My band is going to try to enter a battle of the bands competition, and we need to make a tape with 5 songs on it. Do any of you have any advice for us? This is our first battle of the bands, and any advice would be appreciated. 
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battle of the bands advice
- Thread starter twiggy_04'
- Start date
I agree here. If you put a mediocre song first, the listeners/judges amy lose interest. If you can keep it kickin the whole way thru, then do it. But definitely put your best foo first
Always start with a great song - this gets the interest of the judges/whoever.
and just as importantly,
Finish with a great song - this leaves them an impression of you in their mind far better than a medicore finish would!
Good luck.
Andy
and just as importantly,
Finish with a great song - this leaves them an impression of you in their mind far better than a medicore finish would!
Good luck.
Andy
Remember that they are unlikely to listen to a song all the way through. Avoid long, build up intro's - get it rocking from the start.
try to show off ur range. Instead of following a set pattern (e.g. verse chorus verse chorus guitar solo), try adding extra little bits like bass solo, drum solo,vocal solo.
Nobody is doing it, so I will step up and play the bad cop...
Don't waste your time in battle of the bands competitions. They are a complete waste of time. They are almost always heavy biased, poorly run and so on. Even worse are the ones that charge you money to enter them. Avoid those completely.
Don't waste your time in battle of the bands competitions. They are a complete waste of time. They are almost always heavy biased, poorly run and so on. Even worse are the ones that charge you money to enter them. Avoid those completely.
renfield808 said:
This can be true. Usually they are quite biased. I have been to a few that really weren't. But they are kind of rare. You might consider open mic nights at a local club. Much better atmosphere, not a lot of competition, and there are GREAT networking opportunities.
renfield808 said:
Well, it depends... If you´re frequently gigging pro or semi-pro band, attending Battle of the Bands-style competitions would certainly be pointless. But if you´re just starting out, it´s a good way to get some gigging experience. If you win, great! If you don´t, so what: a gig is a gig.
But yeah, avoid ones that charge money. Gigging for free is bad enough.
CoolHat said:
+1 to all of that. The key thing as a beginner when entering these is to NOT take it seriously. Don't get crushed if you come in dead last. It is good exposure, but little more.
The last time I entered one, was while in a band, recently signed to a major label. We were in the studio recording our debut album, and while on a week long break decided to enter one. We came in dead last, yet were signed to a major label based on our songs and live shows. We just laughed at the irony of it. First place went to an acoustic folk duo (2 acoustic guitars) that could barely sing in key and did a cover of "Stand By Me" without either of them even doubling the bass line that makes up the song. Go figure.
I don't believe that they are charging anything for it, that probably the main reason why we're doing besides the 5 hours of studio time for the winner. This will be our first real gig, so we're just doing it for experience. Thanks for all the good advice 
5 hours studio time? What can you do with that?
That's a pretty crappy prize, I hope they aren't charging anything for it.
That's a pretty crappy prize, I hope they aren't charging anything for it.
renfield808 said:
It´s just enough to get things started - then you´ll have to buy a lot of more time to get them finished. Very cunning...
No doubt there, it is in their best interests for sure. Usually they give you enough time to really get into the flow, to me 5 hours doesn't really strike me as enough. That is only one night. Now, 3-5 days in, you start getting a little comfy in those seats, you have a little too much fun playing with all the toys (new amps and instruments) you spend WAY too much time trying to get just the right tone. Next thing you know you are selling your spleen to record the album that you know is dying inside you, waiting to get out. That is how it is REALLY done. 
baba said:
Only if there is an assistant engineer on hand to do it.
The main Producer/Engineer is going to spend the whole five hours convincing the drummer why he has to play along to a metronome or click track.
renfield808 said:Only if there is an assistant engineer on hand to do it.
The main Producer/Engineer is going to spend the whole five hours convincing the drummer why he has to play along to a metronome or click track.
Ha!
