Attitude
Your Local Music Scene Doesn’t Have To Suck
Last night I performed at what's now become ground zero for the LA singer/songwriter scene: Monday Monday.The Monday Monday series at The Hotel Cafe was originally started by singer/songwriter/FOH mixing extraordinaire Joel Eckels at Room 5 in January of 2013 (after filling the p...
Attitude
Why I Chose This Winner for the Open Mic
Vanessa Wheeler at El Cid | Photo by Hannah Verbeuren Last Monday I judged an open mic contest at El Cid in Silverlake. There were 22 acts who signed up in advance of the night (many curated by El Cid's booker Michael McCarthy). I'd never been to El Cid before and was pleasantly...
Attitude
When Greeting Fans, Never Say ‘Nice to Meet You’
I just finished playing mediator between two of my good friends. To protect the innocent, let's call them Jeremy and Jamie. Jeremy had shot a video for me and Jamie a couple years back. On shoot day there were about 10 people on set. We all had a long, albeit fun, day and the vid...
Attitude
What Bands Who Broke Up Made Me Realize
I'm sitting at home listening to bands I love who broke up before the world realized their brilliance. I knew it. The local scene knew it. Some even had major record deals. Some got their album out to the world. And some were 'shelved' until they broke up. See, signing to a major...
Attitude
11 Mistakes Every Young Band Makes
1) Wait To Be DiscoveredIf you want a career in music you have to MAKE your career in music. You can't wait for 'the powers that be' to come swoop you up and turn you into a star. You must put in the work. No one wants to work with someone with a great recording but absolutely no...
Attitude
7 Ways To Crack The Musical Gatekeepers
Every scene has them. The bloggers, the radio DJs, the music editors, the local Twitter stars, the club and festival bookers. Gatekeepers are an elusive group of somebodies who once were nobodies.What they all have in common is they love the culture of music. They're typically no...
Attitude
How To Be A Classy Self-Promoter
Why do we love it when politicians talk about themselves? Why do we love hearing them stump on the campaign trail talking about how great they are?Well maybe we don't love it, but we accept it. And vote for them.But we hate musicians who talk about themselves.In the hip hop commu...
Attitude
What I Learned From My $12 Cup Of Coffee
Last night I went to a spot in Koreatown known for their coffee. I learned this after I went in. Actually, I was just walking around the neighborhood looking for a cafe and found this spot because they had a sign out front with a photo of a sexy looking coffee cocktail.My brother...
Attitude
Don’t Be Late. Ever.
If LA has taught me anything, it's the importance of networking. I go on lunch and coffee dates (and set even more potential 'let's grab lunch sometime' dates) like I'm starving and undergoing life threatening caffeine withdrawal.The thing is, sometimes my dates are late. And I'v...
Attitude
How To Act Completely Unprofessionally
Many of you have been following the MondoTunes drama on Twitter (here), (here) and (here). I reviewed them (and 6 other digital distribution services). Before I posted my full report, the founder, Steve Norris sent me a looooong email trashing the other services. I ignored it and...
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We Can Learn A Lot From the Dance Music Industry
This week, Ari is joined by Moody Jones, the General Manager of Dance at EMPIRE.