Your musical purchases should be an investment. When you purchase a CD you should be able to wrap your head around more than the two songs that are constantly shoved down your throat by radio stations. iTunes is great for the reason that you have the option to purchase the songs that you hear on the radio. But, there is a down fall to this. What if there are other songs on that CD that are worthy of a listen and you miss out on them? Unlike most people nowadays, I still purchase an entire CD, whether on iTunes or in the store. Most of the time, I will get sick of the songs that are on the radio and completely skip those songs on the CD, but there are some other songs that peak my interest. Sometimes, there are bands that are only able to write two good songs and the rest of the CD is a waste of money. I know people that will only play the songs on the radio after purchasing the CD without giving any other song a chance. When I first get the CD, I immediately listen to the whole thing.
I realize people don’t listen to anything, but what is on the radio by an artist when attending a concert. When the performer is on the stage singing a song that has never been played on the radio and the audience is completely silent except for a few of us that have listened to the entire CD. Do you think that the bands notice how the audience is reacting to all of their music? I believe that they look out to see who is a true fan of everything they do and not just brainwashed by radio airplay.
This brings me to my take on local bands. I simply love the local music scene. Their music is in its purest form. It is not played out on the local radio stations, so there is no chance of you being brainwashed into liking it. I have heard it time and time again that someone doesn’t like the local music scene. My answer is always the same. Do you listen to the radio? How do you think those bands got started? They just didn’t form and get a record deal immediately. They had to pay their dues and bust the humps in their local music scene in order to get noticed by the record companies. Sometimes, it makes the person think about it and will catch them at a local show. The local musician is a hardworking, blue collar average joe just like you who is going through the same trials and tribulations you are seeing in your own life. So my advice is to walk into a local show and sit and really listen to the lyrics that are coming off that stage. You just might find the musical answer you have been looking for.
I have come to the realization that not every band will sound the same as they do on their myspace pages or their websites. It takes a good sound man to create the perfect combination of instruments and voices in order to make them sound as good as they should. Sometimes the bands themselves are unable to get the high quality recordings together in order to sound they way they should be mixed, so people will be intrigued enough to come out and see them play. There should not be judgments cast upon these bands until you are able to see them perform live in front of a crowd. Then and only then can you make a decision on whether or not you are going to see them again. A sound man will mix the elements of that band to make you listen to them in the proper setting and then you are hearing them properly. Once you have listened to their set, you can see how they are meant to be heard and absorb the true meaning and feeling of their music. The passion put behind the songs will come through during a live performance. Make sure that you check out you local bands, even if you don’t like what is on their pages because you never know what is going to touch your soul.