The following bands were in attendance:

• Espantapajaros
• The Bottom Four
• <Insert Name Here>
• I-45
• Wayside Drive
• Inner Lights
• Golden Cities
• Prairie Cadets
• THEM
• Winter Wallace
• Glasnost
• Reckless Endeavor
• Golden Narrow Holy Face
• Hollywood Floss
• Council Music
• Nosaprise
• Fat Tony

The session began late as printing of the ebooks took longer than expected (85 pages each!!!). Thanks to Jeremy Osborn of Wayside Drive for helping with the cover and the printing transport. Ebook copies went fast, the ones who came late had to share it and wait for it to be made available online (later today). We reviewed the process of booking a live show, beginning with two assumptions, 1) each band had prepared a digital toolbox of press, bio, pictures, media, stage setup to send to bookers or promoters as needed. 2) if the band had contacts or relationships with other bands or booker/promoters in desired cities, that would be the first place to start when booking a live show, aside from the following process. Then, we reviewed the planning steps for booking shows; selecting desired dates and targeting venues based on genre similarities and the size of venue.  Next we talked about the phone follow-up, the importance of writing out a script and remaining to-the-point and professional. For each of these steps we highlighted the specific sections of the ebook for the bands to refer to later.

During the discussion session, before getting down and contacting venues, several points were raised by Golden Cities, I-45 and Glasnost, three bands who have set up everything from their own shows to regional and national tours.

• Lance and Marcus of Golden Cities say: the most difficult thing is getting venues to reply. You have to understand and get over the fact that not everyone is going to reply to your email ever.
• Chuck of Glasnost recommends also having a standard contract for your band as part of your digital toolbox. Glasnost compiled theirs from several different examples available online. Here is an article from Music Biz Academy with several example contracts
• All bands agreed that asking for money can be the most difficult part and that the actual rate is completely negotiable and situational. It is not recommended to play for free though.

Additionally we had several members of the media in attendance:

• David Sadof
• Craig Hlavaty
• Marc Brubaker
• Adam Newton

The most rousing portion of the entire session was the discussion that ensued when Houston Press Music Writer Craig Hlavaty stood up and let bands know that they needed to take better advantage of the musical infrastructure that exists to help them:

• Music writers love to write about local bands, local bands seem to not understand this or take advantage of this opportunity
• Craig spends a ridiculous amount of time looking at venue and band sites to find out who is playing and when, because venues don’t list it themselves
• Local Bands need to be sending information about their upcoming shows to the music writers 1.5 weeks in advance of the show (minimum)
• Bands need to send: The cost of the show, the bands on the bill, the time and venue of the show
• Bands expressed a lack of knowledge on who their local music writers actually are (I have a two-part post for tomorrow and Wednesday opening this up for musicians)

With the ebook in hand bands were ready to start booking themselves live shows in and around Houston. We will be following up with each and every band to make sure that they actually work towards this and not sink into a hole of apathy. By discussing how these bands are using the ebook and leveraging community-based support every band in the Houston Music Community can begin to practice these career building steps.

More information about the next Bandcampus: SXSW PREP coming this week.

Check out some other press on this round of Bandcampus: BOOKING PARTY

• Houston Calling
• Houstonist
• Houston Examiner
• Space City Rock

Having aided Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis with Sound Opinions over the past years, I have fairly cemented views of the difference between a music critic and a music writer. They play vital but different roles in the health of a music scene though. The role of a critic is to dissect and comment on the state and art of music while attempting to maintain journalistic integrity. If I want careful analysis, contextualization and an attempt at an unbiased report, I’ll read a music critic. For a little lenience on grammar, rigid bias guidelines and the allowance for more word play and narrative structure in the genre (I miss Lester Bangs), I’ll read a music writer. Music writers focusing on the local scene can act as champions and cheerleaders as well as putting a constant thermometer to the heat of the community. Here in Houston we have both talented critics and entertaining music writers.

If you want to be a contributing member of a music community, you should be reading the press that is being written about that community and the music that it produces. Here’s your required reading list:

Chris Gray – Music Editor for the Houston Press. Writes several weekly pieces for the print version and the Rocks Off blog. Strongly believes in the current fertility of the Houston music scene and basically spends all of his time at shows. Check his post about 10 Things I Love About the Houston Music Scene.

Photo credit: Facebook.

John Nova Lomax – Former Music Editor for the Houston Press, now a staff writer, Lomax is the author of the HP cover story, Houston Has a Bad Reputation with Touring Bands, a piece that discusses the general state of disrepair of the local music scene.. While the idea of Bandcamp had been kicking around for awhile, we have to credit John as being the catalyst for getting to the planning of the event. Earlier this year John spoke with local bookers about who draws and how to ensure attendance at a show. Three items of note in that article, all that I plan to address in future posts:

1) Too many artists cannabalize their own draw by playing too often (not as part of a residency).
2) “…far too many bands think that pimping their shows on MySpace is sufficient promotion. It isn’t. It’s barely a start.”
3) Sideshow Tramps have demonstrated that residencies can be a successful endeavor for clubs.

Photo credit: Facebook.

Andrew Dansby – Houston Chronicle music writer. Covers mostly nationally based music issues and bands, which is standard for a paper as large as the Chron. I’m looking forward to having a nice discussion with him and trying to convince him and the Chronicle to shed more light on the local music scene for people who are looking for local music alternatives to Live Nation and Cynthia Woods productions.

David Cobb – Writes Houston Calling, previously hosted at another great blog, Done Waiting; between the two of them produces the best unofficial to-do list for SXSW every year.

Photo credit Heather Cobb

Jeff Balke – Writes Broken Record, a blog about the music industry from the perspective of a performing artist. Also plays in Orange Is In, a local band doing a respectable job of employing online social based networks, having an actual website, regularly utilizing Twitter and Facebook to promote events and goings on of the band.

Photo credit: Ed Schipul.

Adam Newton – Performs double duty as a contributor to Houstonist as well as his own music blog Dryve Tyme Onlyne.

Photo credit: Houstonist.

Matt Sonzala – Hiphop chronicler using Houston So Real as his platform to champion the scene. Unfortunately, he was so good that SXSW scooped him, he now lives in Austin and is slowly transitioning to Austin So Real.

Photo courtesy of Mark C. Austin.

Danny Mee – Extremely talented writer and one of the most verbally articulate and inspiring people I’ve had the pleasure to know in Houston. His album reviews spread over Houston Press and various local monthly mags are as pro as can be.

Photo credit: Myspace.