Contests: Part 1

I personally jump at the chance to enter Contests. Taking 5 minutes out of your day to possibly win something very cool, seems worthwhile to me. Anyways, my sources tell me Alternative Press is offering a few music related contests. You should probably check them out.

Win an Autographed Acoustic Guitar and a Equal Vision Records/MerchNow Cd Prize Pack from Dustin Kensrue

Enter to win a custom painted/signed guitar from The Stranger's Six and a year's subscription to Alternative Press Magazine! One winner will receive a custom/signed guitar by The Stranger's Six, a year's subscription to AP, a poster of the band, and a copy of the new album A Date With Daylight!

Enter to win the opportunity to become a band photographer for one night on the upcoming Shadows Fall tour. Enter to win a camera and a photo pass, and your best picture(s) will be featured in/on Alternative Press!

Buckcherry is giving away everything! Enter to win autographed CDs and t-shirts. Five winners will be selected.

Good Luck!

Get Paid to Work With Your Favorite Bands!

I just found out that The Truth is sponsoring and training kids to work at this years Warped Tour and Scream Tour and thought EVERYONE should know... Unfortunately I've got another year before I can participate, but God knows I'll be there when I can.

Get paid to travel with a couple of huge music tours. No Seriously!

We're looking for outgoing people to represent the truth® anti-tobacco campaign to travel on tours like Scream Tour 6 and the VANS Warped Tour®. We need superstars like you to help us expose the facts behind the tobacco industry and educate youth about truth®. Here's the catch...

*You must be 21 or older
**You must be responsible and mature, as well as creative and outgoing
***You must be willing to travel from JUNE 2007 through SEPTEMBER 2007

To become eligible and get more information, please visit thetruth.com/applications and fill out a questionnaire.

After submitting your completed QUESTIONNAIRE (Round 1); you may potentially proceed to a PHONE INTERVIEW (Round 2), which will determine if you are invited to New York City for a FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEW (Round
3) and FINAL SELECTION (Round 4).

The interview and training will be held in NYC and will take place between May 29th - June 2nd. If you are invited, you will have to provide your own transportation and lodging to NYC. One last thing, all finalists invited to NYC must be available for the entire duration of May 29th to June 2nd.

QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE: MAY 2nd, BY 9:00PM EST

APPLY NOW AT: thetruth.com/applications

Reel Big Fish - Best Live Show Ever?

Reel Big Fish is a "Ska / Rock / Comedy" band that is now working on their 11th album. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them perform for the second time, and let me tell you, it gets better every time. I'm not usually the type of person that listens to ska, but their music is filled with so much passion, talent, and even humor that I find myself singing along anyways. Back to their show, because, technically thats what I'm reviewing... Oh My God. Reel Big Fish really knows how to get the crowd involved. There was more movement on stage than any band filled with 19 year olds. Scott Klopfenstien, one of the bands two trumpet players, backup vocalist, second guitarist, and piano player was one of the most talented musicians I have seen grace a record label in a long time. Half of the time I was just watching him and wondering how he does what he does. But don't get me wrong, the rest of the band is insanely talented as well. Jumping around and parading on stage while playing an instrument (WELL) isn't the easiest thing to do. Each person fills in with backup vocals, and more importantly witty lines throughout the night! Reel Big Fish hit the jackpot with finding the perfect blend between music and comedy. Look Out for this band next time they're in your area!

Learning Guitar, As Easy as "A","B","C"

Have you ever played Guitar Hero and wished it was a real guitar so that you could learn while you play? I've been trying to learn guitar for ages. I think I picked up my first in third grade, and I just couldn't get it. I tried again in high school, learned a few songs and gave up again because reading chords got too complicated...? Whatever the reason, I kept giving up. I'm a singer, not a guitarist right? Well I think I found my solution. A company called Fretlight is making guitars that will take the stress out of learning guitar. What they have done is placed a set of small LED lights under every string for every fret. You can plug the guitar into your computer, select a song or lesson, and the chord or note that you need to play lights up.

The interactive light system shows you where to play no different than how the letters on your computer's keyboard show you which keys do what. You press the "A" button and an "A" pops up on the monitor. This is how we learn to type, so why should the guitar be any different?

These guitars run a little expensive. You can pick one up at Fretlight's Website for anywhere from $400 to $900. But cutting down on the learning time and allowing you to have more fun with an instrument you enjoy, may just be worth the price.

About Me

Hi! I'm EverydayHero AKA Wes Crouch.

I've been in bands for as long as I can remember. What I don't remember (or maybe trying to forget?) is how well the bands have done. I've been stuck with THE WORST bunches of guys ever and not one of my musical endeavors has gotten very far off the ground. Lately its been starting to look good though. I did a few side projects, and now it seems that bands from all over are dying to get me to sing for them, girls are dying to get me to sing to them, and I'm dying to get back on the main stage. I'm here to document my journey as I go from small town natural disaster to big time musician/heart breaker and maybe help a few of you along the way. I'll be posting Journal entries, How To's, Reveiws of Bands both well known and upcoming, and reviews of the gear that you need to have! I'm always around so if you have a question about anything band related or otherwise, feel free to ask!

Oh... and P.S. If you need a singer??? Let me know!!!

How To - Set Up Practices

Every new band needs a place to practice. I know I've practiced in garages, bedrooms, basements, living rooms, hallways, and even written some acoustic stuff on a train bridge and on the edge of a cliff. Anywhere your comfortable (and let me stress the word comfortable) can make a great practice spot. Being comfortable is important though, especially for a vocalist. Any stress can throw off their game, and practicing for the first time with a new band in front of your extended family can't help. Distance is also a big problem. Most bands contain between 3 to 5 people. If the practice space is hard to get to for even 1 person, it will throw the whole band off.

In my opinion a serious band should practice at least 2 or three times a week. I've definitely had a few side-projects where there was only time to get together once, and it worked fine; the downside being we wrote less material in a longer amount of time, and we constantly forgot the material we were working on. Trying to answer how long you should practice is another story. I've had 8 hour practices and 2 hour practices, and each one works for different types of people. If your band consists of guys who can jam for 8 hours straight and not loose a creative focus AND still have fun with it, then go for it. Not many people can do this though. The rule of thumb is, practice for as long as it takes you to feel like you have accomplished something. If you can get it done in 2 hours, go for it! I always bring some type of mini recorder with me just so I know what to work on for next time. Not having to MEMORIZE things during practice definitely helps to keep everyone in a good mood.

A few side notes. You should practice how you would on stage. Drums in back, singer in the middle, and guitars on the sides. Thats unless your writing your own music. If your writing, you want to turn everything down so that you can hear each part clearly. If the music doesn't go together soft, then it won't go together loud. This just helps to keep everything more controlled and keep frustration out of the picture. Also, Everyone should practice their part in their own time... Your band won't stay together long, if a few people are working hard for it and your just riding the wave.

Once again, let me know if I missed anything. I'd be happy to update!

Hero Records?

I've decided I'm going to start a record label... wish me luck, or send ideas... what would you like in a record label?

How To - Find Band Members

If you don't have friends who:

♪ play instruments
♪ like the same type of music as you
♪ are extremely creative
♪ are personable/friendly
♪ have any type of musical motivation
♪ you can picture yourself in a van with for months at a time

then you'll probably have some trouble trying to start your first band. Your gonna need some members. Sometimes local newspapers, coffee houses, schools and colleges will have wanted ads up, but its very unlikely and hard to find a band that fits your age and taste in music. You might be able to find some people through word of mouth. Let your friends know your looking for like minded musicians and see if anybody knows somebody who might be interested. You can also try going through some local bands. Usually they have an extended network of people that play instruments. You can usually find a few bands that have material written already and recently had a member drop out, or bands that have just fallen apart through your local musicians. Thats probably the best way to do it. But if your on the shy side, the internet is becoming a great place to meet potential members. Myspace.com has and probably will stay a great place to find like minded musicians. Their musician's classified section is an easy way to find people in your area. Other websites like Bandmix.com, Formingbands.com are great for searching by location and style. I know I've found many other great resources by just typing "musician classifieds" into Google. There are endless resources available. Don't give up if you can't find something that fits what your looking for. I never said you couldn't post your own ads as well.

Good Luck Finding Members!
If you have ANY questions at all, or I missed something you feel is important, feel free to let me know! or start a discussion in the comments section!

What You Should Be Rockin'

Here I'll post all the gear that I think is a worthwhile buy.

Boss Digital Recorder

FretLight Guitar

Band News and Reviews

Heres where ill post anything band related.

Reel Big Fish

Band Acadamy

Once again, this is to get rid of the archive on the left... I'll post all the How-To material below. Let me know if this is working for you or not.

Find Members
Practice



Scream

For the Negative Numbers of Fans Out There.

Alright, well I'll refine this later, but I'm listing all the journal entries here so that i can get rid of that god awful hierarchy thing on the side of the page. Here goes... Let me know what you think.

Getting Started
Backstory (because this might interest someone?)
Catching Up
Quote/Unquote
Can I Get a Little More Fore and a Little More Play?
Band Etiquette and Press Kits
"Stealing Stars"
Confidence Boost
Finals
Break-Ups and Make-Ups
Dear Allie,
Hero Records?

Dear Allie,

I miss you more than music...

Sing until your lungs give out... or scream?

Heh, my girlfriends going to kill me for this post. The ability to scream like my favorite bands continues to elude me. When I picture myself up onstage in front of a large audience singing along to my songs, I don't picture what I've been doing. Theres never any acoustic sets, or pop punk ballads; my dreams reflect myself writing songs like the ones I listen to. In my opinion a lead singer of a rock band needs to be able to scream as well as sing now-a-days. People want that kind of versatility, as well as most bands looking for a new singer. While I still haven't been able to conquer this ability, I know theres many more kids like me looking to learn. Following are a list of websites that I have found helpful in pursuits(without the "dont screw up your voice"help""). Hopefully these can help somebody else struggling with this. BTW if you have any hints, tricks, or suggestions as to learning how to scream, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Merkaba's Voice Help Hotline - Good for anything vocal, but covers screaming extensively.

Tony Bullard Metal Tutorial - Decent Mp3 tutorial on Metal style screaming.

Learn How to Scream Part 2 - I don't think there is a part 1 to this, but its another decent Mp3 tutorial.

Screaming 101 - Basic Tutorial by some scene kid, but simplifies the process.

Melissa Cross - I know this is what you get whenever you search screaming, but it is worthwhile if you can find one.

I'll add more later if I can find them.

Listening To: From Autumn to Ashes, "I'm the Best at Ruining My Life"

Break-ups and Make-ups

So I guess I forgot this page existed. Or maybe I just put it on the back burner while I was slacking in school. I last wrote in December. As Her Voice Fades (we had finally decided on a name) played a few shows and then disbanded because our guitar player decided to rejoin his old project now that they had a full summer tour. It was a shame too; we had finished some brand new songs, half an EP, and were about to go into the studio. He recently contacted me and told me he found another guitarist and wanted to start the project back up with both of us. I'm a little hesitant, because he's already backed out on me once, but I'll give him another go. I've also contacted another band about joining. This ones more screamo oriented. I sent them some of my old demo's and he loved them, so we should be getting together in a few weeks and working on some material. I just put up a music player on the right side of the page, so you can listen to some rough demo's as well and follow my style. The songs are DEFINITELY not perfect, but it will give you an idea of what I sound like. I'll keep everyone updated on which band I pick and how that all works out... Screamo... that means I need to learn how to scream... "It's nothing mom!!! The devils in my room!", or maybe a dying animal... Oh boy.

Listening To: Greeley Estates, "Angela Lansbury Keeps Guys Like You Off the Street"

Suggestions

I've been meaning to put a suggestion box somewhere on this page, but with a blog its a pain. I'm going to put a link from the main page to the comments under this post so that you can leave me ideas, and suggestions for things you want to see on this blog. (ex. video updates, music, reviews, and anything else that strikes your interest.) Please, please PLEASE leave a suggestion whether your going to follow the ride or not.
I also finally posted some music from the acoustic project I mentioned earlier on the right side of the page. This is all music that was recorded while we were writing it, so it is in no way a finished product. But it will give you an idea of how my band(s) sounds progress.

enjoy the new features,
EverydayHero

Finals

It's been a while. I went away on break, have come back to school for a week, and now have final exams coming up. So while I should have been learning and studiing, I've been doing what anyone in my position would do and have been writing music instead. Since I've last posted, we've written two more songs... One is sort of a story book, fantasyish, fall in love, happily ever after type of song and the other is a song that I've been wanting to write since I've first started writing music... I'm pretty sure we did the idea justice. One thing that I've noticed, and maybe its not just with writing music, but when I first finish a song, to me, it sounds like the best song in the world. The more I listen to the song the better I think it is, and then I hit a wierd plateau. The song all of a sudden sucks. So just like that, all the work we've put in, Stealing Stars, the "storybook song?", and my dream song, all of a sudden suck... and then I realized that the stuff I was listening to were rough drafts. I was comparing my work to my favorite artists, and obviously our rough demos aren't going to match up with their professionally produced masterpieces. Just something for any aspiring artists to think about when writing your own music. And also, after listening back again, I realized that all I need to do is tweak a few things everything we've done will get so much better. I can't wait to get into the studio over christmas break.

Listening To: Escape the Fate, "The Ransom"

Confidence boost

Tonight we had another jam session. We played "Stealing Stars" for my guitarist's friends and they seemed to really enjoy it. We also went to check out another band who needed two vocalists. I hate trying out for new bands just because the audition process sucks, but having a song almost finished really made it easier. Playing it for their guitarist, we didn't miss a beat. My nerves are getting better in front of people. Playing in front of people you don't know is a really quick way to getting over your nerves, after a few times your confidence grows. We're still not sure if were going to play with the new band, or if were going to add their guitarist to our lineup yet. But nonetheless, he was a cool guy. In other news, I'm moving into a new room while I'm home and I'm going to try to set up a little recording studio/sound booth. I'll keep you posted, and if I do eventually do this, I'll write up a how to for it. It should be interesting to see what happens, I'm usually a klutz and tend to break everything.

Listening To: LoveHateHero, "These Fists are Grenades"

"Stealing Stars"

We had one of the most successful writing sessions I've had so far last night. We finished a brand new song most likely to be titled "Stealing Stars", worked on picking a band name, and started redoing our first song. The band name thing has become a big issue for us. I think I'm going to make a post with all of our ideas so far and ask any readers for suggestions, likes, dislikes, and new ideas. Maybe you can help us pick a name, because we're so indecisive. It's going to be a while before we get any material on myspace, but any help from you may speed up the process. I went to a concert at a local high school tonight with some friends, and it only made me want to get on stage. Even though the bands were'nt very good, any time I see live music it reminds me why I'm trying so hard in the first place. God I love music.

BOSS Digital Recorder = Necessity

As a singer, I am always coming up ideas for a song, lyrics, or any random beat that pops into my head. I learned early on that its too hard to keep a pad and pencil by my side at all times, and even if you do write your lyrics down you will most likely forget your melody. Besides, you never get a good idea when its convenient. I wrote my first song while I was mowing the lawn... (I sunk the lawnmower shortly after.) I've been through 4 digital recorders in the last few years. I lost two, went swimming accidentially with one, and the other was stolen from me along with a backpack and a few useless school books. I'm on my fifth right now, and it's a piece of crap. The Olympus brand was good, STAY AWAY from coby. Anyways, the more I write and the more I collaborate with guitarists, bassists, whatever; the more I wish I could record all the tracks on my recorder and play them back as one file. It's a pain to have my computer with me everytime I get an idea. Try bringing a computer with you on the lawnmower... I just read about THE most amazing thing ever to hit the shelves. BOSS, the same brand that makes guitar pedals and some recording equipment just came out with the Boss Micro BR Digital Recorder... If your halfway serious about writing music you'll get this baby. Running at around $229, I think its worth it. Reminds you of a mastercard commercial doesn't it: Shure Compression Microphone $89, Boss Micro BR Digital Recorder $229, The ability to write a song, and hear it on the radio the next day Priceless. There are some things money cant buy, and so on and so forth.... If I had the money I would buy one tomorrow. Just in time for band practice! Check them out, these things are awesome.

BOSS MICRO BR Digital Recorder

Listening To: Emery, "The Ponytail Parade"