being close minded could only make everything more difficult.

Now our focus will soly be on pre-production and recording the album.

Photoshoot Update

Here are the rest of the photoshopped pictures. There were about 200 pictures total. I'm glad we were able to keep it under 50. Thank god.

Photoshoot

What is the point of a photoshoot? Apart from having some cool pictures to show off all around?

We thought about it. We did not want to go out and just take random pictures, at random places, with random clothes, with random poses. Every aspect and detail is important.

We spent hours brainstorming ideas. First off, we had to decide what we wanted to portray through the pictures, and what theme we wanted, all of that within the idea of the album. We wrote every single idea down. You never know what could slip out of your mind.

Not only you have to think of the artist's stand point, you also have to think about the photographer. What kind of camera is being used? Will lighting be an issue? Day shots or night shots? Close up/portrait shots, or band shots? Will the colors of the surroundings be a problem? Will we have to rely on photoshop? I'm no photographer, but you have to think and take into consideration little details like that.

Last but not least, after picking where to do the shoot, you have to make sure everyone can make it on the same day. Quite banal you might think, but little did we know there was a misunderstanding on what the exact date of the shoot and we had to reschedule last minute. Even when you try to be organized, the simplest thing can go wrong.

Anyways, after a good and long morning spent walking around taking pictures, we know all the preparation for the shoot paid off. We wanted to do something that looked professional for as cheap as possible. You be the judge. Here's a little preview.

Who is Feu?

Before getting into details with what the band is doing, here is a little bit about who Feu is.

Feu originally started back in April of 2007.  Chris, the guitarist, and I, piano and vocals, had put together a band, but when things didn't quite work out musically speaking, and within the band itself, we chose to start something new.  I bumped into a drummer at school and that's when we started the band, Feu.

By the end of 2007, we all parted our own ways to focus on other things, and try new things out as well.

After a long year of hiatus, Chris and I decided to get back together and work on some of our old songs. After many months of playing gigs with just the two of us, we've finally completed the band over this summer [2009].  Eddie joined us as our bass player, and Nelson got behind a drumset for us.

We recorded a 7 song EP [which stands for Extended Play] before summer and we are now looking into recording a full length album which we hope to finish by the end of winter.  I'll take you through the process of making the album and show you the behind the scenes of it all.

You can check out our music on www.myspace.com/feuband or www.feuband.com

You can also find us on Facebook.

Here's a video a friend of mine made one day, after going to one of our practices, back when it was only Christopher and I.

Introduction

Hello!

For the sake of a first blog, I decided to briefly describe what exactly I will be blogging here about.

My main focus will be taking you behind the scene of Feu, my own band, to show you the world of music, its art and business, from our point of view.  From how to self produce an album, to how we write songs, going through how to set up our own live shows, all the way to how to handle the music business aspects of things.  

Running a band is not such an easy task as anyone think it would be.  It takes a lot of organization, a lot of work, a lot of compromise, and a whole lot of dedication.

On the side, I will also briefly talk about other artists, whether they are independent just like us, or whether they're professional and accomplishing their dreams.

I hope you will be able to learn something from all of this, whether you are a musician or not.

-Jeremy