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Live shows. It's all part of being a musician. And before you become that big shot to have your own booking agent, you gotta book your shows yourself.

Johnny Sarkis from Red 7 has posted an insightful blog on booking your own shows without looking like a dumbass. I booked a show once for the SoManyBands 5th Anniversary. Gotta say, I couldn't do it every day.

So read on everyone, this one's a doozy.

"To all of those bands that understand this simple rule THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. You are what makes America a beautiful place to live in, and when I salute the eagle (which I do nightly) I'm secretly saluting you and all of the members of the opposite (or same sex) that you hook up with on a daily basis for being cool enough to know how to not look desperate."

Click here to read "Booking 101. For Red 7 and Beyond." at Red 7's bloga

I don't know what's up with the blogosphere world but there is a lot of high quality writing going on out there. It's about time. People are using facts, coherent sentences and wittiness to express their thoughts. A new world has been brought upon us! Merry!

So here are some new blog posts that have grabbed my attention as of late:

I heart In the Pink blog. I've never been one for politics, because frankly, it bores me. However, I know it's important to know what our elected officials (no matter how crazy they are) are doing with their positions, so Eileen Smith keeps it real for me. Her entire blog is worth adding to the RSS reader.
"That said, I remain quite optimistic about 2011. I was inspired by The Fighter, which I saw yesterday, because if an emaciated Christian Bale can kick his crack habit long enough to help his baby brother in the ring, well then surely I can stand up to a few cedar trees. Hey—I’m a survivor."
It Depends on What Your Definition of “Issa” Is

"A message to today's children: mixes weren't always made by iTunes based on MATH. We had to work for these."
11 Nostalgic Activities Today's Kids Will Never Experience

Now that social media is the norm and everyone uses it either for personal use or for business use, the problem is now that there is a lot of fake bullshit out there and less genuine tweets. I highly recommend this read to keep yourself in check. Because coming from a journalist's perspective, fake crap generally turns me away.
"People can get turned off really easily if you're coming across as inauthentic or self-serving," she says. "Pause before you post and be mindful about how you're coming across to others."
How to network without being fake, cheesy, pushy or smarmy

SPEAK started a blog of their own (god, this band is taking over my life). But instead of self-serving posts about themselves and how awesome they are, they're focusing on reviews. They write reviews on various things: gadgets, coffee, music, etc. It's pretty new so there aren't a lot of posts on it, nevertheless, I like where it's going.
"With that in mind, I can at least explain my indifference when Nick inevitably shows up to rehearsal with a Trenta-sized Chai latte. I may even encourage this behavior: Pre-Coffee Nick is a dreadful grouch and the Trenta might be just the remedy he needs."
Starbucks Trenta

I love that Joey compared music to food. I wrote a similar post comparing musical taste to political parties (to be released soon).
"Here’s my take. Pop music is your hamburger or your pizza. Could be drive-through or Yuppie style, it doesn’t really matter. On the other hand, Classical music is more of your Mousseline of pattes rouges crayfish with morel mushroom infusion (this came up when I Googled ‘fanciest dish in the world’)."
Pop v. Classical

"You do realize that most of the bands playing this thing have day jobs, right? Did you think they just lived off drink tickets and applause? The Creationists’ Marc Dautreuil works as a line cook, getting hassled all day by The Man so he can bring you the rock at night, and you’re going to whine about a cushy desk job with free Internet? Besides, when you walk into the office with bloodshot eyes and 30 purple stamps on your hands, that hangover will feel like a badge of honor"
“I’m Broke,” and other lame excuses for missing Free Week

And last but not least, this is a new favorite blog of mine. Amber draws whatever happens in her life. They are hilarious. Sometimes, I draw in my planner when I'm bored. However, her stuff is way better.
Passive? Aggressive!

I've been reading a lot of great articles lately. I sadly didn't save most of the links but here are some that I have grabbed my attention lately:

It's a bit tough to get through the beginning but once the writer gets his stride, this is a great post.
The country-wide exchange of ideas was too interesting to pass up, and I ponied up to the restaurant to see what had transpired over the week of brain and guitar picking. While I took another chance on the restaurant’s offerings (as unmemorable as comfort food comes, unfortunately), performer after performer strummed an acoustic guitar to the now warmed-over themes of trains, killing time, and, of course, Texas itself. “Lots of songs about ‘mama’,” I wrote in my notes.
Pastiche: Lose Your Idols

It was written in 2005 but still relevant after the recent November elections.
Dear Red States...
We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us.
Dear Red States..." A Letter From The Blue!

Indeed, technology often gets blamed for handwriting's demise. But in an interesting twist, new software for touch-screen devices, such as the iPad, is starting to reinvigorate the practice.
How Handwriting Trains the Brain

Sure, the Riverbat is silly. It's not as "regal" as a steer chewing its cud on the sidelines of a football game or as "fierce" as a feral cat - I mean bobcat. The Riverbat is not meant to bounce around aimlessly on the sideline of a sporting event, but to promote ACC at community outreach events, interact with little kids and get people to notice ACC.
EDITORIAL: Pick on mascot, not students

I didn't mean to post so much of this article but this paragraph hits close to home as I get closer to 30 (one more year).
Right around the time the Seattle scene was on its way down, I got the first inkling that I didn’t have many shots at being cool left in me–I wasn’t going to get up, dust myself off, and try much more. One night I was standing in a club, pretending to look like I “get it” as Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth played a solo gig by rubbing his guitar black anf forth on a metal folding chair. In the middle of this perfect storm of screeching, I realized I wanted my $20 back. Not that I was counting, but it was probably the 2,408th time I’d been standing somewhere like this, attempting to convince myself and a stranger in my peripheral vision that I was really into what was going on. It was also suddenly pretty hard to ignore that I had arrived at an age where the 21 and 22 year olds at the show were, well, way younger than I was. Instead of pretending to understand what Thurston was doing onstage, my attention shifted to how much my feet hurt. My back was just on fire. Putting on a good show for well over a decade had taken its toll. Going out to gigs like this one; ironically drinking cheap canned beer in well-worn dives with people who brag about not having televisions; acting interested in really broad discussions about foreign polity with stoned record-store clerks; making a point of ignoring cute girls in hopes of getting their attention while trying to convey the vibe that I was more intense than their boyfriend–it got to be a full time job. It started to feel a lot like punching the clock. And was this job ever going to get any easier?
Why I’m Cool (With Being Uncool) (opens a PDF)

Red River Noise contributor Brett Thorne has written some great commentary about situations he's encountered with his band Zlam Dunk. I couldn't decide which one to post so I'll just give you the highlights. He needs to keep writing these, whether it's on his own blog or the next publication he works for.
No one is going to bet on a Beatles reunion because of that whole “half of the members are dead” thing, so they would be a great choice in this game.
Festival Sparks Reunion; Not Wars, Elections

How many people used to record songs off the radio this way? *raises hand*
Sources (some of whom graduated high school in the...gulp...90s) confirmed that syncing the device was about as easy as syncing an iPod—the only difference being that instead of a cord running from the device to the computer that automatically updates the music library, one would have to insert a blank "cassette tape" (I know, I know. I'm confused too, but there is only room for so many explanations in this blog), wait by a radio (a what? I'm wondering if my sources are performing some sort of Ashton Kutcher-esque Punking on me), for a song to be broadcast and then activate the device's "Record" feature. I'm told that this "Record" function was similar to a manual Tivo, but for audio.
Notes From A Guy Who Fell Asleep In 1988 And Woke Up In 2010

My band began using the service over the summer and the strangest thing began happening. We started receiving e-mails telling us we had sold an album. We were making money. Through record sales.
And it was weird.
Alternative To The Mighty ITunes

And my personal favorite...
The service is mostly employed by mid to low-level bands who, while having received enough exposure to be deluded into believing they could actually make a comfortable living playing music, are not about to be interrupted by Kanye West at an awards show.
The Great KickStarter Dilemma: To Give Or Not To Give?

And last but not least, Natchet Taylor of his former band Natchet Taylor and his current band New Disaster wrote this interesting commentary that was sparked from booking a show at an out-of-town music venue. The post was originally posted on Facebook so I can't link it but here it is in its entirely.

How To Destroy Your Rock Scene

I recently got an email from a club in Dallas explaining the proper procedures that need to be adhered to in order to play their establishment. This all occurred after some friends of ours wanted to "hook up" a show with us in their hometown. I believe this all was talked about over a few cocktails and the general consensus was that we only need enough money to cover our gas for the trip.

This, however, cannot be guaranteed, according to the club:

"(The other band) asked about getting you guys gas money. I’m sure if the night does well we can get you something. But our payout is usually based on the band’s individual draws (detailed below). Do your best to get all your Dallas/FW fans out to the show and you’ll make some money.

After tax payout is 60% of your draw over age 21, 35% of your draw under 21, we keep a tally at the entrance.

$8 cover for ages 21+
$10 cover for under 21+ (all ages)"

OK, so being that we rarely play the DFW, I'd imagine that we aren't going to have a great individual draw. Especially since we are slated to play at 9PM... which is fine, I guess. I'll play at noon if need be, however, why would I tear through Dallas from Austin during rush hour traffic to play at a club that won't even cover the gas cost?

And then, there's always the parking situation... This is my favorite!

"7pm load in (Bring quarters for parking. Meters are the cheapest parking option.)"

Yeah, baby. This sounds like a dream gig. Time to raid my laundry quarters!

"Bring all your musical gear - guitars, amps, drums"

I realize that this is a catchall canned email... but really? Are there bands out there that DON'T bring their equipment and expect the club to provide it? I mean without a prior agreement... Is it egotistical of me to be insulted by phrases like this? I really try to be ultra professional in all dealings musical, is it wrong to expect the same?

"Post Flyers and Posters at area stores/schools..."

I am totally down, but I don't plan on being in the DFW area unless I am playing a show... I mean, there are ways to do this via street teams and etc, however, this email obviously doesn't seem to address that we are 4 hours away...

My rant, or point to this is this:
I wish all venues were like a lot of Austin venues (REF and Heath), or The Deadhorse, or European rock bars... They get people out to the shows and work just as hard as the bands do. They have rock scenes because THEY CREATED THEM.

CREATE a SCENE.

DON'T DESTROY IT.

Now, discuss...

Here are some more posts/articles/whatever to read that have grabbed my attention.

My masculinity led a vigorous life that included frequent discussions of hot swimsuit models, defending the honor of my friends and having their back in fights, semifrequent uses of the words bro and bitch, some heavy weightlifting when softness occurred, and the occasional fist pump.
Shameful Obituaries of 2010: My Masculinity

This year's Coachella felt like that cousin had lost control of their problem and was completely off the rails the entire time you were together.
An Open Letter To Coachella

Stuff Journalists Like is one of my new favorite blogs. We've been reading this religiously in the newsroom. I linked to their April Fool's post about PR reps. Pure gold.
One of the things journalists like best about PR reps is when one tells a journalist how to do his or her job. For any PR folks out there that want to build a better relationship with their local journalist, recommend to a journalist how to write a story, who to talk to and especially what to leave out of a story.
#123 PR reps

A new website has been formed called Red River Noise as a response to Austin's poor quality music coverage. I could write a rant about this, but I think my editors Ian and Ajay got it covered. However, I'm completely honored to be a part of the writing team.
Our "alternative" newspaper mostly covers music that people under 40 don't care about, while the alternative radio station won't stop playing the same five Pearl Jam songs its been playing since 1992. And our blog scene is mostly concerned with nightlife and see-and-be-seen parties.
Red River Noise is here.

You all talk about the same parties or shows, but I get some are worth talking about. That and the lack of effort or quality of your work tell me that you blog to escape your crappy day time life so you can get into the cool kid parties or shows for free at night. You're not fooling anyone, especially not me.
The State of Austin Music Media Brings "Red River Noise"

This isn't an article but a really awesome interview you need to watch.
A lot of punk rock fans and stuff are really narrow-minded and really, it's like everything has to be in a certain... there's a lot of rules. For a type of music that was created to break rules and to not follow boundaries, it's like the most rules specific and like rigid structure of what you're supposed to can and can't do.

Here are some articles/blog posts I've read recently that I think are worth sharing:

I find this interesting: all Rivers Cuomo had to do was change the basic content of his lyrics, and suddenly Weezer transitioned from making songs that Converse-wearing kids wanted to quote in their Livejournals, to making songs that you’d hear blasting in the background of the trailer for American Pie VI: Wet Hot American Teenage Free-for-All featuring Campus Girls Gone Wild.
“On Whom Can You Depend?”

South By Southwest has become a popular spring-break destination, Mardi Gras for collegiate hipsters.
Letter From Austin | SXSW Standouts

He will escape from whatever “corner” you’ve got him in, he will find you, and he will kill you in some horrific and punning fashion – like dropping you into a pool of liquid nitrogen as he tells you to “Chill out.”
Writer gives tips for surviving Schwarzenegger

It’s the cinematic equivalent of a Hummer with both “Support our Troops” and “No Fat Chicks” bumper stickers on it.
Unlikable actors take all the love out of Paris

20 Watt Shed was our name and we were probably about as good as our name would suggest. Anyway, we were young, we were loud, we were in a band, and we had a demo tape.
I'm still totally fine with playing shows for Church youth groups.

Just outside Shangri-La, I heard a big funky bass. Accompanied by the sung words, "I JUST WANNA HAVE SEX WITH YOU." I thought: "I will check this out."
SXSW 2010 recap: Meet Casxio, our favorite musical discovery.

Finally, here is the list of winners my newspaper, Accent, won at TIPA. Yay team!
Online Video, Third Place - Sarah Vasquez <-- That's me! Here is the video that won.
TIPA 2010 Awards

One of my good friends and fellow editor for Austin Vida was featured in The Daily Texan today. His blog features many live videos that he films himself of local bands performing around Red River. It's a good blog to add to your RSS reader or on Facebook.

Without further ado, click here to read the article.

'Nites blog

My best friend Marlee posted a really great post on her blog about crowd show etiquette. I wanted to share this with all of you because I'm sure some of us can share this annoyance.

Now, I understand that going to concerts (especially small ones at dingy bars featuring local bands) isn't something that everyone does on a regular occasion.

I also understand that not everyone spent 4 years of their adolescence at said concerts.

However, I believe that the proper "show etiquette" or "concert etiquette" is not so specific to concerts but rather holds to the same general manners that decent human beings display.

1)Personal Bubbles:
Most human beings have a bubble of space that they like to keep around them. A safety zone between you and people you don't know. I suspect that most people do not walk into a crowded Subway restaurant look around and decide that that sliver of space between two people is precisely where they ought to stand. Most people do not maneuver and jostle the other customers of Subway around to, in the end, stand 4 inches in front of a complete stranger letting the rat's nest they call a hairdo swing disconcertingly close to that stranger's face. So then what, pray tell, makes you think that it is OK to do that in a dark, mostly empty, bar while people are trying to enjoy a rock and roll band? ....... If you any chance of being a human being a decent human you should realize that that sort of behavior is not OK. It's obnoxious and weird.

2)Talking:
Now this right here is most people's biggest folly. It is a generally accepted rule that when you go into a movie theater you shut the fuck up because the people around you are trying to hear and pay attention to the movie that they payed to see. When you go to a speaking or a reading, it is a generally accepted rule that you keep your stupid whore mouth shut because other people are trying to listen and learn and appreciate what they have most likely paid to hear spoken about. So following this trend: when you are in a public place, where people have gathered to enjoy some form of auditory/visual spectacle it is NOT OKAY to jostle your way to the front of the crowd and proceed to have full conversations with your ditsy little friends by screaming at each other. The music, movie, speaker, whatever is loud so you yell in order for your friend to hear you over it. However the problem with this is that then I can hear you. And I don't want to hear you. I want to hear the band that I paid to come see and that I enjoy quite a bit. I didn't pay to hear your migraine inducing screeches to the other fucking banshees you know. I get that you more than likely are only at the show because some friend of yours is boning one of the dudes in the band. That's great. Shut up. A good rule is: if the band is playing, don't talk. If they're between songs, there's your chance to make a quick comment but otherwise fucking zip it. If you absolutely have to a single sentence, maybe 2 here or there is allowable otherwise move to the fucking back of the club to continue spouting your mindless dribble because the tiny girl that you just stepped in front of and seem to be trying to smother with your gross, knotted, 'ponytail' would like to be able to hear the band that is playing and your continual chittering and chattering could very likely drive her to punching a bitch in the face....and it's hard to talk when your jaw's swollen.
Originally posted on Marlee's livejournal

The people behind Bandize, a really useful application for bands, recently posted a blog about Facebook. I know most musicians prefer Myspace but with most people now spending their time on Facebook, it's starting to be important for bands to include themselves on this site. But from what I've heard, it's a pain to set one up.

Never fear, this blog posts step by step with illustrations on how to set up a page on Facebook. Yay!

Click to read "How to create a Facebook Page for your band."

By the way, an indepth look on Bandize and how it can help your band is in the works. So keep an eye on that.