Find your Simon Cowell

Everyone likes to paint Simon Cowell as the mean guy. After all, the thing he says most often is, "I don't mean to be rude, but...."

Even if he's a little mean, Simon knows what he's talking about and he tells it like it is. That honesty can break fragile hearts, but you know what? It's better to hear that kind of feedback and learn from it than it is to keep unrealistic expectations and wonder why your dream hasn't come true.

When I see a musician (or any artist, really) who is blindsided by criticism or else very defensive, I guess that he or she hasn't had a Simon in their life. It's a rare but valuable person who will tell you what you need to hear.

It can be hard to find someone who will be honest with you about your talents. People who are inclined to love you and celebrate you, like your family and friends, are bias. These people make a great support system, but probably not the best critics.

I love what Alex Day wrote about this a few months ago, too.

"... my audience like me so I don’t trust them to be objective about my music. 'This is great! It’s new music from you!'.... If the people that listen to my music have good ideas about writing music, then they should be writing music. But if they don’t, they shouldn’t. It’s like any job – if there is someone who doesn’t have experience of working in that industry, you don’t ask them for advice. I like cars, but I don’t know how to build a good car. It’s the same thing. Just pick out two or three people you really trust and listen to them. If a band plays a new song at a gig and asks if the crowd like it, of course they are going to cheer. It’s not as if they are going to say it’s shit!"

If you believe in your dream, be confident enough to solicit and accept feedback. Too often people turn to "vanity stats" (such as the number of Facebook 'Likes' or Twitter followers they have) for positive reinforcement. But those things don't really tell you why people do or don't like your music.

Find someone who's opinion you trust and ask them to maintain honesty with you, especially before you find your success. As one musician reminded me, "The more popular you get, the more people will tell you what you want to hear so that they can get close to you."

Caren Explains 400 Concerts

Tonight marks my 400th concert (yup, I keep track of them all... I'm even nerdier than you thought).

By my even nerdier calculations, that means I've spent approximately 1.39% of my life at gigs. (You're welcome, Live Nation). Malcolm Gladwell believes that if you invest 10,000 hours in something, you're an expert at that thing... so does that make me an expert in concerts? I'm putting it on my resume.

Much of my gig-going was inspired by my parents, who are also music fans and would drive me to shows when I was in junior high and high school. At numerous HFStivals, Dad would sit in the upper levels of RFK Stadium and work on budgets and other grown-up things, while my friends and I roamed around from stage to stage. So long as we checked in with him every few hours, we could see as many bands as we wanted to. I always appreciated that my parents trusted me and encouraged my love of music. I'd say it's paid off.

Here are some highlights from all the live music I've seen so far...

The first concert I ever went to 
(a great icebreaker question, if you ever need one)
The Monkees @ The Patriot Center at George Mason, Fairfax, VA, 1996

In 1996, my parents took me and my sister to see The Monkees reunion tour in Virginia. I went home that night and wrote my first concert review in my lock-and-key diary, which I published here for laughs.

The furthest I've ever traveled to see a concert
Robbie Williams @ FILA Forum, Milan, Italy, 2003

My dear friend Maddie and I were both HUGE Robbie Williams fans, which is notable because we were American and no one in America seems to know who Robbie Williams is. Unfortunately for us, that meant the chances of seeing him perform in America were slim. So during our semesters abroad in Europe, we bought travel packages to see Robbie play in Milan. I remember showing up in the city without much of an idea of where the heck we were going, yet somehow finding our way to a bus that took us to the FILA Forum.  It was a special memory (and boy, can Robbie put on a show).

The first concert I ever planned
Paste Rock'n'Reel Festival @ East Decatur Station, Decatur, GA, 2005

This was an ambitious undertaking and my naiveté was consequently a good thing. While the crowds didn't turn out in droves like we'd hoped, there were some amazing musical moments for the music fans that did show up, including beautiful sets by Low, Brandi Carlile, Anathallo, Cary Brothers, Buddy Miller and Mindy Smith.

The most surprising concert
Zac Brown @ The Rock Boat, the Atlantic Ocean, 2004

I was a college senior and had, through a totally random series of events, ended up on The Rock Boat (a concert cruise) over my fall semester break with my friend Kristen. I was interning at Paste during that time and was excited to be around dozens of musicians and thousands of fans. Throughout the week, I tried to see as much music as I could, which brought me to a small stage at a sushi stand, about three levels below deck. There were a few fans dancing around to a catchy song about fried chicken. After the set, I talked to the singer, who also lived in Georgia, and mentioned that I worked for a magazine. He gave me a homemade CD, with his name and cellphone number scribbled on the front. I unfortunately never listened to it. Sorry about that, Zac, but I guess you've done okay for yourself.

The "I can't believe I saw this at a dive bar" concert
Janelle Monae @ Lenny's Bar, Atlanta, GA, 2008

In 2008, Tim and Leila Regan-Porter had been singing the praises of a local artist named Janelle Monae. We all went to see her at the dark and grungy Lenny's Bar in Atlanta (R.I.P.), where you were more likely to see a metal band than a future superstar. Janelle and her band played as if they were performing for an arena, yet still managed to play to the dive bar crowd (this is a hard balancing act and if you've seen it done badly, you'll know what I'm talking about). It was clear her star was rising and that we'd never see this future Cover Girl at Lenny's Bar again.

The worst concert I've ever attended
I don't even remember the artists name @ Red Light Cafe, Atlanta, GA, 2006

When people woo you to shows with promises of free wine, be weary. At one record label showcase in 2006, the moody singer-songwriter took the stage an hour late, performed a mediocre set and, when she caught me quietly yawning, yelled at me from the stage. "What, is this BORING you? Am I not ENTERTAINING enough?" she asked. Needless to say, you've never heard of her.

The concert I didn't go to, but should have
The Nightwatchman @ Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA, 2007

I was never a huge Rage Against the Machine or folk fan, so in 2007 I sold my tickets to see Tom Morello as The Nightwatchman. That night, at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta, Bruce Springsteen was also in the small crowd. Doh.

The "I'll tell my kids about this one day" concert
Mumford & Sons DJ Set @ Public Works, San Francisco, CA, 2011

Whey my friend Kate won tickets to a "Mumford & Sons DJ Set" at a scenester dance club, I expected we'd see Marcus hitting 'Play' on an iPod playlist and nothing more, if even that. Imagine our surprise, then, when said "DJ Set" was actually an acoustic jamboree with members of Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show, on the eve of their Railroad Revival Tour.

New albums to add to your playlist: The Last Bison, Satellite, Hey Marseilles

It's a pretty stacked day for new releases today. Here are three I've been looking forward to that you should give a spin.





The Last Bison - Inheritance 

Wikipedia tells me that, in 1909, chamber music was first explained as "music of friends." It's an apt description for what The Last Bison has made. Fronted by Ben Hardesty, the band includes Ben's father, sister and close friends, all from colonial Virginia. The music maintains the rustic nature of the environment in which it was created, which, in an age of over-production and computer-powered soundscapes, is refreshing for both the soul and the ears. 

Standout track: "Switzerland"

For fans of: Mumford and Sons, The Decemberists

Fun fact: Six of the band's seven members were homeschooled (like some of the coolest people I know). 

Get it on Google Play





Satellite - Calling the Birds 

I first heard about Satellite from To Right Love on Her Arms and just loved Steven McMorran's voice. It haunted you long after a song ended. On this new album, what could have easily become generic and glossy radio rock instead feels like a series of fragile and honest confessions about love, loss and our mortality.

Standout track: "Brooklyn"


For fans of: Switchfoot, Mat Kearney


Fun fact: The band recently moved from Los Angeles to Nashville. 


Get it on Google Play





Hey Marseilles - Lines We Trace

A few months ago I got to see Hey Marseilles open for Sea Wolf and wondered how the heck all its members fit on the stage with their instruments and still played so well. It was graceful, not chaotic, as is this poignant album. 

Standout track: "Heart Beats"

For fans of: DeVotchka, Blind Pilot


Fun fact: Most of the band has lived in the Seattle house where the album was written.


Get it on Google Play

Caren Explains Her Favorite Songs of 2012

One of my favorite exercises each year is to put together a playlist of my favorite songs. It amazes me just how intertwined music and memories are, and how just putting on an old album can recall past experiences I'd all but forgotten about. 

BUT! We live in the present, and these are the songs I loved in 2012. If you need some new music, might I recommend these tunes? (Less the obvious choices... you really got my attention, Gotye).

CK's Favorite Songs of 2012 
(put this on shuffle, I didn't sequence it)

Buy the songs on Google Play

Give them a test run with this Rdio playlist

1. "Pioneers" - The Lighthouse and the Whaler
2. "Brothers" - Tanlines
3. "Youth" - Daughter
4. "Fireshrine" - Purity Ring
5. "The John Wayne" - Little Green Cars
6. "It's Time (Penguin Prison remix)" - Imagine Dragons

7. "Breezeblocks" - Alt-J
8. "Dannyboy" - Youngblood Hawke

9. "Hold On When You Get Love and Let Go When You Give It" - Stars

10. "Thinkin Bout You" - Frank Ocean

11. "Funtimes in Babylon" - Father John Misty

12. "Henrietta" - Yeasayer

13. "King and Lionheart" - Of Monsters and Men

14. "I Will Wait" - Mumford & Sons

15. "Switzerland" - The Last Bison

16. "Endors Toi" - Tame Impala

17. "You Never Need Nobody" - The Lone Bellow

18. "Five Seconds" - Twin Shadow

19. "She Lit a Fire" - Lord Huron

20. "Anna Sun" - Walk the Moon

21. "Venice" - The Lighthouse and the Whaler

22. "Don't You Give Up On Me" - Milo Greene

23. "Default" - Django Django

24. "Thrift Shop (feat Wanz)" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

25. "Angry Eyes" - Kopecky Family Band

26. "Myth" - Beach House

27. "Sex" - The 1975

28. "Hold On" - Alabama Shakes

29. "St. Croix" - Family of the Year

30. "I'm Getting Ready" - Michael Kiwanuka

31. "Before Your Father Hears Us" - The Family Crest

32. "Put the Gun Down" - ZZ Ward

33. "Genesis" - Grimes

34. "Concrete Wall (RAC Remix)" - Zee Avi

35. "Heartbreaker" - The Walkmen

36. "I'm Not Talking" - A.C. Newman

Keep calm and rock on. Happy new year, folks.

Caren

So You Want to Work in the Music Industry? Here's My Advice...

A few times a week, I take calls with college students and young professionals who want to work in the music industry.

My first piece of advice is simple: Don't.

To explain, I call upon the idea of "blue ocean strategy," which supposes that you can make high profits by creating new demand in uncontested markets. Put more simply, if you go fishing where no one else is, you'll find a clear, not bloody, water and walk away with more fish.

In the context of your job search, this means looking for opportunities where other people haven't thought to go yet.

If you want to start working in the music business, the obvious options are obvious to everyone else, too: record labels, music sites, booking agencies, etc. Because of the high demand for these positions (coupled with your lack of experience), you won't have much leverage in the negotiation and might even have to accept an offer (like an internship with possibility of full-time employment) without pay. Later, if you find yourself unhappy or suffering under a bad manager, you'll likely be reminded how many people wanted your job. (This is, of course, unfair to companies that have great entry level opportunities, but I've heard some pretty terrible stories over the years).

Instead, you can get some fantastic experience (and a better salary) by looking in non-obvious places.

I saw how valuable this could be when I was in college and interning for the ad agency BBDO. I was assigned to the account management team for Cingular Wireless and got to see all aspects of the agency and how it worked with its brand clients.

I also expressed interest in working on Cingular's music initiatives. Though it was a small part of my job, I got to help the senior account managers and a  major record label put together a plan for bringing Cingular's ringtone platform to market. Since BBDO didn't have an in-house music team, all I had to do was raise my hand and say, "Can I help with this?"

When I started applying to other music-related jobs, that was a great talking point and something I could highlight on my resume. Yet I also walked away with functional experience that was relevant to any advertising or marketing job. It gave me more options rather than tying my skills to a very niche industry, and that is especially important in a tough economy.

If you want to get started in the music business, take a look around for opportunities other people don't see... maybe that's working for an agency, like BBDO, or for a consumer packaged goods company, like Coca-Cola, which has so many ties to music and entertainment. Non-profits and universities (which book talent for fundraisers and events) are other good places to look, so long as you have an idea of where you can help.

However, if you find yourself stuck in a cubicle with no way to work music into your daily tasks, make an opportunity for yourself in your spare time. There are thousands of bands looking for help with marketing, management, PR and the like, but they often can't afford the help. Read Donald Passman's book and find a project you can work on pro-bono work in exchange for the experience. It will show potential employers -- whether in the traditional music industry or not -- that you are serious about your dream, even if you're currently an accountant.