Here's something you might be interested in.
Two years after setting himself to the task, one-man band Toothless George is nearing completion on his book Band Together: The Definitive Entry Level Guide to Forming a Rock Band.
The 200 page opus includes advice from prominent voices in the music industry, including record label owners, music venue employees, recording and live sound engineers, and members of The Ramones, Danzig, The Dead Milkmen, The Distillers, The Unseen, Screeching Weasel, The Dwarves, Downspell, The Angry Somoans, Turbo A.C.s, and others.
“It has nothing to do with marketing or getting famous,” Toothless George told The Reader in October.
“It has everything to do with being a team — walking into a club at the lowest level and understanding what’s expected of you. A lot of young bands want to be famous, tour in a jet, all of that. They go after that goal and fizzle out ahead of their time. I’m writing this book to give them the foundation they need to succeed. I still see bands on the national level making the same mistakes, like walking around the club all cocky. Ten people came to see you. Shut it.”
To cover printing costs, Toothless George has initiated a campaign to raise $5,000 ($1,932 of which has been supplied as of this writing) by Monday, July 16 at 11:59pm.
Incentives to contribute include CDs, buttons, signed copies of the book, a hand-drawn portrait of you in the book, a house show, and a guest appearance from Toothless George on your album.
Toothless George is a former pro skateboarder and is best known musically for his involvement with The Halflings and The Percocettes.
He is also the author of the “Revenge Tactics” column in Wonka Vision Magazine and the novel Angel of the Aegean.
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/20/26566/
From the foreword:
Band Together is the only book that focuses exclusively on building a rock solid foundation for a rock band.
Other books only feed bands pipe dreams of becoming famous, or claim to teach them how to get signed to a major record label.
The problem is, without an understanding of the very basics, most bands will fail when they attempt to pursue goals they are not yet prepared to achieve.
There is no short cut. This is Level One.
This book is not just for the first-timers. I constantly see bands, that have been playing for years, making tons of mistakes.
If you are already making millions of dollars playing music, you can probably buy a different book; but if you're not, there is still plenty for you to learn within these pages.
When I started my very first band, I had no idea what I was doing.
I had no clear goals, and made a lot of bad decisions due to my lack of experience.
I had no mentors to guide me, or offer advice.
I just did what I thought I was supposed to do.
Some decisions were right; others were dead wrong.
Some of you might know who I am, but most of you probably won't.
I'm not some famous rock star.
I'm just a guy in a band.
So, why should you listen to my advice?
I am the guy that has made almost every single mistake you can possibly make.
I've learned from them, and now wish to pass along the information I have learned, so you don't end up making the same mistakes.
This book is the accumulation of years of knowledge- knowledge I wish I had when I first started. I really hope this helps.
Two years after setting himself to the task, one-man band Toothless George is nearing completion on his book Band Together: The Definitive Entry Level Guide to Forming a Rock Band.
The 200 page opus includes advice from prominent voices in the music industry, including record label owners, music venue employees, recording and live sound engineers, and members of The Ramones, Danzig, The Dead Milkmen, The Distillers, The Unseen, Screeching Weasel, The Dwarves, Downspell, The Angry Somoans, Turbo A.C.s, and others.
“It has nothing to do with marketing or getting famous,” Toothless George told The Reader in October.
“It has everything to do with being a team — walking into a club at the lowest level and understanding what’s expected of you. A lot of young bands want to be famous, tour in a jet, all of that. They go after that goal and fizzle out ahead of their time. I’m writing this book to give them the foundation they need to succeed. I still see bands on the national level making the same mistakes, like walking around the club all cocky. Ten people came to see you. Shut it.”
To cover printing costs, Toothless George has initiated a campaign to raise $5,000 ($1,932 of which has been supplied as of this writing) by Monday, July 16 at 11:59pm.
Incentives to contribute include CDs, buttons, signed copies of the book, a hand-drawn portrait of you in the book, a house show, and a guest appearance from Toothless George on your album.
Toothless George is a former pro skateboarder and is best known musically for his involvement with The Halflings and The Percocettes.
He is also the author of the “Revenge Tactics” column in Wonka Vision Magazine and the novel Angel of the Aegean.
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/jun/20/26566/
From the foreword:
Band Together is the only book that focuses exclusively on building a rock solid foundation for a rock band.
Other books only feed bands pipe dreams of becoming famous, or claim to teach them how to get signed to a major record label.
The problem is, without an understanding of the very basics, most bands will fail when they attempt to pursue goals they are not yet prepared to achieve.
There is no short cut. This is Level One.
This book is not just for the first-timers. I constantly see bands, that have been playing for years, making tons of mistakes.
If you are already making millions of dollars playing music, you can probably buy a different book; but if you're not, there is still plenty for you to learn within these pages.
When I started my very first band, I had no idea what I was doing.
I had no clear goals, and made a lot of bad decisions due to my lack of experience.
I had no mentors to guide me, or offer advice.
I just did what I thought I was supposed to do.
Some decisions were right; others were dead wrong.
Some of you might know who I am, but most of you probably won't.
I'm not some famous rock star.
I'm just a guy in a band.
So, why should you listen to my advice?
I am the guy that has made almost every single mistake you can possibly make.
I've learned from them, and now wish to pass along the information I have learned, so you don't end up making the same mistakes.
This book is the accumulation of years of knowledge- knowledge I wish I had when I first started. I really hope this helps.