Musicians rightfully focus most of their energy on making great music. While this is the core of the game, it's not the whole game. A quarterback who can run like the wind and throw with the accuracy of a Raytheon missile will still not get a college scholarship or signed to the pros if he shows up late and drunk for practice and stands around on the field talking on his cell phone. The same goes for the band. Let your venues, agents, manager and fans know you are serious by presenting yourself in a professional and businesslike manner. Save the debauchery until the show is done, the check is in hand, and the instruments and gear is back safely in the van/bus/limo.
--Double check the date and time of your gig. Triple check it. Check it in the paper and online calendar listings as well. I can't count the number of times we were told we were starting at 8, we checked and were told again we were starting at 8, we put 8 on our posters, then got to the gig at 7 to set up and discovered a mess of folks waiting around for us to start because the paper had it listed at 7.
--Clarify the financial and logistical terms of the gig in a businesslike, professional conversation in which you stress that you want to confirm the terms and make sure it works for both you and the venue. Include clarification of details including which door you should load in through, what time you can load in, and whether you get dinner and drinks gratis or have to pay for them. If there's a green room, ask what that will entail.
--Arrive on time. This does not mean, arrive at the moment you are scheduled to start playing. It means arriving far enough ahead of time to set up, including any contingencies that may arise in weird situations loading in (one of our annual gigs involves loading in up three flights of fire escape stairs), a lack of nearby electrical outlets, or tripping over the gear of the last three bands that played and left their equipment sitting there while they went to the bar.
--In a package show or showcase night, demonstrate professional courtesy to the bands playing before you and after you. Try to touch base with them before the gig night, or at the least before their set. Formulate a quick plan for swapping out drum kits and other gear so you can get on the stage swiftly.
--When your set is done, get off the stage. I'll confess this is a real pet peeve of mine. I realize when you play, you put lots of energy in it, and when you're done you are often overwhelmed with adrenaline, exhilaration, and exhaustion. All that is fantastic, and one of the great rewards of a gig well played. However, if there are people waiting to play after you, grab your stuff and sling it offstage BEFORE you start hugging each other, your mom, and your fans and telling yourselves how fantastic you were. The next band's moms and friends have also been patiently waiting all through your set to see them, so do your part to make it happen. Play your heart out--then make way for others to do the same.
--Say thank you. To the venue, to the band ahead of you who moved out of your way fast, to the guys who loaned you a cable, to the person who gave you the name of the person to call to book the gig. Shoot them an email or a handwritten note after the show. Better yet, send flowers. Onstage, thank the venue, any organizers and sponsors, and ask the audience to give it up for the bands that played before you, and remember to tell them to stick around for the bands after you. If you're alone in the line-up, shout out the venue's line up for the next week or the next concert in the series. Always, always shout out the bartender and the bouncers, as they can be your best friend in this industry.
--Establish professional contacts with other bands in your genre. Don't think of them as the competition, think of them as allies. All of us in independent music are fighting to redefine the economic and legal environment we are working in, all while scrambling to try to keep live music venues open and encourage more people to ditch their televisions for the night and come out and listen. It's great to have other bands in your genre you can call on if some last minute emergency comes up and you can't make a gig, or to be able to send a venue to a colleague if you have a conflict on the date they want you to play. And it's also great to know musicians in other genres for those gigs it's not appropriate for you to do. If we get booked for a wedding and they want something mellower for the dinner hour, I'll suggest they call piano-vocalist Gena McGuire. If someone asks your band if you can play Irish music for St. Pat's weekend, you can either send them my way or shoot me an email for some song cheat sheets that you can throw together fast.
We're all in it together, so if we act professionally we can encourage more venues to open up more time for all of us.
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