Did you write your own bio?

[xush]

Anyone out there that wrote their own band bio?
I've searched the forum concerning bio's, but I was just wondering if anyone had been thru the process and turned out something they like.
I hate the whole 'self-hyping' factor, but they say you gots to do it.

I'd like to see some bio's you guys are happy with.
Can't really compare with my favorite bands as apparently once you make it bigtime, you don't need a public bio anymore. Ah well.

Wanna show me yours?

 

[jive1]

The bio they have for the band I'm in now sucks. I didn't write my own bio, since I didn't put together the press kit. I figured since the drummer is doing the booking, and doing the presskit I gave him a bunch of facts about me and let him write the bio. I thought that by having one guy write them, it would be a cohesive press kit.

In the past I have done my own bios, since I usually made the press kit. This time I am rewriting my bio, becuase the bio out there is crappy.

 

[Sundogue]

Just write it in the third person point of view. Pretend you are doing a story on your band.

One band that I was in, I told everyone, write your bio or one will be written for you.

I wrote bios for my bandmates where some had been tuba players in a polka-fusion band, some were singers in a drum and bugle corps...and still others were lead kazoo players for a highly touted country western band featuring Wendy Salzman, the notorious 80 year old diva from Switzerland.

Make up sh*t if you have to...the stranger the better. No one really cares unless you were in a well known band and some will dig the fact that the band has a sense of humor about themselves. Music is supposed to be fun and sometimes bands take themselves way too seriously.

 

[Josh Ryan]

I just make up some goofy ****. I try and imagine what tom Waits would say about the band, then write that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it really doesn't.

 

[xush]

well, I'm working on a bio for press kits/booking and from what I've heard you don't want to go too overboard with the humor. We need a professional representation that will convince venue owners (or whoever we're pitching to) that we're worth dropping some $ on. We're not a terribly funny band during our performances either, so I wouldn't want to give the wrong impression.

Most of the bio's I've found online seem rather amateurish; they're usually poorly written and I can't seem to get past the grammatical errors, terrible metaphors or trite descriptions.
I guess that's why there are pro's who do this stuff for you.

I'm thinking we really only need one for the band in general. I doubt anybody who gets the presskit is really that interested in my favorite food or Desert Island Discs, ya know?
I'm just trying to figure out what the stripped down essentials would be.

I think I'm going to end up with a fact sheet + some press clippings as the main components.
I've heard the '3rd person' rule frequently, so I'm going to do that even though I thought maybe it'd seem a little more accessible/personable if I could say 'we.'
Rules are rules though.

I am worried that there might be a bit of a 'pretentious' element if it's too serious, with no hints of humor. But I also think that this is a business-related issue, so we have to present ourselves professionally. If it was just for a webpage or something I could see cranking up the goofiness, but I think we may be thinking of 2 different applications there...

I guess after all this I'll have to post it here to see if it holds up to the real test!
thanks for the input, keep it coming.

 

[LiquidMidnight]

I also use to hate the "self-hype", (when it came to anything: music bios, job resumes, ect.) but then I came to the realization - if you don't toot your own horn, no one else is going to.

It sounds like you are right on track. Save the "favorite deserts and birthdays" for a website; it's for the fans. A promo kit is for the clubs, and it should be professional. Highlight your acomplishments - any radio air-play, high profile gigs you've played, albums you've cut, quotes from the local music press, ect. Don't be afraid to name drop either; if you've opened for a big name local act, say so. If you are a cover band, a set-list would be a nice touch. Be eloquent, but don't just use a bunch of sesquipedalian words. Remember, bars hire bands to sell drinks; the most important thing is convicing them you'll get people to drink. (because they are having a good time, not because you're so terrible, they'll have to drink. )

 

[wulf]

From the band page on the website:

Wulf began playing bass while still at school. Early opportunities included a rock covers group and a jazz / show tunes stage band. After finishing university he did extensive work within the field of contemporary church music while continuing to develop chops and sensibilities in a range of styles.

Wulf's 'weapon of choice' is a six string Sei bass, played through a compact Ashdown rig. Playing with the 'jones gives all those extra high and low notes a chance to be heard. Read more about Wulf at his own website: http://www.web-den.org.uk/bassist/

Written by myself in the third person - each person wrote their own, although it took months of badgering! It's not particularly exciting but it is true

Wulf

 

[Sundogue]

I'm a professional writer.

If you want some help with it, PM me with your e-mail address. E-mail me the all of the information you have and I'll see what I can come up with for you and I'll e-mail it back to you.

I can make it as serious and interesting as you want it to be.

 

[xush]

if you don't toot your own horn, no one else is going to.

Yes, we are finally resigning ourselves to this fact.

Highlight your acomplishments - any radio air-play, high profile gigs you've played, albums you've cut, quotes from the local music press, ect. Be eloquent, but don't just use a bunch of sesquipedalian words.

Yep, including those on the factsheet.

Funny you mention vocabulary- 'sesquipedalian' has always been one of my favorite words. So far I have resisted the temptation to use either it or 'propinquity' in the bio.
It was hard though. Eh, call me pusillanimous...

Thanks for the input!

 

[xush]

I'm a professional writer.
If you want some help with it, PM me with your e-mail address. E-mail me the all of the information you have and I'll see what I can come up with for you and I'll e-mail it back to you. I can make it as serious and interesting as you want it to be.

Thank you very much for the offer! I really appreciate that.
I PM'd you a link to my 'work-in-progress,' I'd be interested in your observations on it.
One of our biggest issues so far is just that; what to include. I'm not completely sure of the absolute neccessities here. But we're working on it.

thanks again Mark. Looking forward to your comments and/or advice.
I'd be glad to shoot a CD to you if that'd help any.

 

[fastplant]

I'm a professional writer.

If you want some help with it, PM me with your e-mail address. E-mail me the all of the information you have and I'll see what I can come up with for you and I'll e-mail it back to you.

I can make it as serious and interesting as you want it to be.

I could use some help too. I'm a writer as well, but I'm too biased to write about my own band and make it sound like someone other than an eight year old wrote it. Our bio is here: www.sideshowband.com/biog.html

 

[Sundogue]

LOL. Tell you what, I'll write up a bio, if you provide me with more info (i.e.- former groups and influences, etc.)

PM me with the info and your e-mail address.

I write professionally. I get paid to do this, but I'm willing to do these two as a favor to my TalkBass friends here. If you like it, spread the word. I can use the business.

I'll consult for free with anyone here who needs/wants help though. In other words, if you already have something and just want some editing, let me know.

We'll see how it goes. But if I get inundated with requests, I may not have time to do it for free.

Let me know.

 

[xush]

I could use some help too. I'm a writer as well, but I'm too biased to write about my own band and make it sound like someone other than an eight year old wrote it. Our bio is here: www.sideshowband.com/biog.html

HA! That pretty much sums up how I feel too! It's so hard to be objective, but I guess you're really not supposed to be in the bio. You gots ta pimp yaself!

Mark gave me some really good feedback. I really appreciate that. He's quick too!
A free CD probably isn't much in the way of remuneration- let me know if I owe ya Mark... maybe some free studio time?

Mark embodies what I think this forum is all about- share what you learn, help others with their endeavors. A lot of us have to do most of this kind of work ourselves, on a limited budget for now. It's nice to pull together and help out with our various areas of expertise. I'll definitely post our final version in the hopes that it could maybe help someone in a similar predicament.

 

[xush]

We'll see how it goes. But if I get inundated with requests, I may not have time to do it for free. Let me know.

Already looks like it might be a hot topic! Prepare for a full inbox.
I'll be glad to help any if I can, if you feel I'm up to it.
There didn't appear to be too much red ink on my rough draft...


Thanks again Mark!

 

[Mike88T]

I could use some help too. I'm a writer as well, but I'm too biased to write about my own band and make it sound like someone other than an eight year old wrote it. Our bio is here: www.sideshowband.com/biog.html

Looks fine to me.
Threw in some suggestions of course the format will change so You won't see the proper indents and such

Welcome to the SideShow...

SideShow has been entertaining crowd after crowd in the tri-state area for more than a year. A party/cover band by trade, SideShow takes the word ‘show’ to a whole new level. Whether it be jumping around the stage in sideshow masks and full costumes or the variety of wild on-stage visuals (including the SideShow School Girls), SideShow really knows how to throw a party.


SideShow consists of singer/guitarist Bobby Barnett, lead guitarist Fred Dotson, keyboardist Chris Messner, drummer Jay Bremen, and bassist John Dotson, all of whom have been crafting their skills for years.


SideShow is based out of Fairfield County, Connecticut and has been steadily playing such venues as Toad's Place in New Haven, Tuxedo Junction in Danbury and The Crazy Donkey in Long Island. The band is currently rocking shows all over Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York.


SideShow plays a (very**) wide variety of songs on stage. You can expect to see crowds dancing to anything from '70s classic rock like Aerosmith and AC/DC, to 80's rock like Def Lepard and Bon Jovi, to dance hits like No Doubt and Justin Timberlake, to modern hits like Good Charlotte and Linkin Park, to metal like Ozzy and Metallica, to rap classics like Run DMC and Dr. Dre at a SideShow show. Click on Song List for a list of songs currently being played by SideShow.

Another thing that SideShow brings to a performance is a command of the stage by bringing a sense of excitement and power to their stage show that is very refreshing. (remove this paragraph or alternately replace it with the one below*)

You can check out SideShow by attending any of their upcoming shows. Click on Shows for a list of upcoming shows.





*SideShow brings excitement and power to their shows with a command of the stage and a powerful presence.

** take out this word

 

[xush]

you know how a word will start to sound funny to you after you hear it too many times in a row?

Guess which word sounds funny to me now.
Might want to use some synonyms for it?

 

[Sundogue]

HA! That pretty much sums up how I feel too! It's so hard to be objective, but I guess you're really not supposed to be in the bio. You gots ta pimp yaself!

Mark gave me some really good feedback. I really appreciate that. He's quick too!
A free CD probably isn't much in the way of remuneration- let me know if I owe ya Mark... maybe some free studio time?

The CD as payment is cool, though totally unneccessary. You already had a good write up. I just added some suggestions.

 

[fastplant]

*SideShow brings excitement and power to their shows with a command of the stage and a powerful presence.

** take out this word

I like it, I'll be making some changes, thanks

 

[Sundogue]

SideShow Bio...

For years, SideShow has been an entertaining crowd pleaser by bringing a sense of excitement and power to the stage that is very refreshing.

SideShow takes their party to the crowd with cover tunes from a wide variety of popular music; from Aerosmith and AC/DC, to dance hits like No Doubt and Justin Timberlake and modern hits like Good Charlotte and Linkin Park. You can expect to hear even more from their hit list with songs from Ozzy and Metallica, to rap classics like Run DMC and Dr. Dre.

With antics such as jumping around the stage in masks and full costumes, and a variety of wild on-stage visuals including the SideShow School Girls, they bring a whole new meaning to word “show” band.

SideShow consists of singer/guitarist Bobby Barnett, lead guitarist Fred Dotson, keyboardist Chris Messner, drummer Jay Bremen, and bassist John Dotson. All of whom have been crafting their skills and showmanship for years.

SideShow, based out of Fairfield County, Connecticut, has been steadily playing such venues as Toad's Place in New Haven, Tuxedo Junction in Danbury and The Crazy Donkey in Long Island. The band is currently rocking crowds all over Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York.

With excitement and energy, you can expect to hear the widest variety of music you’ll ever hear from a single band, while you experience a night that truly is a SideShow!

 

[Mike88T]

you know how a word will start to sound funny to you after you hear it too many times in a row?

Guess which word sounds funny to me now.
Might want to use some synonyms for it?

ummmmm "SIDESHOW"?

yeah I was getting that also, but that means they will remember the name. Fine line to walk and reducing the number of times doesn't help all that much unless you bring it down to three or less times you use it.