So you’ve got a hit. It’s like finding that one venue you love; maybe they buy the most merch, or perhaps they just show up in droves with staggering attendance. Regardless, you’ve got something good and it’s attracting the droves. You want to do it over and over again, right? You want to play that same show over and over again and write songs that sound like the hit you’ve created.
But what’s that worth? Is it music or a hit generator? Maybe your music is contagious and you can sell anything, but if you’re just doing more of the same, there’s no progress. And that’s not music. It’s supposed to be this life-long endeavor that revolves around sound and expression. And those are ever-changing. Music evolves along with the rest of society. You have to keep up creatively in order to be relevant. A hit that sounds like another hit – or even two shows that are indistinguishable – that’s not music.
With whatever you’ve got that’s good, you’ve got two choices. Either you can cash out on it, or you can use it for progress. If you want to sound the same and continue to polish whatever dying paradigm you’ve discovered, go ahead, be the next 90’s boy band or the next Nickelback. But if you want sustainability, don’t slow down; keep evolving. Take your hit and learn from it; take your favorite venue and learn from it. Polish the musical experience; the expression and emotion of sound. Don’t polish a formula. If you’re stuck polishing that formula, eventually you’ll be passed by.
That means that your next song can’t be like the last; the next time you play that venue can’t mimic the last. And it’ll be a struggle, but it’ll push you out of what is comfortable. The more comfortable music you make, the more you’ll fall into a box.
This has been on my mind a lot lately. As I’m continually looking for new and exciting ways to exploit my guitars and the signal that passes from them to my amps, I look to see what boxes I have placed myself in. This is especially important because I frequent the same venues. I’m not doing huge tours; I’m playing the same venue 2 or 3 times a year. Which is nice for consistency, and it’s nice because I don’t have time to travel all over the world. But it gets you comfortable. I shouldn’t be giving people the same show they saw 4 months ago. That’s what Netflix is for, and the internet.
Comfortable, to me, is playing the same songs in the same order; it’s using the same stories and illustrations. Comfortable to me is the same tuning, or the same tempo, or the same key. I’m quick to point out comfortable, but like so many others, slow to implement change. But that is how you progress.
Some of the best gigs I’ve played lately have been me forcing myself from stagnating. I’ve intentionally omitted stories and have added details to others. I’ve intentionally mixed up my set list. I’ve gone so far as to intentionally change parts of songs mid-song. Yes, sometimes it’s because I forget parts; however, lately it’s been because I want every single show to be unique and I want to be able to express myself in real-time, rather than express myself from when I first wrote the song. IT’S MUSIC; YOU HAVE THAT FREEDOM.
You don’t want people to think that they can just catch you next time or that you’re the guy with that one song. Those are evidence that you’re going nowhere. Maybe it sells, but you’re musically bankrupt. And it won’t take long before people start to recognize that. Then you’ll be left with no hits and no venues you want to return to.
It’s a conscious decision. And it’s a tough one. Depending on your genre and your audience, people may not like something that’s new; it may only be acceptable to play hits. I’ll admit it; every time I go to see August Burns Red, I want to hear The Seventh Trumpet. That’s how lots of fans are. But don’t let it become where you’re a cover band of yourself. Because that’s one step closer to being a cover band. And they make me throw up in my mouth. That’s not music; it’s regurgitation.
But the anti-cover band is another discussion… My point is that you can’t get into that stagnation; it will suffocate your music. Intentionally pick a new key or a new tuning. Study a genre outside of what you play; then implement the techniques! Stop resolving notes at the end of a song. Play out of tune and make it sound good. The possibilities are endless! Just be sure you’re taking your music somewhere.
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