How I'm SURVIVING the Music Industry as Musician, Producer, Songwriter, IT Professional, and Business Owner
That's right. I'm still here, fighting, running, and satiating the machine. After all these years... Alive and well and most importantly, prospering. I've seen so many dark places with music and the industry, but it has also opened so many doors and created me as a person, a problem-solver. Because after all, the music industry is nothing but problems, so I've got nothing but solutions... let's start at the beginning, shall we?
HISTORY
Gimme that Guitar
I was 3yrs old when I first grabbed a toy guitar and never put it down. I beat the piss out of that thing. At age 4, I got a ukulele for Christmas. I thought, "Are you kidding? This isn't a real guitar. Show me the goods." Finally, at the early age of 5, I started taking guitar lessons with a proper electric Ovation guitar and amp. My uncle was a guitar player in a semi-successful country act and led us in the right direction on what equipment to get. He also recused himself of being my teacher with him being family and all. He was worried I'd hate him since he was going to make me practice. He hooked us up with a teacher, Bob, who turns out to be one of the best dudes on this planet and an amazing guitar and pedal steel player. It was then, that my parents and guitar teacher, Bob, weren't even sure if my hands would be large enough to wrap around the neck. Fortunately for me, it all worked out and I started learning notes, strings, scales, and how to basically get pissed at myself for things I couldn't do, yet. Healthy.
This is Bob, my first teacher. I owe my playing to this guy. Love him.
Practicing and Inspiration
Don't get me wrong; My parents were super supportive and I appreciate everything they've ever done for me, including hammering it into me that I needed to practice at least 30min/day. It would be sunny out, neighborhood friends knocking on the door to see if I could go ride bikes, I'd be frustrated with lessons I was trying to learn, etc. Sounds like a blast for a 7yr old right? I just wanted to melt faces with some rock, but my fingers just weren't doing it. Until a switch got flipped and I started getting it all... To this day, I still don't know what opened up in my head, but everything flowed and started working like magic. Maybe it was the repetition. It's the mother of learning, right? I'll also chalk it up to thinly veiled threats from my parents that if I didn't get to practicing that
'...we're just going to throw the goddamn thing in the creek and watch it float away.'
Rad. Pass me my metronome.
Early Gigs? Try Life Lessons.
Before I knew it, I was lined up to play my first talent show at like age 7. It was at a local grade school that I actually didn't attend, but only lived in its school district. The simple tune I practiced for weeks on end was called "Long, Long Ago" from the Mel Bay Guitar Method 1 book. I knew that shit inside and out. Seriously. So before the talent show and with my parents, I carried my gear on to the stage, set it all up, gave a quick soundcheck and tossed the guitar backstage. (Yep, I was learning that I need to be my own roadie.) Soon, my name got called to go slay "Long, Long Ago" and sign autographs in the back. But wait, I left the guitar case open backstage, somebody dicked with the tuning, and I blindly plugged the guitar in, not checking tuning, and continued to play "Long Long Ago" perfectly horrified in front of a large audience of 200+ people. You can tell by the look on my face how stoked I was of my slaying, post "Long Long Ago." Oh, thanks for the photo op after you knowingly witnessed some of the most cringe-worthy notes, Dad. Did I mention, this was healthy? I picked myself up, dusted off and came back the following year rocking the nuts off that place, only producing one ear-shattering chord during Pipeline. It was a win. Why?
LESSON: Cuz I learned to never keep my guitar case open backstage and check tuning before 1st note played. To this day, I live up to that standard. It's never failed me.
Smile! You're stoked that guitar just sounded like cats yowling in an alleyway for 2.5 minutes.
Family Band
Yeah, that's right. I was in a family band. Cliffnotes version: My sister played piano and sang, I taught my dad how to play guitar while he was out of work due to an injury and was recovering (Yep, you read that right; I taught him...I was 7) and we got a kid from our church to play drums. We played old greaser tunes from Elvis, Roy Orbison, The Shondells, and Led Zepplin, etc. I know, right? I have a back catalog of songs in my head that would make the 1950's seem alive again. But, the ultimate take-away here is that my parents wanted me and my sister playing out in front of people in a band. They are supportive parents and I'm happy that I have 'em. Why? Because they were willing to cart us around to lessons, family band practices, gigs, etc, and even be on the stage with us, just to kickstart the experience.
Shredding it with a lei on my neck
See what I did there?
We had some sweet gigs. Even sweeter matching shirts.
Being in Bands and wanting it. Bad.
You can see, I've had some other hiccups here and there during my time playing with gradeschool friends growing up, then into high school, college and beyond. It wasn't all perfect, obviously. I took quickly to guitar because I loved it. While friends were at tee ball practice, I was practicing playing guitar. It was what I wanted to do when I wasn't on my skateboard, bike, or camping. I also learned that if I wanted to be playing in bars while I was 16, during band breaks, I had to stand in the snow out on the loading dock because bar laws restricted me from being in the bar if I wasn't "working." As long as I had that guitar in my hands, shit was alright. That's just one example of the dues I've paid. No sleep, more practicing, coordinating bands --- all with the ultimate goal of "making it" someday. I stared at those Van Halen posters on my wall and wanted to be doing EXACTLY THAT forever. So I kept practicing, learning, getting better, and practicing some more.
Quick story: So, I went to go see my 2nd guitar teacher play. His name was Ray and in a blues trio called StingRay's Blues Band. He was playing at a Penn State campus and it was awesome I could get to see him play. I was only 12-ish at the time and couldn't obviously get into bars to see them. We show up at the thing and there is probably about 100 people there watching the band. He calls me up to the stage, "hey buddy, want to jam?" Of course I said, "yes" completely unaware of what was going to happen next. He took off his tele (which was basically strung up with fucking telephone wires) and put it on me. He nodded at me and said, "Welp, there ya go. Have fun!" And WALKED OFF THE STAGE. There I stood with his band and 100+ people staring at me. I counted that shit off and played for a solid 10 minutes jamming on "Mustang Sally" and some other lame riff I can't remember. I got down off the stage after jamming and had future bandmates tossing their phone numbers at me so we could be in bands together. LESSON: Don't trust your guitar teacher named "StingRay," but own that fucking stage like you planned it.
Check this sweet whip out! The most opportune time for a photo-op. About a year later, Kirk Hammett of Metallica bought this guitar. You can see it in some of their behind-the-scenes stuff for the Black Album. Nutz-o.
TV Appearances, High School Bands, Living the Dream at Age 13
Mimicking my favorite rockers like Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughn was proving to be paying off. I knew their songs and solos inside and out, cover to cover. So much so, that I started getting invited to do TV spots for a local tv station, Wolf-TV. This TV show I was on also led to an invite to be in a contest in Atlantic City with record execs in the audience scouting talent and a prize of $1000. Entry fee was $100 and my parents thought it was a scam. Little did the know that's EXACTLY how the music industry works and potentially could have opened even more doors at age 9 and beyond. To me that's still a fork in time-line continuum that shoulda been taken...
9yrs old, WOLF-TV in Northeastern PA. It was a show called SPOTLIGHT and in the beginning of this clip the host talks about the damn showcase in Atlantic City I wanted to go to and kick ass. Sidenote, they had me sit in a chair because I was taller than him.
LESSON: If you think it's a scam in the music industry, you're probably right, but the good news is that it will introduce you to new people in your network.
BUT anywhoo, onward and upward, right? I'd get invitations to other various bands made up of older dudes than myself; they needed somebody to be a lead player and I had the chops to do it. There was a band I was in at one point, 7th grade (those dudes were seniors in high school) called Potential Difference.
"...We booked shows as a 4 piece rock band playing Poison, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, etc. Talent show and gigs at a local rec center proved to be nothing short of insanity. Kids lined up for almost 2hr asking for autographs on their shoes, jean jackets, arms.. anything, really. Post show, it would eventually get to a point where we had to jump fences, duck into our cars and peel out of there just so we could head home cuz we had school the next day."
Potential Difference, circa 1992. Don't mind the dates getting futzed with. It was '92...You can tell by my bleach-white-pegged jeans it was '92. I had to be excused from my 7th grade classes because we had to go soundcheck for Northwest Area High School prom that year. Badass.
Oh man. That was the taste of it. Rocking... Oh Christ. Like a drug...
Expanding beyond just playing guitar - Songwriting, Engineering, and Recording...seminiars?!
I found myself constantly trying to record myself playing guitar. Y'know, bouncing the recorded track from one tape recorder to another, layering parts, writing songs. Little did I know, but recording and songwriting would play a huge part in my life later on and learning the skillset at an early age is worth it. I also wanted drums on the tunes, so guess what I did? I started playing on every drumset I could find.
(Years later, I find myself being able to play drums, also...how bout that!)
I ended up getting gifted a Yamaha 4-Track recorder (that I still have to this day) and continued to be an engineer. I'd record songs I had written, hang mics over drums and record them to the tunes, and dub tapes with hand-drawn covers and give them out to my friends at school. I was learning engineering, songwriting, mastering, duplication, and distribution at a very crude level, but still, I got it.
I understood that I wanted to get shit recorded and out into the hands of people cuz they might like it too. I still have all of my 4-track tapes I've EVER done. They're kept as a treasure and honestly they need to be digitized before the tape disintigrates. They're old.
My Yamaha MT-120. So sweet. This thing is like gold to me. Those tapes should be locked away in a time capsule.
Coverart and 4-track stuff
Self-made cover, age 13. You can imagine how pissed I was when the typewriter didn't line up right.
Being Musically and Learning to Be Professionally Diverse at a Young Age
Weird, right? Well, I didn't know what was happening at the time that my parents were forcing me to do things I didn't want to do, but it was all teaching me something. I'd get involved in singing in school choirs and never even have a guitar in my hands. I'd play my guitar for church, which I couldn't stand going to anyway.. what, now I have to work!? jesus. I even played saxophone for a few years in a traveling elementary school jazz band thing.
LESSON: Doing shit you don't want to do gives you appreciation for the people that do do those things. In the future, you'll be working with them.
Playing at Church. At least I had my wicked Charvel with me. I STILL have that guitar and still trying to knock the Satan out of it. You sinner.
In 1992, I shared the stage with classmates as a children's Christmas choir and the infamous John Denver, RIP. Find me in the sea of horrible neckwear.
BONUS LESSON: You might have to dress up the way THEY want for an experience YOU want.
I even gave seminars on the guitar, speaking to 500+ kids in an auditorium at a time, demoing different guitars and genres of music for them. This screenshot was from a talk I gave at the Blue Ridge Elementary School, Blue Ridge, PA. 1997.
LESSON: Be an EXPERT.
College Bands and Radio Spots
It took years to get to this point, but during college, some of the best fun was had with some of my bands. There was "16 North" (an acoustic duo/quad that played around college campuses with good crowds and "The Stocks" (a sloppy fun rock band that gained a packed-house crowd consistently just because of how we partied and played). Both of these bands were tons of fun, did some playing around colleges, partied, and had good followings to boot. We played rock, blues, jam band stuff and everybody seemed to dig it cuz that's what we dug.
Hanging with Karel Zubris at LCCC's WSFX FM, 85.1/105.5FM station ---I made it a point to ALWAYS show love to college radio. Always.
Mind you, during college, I was a full-time student going for my B.S. in Computer Science and also had a 20hr+ job as an intern; now I'm learning how to juggle juggle juggle all the fun with working hard. The CompSci degree was attained as a 'safety net' in life cuz.... ok, whatever mom & dad. Radio Interviews, Parties, Keggers, outdoor events, stages, bars, oh my!
LESSON: When you're in college, get paid in money, not beer. You can pay rent in money, not beer. Be resourceful.
That's white-out used as lettering on a plastic sleeve over the original photo. Yes, I scanned in the ORIGINAL. ;-) 16 North was an acoustic duo from my early half of college.
Playing as a Duo, King's College Homecoming 1999
Sitting in with StingRay (my second guitar teacher), years later. King's College Homecoming gig, 1999.
Playing as a 4-piece.
The Stocks were a power-slob-rock trio that didn't care how things came out and managed to garner an incredible following. This was the second half of my college days.
"...It didn't matter where we were on campus. We'd set up our shit and play."
These were also some of the first times that I had ever been interviewed on college radio stations pertaining to my music endeavors. Rad. Also, the media training I had received my Sophomore year was proving to be useful then, and obviously now.
Post-College IT Career and a Regional Touring Cover Band
THIS was a fun part of history. Jesus. Buckle up. So, post college, I landed a 'safe' IT job in computers with a major food manufacturer and moved out of PA to NJ. During that time, I saw myself obviously still playing guitar in bands, but I also wanted a professional career with a house-in-the-Hamptons bullshit. Problem was, I had no band and there was a long stretch of about 1.5yr where I wasn't in a band. I was dying on the inside. After a nice little implosion of a relationship during that time, I figured it was time for me to get back into bands and into my element of rock again. I needed it. So I auditioned for a lead singer spot for a crummy band and thankfully I didn't get it (I accepted defeat gracefully, btw cuz they turned me down). They turned out (later on, I learned) that they were playing holes and acting like douches. Not good public image at all.... But, I did however manage to find myself as a lead player in a regionally touring cover band, playing sometimes an upwards of 4 nights a week and raking in the pennies. Meanwhile, I had a 40-50hr a week job, remember? Holy hell. There were times we'd be 5hr away from home and I'd drag myself through the door at 8am, get a shower, then proceed to sit at my desk from 9-5pm coding software packages. Bummer. At least I was still playing out and about, and ya know what? We were a good fucking band. Our heavy parts of our set were certainly our forte. I wanted, more however.
The covers we were playing and the few originals were wearing thin, and honestly, they weren't going to ever BREAK US as a signed band. I mean, that's the goal right? Play tons of shows, be roadworthy, professional and get signed by a label so you can sip champagne on your jet while naked girls danced in your face? So, the tunes weren't going to get us there, and I knew it. I knew it in my soul and I HONESTLY felt isolated at times. Not. Happening. After about 2yr with that band, I peaced-out by giving a 60-day heads-up, and said, "I'm going to go do an all-original project. Balls to the Wall, because that's the only way 'it' will ever happen. Just go for it."
At the end of the 60-day window, I said, "Welp, that was my last show with you guys. Love ya, but I'll see ya round..." Their response, "Are you seriously leaving?" Yes. Did you seriously not take me seriously with giving notice?
Super 8 Hotel Hijinx somewhere in New Jersey, 2003.
Lesson: No matter how successful your current band is, if you're not happy in it, leave. You have internal desires that will never be satisfied there. Go do what is satisfying.
Postal, circa 2002. Benji from Good Charlotte was obviously my fashion consult.
LESSON: Have an identity. Something. Anything, but at least stand out from the crowd.
Also, know how to rock. I also had ahem rapport with the crowd, if ya get me. ;)
It was 2004 and I was Fighting Zero. Leaving Your Comfort Zone and Doing Something Scary.
So, I left that band that was playing 3-4 nights a week to play 0. With 0 other people. Because I HAD TO. There I was, all by myself saying, "Oh shit. Well, here's my situation and here goes nothin." Enter in my previously learned skills of being well-rounded: networking, recording, engineering, business saavy, songwriting, etc. It all came into play. Before I even played a note trying to write a song, I sat down and did some serious soul searching. What was I after? What did I want to acheive? What was I feeling? I wrote it all down as the roughest business plan you've ever seen. It was basically lists of venues I wanted to play, states I wanted to tour, national bands I wanted to open for, the level of success to be achieved, and how I was fitting into that entire picture as a band, an image, and a brand. Deep shit, right? It painted a picture that you can't believe.
So, I sat down, dug down and started writing my music that I wanted to put out the world. No holds-barred. I recorded all of my material as best as I could and networked with other all-original bands as best as I could. Something magical happened in 2004, however. I named the project Fighting Zero and started getting a face for it.. I was uploading material to the web and being written about in French blogs, and contacted for meetings with producers out of NYC and NJ. I even got a blurb written about me in Revolver Magazine... all with 0 band.
It was just me, but I was well-rounded enough to make it all happen. In the music industry, that's necessary. It floated my boat because it needed to be there to do so. Shit was finally happening in the direction I was after. Fighting Zero would maintain it's course as being a modern melodic hard rock band with radio-friendly cuts and hooks.
Any artwork, marketing materials, advertising etc. that you see, I did it. That was another major set of hats I had to wear in my time on this planet.
The Formation of Fighting Zero
Through some physical moves during the early part of 2004, I now found myself buying a house and enough space to put in a project studio in the basement. Sick business! Still no full band, but I've kept my writing and recording of the material going for Fighting Zero and nothing is going to stop me from getting the project off the ground. Home owner, guitar player, song writer, recordist, grass cutter. Jesus. The balance of everything was making me feel like Jekyll and Hyde. I have 0 clue which was which, but all I know is that one was possibly the other. Fucked if I know. Corporate by day and paying the bills, melodic metal guy by night living off of corporate guy.
At this juncture, I found myself leaving a brief fill-in spot with a decently well-known band in the Northeast PA area to continue pursuing Fighting Zero. I got a letter from Revolver Magazine saying that they were putting a blurb about me in the magazine cuz they wanted to showcase unknown talent. It was obviously a sign for me to keep pursuing FZ. Thank God I did.
With a set of about 6 songs solidly under my belt, I figured the only way to get members for a full band was to try to hustle my way into opening spots as a solo acoustic act. Well, holy shit it worked! It got me in front of so many people and before I knew it, I had a full line-up of me on guitar and lead vocals, bass, drums, and eventually another guitar player. It all wasn't without some shaky ground here and there, but for the most part, I at least had a drummer I could record with... and record I did.
An early giveaway, self-made disc I'd hand out at shows, grocery store parking lots, and anybody else I passed on the street.
First blurb in Revolver magazine, 2005. And no full band, either. Just good music. Hmmm.
ESPN reached out to me at this time as well. They were looking for tunes for the X-Games stuff they had going on. Steve Berlen (drummer from Postal) and myself quickly laid down the earliest (and arguable roughest) version of "Refine" you've ever heard....nothing ever came of the ESPN thing, but it was cool as hell to be in consideration.
I Needed Money. So I sold equipment to pay mortgage and proceeded to start a Guitar Amplifier Company. WHAT?
You read that right. In 2005 as if I didn't have enough on my plate, I had to sell one of my main guitar amps for some dough to pay my mortgage on my house. I was so bummed out by that, but it lead me down a new road, again, diversifying income streams in the music biz. I started building guitar amps to replace the one I had sold. I dug up schematics from the web, joined user forums, got curious and started building. I've had successes and failures, blown pliers out of my hands, fixed experiments gone wrong and all for the better.
Since 2005, I have SUCCESSFULLY GROWN a guitar amplifier business, BULLHEAD AMPLIFICATION right along side my IT Job and also any band craziness you're reading about. Nuts, right? Well, welcome to my world. Take a ticket and get in line for more.
It's so successful at the moment that I've been to multiple trade shows (NAMM) and also on multi-platinum albums with my amps. The likes of producer Sylvia Massy, Jim Wood (Dishwalla), Breaking Benjamin, The Cliks, producer David Botrill, and even Jim Root/Corey Taylor of Stone Sour have used my amps on their albums, to name a few. Oh yeah, when I opened for Motley Crue, I used one of my amps. Solid Insanity, but I busted my ass to build some good products. You should check it out and get one.
Bullhead Amplification, Inc. - www.bullheadamps.com ;)
Bullhead Amps at 2016 NAMM. Interviewed by PremierGuitar.com and got Editor's Pick, Day 1!
Hand-drilled, and hand staked turrets for the circuit boards. Labor of Love.
"...I build guitar amps. Since 2005, I've taken my tonechasing to a whole new level, as a builder, musician, and artist, and I have customers that agree with what I do."
At Winter NAMM 2016 with (now buddy), Bruce Egnater. I totally look up to this gentleman. He is an amazing builder, designer, and hilarious guy that wants to share his wealth knowledge. A+.
I started becoming friends with my idols. This is me with Reinhold Bogner ---an inspirational builder of some of the coolest amps around. "You're Bullhead Amps? I've heard of you!" Me: Get the fuck out...
Repost of @stuperbee on Instagram --- Jim Root's 2012 recording rig during Stone Sour's "House of Gold and Bones 1&2" --- my Bullhead amp is tucked in the middle of that stack. ;)
In my travels across the country, I was running into more and more people from various aspects of the industry; sound, lighting, equipment, distributors, unions, musicians, labels, management, etc. It's getting surreal, but I chalk it up to being able to be a nice guy, network, and create win-wins for everyone.
Fighting Zero, early lineup/trio at CBGB's in NYC. January of 2006.
I'm in the 2016 Premier Guitar NAMM recap issue as part of the "Crave Cave" feature where they selected 50 items from the NAMM show in Nashville and my amp, The Matador made the cut. Super humbling to be in print like that.
Recording Pre-Production for Fighting Zero and moving forward in the industry
My drummer and I sat down and slammed out pre-production songs, not sounding half-bad. They were to serve as handouts to fans at shows and on the streets. Did I mention I learned marketing and branding along the way to add to the skillset to keep my head above water?
I knew in our small town it would be imperative to get the attention of the public and media by doing something big. So, that's exactly what I did. I started tracking down producers who might want to record us to put out a record, cuz that's what you do when you're in a band, right!? I was honored to have the legendary/Grammy-winning Sylvia Massy sign on with us (for those wondering: She produced TOOL, System of a Down, Green Jello, Johnny Cash, Powerman 5000, RHCP, Sevendust, etc --she's nicknamed the "Queen of Metal" for great reason).
BLOWN AWAY that I'd be working with her. Legendary. (She also liked my amp I built and she had me build her one; she's my FIRST paying customer) So, we took my tunes, recorded them, put out the album, played shows around it and had a #1 record in a regional chain outselling the major bands on the charts. BOOM. I ARRIVED. We had spots in Revolver Magazine again, covers of entertainment papers, radio interviews, etc.
Me and the lovely amazing Sylvia. We were able to quick catch up at 2016 NAMM. Check out the 'Behind the Scenes' video from our recording sessions with her in 2006.
Doing overdubs during the Fighting Zero EP in 2006 with Sylvia Massy and Jim Wood in Weed, CA at Radiostar Studios. More can be seen here from that session: http://www.sylviamassy.com/fighting-zero/
LESSON: ALWAYS take pictures and video of your sessions. Even if you think there is nothing good in that footage, I bet you there is...
Our CD Release Show was an absolute success. Amazing time, playing in the Genetti's Ballroom. So many people rolled through the door, they had to open up another section of the walls to allow overflow. Pretty soon, we were playing the Shower Stage at strip clubs. Not an exaggeration.
"...We decided to create our own venue for our CD Release party. Everyone else was simply booking the same old clubs that had no sparkle. They got mildly creative with setups, sure. But we had FULL CONTROL over how we laid out the Genetti's Ballroom. Stage, Lighting, scaffolding, bars, sponsors, 2 massive rear-projection screens with a VJ literally scratching videos as we played. We PACKED the place."
Part 1
Part 2
Lower left corner.. check it out. #1 spot on charts, outselling the majors. How were we not in a tour bus?! That chart looked like that for WEEKS.
Opening for Mid-Level and National Acts while touring Fighting Zero
With all of this media and chart placement on our side, we were starting to be able to kick doors in asking for opening slots with mid-level and national touring acts. Well, it worked. As Fighting Zero, I've opened up for: Flyleaf, Breaking Benjamin, Cyphilis, Trust Company, Luna Halo, Josh Ritter, Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Trapt, Sixx AM, and ultimately Motley Crue (which was fucking amazing). It all came down to having great songs, strong branding, media placement, sales, and networking. Opening these shows (and also during record label showcases, which we were invited to a decent amount) proved to be excellent experience as well.
LESSON: be courteous, thoughtful, network, be saavy, and protect your brand by putting on the best show of your lives. It pays off in spades.
Me with some of my road cases. Yeah, I moved them all the time. I'm my own roadie.
Cover stories and plenty of news articles. Record labels were calling and we played showcases a decent amount.
Best comment heard from an A&R guy from Roadrunner Records at Fletcher's in Baltimore, MD: "FUCK. ME. These guys are tighter than the bands we already have."
LESSON: Practice. Practice. Practice some more.
We opened for Motely Crue, Cruefest '08.
LESSON: Have stage presence and give the people a show... all the way to the back! But play the right fucking notes. Flipping your guitar around isn't worth anything if you're not playing the tune right...
What about the corporate job? Oh yeah, I also started a record label. WTF.
(The band was touring regionally through PA, NJ, MD, DE, and NY. We've played some legendary clubs like CBGB's and played in NYC on New Year's Eve. Sick.)
Soooooo, this WHOLE TIME, I'm still trying to keep my IT job in check. Successfully, I did, I might add. Was it easy? Christ no. But you know what? Nothing that is cool is ever easy.
It was cool that my IT was keeping on the road as a musician. Say what? Yep. It was paying the bills. I was acting as the record label. So, I started a record label, also. Cuz that's what you do when you're in a band, right?! The label gave a better marketing presence to the band when shopping around, plus, hey, if I could find a band I'm interested in and sign them, I might as well. The record label was called Anti Rust Records, and there still might be some stuff floating around on the net with that moniker.
LESSON: It's called diversifying your income streams.
Being CHARITABLE and Supporting your hometown/everywhere else !
I can't stress this enough. Ever hear of the Law of Attraction? No? Ok, look it up, but my CliffNotes version is this: Be a good person, give to others, and it will come back to you as you need it. :) I maintained the entire time of running Fighting Zero that we need to be involved with charities and events of that nature. We played benefits for $0 (probably at a loss even...), did Bowl for Kids Sake, Big Brother's Big Sisters, Concert for a Cause, Red Cross, United Way, Make-a-Wish Foundation, etc.
Not only were we playing on the bill for the charity event, but I also incorporated my record label as a sponsor of the event an also donating towards the duplication of the CDs to be sold to help Veterans.
That's me, Laser eyes. CEO of Anti Rust Records.
To Note, we played Concert for a Cause 5, 6, 7, 8. Absolutely Awesome each time!
A Yearly Cystic Fibrosis Benefit we played
I still get spun on stations like 102.5FM and 105FM the River with Music on the Menu with Alan Stout. He's a huge proponent of music, local music, etc. He always dug Fighting Zero and I thank him for the support over the years and continued spins and support for what I've done. Thank you, buddy...
Fighting Zero was part of the dual-disc compilations for CFC 6, 7, and 8.
Benefit for Women Who Rock/Women's shelter
I even got involved with musicians via the Internet and did collaborations. That gained even more attention above and beyond personal work with FZ. LESSON: Expand yourself.
LESSON: Keep forging ahead, no matter what. Period.
LESSON: Do good and cross-pollinate your brands where you can. Be charitable and this will help you along the way. Re: diversify. It opens doors.
Shooting a Music Video on ZERO budget
That's right. I storyboarded and shot a video for the band on 0 budget. We actually bought a video camera and returned it to the store after we were done. Shhhhhh ;) But, that piece of media to help promote the other music we had coming out was imperative. The location cost $0 also---remember that networking thing? There it is. We planned planned planned and got our shit together for the shoot. Two 12hr days to shoot in an abandoned Steam & Heat building in the shit part of Wilkes-Barre. Sweet. We powered it, swept up the dust, broken glass everywhere, drank Red Bulls, got a model, shot scene by seen as per our story boards and then we were done. I took the footage home and eventually edited all the footage together once. Hated it and deleted it and started over. The version you see on www.youtube.com/fightingzero was the final result and we promoted it to all media outlets we could. It blew up and other local bands started doing what we were doing. Insanity. Nobody in our area was shooting videos like we were and we certainly blazed that trail.
The most ironic thing for me? I spent the entire weekend at the Steam & Heat building and on Monday morning, I pulled into my parking spot at my corporate IT job, directly across from the building. Talk about Jekyll and Hyde. WTF. Messed up.
Watch the 'MAKING OF' to See the Low Budget, but High-Passion Production
Music Video for "Change My Mind" - official
Liz. She was amazing.
I edit all of my own video content now. I learned Final Cut Pro, Color, Compressor, color correction, NLE suites, etc to provide interesting stuff to my fanbase and bring in new peeps. Do the same. LESSON: Don't know it? Learn it.
I Gave Away Music for FREE and Gained More BUYERS and FANS
I paid for duplication of CDs in sleeves and went to the local chain that was giving us love and told them, 'Just toss it in the bag for free when they buy something, I'll advertise you guys with your logo to get people in here.' It worked and was all done under my record label I had also started, "Anti Rust Records."
CURRENT LIFE
So where am I in the Music Industry now? How do you make money at all of this?
As luck would have it, I moved to Nashville, TN in 2010 because my corporate job went away. A bunch of people got laid off, but it opened the door for me to head to Nashville working in IT (yet again) but now for a music-industry TV channel. One of my goals I had done some soul-searching on was "be in an IT job where the end product is music" --- my current situation proves to be exactly that. So, I'm knees-deep in the industry now. And, moving to Nashville also opened a ton of new doors to me in ways I didn't think about. Fighting Zero at this point, was kinda done, and I had been releasing some tunes (with Kevin Soffera of Breaking Benjamin/Seether/Greg Howe/Thunk playing drums) and I was #2 on the Reverbnation Nashville Metal charts at one point, but I digress... Being in Nashville also allowed me to use my diverse skillset to bring in more work such as making product videos for PRS Guitars, TC Helicon, producing records for clients in my project studio, continuation of building guitar amps, etc. Fighting Zero has taken a little bit of a back seat for a while, and it's ok. I've diversified myself with music-industry-related life. Networking is huge in this town.
Make yourself valuable and irreplaceable. The money will follow.
My work with PRS Guitars and Ryan Johnson
I recorded, mixed, mastered all audio. I shot and edited all video. Boom.
Pertinent Links You Need To Visit:
http://www.fightingzero.com
Yep, I still have this up and running. Stream tunes from it or buy the albums on itunes.com/fightingzeroVisit my Flickr Album with more "Fighting Zero Press/Articles/Ads/Charity" here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskG1eCUp
Visit this Flickr Album with "Early Years" type stuff in it https://flic.kr/s/aHskG1eCTn
See my amps, hear them, buy one: http://www.bullheadamps.com
Daily Random Awesomeness of my IG feed: http://www.instagram.com/bullheadamplification
LESSON: Networking is absolutely necessary. It's even more necessary that you're a nice person.
Are you putting all of your eggs in one basket?
Don't.
LESSON: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Don't be afraid to circle the wagons.
If you've worked hard and put yourself out there, people will see your value because of your successes. The people that want to help you and also the people that want to dig into your pockets.
I once had some clowns get mad at ME because I wouldn't let them sell MY merchandise at their booth so they could get a 20% cut of it. HA! YOU'RE KIDDING ME, RIGHT? LESSON: Be smart enough to realize when people are trying to hose you financially, image-wise, and brand-wise. Control your brand, muchacho.
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? FINAL THOUGHTS ON HOW TO SURVIVE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
Diversification is what leads to success in the music industry. Success is all personal and subjective, but being well-rounded, professional, courteous, charitable, knowledgable, forthright, strong, unyeilding, etc. will carry you a long way in this industry. Keep doing EXACTLY what you want as an artist, engineer, computer person, producer, etc. If you are one of the FEW who are lucky enough to have hit the jackpot and only need 1 revenue stream, then congrats. But for me and the rest of the world, having multiple streams is where it's at. There is a constant ebb and flow in the industry and diversification allows to take hits when necessary, yet also create amazing yeilds when you're able to fulfill so many different roles.
Through certain failures and successes as an artist, writer, engineer, and producer, I set the ball in motion to expand my skillset even more. At early ages, I played gigs, attended recording workshops, sat in with professional bands during festivals, and even booked shows by calling up and asking to play. Being well-rounded was something I HAD to be, or else that guitar in my hands just wasnt going to get heard by anybody except the dog and cats at home.
Multiple Jobs, Roles, Hats, Masks, Instruments, Coffee Orders
Do you know how many people I know what have more than 1 job? It's because they realize to get their bills paid, they need to have 2 or more jobs. Why not have your multiple jobs within your industry that you want? Millionaires have multiple streams of revenue... why can't you? It took me a while to swing my IT job into the music industry, but here I am. And all of my surrounding activites that I love are also in the music industry, personaly and professionally. I'm far from done. I have so much more to accomplish and learn. As long as I'm alive and kickin, I'm going to be doing whatever it takes to be alive and involved in the industry. Some are jaded by it; I just say they've given up and are bitter. But I remain hungry for more on my own terms, say the smart 'yes,' and the smart 'no,' and I keep positive all the time and remain helpful to those around you and me. I've certainly taken some lumps, but
...That's how I've managed to survive.
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