Ever hear the phrase "attitude makes the man?" Well in this case attitude makes the band. But let me end the suspence, a bad attitude will never make anything, other than a disgusted audience. As a regular on the local music scenes (Boston and beyond) I cannot tell you how incredibly dissapointed I've become in the last few years at the lack of not just talent, but professionalism from young (and not so young) independent bands. 

   Just because you have 250,000 fans on MySpace, it doesn't make you the U2 of your local city. And having the most hits for your video clip on YouTube doesn't make you qualified to tie Bono's shoes. Let's pull the curtain away from the wizard shall we? First of all, of those 250,000 "fans" on your rapidly diminishing MySpace page, there are probably 300 legitimate people who are interested in what you're doing, while the rest are a pure mixture of "auto-adds." Auto-adds are generally strippers, porn stars, organizations, fellow bands, major label bands, film makers and so-on-and-so-forth. Basically, profiles that will accept anyone's friend request. These profiles are added to beef up and pad a band's friend list so they don't appear to be a bunch of nobodys. Now I'm being conservative by saying only 300 people are interested in your band. Perhaps there are more and if so, good for you. My point is, rather than patting yourself on your back to everyone because you have more fans on your band profile than the next band, you should be embracing the 300-or-so people who actually like what you're doing. Focus your energy and attention on them and make them like you even more. This in turn could get you another 300 fans within a couple of months because word of mouth is everything in the music business. Music lovers like nothing more than having their friend's hear their new favorite band's songs, or bringing them out to a live show. Trust me, it all counts. So rather than wandering around under the bullshit dilusion that you are admired by thousands of people all around the world, even though you've done absolute shit, start with the true fans from your city who are going to come out to the shows and buy your music, because they are the one's who can make or break you.

     Another thing that annoys me to no end is a band's lack of enthusiam on stage. If you're not convinced that you belong on that stage, then why should we be convinced to pay money to see you. I'm going to give you an example. A few years back, some friend's of mine in a band called The Mars Patrol came to Boston to play a show. The Mars Patrol are from Scotland, and at that time, were unsigned and just decided to book an American tour. With very little money, the four of them packed up, booked a bunch of shows and came to the states just for the sake of performing to a new audience and having some fun in the process. I met up with them at a club called The Paradise Lounge in Boston, where they were the first band to go on, followed by about 3-4 local Boston bands. Being the first band to take the stage, there wasn't a huge crowd by any means that early in the evening. This did not discourage this unknown band from Scotland. The Mars Patrol took the stage and basically tore it up for the next thirty minutes. It didn't matter if there was 50 people in front of them or 200. They gave it 110% and came off as the real winners of the evening, because people wanted to know who they were after their set. Sadly, the next couple of bands were just ok. One in particular, played sloppy, lacked charisma and at one point their front man mumbled something about them having a new CD but they didn't bring them to the show because they forgot them, and shouted "because we just plain suck!" Unfortunately they were right, but here I am with my friends from Scotland, in my hometown hoping to share some of my local scene with them, and this was the impression they left with. By the way, The Mars Patrol just recently signed a rather lucrative management deal. I have never heard from that band that "just plain sucked" ever again.

     So, in short, lose the bad attitude and adopt a fresh one. Maybe you're just sensing your own failure and you're using the "I'm such a big rock star" image as a crutch. Maybe the music business just isn't for you. Believe me, there are much better investments out there for your future with much faster turn-around. Music takes years and years of dedication and drive. You're not going to cross that finish line with a negative attitude. Nobody is going to want to be around you long enough for the ride so take note now. Stop complaining about people not showing up to a gig. Ever stop to ask yourself, "why aren't they coming out?" Stop whining about the venue that you just played at. Because live music venues are closing at an alarming rate, and you don't want to be burning those bridges. And above all, stop fueding with the other bands you're sharing the stage with. This type of one-upsmanship makes for negative vibes on stage and comes across poorly to your fans. Instead, make friends with the other bands. Network and offer to cross-promote with them. This will help you all get more gigs because you will all be working together for a common goal.....success! (Rob Watts)