Good Bands Are Hard To Come By

They really are. When you find them though, you want to be supporting them or even better have them support you. The music business like any creative business, is a collaborative one. You will only succeed if you work with others. The best way to do that is to make friends at every gig you play. Those of us that have been in this game a while have played every type of gig there is. Every type can be thrown into one of two categories. Good and bad. Have you ever noticed the bad gigs are the ones where one or more of the people you're playing with don't want to know you? I don't see that as coincidence. I'd bet all the money in my pockets and your pockets, those same stuck up pricks have not, will not and will never get as far as they want. With the tour now officially announced and just over a month away, Van Rockman are looking for some great support acts. So what makes a great support act? For me it's one that challenges the headline act to bring out their A game. A great example of this was when a friends band of mine played a very important gig a few years back. The gig was promoted and organised by a fairly reputable rock radio DJ. This person was also managing the headline act. Now it was considered a fairly big deal to get this kind of gig. Everyone got a rider, fairly generous deal on the tickets etc. My friends band play. It is phenomenal. Whilst the other bands played like they were in a small venue, this band played like it was a headline slot at Glastonbury. Fantastic right? Not for the promoter. The promoter walked to these boys after with a face full of fury. Her words were along the lines of "How could you do that to them? These guys (the band she was managing) were really looking forward to tonight! You were only supposed to warm the crowd up!" The bullshit of that reaction aside, that support act is one I want supporting Van Rockman. Or one just like it. Headline acts can sometimes get cocky. As if no one can match how great they are. That is until some others come along and shake them from that arrogant complacency by setting fire to the stage. Bands like that will go far. Wouldn't you rather be friends with them?