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Anyone been watching VH1's "Bands on the Run"?


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I've caught most of the shows and I think they're a riot! It's great to see what bands will do to get exposure but the contest vibe does make it a little over the top. But struggling bands should be able to pull some good advice from the show on how to promote. For the show, the idea is to draw the most amount of people to a show, sell the most merchandise and do it with only 2 days to promote! Here's some gems I've picked out:

 

-going to a local college football game and yelling through megaphones on the top of a van 2 days before a show just ain't gonna cut bringing people to your gig.

-in-store plays are great for merch. sales as well as potentially getting people to your show

-getting on the local morning radio show to play/plug can do wonders

-girl bands--especially with attractive/outrageous/egregious personalities--have an advantage--not trying to be sexist here just calling it as I see it

-putting "VH1" & "Be on national TV" on the fliers/marquee can only help...

-performing at a karaoke bar & then plugging the show--questionable at best

-going to the local Top 40 club to promote "alternative" or "indie", i.e., unknown music may get you laid but will probably not get you many people to the show.

-not sure if it helps 2 days before a show but putting up flyers at the local CD stores. I'm surprised they haven't hit up the local music instrument stores.

-setting up and playing in front of a police station in the afternoon won't get you too far (accept being told to stop playing).

 

I'm surprised that they haven't hit up colleges & college radio to promote. They're sticking to the mainstream stations as they have more exposure. And it's good to see that they're not just littering up the cities they're playing in by flyering cars and telephone poles--when's the last time that worked 2 days before a show.

 

What other promotion tactics should they be doing? Any predictions on what band will be kicked off first? I say bye bye Josh Dodes Band.

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i saw flickerstick a couple years ago in dallas, so when i saw their name onscreen, i was a little surprised.

 

i agree that it's an interesting format, but i think getting the general public involved in how being in a band works isn't going to increase people's appreciation for music and the talent and effort involved in amking it. plus it makes every band seem as corporately conceived as the corporately conceived pop groups.

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Haven't watched "Bands on the Run" yet...but I did see a documentary about a couple of bands that went to third world countries and drank the water...

 

It was called "Bands With The Runs"...

 

Sorry.

 

No, I've seen the promos. I've been meaning to watch...just haven't yet. Thanks for the synopsis...

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Yeah...had it on a couple of times as background noise while wiring my studio.

 

A bit dull..."Real World" wannabe.

 

I thought the contests to make more money were a bit hokey, but then, anytime you turn on a camera and microphone in a real world situation...it isn't so real anymore.

 

I think people automatically pose for the camera.

 

Harlow was "interesting"..."Elvira with a guitar"...

miroslav - miroslavmusic.com

 

"Just because it happened to you, it doesn't mean it's important."

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i think the show is hilarious! part of my sunday night tv time... sopranos then bands on the run.

 

so was flickerstick any good when you saw them? they dont show much of what the bands actually sound like. and it IS amazing how much chicks have it on easy street, i mean that band harlow kinda blows ass but they are winning... go figure.

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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>>>For me reality television = vomit.

 

-Dylan

---------------------------

 

Yep http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm2/puke.gif

So Many Drummers. So Little Time...
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Oh yeah, You take a group of people that would never meet in "real" life, put them in situations that they would never in a million years find themselves in, film them, and call it "Reality"????????

 

Sure... http://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm/freak7.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm/freak7.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm/freak7.gifhttp://cwm.ragesofsanity.com/s/cwm/freak7.gif

So Many Drummers. So Little Time...
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Originally posted by alphajerk:

so was flickerstick any good when you saw them? they dont show much of what the bands actually sound like. and it IS amazing how much chicks have it on easy street, i mean that band harlow kinda blows ass but they are winning... go figure.

 

flickerstick is the real deal. from what i remember (i mostly only remember being blown away by them after dexter freebish played a show of ass) they had a very radiohead meets porno for pyros kind of sound. the rock was very powerful and really struck me as thinking music. they could have changed since then, though. it was pretty spacy, too...good lights.

 

harlow does seem to be very assy, and they really lack personality. their music sounded way too poppy for their goth look, and i know guys who dressed goth would have to back it up a lot.

 

why is it that no matter how punk or goth or hippie a girl looks, no matter how much of that music she listens to, she still knows all the top 40 stuff at any given time? what's up with that?

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from what i could pick out on the show, flickerstick has got some freakin dynamics to the songs. i wish they would at least show a whole song. all a bunch of fuckin drunks, i love it... always fighting.

 

it isnt reality tv. i dont even know what that is. these new types of shows are just a new kind of gameshow.... people compete for prizes.

 

i just love these holier than tv people... so full of shit. if you came over to my house you will be mesmerized like anyone else. i have had the biggest dumass anti-tv people over and they end up being so much more drawn into the tv than people who watch it more.

 

only shows i watch:

sopranos

70's show

politically incorrect

daily show w/jon stewart

simpsons

southpark

bands on the run [now]

stargate sg1 [sometimes]

 

thats about it, maybe some modern masters on hgtv or some discovery/history/A&E [northern exposure reruns]/tlc channels too if they have something interesting on.

 

This message has been edited by alphajerk on 04-26-2001 at 09:04 PM

alphajerk

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"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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the first episode sucked donkey balls. the second one was OK, not great. really disappointed by the show. certainly not a show that they are trying to "sell out" but i think the whole idea behind it is poor, i saw them on dennis miller live talking about it. i would of liked it better if al gore was president from what they were talking about doing for him.

alphajerk

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"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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Bands on the Run is kinda like watching Spinal Tap for me..

It hits a little too close to home sometimes,that's what

makes it so damn entertaining,kinda reminds me of the

"gonna set the world on fire days".......

 

70's show

Titus

Sopranos

Divas

Discovery channel

 

------------------

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  • 2 months later...

So Flickerstick won it all...they're playing tonight & tomorrow here in NYC at Wetlands (sold-out already for tomorrow).

 

Is it me or was the audio quality of the live shows for the entire series really crappy? Seems like all you heard was drums and vocals...

 

Man only MTV/VH1 could put a show on with music and not show music...

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Holy shit! Somebody actually won something based on talent?!?!?! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/eek.gif

 

Yeah... I've been watching this show. It was cool to see Flickerstick on there (I actually have their CD... excellent songs, remind me a lot of HUM, who are one of my favs).

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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well we had a storm which kept knocking out our directTV so we saw flickerstick win but missed about everything, waiting to catch the rerun of the final show to actually SEE it.

 

soulcracker sucked, wouldnt be SO BAD if they got that troll singer/guitarist OUT of the band and went to a 4 piece with the one guy singing. i REALLY didnt want them to win, they were just SO ANNOYING.

 

flickerstick is who i wanted to win it. they seem pretty close to being there. seems like they have quite a live show. im dying to see the last show with the battle of the bands, amazing that soulcracker tried to load the show down with people they thought would like them and STILL LOST! they need to just break up. they ALWAYS came in last place in the battle of the bands.

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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Alpha said re Soulcracker...

 

>>>...they need to just break up.

 

HAHAHAHA...boy, I wish it was you writing CD reviews in the magazines...

 

I didn't watch the show, so I'm unfamiliar with all the bands for the most part. But Soulcracker must have had *something* going for them to even get them on the show...???? And wasn't there another band besides them and Flickerstick?

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Tedster- There was two other bands that got knocked off because everything was scored with points. Every band got points for selling CD's and for people showing up at their gigs. The other 2 bands were a Bruce Hornsby-type group lacking in chemistry and a really mediocre gothic all-female band.

 

The thing that was so funny was that Flickerstick would smash up their instruments at the end of every showcase gig. It just doesn't look right when a club act does it, and it's such a rock-and-roll cliche. They were way over the top with their stage presence but probably had the best lead singer out of all the bands on the show.

 

I found the show pretty entertaining. It makes me feel good to see guitarists who aren't as good as me. Hey, I've got an ego too. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

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Originally posted by SteveRB:

I found the show pretty entertaining. It makes me feel good to see guitarists who aren't as good as me. Hey, I've got an ego too. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

 

Yep...this is true. We've all got an ego in some way shape or form. Which makes me regret in a way the years I worried that I had to be the best guitar player in the world to do anything significant, when in fact it's other elements that can be more important. Not that playing well isn't important...there are other things that are perhaps more important. Good songs to start with, for instance.

"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine"
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Songwriting is definitely the skill that separates the men from the boys (I'm still a boy in that regard). As much as I love guitar I feel my piano playing is always going to be better than my guitar playing. I've developed so many bad habits over the years playing guitar, and I stopped playing for almost 10 years due to arthritis and I had to begin all over again. It wasn't until I invested in recording gear exactly a year ago that I realized I had a lot of work to do, especially on rhythm. Recording myself really illuminated all of my strengths and weaknesses. Maybe I shouldn't have started recording myself at all....you know the old expression, "ignorance is bliss" LOL.
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i really like flickersticks EL DANGEROSO [rex] the rythym guitarist. great attitude and personality and a great rythym guitarist. personally i could see that band with a better lead guitarist. yeah, their lead singer was the best of the bunch, a little mick jagger wannabe http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif

alphajerk

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"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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My take on the lame ass show: they got a bunch of crappy bands that dont have any talent(if they did, they would be showing their videos-not a goofy minute by minute road rules wanna-be) and they get them to fight each other for scraps. None of them will ever do anything much because the show itself will cause them to never go anywhere. By design their only claim to fame is the show. It is sad to see bands that are so crappy continue on with their dream that will never happen. I agree that Soulcrapper is the best of the bunch, thats not saying much but hey- imagine if you were in the goth chick band- they are gonna be stars!! whatever.... the show is amusing, I will give it that. It would seem that these guys are completely clueless at times...
To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" You can say, "Sorry, got these sacks." -Jack Handy
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great publicity for all of the bands- esp. the last 3. they'll all be touring soon- sounds like some already (still) are.

 

regarding Flickerstick busting their instruments:

after the final episode they showed a "casting special", where they showed the videotaped entries and callback interviews/ performances- Flickerstick trashed their instruments at one of those shows, too. and it was a low-key acoustic performance! that's rock & roll, i guess. i like 'em. theirs is the only album i'll buy.

 

as far as the grand prize of the show, $5000 at guitar center (or any music store) doesn't get much for a band, but it will keep El Dangeroso supplied with guitars to break for a bit. i think they get a video and a record company audition too, but that's what the show was. i'll watch the next season.

 

 

nice quote above from alphajerk about Soulcracker's "troll singer/ guitarist." cracked me up.

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Originally posted by wager47:

as far as the grand prize of the show, $5000 at guitar center (or any music store) doesn't get much for a band

 

I think the prize was $100,000 in gear and $50,000 in cash. No matter what you think of the contest, anyone who says they wouldn't be psyched to win THAT is full of shit!

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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Originally posted by regurgitator:

they got a bunch of crappy bands that dont have any talent(if they did, they would be showing their videos

 

Note to all unsigned bands: If VH-1 isn't showing your video, you have no talent! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

 

Originally posted by regurgitator:

None of them will ever do anything much because the show itself will cause them to never go anywhere. By design their only claim to fame is the show.

 

 

Oh yeah, these bands are a bunch of losers! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif Because of this "lame ass show" thousands of people are going to the bands' websites and purchasing their CDs. Where do I sign up to be THAT kind of loser?!

 

How many unsigned bands from Dallas are the topic of discussion on the MusicPlayer forums today? What, only one?!?! In fact, people everywhere are talking about Flickerstick today. Most of us only dream of that kind of exposure.

 

Originally posted by regurgitator:

It is sad to see bands that are so crappy continue on with their dream that will never happen.

 

Isn't that what most of us are doing? Oh, I'm sorry, you must already be an international superstar. Well, hate to break it to you, but there's more of us still chasing the dream than there are of you who already have everything.

Scott

(just another cantankerous bastard)

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every comment made by regurgitator was made out of pure jealousy. and soulcrackhead was the WORST of the bunch, not the best. harlow was even better with their limited talent.

 

flickerstick looks like they are quite talented and very much have the "goods"

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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I downloaded some MP3s of Flickerstick.

Very good quality. Great Vocals. I've got it in the car and it's really growing on me. Kinda like Pink Floyd meets Radiohead. They really deserved to win. They basically gave up early on with the merch sales and just focused on the Battles. They won each one by a land slide.

Soulcracker man - what a bunch of whining fucking babies. Boo hoo, we're the best, real rock is dead, corporate rock will reign supreme unless we can stop it.

My favorite line from Rex: "Corporate rock? what the fuck is that? What corporation do I work for?" That guy makes for great TV.

 

Andrew

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Cool! I was hoping they would win. Singer reminds me of Bono, but more on key. They blew every other band away. Harlowe did have the coolest line though (a vote for Harlowe is a vote for disorganized crime), and they were the least "pop" of all. They get my small indy band show vote of confidence. Josh Dodes - pretty good players (I thought the drummer was pretty strong). Soulcrapper - proved that hustle, and lack of integrity can take you pretty far, but karma always comes around.

 

Good luck to flickerstick - they are just fucked up enough that they really need a break before they collapse in a pile of vomit.

Keepin it Reel to Reel

 

http://www.dusty45s.com/

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not to get all gossipy but flickersticks bassist seems to be in a world of shit, i wonder how that turned out... i mean sleping around while out on the road is one thing but when you are on national tv?!? "honey, i swear my dick wasnt in another girl the night before you came to see me." and rex was like "what the fuck am i gonna do out on the road, im fucking married... and im being recorded." i'd be just as drunk the whole time as he was. EL DANGEROSO is da shit.

 

the only time i thought was weak on flickersticks part was that little contest at guitarmart pussying out like that. ah but fuck it, i would have gotten up there on guitar and done some frippotronic spacecore shit, fuck the solo style geetar. maybe thrown in a little porn wah wah http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif

 

oh yeah, one of my bands is playing in the club in atlanta next month [the earle] that the fight broke out in. lmao.

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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