in a bigger city? Being in a band, I mean.

hmmm,

I've lived in Nashville and Atlanta, and it was harder in both cities to get gigs, there was more of a "fuck that band" sort of attitude by bands towards other bands, and, believe it or not, there seemed to be less original things going on and more bands that wanted to ride the wave of the current popular sound to be the next big thing. There seem to be more people playing music in this city because they love it and do not think of being the next bing thing than other places I've been. Being a music lover, however, is a bit different. There are much fewer touring bands that come through, and after touring bands play here they sometimes don't come back because of bad turnout or shitty pay or some other reason. I70 and I10 get much more touring action than I40.

But, I guess if I think further, "better" compared in which ways? As for ways Albuquerque is better-- Chances to get signed... no. Chances to get paid more... no. Chances to play a show... probably yes. More of a sense of community... in my experience yes. More of a chance to open for a band you like... probably yes. Pissing off someone in the "music scene" and having nearly everyone know about it... most certainly yes. More 'experimental music', which is more of what I'm interested in... yes, so far. Better?... for me, yes.

quote:

Originally posted by boomhead:
in a bigger city? Being in a band, I mean.

I don't really get what's particularly hard about being in a band. Do you mean would it be easier to "make it" in a bigger city? No. Move to Austin or Portland and see how many more really good bands there are and then you'll see how much harder it is to stand out. It's relatively easy here in Albuquerque.

better = more fun? more venues? more opportunities? more musicians to know? better bands? better dough?
not "making it"

it'd be nicer if there were big cities nearby. Getting out of town is a haul; our isolation is the hard part more than size.

If you were in, say, madison wisconsin, you could go to milwaukee, minneapolis, chicago, des moines, indianapolis, etc all in the time it takes us to reach our state's border. you could be in detroit, cleveland, st.louis, kansas city by the time it would take us to get to Denver. It'd be awesome to have more than a handful of choices that each take a full day.

Our economy could be better too, and more water. But I think people get along well and support each other for the most part, especially reletive to other places I've been where everyone hates each other and competition is thick

I've talked to plenty of touring bands coming through, and dozens of people who did split town, and reports are mixed. Very few "scenes" have boosters, but people are often happier, usually with touring situations, and also with things that big towns offer like good public transport.

quote:

If you were in, say, madison wisconsin, you could go to milwaukee, minneapolis, chicago, des moines, indianapolis, etc all in the time it takes us to reach our state's border. you could be in detroit, cleveland, st.louis, kansas city by the time it would take us to get to Denver. It'd be awesome to have more than a handful of choices that each take a full day.

well put. we live on an island

I like Albuquerque just fine - good clubs, good peeps, good bands, and very little interband/interscene sniping going on.

I lack the mathematical skills to properly illustrate just how small of a chance anyone, especially myself, has of being successful at music as a career anywhere. Still, if I wanted to "make it," I'd be outta here faster than a roadrunner on crack, but I love our little "island" & wouldn't dream of leaving.

bands that are serious about making music a career promote the hell out of themselves all day, everyday. And no, I'm not just referring to adding friends on myspace or sending comments to people. Touring, press, making records, and seeking college radio/mp3 blog play are all part of promoting a band.

So, I'd say it doesn't matter where you live. Even if you don't have talent, all you need is a crazy-obsessive drive to get your stuff heard by as many people as possible.

I'm excited about moving to Portland because every band that tours plays there. It's been too long since I've seen a live show that inspired me.

you guys are moving to portland???

i dig it here. we got to open for Spectrum. as in, pete k from spacemen 3. we got to hang out with him afterwards. in fact, if my memory is correct, we were asked to join the bill. even better. there's no fucking way that would happen in a bigger city. that being said, fuck bigger cities. that was one of the coolest band related moments in my life. i'll never forget it.

Myself and my girlfriend are. She just finished her PhD and has to do a post-doc elsewhere. I'm just tagging along as her deadbeat, musician boyfriend.

let us know when your studio is set up, terry. we dug recording with you, sir. plus that's just another excuse to vacation in portland and be productive at the same time.

life in a band in a city like albuquerque is easier. easier to make friends, easier to get shows, easier to do a lot of things. cherry tempo definitely got to open for a lot of amazing bands that we'd never get to play with if we lived somewhere like austin.

however... living in a big city is unparalleled in terms of show going. it's not a question of finding shows to go to, it's a question of deciding which shows NOT to go to, b/c you just can't afford to go to all the good ones, and often there's more than one good show every night of the week. it sucks to look at tour schedules and to see "Phoenix, AZ" then a day missing then "Austin, TX" over and over and over again. even if you try and get some of those bands shows on those days off, you're often met with "we're using that day to drive." yes, we do get good shows, and we certainly get more than some other places... but terry's right, in a city like portland you'll get at least 75% more touring band activity. that's accurate math.

quote:

i dig it here. we got to open for Spectrum. as in, pete k from spacemen 3. we got to hang out with him afterwards. in fact, if my memory is correct, we were asked to join the bill. even better. there's no fucking way that would happen in a bigger city. that being said, fuck bigger cities. that was one of the coolest band related moments in my life. i'll never forget it.

I was gonna say that.... we have had the opportunity to open for lots of my favorite bands when they've played in Albuquerque and it's easier to buy a shot or hang out with the bands than it would be in big cities (they'd be in the "green room")

The scene here is pretty good. Places I've lived before there was no scene... none. You had no chance of playing unless you were in a cover band. I think we all have it pretty good here and we shouldn't take it for granted. People are nice, bands/clubs are supportive, pretty much anyone can get a show. Hell, we opened for Weedeater our FIRST show... pretty cool. That wouldn't have happened in Philly.

I'm going to move to a magical land where my music sounds better.

Albuquerque does have its benefits. I think if I were to move to another city it would be nice to have the opportunity to play with a new group of musicians. Here it seems like I pretty much know and have played with all the people that are musically like-minded and want to do the same things I do.

I've been trying to start a new band for months now and can't find anyone that fits. It sucks..I doubt I'd be having this problem in another city.

But you guys are right - as far as opening for great bands this is the place to be (as long as you can get those great bands to actually come here).

I'm keeping an eye on Nick Brown's travel itinerary.

I went to see Girl in a Coma last night at the Tonic Lounge in Portland and the one thing that really bothered me is that the door person asked each patron which band they had come to see. I know LA venues do this a lot, but I'd never encountered it in other places. I think it's great nothing of the sort happens in the ABQ.

quote:

Originally posted by terryb:
...I think it's great nothing of the sort happens in the ABQ.

it used to at golden west.

quote:

Originally posted by terryb:
I know LA venues do this a lot, but I'd never encountered it in other places. I think it's great nothing of the sort happens in the ABQ.

Actually...

Golden West did that before they burned down the Launchpad.

They had a door guy sit there and ask everyone which band they were there to see. Then if you had a shitty turnout they would harass you a little. Good times.