If you’re going to go to the trouble of forming a new band, do me a favor. When you get together with your buds to talk about musical influences, don’t settle on the three or four bands that you all agree you like to define what your band will be like.
You’ll end up with a mish-mash that sounds tired and unoriginal. Because it is. What you should do is have each band member select the bands that he/she thinks the others have never heard, or even the bands he/she is embarrassed to admit liking. For instance, one member might bring in Waylon Jennings, another Devo, and one might agree, like me, that True by Spandau Ballet is the best song ever recorded in human history.
Although you might be a rock band, you can find things in these non-rock bands that you like and use that as an influence instead of the bands that had the hot sound two or three years ago. Then you won’t sound like a tired knock-off at your next gig.
For screenwriters, don’t try to write what is hot at the movies now. By the time you finish your script, it’ll be tired. Go dig up some old favorite movies from ten, twenty, thirty years ago.
Good point. Be unique or at least as unique as possible. BTW, do you ever wonder about those unsigned bands that get sucked into a major label.. do you ever wonder how quick their unique sound is going to turn into something that is over-produced and highly marketable? Just curious.
May 19th, 2006, at 7:35 am #True is a good song but I wouldn’t say it’s the best. According to rankopedia.com, this honor goes to Stairway to Heaven.
January 3rd, 2007, at 2:46 pm #