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OUTSIDE
THE BORDERS: INTERNATIONAL TOURING LEADS "Where can I find my audience?" "How can I find people in the industry who can help me?" "Where can I find inspiration?" At Indie-Music.com, we hear these questions every day. We get them in emails. We get them through bulletins and blogs on MySpace. I sit in clubs and cafes with indie musicians and listen to them toss around these same questions, sharing the same frustrations, and not having much luck with the answers. I'm always trying to help them come up with ideas. For the past several years, I have spent a great deal of time brainstorming, writing, interviewing, and researching, trying to help indie artists find a way to reach new audiences, sell more records, and build their careers. And then, in early 2004, I met Janis Elko. Janis is an American singer/songwriter who spent the late 90s gigging around New Jersey with her band Brutus Bit Me. Then she was invited to perform on a houseboat in Frankfurt, Germany. Janis spoke no German. She had never been to Germany. But she packed up her guitar and took a chance. She fell in love - with the music fans, the dramatic architecture of the cities, and the apple wine. She wound up moving to Frankfurt, selling a lot of CDs, and launching a 2003 European tour that included a gig at London's legendary Troubadour Cafe. She now enjoys radio exposure on both sides of the Atlantic and a fan base that grows bigger and more diverse every year.
Now she is probably the only folk/bluegrass artist on the planet who sings old-time Americana in Chinese. She just landed a gig at this summer's Newport Folk Festival and will be spending the fall touring Tibet, accompanied by members of the US Embassy as part of a diplomatic mission, sponsored by the American Centre for Educational Exchange. The Chinese media loves her, and the music fans flock to the stage after her performances to ask about her playing technique and how she learned to speak their language so quickly. (For some reason, they also ask her a lot of questions about John Denver, who evidently has a huge following in the Far East. Who knew?) Janis and Abby may spend half their lives overseas, but you don't have to cancel the lease and move to another country. Just ask rock/pop artist Josh Zuckerman, who calls New Jersey home but tours in over fifteen different countries, including France, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Japan, and Thailand. Not only does his multicultural fan base make give him access to worldwide competitions (he recently won third place in the International Songwriting Competition), but the inspiration is a huge bonus. He wrote most of the material for his new CD Out From Under in Stockholm. The title track spent four weeks at the Number One slot on Sirius Out Q Radio before the album was even officially released. Just consider the possibilities that lie beyond your own country's borders. The USA is not the only country in the world with music fans. With that in mind, I spent several weeks researching online and interviewing artists and club owners from around the world. I wanted to know what indie artists needed to know before entering unfamiliar territory. I wanted the indie-friendly connections as well as the practical advice (where not to drink the water, what not to say to the police officer who is searching your guitar case, etc.) (Just kidding about that last part.) (At least the artist I was talking to said he was just kidding.) Let's break it down by country, starting with: Ireland
The International
Bar http://www.10best.com/Dublin/Nightlife/Pubs/index.html?businessID=17090
Battle of the Axe
at the Ha'penny Bridge http://www.battleoftheaxe.com On the Verge http://www.ontheverge.ie The Sugar Club http://www.thesugarclub.com The Temple Bar Music
Centre http://www.tbmc.ie Whelans http://homepage.eircom.net/~lhanlon/
The Green Room at
the Holiday Inn http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/dblcc The Ruby Sessions
at Doyle's http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/loc/16-7/pt/0/spid/03BF558A-A7CB-4B80-A30A83F286D0BB27.htm
Nancy goes on to say, "Overall, I can't say I've become rich from gigging in Dublin, but I've become EN-riched. I usually sell lots of CDs and gain names for my mailing list, but I am reminded not to quit my day job!"
"A growing number of independent specialist record labels and websites also play their part in encouraging a widening range and diversity of musical expression, resulting in experimental music making a healthy, vibrant, and vital contribution to the UK music scene." If you'd like to do some research of your own, here are some good places to start: Bitterscene: a club in Chelmsford for the 'indie'pendently minded: http://www.bitterscene.co.uk/ Flat Four Radio: an internet-only station broadcasting indie and experimental music, mostly by unsigned artists, as well as short, entertaining features and the occasional field recording. http://www.mcld.co.uk/flatfour/ UK Clubs: An interactive guide to nightclubs across the UK: http://www.ukclubs.tv/default.asp
Playing gigs in Germany is a special treat for the indie artist. For the most part, your German audience will listen to you very intently. There are two reasons for this: 1) the Germans are usually enthralled by any music with English lyrics and 2) the Germans are just plain polite by nature. Booking a tour in Germany is also a relatively easy task (as far as tour booking goes) because most Germans have a pretty good command of the English language. As opposed to say, France, for instance, you will be hard-pressed to find any German who is not more than a little eager to practice his English with you. A word of warning to those of you who are looking forward to practicing your German on your Germany tour: the Germans, if their English is even slightly better than your German (and even if it is not), will expect to carry on a conversation with you in English. It's just the way it is. The obvious musical hot spots in Germany include Berlin and Hamburg, Hamburg being the birthplace of "Deutschrock" - rock music with German lyrics. Some well-known bands in this genre include Tomte (http://www.tomte.de/), Sportfreunde Stiller (http://www.sportfreunde-stiller.de/), Wir Sind Helden (http://www.wirsindhelden.de/), Die Sterne (http://www.diesterne.de/), Kettcar (http://www.kettcar-musik.de/) and Virginia Jetzt! (http://www.virginiajetzt.de/), to name but a few. Why not check them out if you intend to come over here, and bring them up in conversation with the German indie fan. They will be impressed that you've heard of them before, and may even be eager to give you some tips on what's new to come out of the German indie scene. There's lots of good music to be discovered. German lyrics is a relatively new phenomenon over here, as the Germans for the most part seem to be collectively uncomfortable singing and writing songs in their own language (which is why they are preoccupied with English lyrics). After WWII, there was a lot of U.S./English influence as the Germans worked at rebuilding much of their identity from scratch. Certainly, this has something to do with the shying away from German lyrics. If you ask them why, they'll tell you that the German language is too awkward to write flowing pop melodies, and it just sounds too harsh. If you ask me, I'll tell you they're making excuses to hide behind another language. I personally think German lends itself nicely to indie music, exactly for the reason that it does sound a little 'rough around the edges'. But then again that's just my opinion. More about the Germans: Spiegel.de put together the very entertaining 'Germany Survival Bible', intended to help visitors to this summer's World Cup games 'better understand the quirky Germans and their sometimes peculiar ways' (...even includes tips from Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy!) http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,411291,00.html A very, *very* worthwhile read! Now onto some specific tips for my hometown Frankfurt - not really celebrated as a musical hot spot, but certainly has its share of really cool clubs to play and a very supportive and friendly indie network to be tapped into: Clubs Das Bett Club Clubkeller Dreikonigkeller
Last but not least, if you do successfully book a few shows in the area, do get in touch with the folks below to help further promote your show - these guys either have magazines or newsletters with hoards of music-hungry subscribers or they host their own pirate radio show on a local station: Roadtracks Magazine
Tingletanglepop! Liga6000 Radio X 91,8 FM (in
Frankfurt) Radio Rheinwelle 92,5
FM (in Wiesbaden - near Frankfurt) Vuris Kusik e.V. GG Club Waggle-Daggle Records
Newcomer TV Markus Gardian - Booking
Agent I almost forgot: Here are two more important additions. They are music magazines. I don't know why I didn't include these earlier... maybe because they're just in German? In any case, I find them to be very, very informative in terms of keeping up-to-date on what's going on in the world of music and pop culture. For those able to read German these are very highly recommended: Spex Intro Oh, and one more indie label in Frankfurt: Hazelwood Vinyl Plastics
Despite the difficulties, MMY has found a welcoming stage at the following venues: Garage, Bergen - http://www.garage.no
"We have a number of initiatives to get indie artists on stage. Firstly we have MySpace Wednesday. It is a great way of putting brand new bands on stage. We pay for poster distribution and the sound engineer so that bands playing don't have any expenses (apart from travel perhaps) and they don't need to have a cover charge, which makes it even easier to invite their friends and family along. A new band can ring us up (even if they haven't performed before) and we'll say: 'Sure, here's a date - do you think you can make it?' If they accept all we ask is that they tell their friends, give us a poster design and encourage two other bands to be on the bill. This is a great way to put some new bands in front of people, listen to them, recommend improvements, and set up appropriate support slots with similar bands and more established bands. Sometimes we come across a band with a lot of potential and ask them if they'd like a resident Thursday. At the moment a group of three bands do Make Out City Presents on the final Thursday of every month. The three bands invite a guest band each month to play and this is working really well for them and us. Good numbers and a great headline every month. Of course we can put young bands on the bill with touring bands, and after a few months we have some really experienced bands that are ready to start touring themselves. Sometimes we organize tours - I took a local band on a 7-date tour two weeks ago. We had a lot of fun. Working with other venues we are regularly inviting bands from other towns, matching them with bands here and seeing reciprocal shows happening. Offering young bands support slots with touring internationals is a great reward for so many bands. It is worth putting in the time to see the new relationships forged and the sheer delight on musicians faces. Until recently I have been a classroom music teach and community educator so being in a music venue has been as different as it is the same. Feel free to keep in touch."
"I suggest that people remember that the local indigenous people are called 'Maori' (pronounced ''Mou rrree''), that the country has two main islands (north & south), that when they see a sign with a 'Wh' like 'Whakatane' then to US ears it may sound like a cuss word (i.e. F**k-a-taaa-nay). Remember to drive on the left side of the road, there are no 4 way stops, no free right turn on a red light. The US dollar will go a little further because of the favorable exchange rate. It rains a ton and can be four seasons everyday. People speak really fast and roll their words togetherlikethissoit'sometimesalittlehardtoget what they're on about. Anyone not from Auckland thinks Aucklanders are yuppies; they are equally suspicious of Yanks (seppos, septic tanks - from 80s US nuclear policy, NZ being nuclear free, and from recent Californian's NZ land buying spree), but will no doubt be SUPER friendly in the same breath. They're generally real nice, salt of the earth people, particularly in the country (typical of anywhere really). More than likely it won't be too hard to book small pub/cafe style gigs, NZ being a place that so often undervalues its own abundant talent because anything from overseas must be better, BUT this is super good if you ARE from overseas! Try hook up with some local acts, thereby everybody gets a little more awareness, something foreign / something local. Kings Arms Tavern (http://www.kingsarms.co.nz) - The Kings Arms is one of the oldest pubs in Auckland Central and features live music 4 or 5 nights a week and in the garden bar on Sunday afternoons. The K.A. also has a TAB and a public bar out the front. The weekly gig guide is available on 09 373 3240 or on the website. Also - Half of them will be on MySpace as well. Lastly I've got one good recommendation for connecting with local bands - that is the Indie Club via Andrew at Powertool Records http://www.powertoolrecords.co.nz/indieclub.htm .This guy has created, through real hard work, a great indie vibe in one of the better venues in Auckland. That is my best tip. There are small scenes in every place in New Zealand."
"Australia is a very large country with only a population of around 20 million. What this means for the indie artist is that there's only about a dozen big cities that provide enough people to support a niche market. In Sydney, there are only 3 or 4 venues that cater to smaller genres i.e. jazz, blues. "The other problem is that there is not many nearby countries with large CD-buying populations, so you have to cover large distances to tour. On the positive side, it is a beautiful country and the people are generally very friendly and willing to help you out. In Sydney, DrumMedia (http://www.drummedia.com.au/) and Brag (http://www.thebrag.com) are the two biggest free street press. DrumMedia is the best by far. Most venues worth playing are listed in there. You can pick up a copy of DrumMedia at most CD stores and music instrument shops. You would probably learn more about the Sydney music scene by reading that magazine, than by spending a week on the internet. The cheapest places to stay are always out of the city. The inner-western suburbs have the best live scene, and accommodation is a bit cheaper there. Try Newtown, Surrey Hills, or Redfern in Sydney. Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, is also a great city for live music."
This site is a good
reference to Australian clubs and bars: I don't play live, but here are some indie clubs I found through my research: The Laundry, Fitzroy,
Victoria The Esplanade Hotel,
Melbourne, Victoria
Here are a few web links to get you started if you're interested in touring in Thailand: Bakery Music: http://www.bakerymusic.com/home.asp
The Japanese love Western music. For proof, check news footage of the recent U.S. visit by Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi to Graceland. Only the music of Elvis could make this normally dignified leader warble "Can't Help Falling in Love" in front of 40 zillion television cameras. (Although according to CNN, he did have the good sense to refuse the fried banana sandwiches they offered him on the plane.) If you haven't checked out Dave Barry's 1993 book Dave Barry Does Japan, I highly recommend it for the chapter on Dave's visit to a music festival, in which Asian teenagers dressed in 50s gear with their hair ducktailed within an inch of its life gamely attempt to dance the Twist while rock bands blare around them. They may not get Western music, but they do love it. And the whole book is an interesting everyman's glimpse into the culture for anyone who plans such a trip. Josh Zuckerman offers a few hectic memories: "When I toured in Japan, the people there were very friendly. It's quite an interesting culture because they are taught to respect each other yet when you get on the subway, they will push you and shove you like no other! Even the elders do the same. Quite the contrast. I met wonderful people who truly appreciate American music!" Derek Sivers, the President of CDBaby, noticed that Japanese music fans have spent over a million dollars buying indie music from his site. So in 2005 he went to Japan to check out the scene and wrote a great article, which you can find here: http://cdbaby.org/stories/05/04/22/8910072.html (A lot of the article is about the business side, but there's also a section on the Musician scene in Japan.) Here's another great article about the Japanese indie music culture: http://www.weekender.co.jp/new/040716/music.html
"My best advice to an Indie music fan who's coming to Israel is to spend most of his time in Tel Aviv. 90% of the scene is there. List of clubs in Tel Aviv: "Barbie" club (52 Kibutz Galuiot, South Tel Aviv, Tel: 972 3 5188123) is the biggest, up to 1000 people capacity, and some big acts from outside Israel are playing there (hopefully it won't stop now...), Blonde Redhead are playing there in August. "Heineken Habima" club (2 Tarsat Boulevard, Tel: 03 6207777) is in the cellar of the National Israeli theater at the center of Tel Aviv, up to 300 people capacity, cool place with an atmosphere. "Coltura" club (154 Herzel Street, South Tel Aviv, Tel: 972 3 5187238), up to 500 people, a sleazy place for all kind of music. "Levontine 7" up to 200 people. "Patiphone" club, small noisy place (100 people), a complex with a studio and a Label. There are some small
Indie labels, please check out the links: There are about 10 to 15 Indie music live shows every week in Tel Aviv. If you sell 500 copies of your CD as an Indie artist, it is considered as a success. Most of the bands are trying to play some tours in Europe and the USA. It is impossible to live off of Indie music in Israel."
Obviously, I haven't been able to cover every country there is. However, the main thing that struck me about my interviewees was how eager they were to share information with me. The indie music community is a worldwide family of artists who want to connect. The internet has made that connection easier. Use Indie-Music.com to get started. One of the reasons we put this International Issue together was to encourage non-US artists to network on our site just like thousands of American artists have already done. Read through the international reviews on this site and see if any of them sound like someone you'd like to tour with. Are they from a country you'd like to visit? Click on the web site links at the end of the reviews and email them. Start a network. If you're not already on MySpace, get a page up and start networking with international artists. See if you can find someone to sponsor your trip. There's always an angle. And if you wind up inviting an international artist to tour with you here in the States, please, I beg you, take them somewhere classier than Graceland. |
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