What We’ve Learned: Wrapping Up with Erin, Caitie, & Gerard
We hope you’ve enjoyed this series of “How to Get Involved in Your Local Music Industry” with Erin, Caitie, and Gerard! All three of them have countless stories they could share (and have on their various podcasts!) but they narrowed it down to two each of their biggest lessons learned from their own experiences! Want to see more of these series? Tell us what you think!
Caitie:
I wanted to share two stories that I thought would inspire you, and also help enlighten you as to what you can experience at an open mic night. Some good, and some not so good.
Just a few months ago, I hosted an open mic night in my hometown of Delaware, OH. Quite a few of my friends and acquaintances showed up, and a bunch of new faces I’d never met. Before I knew it, six of us were on stage calling out songs, random progressions to jam on and having the time of our lives. The best part for me was actually when I stepped off the stage, and let everyone else go for it. None of these players had ever jammed together before, but after one song they were a well oiled machine. Vocalists were taking turns, guitar players were trading solos, and everyone was smiling. A really good friend of mine came up to me and said “Man, this is what it’s about. Everyone up there just met, and now they’re all best friends, and they sound amazing. I bet a band will form out of this.” I don’t know if a band formed or not, but at that moment I saw a group of people from all walks of life come together and make music that had the entire bar dancing and singing. It was nirvana, and we all achieved it together at the same time.
Not every open mic experience is that cool, unfortunately. One of the least favorite experiences I’ve ever had was while I was running a show, and I had quite a few players signed up. There was one particular player that kept getting on the stage (while others were playing solo). Which typically wouldn’t have been an issue, but this individual was playing very loudly, and not paying attention to the other players. It was quite disrespectful, and rude. When they were asked to leave the stage, they became irate, and belligerent. As someone who hosts open mics often, I can tell you that nothing makes a host’s job harder than someone who isn’t willing to listen to the other musicians, and be a part of a team. If you’re going to an open mic, and you want the stage to yourself, that’s perfectly fine. Just wait your turn, and tell the host you’d rather play by yourself. Don’t get on stage with other players if you intend on drowning them out. It’s not professional, makes you look rather inexperienced, and in the end will result in no one wanting to play with you. You don’t make relationships by being a showboat, or a glory hound. If you can show people that you’re a good player, and easy to work with, they’re more likely to reach out and ask you to play with them. BE HUMBLE. Be kind. Be professional. I cannot stress this enough.
Erin:
In my time in Nashville, I have played many different versions of “shows.” From acoustic solo shows, to writer’s rounds, to full band, you name it! Playing at a variety of different venues also comes with the territory, here are two of my favorite stories of mistakes I’ve made so you don’t have to, and lessons learned!
When I first graduated from Belmont back in 2012, I could play guitar well enough to know what chord I wanted but not well enough to play in front of people. Well, as you can imagine, any time I wanted to play a show, I had to hire someone. I appreciated them but it got expensive, quickly, especially when the shows themselves didn’t pay at all! Finally, in 2019, after gaining a significant amount of confidence in my own playing, I swore I wasn’t ever going to do an acoustic show not playing for myself if I couldn’t help it! Enter, my friend Russ Lacasse, who had a regular writer’s round of Friday nights at Belcourt Taps in Nashville. I submitted myself to play and got a slot! Now typically at these Friday night rounds, you were given 3-4 song slots. I decided I was going to prepare 6 just in case one of them didn’t feel right to play in the moment (can’t have too many sad songs back to back, you don’t want to depress your crowd!) Well, turns out the 3rd songwriter never showed up so, I had to play ALL SIX SONGS. It was the first time I had ever played my single “Millie” live, which at the time was the most difficult one for me but thank goodness I practiced!! Not only was the crowd FULL but the whole show was also being live streamed, and broadcast on the radio! Lesson learned: always practice & always be prepared for ANYTHING!
This brings me to my next point of relationship building. You really do never know who you’re going to be sharing the stage with, who’s in the audience, or who knows who! The thing about Nashville is that it’s a big small town, and the more people you meet, the more you’ll learn that. I’ve seen this happen time and time again; however, there was one instance that wasn’t even at an open mic or writer's round. It was actually at my first job.
(Keep in mind, I’m going to keep this as vague as possible because, again, Nashville is a small town.)
A new coworker had just come on to help with some administrative duties and was given a client to contact on behalf of one of the owners. The owner was then contacted directly by the client and informed that, as long as the new coworker was working with the owner, the client would not feel comfortable working with the company as a whole. Turns out the new coworker had used the services of the client and not only never paid, but also completely ghosted them. Whether the new coworker was completely clueless as to what they were doing, or just didn’t care that they were blatantly ignoring the giant elephant they had brought into the room by contacting the client, is still unknown to this day. Unfortunately, the new coworker was let go immediately, and has since given up on their own musical journey because that bridge wasn’t the only one they had burned. Moral of the story is, word gets around fast in the music industry. So, to reiterate what Caitie said earlier, be kind, and make sure if anyone has anything to say about you, it’s positive!
Gerard:
My first lesson is a two-for-one deal, which I’m going to steal from my Perfect Your Pitch course. Being a good musician is not enough, and you have to make people care.
Worldwide, there are likely millions of people with enough musical ability to make a run at entering the industry at a professional level, if the desire and time commitment is there. While developing your musical skillset is certainly important in this industry, the way you make yourself stand out from the throngs of talented musicians out there is often what makes the difference between doing this for fun and doing this for a living.
Think of your favorite artist and what drew you to them. Chances are, you liked what you heard. Now, think about what made you stick around for long enough for that artist to become your favorite. Was it tied to a particular sound… or was it the way they presented themselves, told their story, and connected with you on a real human level? In entertainment, those who connect the best with their audience – and who continue finding new ways to do so – are the ones who endure across years, decades, and even generations.
My second lesson: Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.
There are plenty of ways to self-sabotage in this industry. Burning bridges, as Erin and Caitie noted above, is one way. However, you can also sink your chances to advance your career in the way you present yourself and your art.
Branding is important, and the storytelling that goes into it should be an accurate reflection of who you are not only as an artist, but as a human being. Moreover, it should present you in the most authentically flattering light possible.
In case you’re looking for an example of what not to do, I have one! Years ago, I received a submission email from an artist looking for us to review a new release at Lehigh Valley Underground in Pennsylvania (which would later move to Nashville and become Underground Music Collective). I was perfectly willing to check it out, until I got to the end of the email which read, and I quote, “I think it sounds OK. Sorry if it sucks.”
Something like that is the kiss of death for any reputable media outlet or industry tastemaker. By planting the seed that your music may not even be worth a listen, you guarantee that most tastemakers will readily pass you by. Always remember that anyone receiving music submissions is receiving them in great volume. To secure features and other opportunities, you must make your submission stand out – for the right reasons.