More Music Acts Head to Sundance

This morning’s thorough and in-depth LA Times article “Sundance Film Festival: Musicians trying to be heard” talks about the increase in music acts heading to Park City, Utah (if you’ve never been, it’s simply beautiful) to perform, network and make a name for themselves during the annual film festival. With all the producers and directors in attendance, that’s not a bad idea.

During the last decade, the number of musical acts at Sundance has ballooned — as has the number of corporate sponsors and celebrities who turn up absent any connection to any of the movies in the festival. This year, more than 50 performers descended upon the mountain city, leaving fans with a bevy of shows to choose between nightly.

You could argue a trip to Park City is an investment worth making in order to be in front of and mingle with an “industry crowd.” But it’s not easy — you have to know how to put on the networking cap and follow up with connections. There’s also stiff competition at the actual festival:

… it’s often established acts that steal the spotlight. Rappers Drake and Wiz Khalifa played invite-only shows at the Bing Bar, a multilevel space decorated by the Microsoft search engine. The DJ Deadmau5 and LMFAO, famous for a party anthem about taking shots of alcohol, performed at the Park City Live venue. And at a pop-up version of the posh Tao restaurant, T-Mobile and Google Music sponsored concerts from somewhat less commercial acts like the Civil Wars and the Whigs… festival-goers tried to elbow their way into these exclusive events each evening…

The article is a good read for any musician seeking new opportunities. Read the rest HERE.

Have you ever been to Sundance? What was your experience?

-LAMA Staff

5 Tips: Surviving a Summer Music Festival

photo via Pop Matters

Tomorrow is the first day of summer 2011! You’ve just finished a grueling Spring semester and because you got straight A’s (right??), you deserve a break. There isn’t a better way for a musician to spend their free time than by going to a summer music festival. Whether it’s the behemoths like Coachella, Bonnaroo, or Sasquatch or the smaller ones like High Sierra Music Festival, The Gathering of the Vibes, or Camp Bisco, these summer music festivals aren’t like going to a concert at the park. While often a life changing experience, you should know what you are getting into – so hopefully these tips will help you survive and have a great show-going experience!

PREPARE

Confucius said, “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” Apply this advice to your summer music festival planning. The good news is that almost all music fests will have a lot of info on their respective websites. For example…what can I bring (or not) to the festival? Visualize the festival in your mind and how you want everything to go. If you are a nature-loving individual you should camp out, and if you like a little comfort you should book a hotel. Make sure to book early; hotels and condo rentals often sell out faster than the tickets! Same goes with RVs, if you are thinking of going that route. After looking at your music festival suggestions, make your own personal checklist for what you need packed before you leave. The truth of the matter is that there is a Target or CVS in every town in case you forget a toothbrush or a pillow. One thing you can’t replace is your ticket!

ARRIVE EARLY

I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about music festival traffic. If you haven’t, check this video out:

You should plan on arriving to the festival as early as they allow (check their website again for when that is), if for no other reason than avoiding massive traffic jams. There are other perks too! If you are camping, you can pick the best spot; you can often catch stand-out performances that happen before the crowds come, and you can get a feel for the festival grounds before there are so many people around that you feel like cattle. Arrive early! There is nothing worse than having to hear the faint sounds of your favorite band playing as you sit in traffic.

YOUR BODY IS YOUR TEMPLE

One of the biggest pitfalls of a summer music festival is overextending yourself physically. You will most likely be in the hot sun all day with minimal sleep. Take care of yourself! Pack plenty of water in your car and OVER hydrate yourself throughout the day. The food at festivals is notoriously delicious but also notoriously unhealthy. Pack some healthy, non-perishable foods like bread, crackers, and peanut butter, you can rely on when you want to avoid the fried food for sale. Bring a nice summer hat, shades, and lots of sun block; coming down with heatstroke during the greatest weekend of your summer is not the way to experience a festival. There will be lots of temptations like drugs and alcohol — avoid them if you want to be at your healthiest. The band “The Hold Steady” even wrote a song about people that don’t follow this advice!

PRIORITIZE

All music festivals usually follow a pretty standard format: book lots and lots of bands, and spread them out over several stages throughout the day. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to see every single show. Luckily, festivals release the schedules several weeks before, only so you can prioritize. Make three categories of artists: I MUST SEE, I WANT TO SEE, I COULD GO EITHER WAY. Make sure you schedule out your days to see all your MUST SEE’s and then fill in your spare time with the other bands. Often, show schedules will overlap and you might need to be OK with seeing just half of one set and half of another. The stages are often based on the popularity level of the band or artist. Don’t forget that smaller stages with smaller artists often put on the best shows because they have everything to prove. We all remember the story of Kanye West making the Bonnaroo audience wait for hours:

We should note that companies like Aderra.net record live performances at venues and festivals and sell those performances via USB drives/devices from a booth immediately following the show. Keep an eye out for Aderra booths at shows in case you want to take your experience home with you.

HAVE AN EXIT STRATEGY

As hard as it is getting into the festival, it can be equally hard leaving the festival! Some people decide to sneak out a day early, or plan their exit before the final big band of the last night. Others might decide to camp an extra night and party it up in the camp until everybody has left. If you are a concertgoer like me, and stay until the last show, be prepared for traffic but make the most of it. A football or Frisbee can go a long way! Make sure you have enough sleep before you head out of the festival or plan to recuperate at a hotel (remember again to book this in advance!). Too many people have died on the drive home from the festival, either from exhaustion or other factors, from having a three-day party.

If you do make it out to a festival, take lots of pictures and let us know how it went. Stay safe out there, remember to take some earplugs, and don’t forget your ticket!

-LAMA Staff

Coachella: The Last Great Music Festival

(Watch Coachella Live on YouTube this weekend)

You’ve been to the best music festivals, seen every up-and-coming band the world has to offer but still haven’t been to Coachella (this weekend, April 14-16). Odds are there’s a couple reasons why you haven’t braved the infamous grass field.  Maybe it’s the price tag?  One ticket can run you upwards of 600 dollars…and that’s only if you get the opportunity to purchase one. This past year, Coachella sold out in record time.  Maybe it’s the drive then?  Heading out to Palm Springs for the weekend isn’t the most terrible thing in the world…so stop making excuses. Hop on Craigslist, pawn that dusty guitar you haven’t played in a year and get yourself a ticket to the music festival known only as Coachella. Tip: Read today’s LA Times article about “non-musical changes to expect this weekend.”

This is the ultimate definition of the Field of Dreams catch phrase, “If you build it, they will come”.   In the middle of Palm Desert music greats like Jay-Z, The Killers, Gorillaz, Cold War Kids, The Decemberists can be seen rocking to thousands under the stars.  But the brilliant piece to this event is the audience.  To look over the mountains and see a never-ending trail of headlights for a full 3 days…fans, friends, label executives all making the trek together– meeting in the middle of an empty field…each feeling like they are as much a part of the event as the headliner.  Beautiful.

Invested interest in any venture is the most powerful thing you could ask for.  After the price tag, drive, hotel cost or braving the campground…the Coachella crowd is invested. Not just monetarily, but also with something more.  They come prepared
to listen and be involved.  To participate fully.  To enjoy the fruits of their labor- not to be confused with entitlement.  Not to mention this is the nicest bunch of random people you will ever come across. So pack your bags, pick up some snacks for the roadtrip and make the pilgrimage with the rest of us.  See you there.

-LAMA Staff