Here's another quick and easy tip for all you bands out there: Stick around until the end of the show. Always. I don't care if you opened for fifteen other bands. Don't leave until the show is over and everyone who came to see it is gone.

Here's a list of possible benefits of staying around:

1. The other bands might be good.
2. Some people wait to buy merch until the end because they don't want to carry it around.
3. the other bands will appreciate it. Maybe they'll return the favor by asking you to play with them again.
4. You never know who is attending an event, like producers, promoters, and other important business types. These people, like everyone else, love to hang around and talk after shows.
5. At a big show, you might avoid the parking exit traffic.
6. You want your name and your band to stick in people's minds. The longer they have an opportunity to see you and your band, the more likely they'll remember you later.
7. Most importantly, someone might invite you to Denny's!

So, I'll see you at then end of the next show, right?

Brax.

Sound guys are one of the most crucial participants in a live show. Without them, the bands performing would be rocking out in silence. They are to bands what the mission control guys are to astronauts. You know, those guys that do the countdowns? The guys who take of their one-eared headphones and then jump up excitedly and wave their arms at the end of every successful space shuttle mission? Sound guys are like them.

The lesson for the bands out there is short and simple: Be nice to the sound guy. Greet him, find out his name, and politely let him know your technical needs. Also, be sure to thank him during your set. He might just be more inclined to pay attention and make an extra effort to make you sound better. This applies whether you are playing your first show, or you are a huge touring band. Remember, no matter how famous you are, the sound guy still has the power to shut you off, or at least make you sound funny.

Brax.

There could be an entire book written on the dos and don'ts of merch. (In fact, maybe I'll write one someday). For now, since last Monday's strip deals with a new band getting merch, I'll briefly address that aspect of it now.

Every band, even at their very first show, should have something with their band name and website on it to sell or give away. Just make sure not to make Manny's mistake and go into serious debt right away. Start small with stickers or buttons. You can get 250 stickers made for $20 including shipping at www.stickerguy.com so there is no excuse not to make some. In fact, it's a good idea to give these small items away at first. Every sticker or button out there with your name on it is advertising you everywhere it goes. Give stickers to the other bands that play. If they put one on their merch box, then every show they play people will see your band name. Just be sure to return the favor if they give you one.

It's also not a bad idea to have a CD to sell or give away right away. If you don't have a real recording, do the best you can with what you have, hand decorate a CD-R, and make some creative homemade packaging. Just make sure you don't charge people for a shoddy recording. If you are making demos, give them away.

If all else fails, handmade stuff can be a cool alternative. In fact, personalized CD packaging or other crafty type items may be interesting enough to bring people to your merch table in the first place.

The bottom line is this: always have something for people to keep with your name on it, or they will forget you before they get home. I'd give an example, but I forgot the name of the band I was going to tell you about. See what I mean?

Brax.

P.S. Happy birthday to Brendoman today!

I'm not really moving to Michigan. I've just been going to so many shows at the Detroit Bar I feel like I already live there. But hey, as long as they have good free shows and plenty of free parking, I'll be there. Read on for a quick show review from the show I went to at the Detroit Bar on Monday night.

First up was Writer. I haven't seen them in a long time, and it was great to hear that they have only gotten better as time goes by. The Ralph brothers and friends know how to play catchy songs. Even people who've never heard them before were humming along with the chorus by the time each song is done. We'll all be hearing a lot more from these guys in the future.

Next was Stacy Clark. I'd never heard of her before, and she caught my attention with her girl singer/songwriter tunes. I am always prone to judge someone who goes by their own name, rather than a band name, a little more harshly. If you think you are good enough to be the eponymous title of your own musical project, you'd better be good enough to back it up. After hearing her set, I'd say Stacy Clark can get away with it.

Last up was The New Limb, who is in the midst of a weekly June residency at the Detroit Bar. After missing their show a couple months ago, I was eager to see them live again. I have to say, in the few months since I saw them last, they've gone from a clever quirky band to an awesome, tight, and thoroughly professional band. Their stage show included video, a giant lighted homemade sign, and a seamless set presentation. It was cool being at this show, because you could feel the momentum of a band about to hit it big. It wasn't so long ago that Cold War Kids played this very venue, and I wouldn't be surprised if The New Limb followed close behind.

Later.

Brax.

Let's quickly address some band related vocabulary.

The events bands play at are called shows. If you refer to them as gigs, you are probably playing in a cover band at a local bar, and you are a guy with a nasty pony tail. If this does not describe you, please start calling them shows immediately.

The stuff bands sell at a show is called merch. Merch is usually sold at a merch table. If you are calling it anything else, other bands will laugh at you behind your back. If you arrive at a venue and ask the promoter where to set up your merchandise, they might ask you to leave before you even get to play a set. Stuff is an acceptable alternative to merch, if you are trying to appear excessively casual.

Let's try our new words in some sentences:

Thanks for coming out to the show.

We have some merch for sale in the back.

The band packed up their merch table after everyone was gone.

Where do we set up our stuff?

That's it for today, but I'm sure I'll have some additional vocabulary words for bands in the future.

Brax.