The Tale of a Journey: Bandwagon 4 Through The Eyes of Driftin Suns and QBala
Battle of the Bands competitions ring a familiar bell for many musicians, and often times the negative memories can out-number the positive. Most who enter will lose, despite the fact that most who enter feel that their band, or them themselves, have something going for them that none of the other acts do.
Artists often walk away disappointed from these competitions, but if you were wise enough to enter one that was put on by a respectable party (in Denver, our Bandwagon competitions, or Best of the West at Herman’s Hideaway are perhaps the two most well known, and there are a few others that take place throughout the year) your act has a lot more to gain from the comp than just a win or loss.
There are good and bad ways of going about putting on a battle of the bands. There are some “companies” such as Gorilla Music Productions that are notorious in musician circles for hosting “pay-to-play” events- often times at thesecompetitions artists are required artist to pre-sell a set amount of tickets to even be allowed onstage. The money from the tickets (or even out of band members pockets, in some extreme cases) is turned in to the promoter and the artists receive little or no compensation. The “winner” is solely determined by who sells the most tickets and the prize generally fails to step above trophy status- a bong, a bar tab, or a few sets of guitar strings. Ask anyone who has participated in an event like this what their thoughts are, and their answer will likely be filled with anger and a general sense that they were completely taken advantage of.
Now, I know it sounds like we are just tooting our own horn, and we are, but we can back it up- our contest is attended (and in the later rounds judged) by music professionals from all over the city. We promote the hell out of it, your band gets a lot of name repetition, and this year we are offering a feature article to all acts that make it past the first round (which are half of the entries). The Central City location provides something new to offer your fans- a party atmosphere where they can get out of town and let loose without having to worry about driving, and can even get a hotel room if they are so inclined.
CMB provides entrants with all of the marketing materials and info they need to make themselves successful. Everything from photos for Facebook to press releases and tickets is easily accessible. Artists have the opportunity to network with radio personalities, videographers and photographers, press, and anyone else who happens to be at their show.
Additionally, if you play your cards right, you leave the comp with a ton of new contacts consisting of both bands and industry people. The artists who take full advantage of the resources provided come out on top inside the competition and afterwards. Here are what our first and second place winners from 2013’s Bandwagon 4, Qbala Music and The Driftin Suns, had to say about what they gained from the competition in addition to their prize money.
“The networking opportunities have been phenomenal,” says Qbala. “Since winning we have focused on that within the music industry. It has allowed us to play more shows throughout Colorado as well as gain more friends and fans through live performances. The money comes and goes, but to us it was about the fans and doing something we love.”
We talked with The Driftin Suns in depth about their experiences with promoting the shows in Central City the competition itself. The guys, knowing that the competition was an hour away and in the mountains, decided that they had to go all-in to get the most out of it. They bought a couple hotel rooms at the casino, allowing their fans a place to crash if they over indulged or just plain didn’t want to drive back late at night. They also took full advantage of the bus system, effectively taking the need to drive up and back out of the scenario.
Being accessible is a big key as well, as bands need their fans’ support in the comp and the fans want to feel like they are a part of it too. “We saw Bandwagon 4 as a really big deal,” says Driftin Suns bassist Garret Curtiss. “I think Bandwagon 4 was a huge notifier that Driftin Suns, we’re not the band that plays on stage and then goes and hides somewhere. We’ll talk to fans before and after the show. We don’t run off and do our own thing.”
“We learned how to tighten up our scheduling,” says Driftin Suns manager Angela Kerr. “And we really saw the teamwork of the Colorado Music Buzz and how they were so willing to help bands.”
“It’s easy to convince yourself that this person would never want to come watch,” says Driftin Suns guitarist Adam Curtiss. “Some people I’ve known for years wouldn’t come but random strangers I talked to at work were like ‘Yeah!’”
“That’s kind of your drawback, it’s a long way away,” says Garret Curtis. “
“Everything about it took us out of our element and we had to play a bigger show, practice more, play better, etc.,” says drummer Jaydon Kershner. “Every step of the way it was a confidence building experience. We had to grab our balls and give it hell. Maybe we did it the first time but can we do it the second time, the third time?”
The guys changed their set for each of the three rounds. “We took a risk on the second one so that if we did get into the third one we’d have an explosive set,” says front man Kristian Kerr.
Driftin Suns got to learn first-hand how loyal and dedicated their fan base is, and took full advantage of the opportunity to bond with them. “They were so invested they wanted to see us win first, and they were more disappointed than we were that we got second,” says Garret Curtis.
There are definitely some things bands should avoid when entering a large competition like this. “Avoid going in with a negative attitude like they’re better than the other bands,” says Kristian Kerr. “Go in professionally. If you didn’t win, it’s not because of your talent really, it’s because you didn’t promote.”
“Avoid not approaching it as a business,” says Adam Curtiss. “And go into the crowd. Avoid just packing up your gear and just waiting around to see who won.”
“I think our best outcome from Bandwagon 4 came from our networking abilities and not our placement. I feel that we could have placed 30th and still gone to just as many shows and networked and made as many connections as we did,” says Garret Curtiss.
The overall feel? “We got so much more out of that than a place or some money,” says Adam Curtiss. Not bad for a band that had only been together for six months prior to the start of the competition.
Colorado Music Buzz looks forward to seeing YOUR band up in Central City come February! Register online at coloradomusicbuzz.com and get your fans, friends, and family members to vote you into the competition!
Category: Buzzworthy2
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