Looking for honest opinions on my band's potential.
 

Hey guys. I am a 17 year old in a high school band. I'm going to risk sounding like a douche in saying that we are actually very good. I know we write good catchy songs and I love playing with these guys. We just recorded a demo album. Upon doing this we began to discuss "we would all split up for college so would you guys be willing to put the whole college thing off if things were looking good for us." Now don't get me wrong, we are good and I LOVE making music, but I have a plan to attend U of O and just the thought of putting off college is a bit nerve-racking. Anywho, here is one song off of our 9 song demo. It's not my favorite, nor do I think it's the best (probably the third best in my opinion). Anywho, I'm asking you to listen to the song in it's entirety and tell me if you believe this sound is marketable and if so how marketable. Do we have record deal potential and money making potential to the point where putting off college is actually a thought. Please be honest, I can take it for I am on the fence about this leaning towards just saying forget about it. But who could pass up the thought of touring the country with your friends for even a little money.... Another thought is that our songs keep getting better and this isn't a very polished version. I appreciate everyone's help in this! Well, I am not allowed to post the link to the song so if you please would, look up Stereo Ecstasy on Facebook and it will be the link on our most recent post. I know this is going out of your way but I need this advice...Thanks!
Thanks and please let me know.
Andrew

First, read our forum rules here, then let me know whether you'll be staying or not.

So basically I can't post this for another three months?....

Contributing members are allowed the privilege of self-promotion. We aim to maintain a high quality community, and a significant portion of that is discouraging advertisement by members who have no interest in our website or how they can be a part of improving it.

I understand that. I'm sorry if this was being misconstrued as promotion....I really am just looking for an opinion on the song. Not Facebook likes or anything but would you prefer me to take this down?

AJ, we'd love to discuss your talents and have a dialogue with you in that realm. The fact is, though, this is a community-oriented website that is geared to music discussion. We get many, MANY people simply using our forum as a venue for feedback and promotion, and for many years it has been our policy to deny such a usage of this forum for solely that purpose.

It's nothing personal. It's just a standard we have. The beauty of this standard is that those who are unwilling to acknowledge and abide by it will simply reject it and not take the time and effort required to achieve the status necessary for promoting and/or requesting opinions. Those are exactly the people we are trying to weed out, because they are a great many, and do nothing but harm to the community. And such a thing makes it pretty easy for us to tell who's here for what reason.

I hope you will understand where we are coming from.

As far as taking your link down, another beauty of our website is all our worthwhile, contributing members won't give it the time of day anyway unless you've established yourself. I won't remove your post, unless you don't plan on getting to know us and letting us get to know you.

I'll leave the action up to you. You know why you're here. You make the decision. I don't think it's necessary that someone should do that for you, as you're clearly an intelligent and understanding individual.

Thank you. I appreciate you explaining this to me and I completely understand the standard you've created for the website and it's a good thing to uphold (when you mentioned that many people just use this website for promotion I immediately thought that that would be very frustrating.) Attention to this post can wait and I would love to contribute to this website! I feel that I have a lot to share and a lot to learn. I love music and discussing it. Thanks again.

Wow... a nice, understanding newbie. I like this guy. Stick around AJ.

Okay, well because of your attitude --- very mature and understanding for one so young --- I've decided to have a listen to your music. Here's what I think:

Very good but nothing exceptional, sorry. The vocalist to me seems a little too strong and at times he seems like he's singing over rather than with the music. That's not right, what do I mean... it sounds sometimes like he's there on his own and the music is kind of maybe down in the mix. One thing I do like is the guitar, especially the solos: this guy is pretty good. But the sound itself needs to be filled out I believe: have you considered adding piano/keyboard or maybe even another guitar?

I preferred the first song, "Better days" to the other one, "All I ever wanted", though in both the guitar solos make the song for me.

I'd be cautious of putting off college though. Had this been something I listened to and thought "WOW! Where can I get that music? How can I hear more?" then possibly, but to be brutally honest, you're good but there are a thousand other bands out there just as good, and while you MIGHT get lucky and be signed, there's no guarantee of that. I'd spend more time honing your style and getting a more cohesive sound and then consider your future, after college.

Of course, I could go down in history as the guy who tried to convince the biggest band of the 2000s not to take a chance on their future, but there it is. That's what I think, for what it's worth. Good music? Definitely. Good enough to throw away a college education for? No, not for me.

But of course that's your decision: this is just my opinion.
I would though be interested in hearing the rest of your demo: I run a section in my journal that showcases unsigned bands and am about to write another edition of it, and would be happy to include you if you want.

Anyhoo, don't give up the music but go to college would be my advice.

There are 2 major reasons why you should not do this.

1 - You ever work in a call center? It'll be the best kind of job you can get if you skip college. Consider how much legwork you had to put in just to get lined up for college this time around. Now consider doing it again while working a job without the extra help from a guidance counselor or other HS resource.

2 - College is awesome. Seriously. Yes it will suck for your band but you can still get together and play during summer break. On the other hand you'll have a chance to make LOTS of new contacts while in college and opportunities to play with a lot more people. You'll also have the benefit of being 'that guy' who's actually already been in a studio and made a proper recording.

I'd definitely agree with this. I personally have never been to college, nor indeed would I have wanted to (I had no clear idea what I wanted to do with my life, all I knew was I wanted to get out of school. Now I'm a carer for my sister due to circumstances but spent almost 30 years in a job that though it didn't always suck, was never something I would have said I wanted to do when I was older) but the idea of skipping it in the hope you'll make it as a band is a bad one.

Sure, there are the stories of these rock stars who were going to go to college but then decided not to and made it, but let's be honest, these "success stories" are few and far between, and as Mr Dave says, if you go down that route the chances are that you MAY stick together with your band and play your music, or you may drift apart and then be left with no real reason for having not gone to college, a decision I believe you'd regret. Then of course you'll have to make ends meet by working in McDonald's or Seven 11 or whatever, while still playing at night and hoping desperately for a breakthrough, a discovery of your talent which, no offence meant, will probably never come.

A life in music is great, but really, you have to learn to live in the world of the possible, the world of the achievable and the world of reality. All signs point towards going to college and getting your degree, and then you can decide what to do; you'll still be young then but with, hopefully, fewer regrets and a sense of having perhaps dodged a bullet this early in your life.

I listened to the song "Better Places, Better Days". Not bad, and as TH stated the guitar really shines. Vocals are a bit prominent in the mix, and really nothing to them. Even a bit pitchy in places.

I've been in bands for quite a few years, and I can speak from experience in saying that "Making It" in the music biz in todays market is about 1% talent, and 99% luck. Everyone and their brother can create music on their phones, PC's, tablets, etc., and everybody wants to be "Famous" and "Live The Life" so to speak. Sure it's all glitz and glam from the outside looking in, but when you're inside looking out the scenery changes drastically. So, unless you've got something you think the world would gobble up, I'd have to say go to college. Learn to be someone with integrity (you're off to a fantastic start btw), and travel down the road to being a force for positive human evolution. For every person that has made it in the music industry there are thousands that tried, failed, and wished they'd "Stayed in school". Personally, I started playing (guitar) when I was 14, and am now 46. I never really wanted fame and fortune, served my country, went to school and excelled in my field, and have worked for many major companies (GE, ComEd, GM, and Federal Signal to name a few) and now I live a very low key, but comfortable life. I play in bands, and record my own music but only for the love of music itself, not to make money. I don't need to. I have a career.

A very good friend of mine was the singer for a successful band, he'd wanted to be famous his whole life (had the ego to go with it too), and while I was in the service, he was out touring with Suicidal Tendancies. The band was going great, riding on their previous successes, when they made their final album. I was there when they all signed the record deal. They went in the studio, toured, and flopped. They now owe the record company 100's of thousands of dollars, the bass player OD'ed, and the band broke up. My good friend is now unemployed with no skills, living off of his wife as a stay home father. I'm telling you this as an example, sure there are other stories more tragic, as well as some with success, but in the end it's a very unstable way to travel through life.

At any rate, I wish you much success in what ever road you decide to travel down, and always remember that your actions mold you into what you will ultimately become.

I know this is off topic and everything but seriously.

Plankton knows the Suicidal Tendencies singer! What the hell! :eek:

No, the singer for Zoetrope, which toured WITH Suicidal back in the late 80's. Sorry for the confusion, I should have worded it more clearly.

Ahhh. Okay, that makes more sense.

Can't say that I never met Mike though.

:thumb:

I wasn't expecting to see this you guys! Thank you! Although, I do feel guilty having not contributed yet but I look forward to getting to it and don't want to leave anyone hanging. Anyways, TH, I must admit that I feel the same way. Though we have one song on our album that I really think is something special the rest is good but nothing exceptional. I am the lead guitarist in this band (by the way) and I really appreciate the comments! I honestly felt very awkward speaking with my band about putting off college because I never even thought of that as an option....I always wanted to give it a shot after college and let it go if it doesn't work out. If there is one thing that I don't want, it's to be the guy working at 7-11 putting everything into a failing band....Mr. Dave, I appreciate your comment. I didn't think of how much harder the application process wiould be after hs and I do really look forward to meeting new people! Plankton, I appreciate the sentiment and I must say that sounds like a great life! haha Like I said earlier I'd like to avoid those kinds of situations in which I dig a hole for myself...Lastly, Tor-Hershman, the "O" is Oregon.

You're more than welcome. You can thank us in the liner notes of your first platinum album when college is over and you've made it big. Don't forget the little people! :)

There was one Garage Band that did the right thing after scoring one US Hit who's members decided to go back to college in a time when they were still young. Count Five of "Psychotic Reaction" fame. If you heard anything else after that hit, especially the rest of the quickly recorded album, you will know why that decision was smart. I LOVE a great Garage band, but they had that one song and nothing more.

If one does not get the right kind of management or representation, or if one at least does not make the right moves on sites like Reverbnation (like accepting all kinds of invitations for small music fests and the like), it's going to be a long and lonely road.

It's down to this. You either focus on the band, or focus on College. There are a LOT of risks of being in a band. You could have potential, but not the right connections. You could have a hit, but then the magic will fade. You either choose trying to deal with the risks, or (if you already have a Major lined up) stick with your own happening. Who knows, you may be able to get some connection at College.

If you are in a major city, you night be able to blend the two together, but you have to make sure that the band lives close together (Maybe renting a house could be a smart move).

There's already a plan to go to College, so maybe that's a strong hint.

A bit of Trivia...connected to this topic (Kind of)
Although back in The 60's, going to College was a move to avoid The Draft, a lot musicians in Garage Bands who knew that they were never going to make it beyond that first rush of local fame made the right move by doing this. They mainly avoided being that crappy Bar Band doing covers who always wished that things could have went better or that disgruntled Musician who wished that the world would hear the music but instead released a few low-profile singles here and there while working that job that was not supposed to be.

You pretty much have to make a choice - focus on college or your band. It's one or the other, if you want to be famous. You can do college, but then you need to work to pay off student loans. Bye bye band.

If you focus on the band and fail, then it's a toss-up as to whether you can go back to college in time for a degree to get hired somewhere.

Right now the band I (was) managing has completely stalled because 2 of the band members (3 piece outfit) think college is more fun than a band and are putting no effort into writing songs or practicing instruments. They won't get famous or well known any time soon unless they focus completely on the band. It's a job and you have to make it a lifestyle.

They insist they can start the band after college - I'd like to know how they think their new employers are going to let them off for weeks at a time to tour and build a following. The government will want their money back from all those loans too.

So, you might get big after college, but realistically not. If you want to get big, skip college. If you want a steady guaranteed income with no fame, go to college.

As a friend of mine always says, "it just depend on what you like."

Yeah, I appreciate this is your opinion but you're framing it wrong in my view. See my amendments in bold. No offence, but I think these have to be mentioned otherwise we're looking at absolutes, which we in no way are, and the whole tone is then slanted towards a very clear choice with two clear outcomes, whereas there are really only two choices with ONE very clear and defined outcome.
TH


See what I did there was lay out more clearly the likely outcome. If he goes to college, then he'll (if he actually works at it and doesn't treat it as a big holiday) get his degree(s) and maybe get a decent job (or maybe not of course, but he'll at least have the qualifications and a much better chance of landing somethng halfway good). But if he stays with the band idea, he may be lucky, but more than likely, statistically speaking, he will probably just gig around for several years before either getting his lucky break or giving it up, or else maybe remain playing low-key, small gigs that will barely pay for food and rent.

I'm sorry, but someone (admittedly impressionable and not really that versed in the ways of the world) could read your advice and think the choices are A) go to college or B) stick with the band and get famous. That's not the case at all. You may as well say to someone your choice are A) go to college or B) write a novel and get famous. Nothing is guaranteed. Taking option (B) opens you up to a much more uncertain future. It COULD turn out, in hindsight, to be the right move, but at this moment I believe it's way too big a risk to take considering how tenuous the possibility of reward is.

Fair enough. That was just my opinion. Of course going to college doesn't mean you won't have success as a band as an absolute and vice versa.

In fact there's no reason you can't do both but one or the other is going to have to take priority regardless.

Writing a novel I think is a bad example, as that is not even in the realm of time and work and money as building a band is (IMO).

Like I said, it just depends on what you like. Every situation varies. I just gave an example of what I personally saw happening in my own band. Your experience may be different.

I should also mention that while not in college, the members enjoy going on vacations instead of working on material so there is that factor as well.

Yeah I know writing a novel is a bad example: I realised that once I had posted. But the same idea holds true. If you told someone "if you don't go to college but instead write a book you'll be famous and rich", the campuses would be empty. Similarly, if everyone who could play or sing thought that just putting a band together would get them fame and riches, look at those tumbleweed blow across the campuses!

Just trying to inject a note of caution and boring reality for those more impulsive individuals who might take your advice too literally... this is what comes of being old, y'see... :)

*gasp*

*sigh*

Yeah that was sneaky wernt it. Totally unintentional.


Or was it?

Hello over there, I didn't understand something about the community policy. so maybe someone here can
help me, I'm recording my music at the studio. Is it ok to publish it here or not?

Become a contributing member and you might not get banned... or at least people will have a dialect with you, and will provide criticism and/or comments.

In other words, just getting your post count up to be able to post links and say "Look at me!" is frowned upon.

See, you leave one thread open with someone asking for feedback for their music and then everybody wants to know why they can't start similar threads.

I hope this shows the people who complain were too harsh on these people why we do it now.

Closed.