“So why aren’t there more DMBs in the Shenandoah Valley?”

This is a question one of my dear friends Jordan asked me tonight. He doesn’t live in the Shenandoah Valley and has no clue what the music scene is like here. At first, I wasn’t sure how to respond because quite frankly, I had no idea. Then, I started putting some pieces together.

What is it about a band that makes them successful? Is it the sweet beat from the drummer, the super talented singer, the tight harmony or the sick guitar solos? Or is it the booking agent that finds the good venues (which some of these bands we’ve talked about do already have)? I don’t think any of these are the answer. In the music industry it’s all about the fans, because lets face it, industry officials don’t care how talented you are unless you can fill an empty room with adoring fan$ (no the $ is not a mistake). While music is entertainment, it’s also a business and needs to have an increasing bottom line. In the end, the talent matters, the agent matters but the fans are what really make the band take off.

It’s difficult to develop a fan base in the Shenandoah Valley because resources are limited compared to the city. Good venues are few and far between and potential fans are spread out over larger distances. This means that venues are probably smaller, and it’s harder to get people out to the shows. Because of these factors, it seems that it takes much longer for our bands to get noticed and followed.

(The links to these bands are to the right in the navigation column)

Visibility is everything in the music biz and it can become discouraging regardless of how much talent a band has when no one knows about them. Making a band successful takes time, maybe even more time in a place like this where there are less people and word of mouth moves a lot slower. Often times, you need to take a leap of faith and just go to the local bar and check out the band you’ve never heard of. You’ll find that many of them are gems that have just been waiting to be noticed.

I think the best thing to do to ensure that more of our favorite local bands get noticed is by putting a little more bounce in our step and really support them all by going to the shows and bringing our friends. The entertainment value is more than any new-bee can imagine and that every veteran loves, we just have to commit to giving them a chance. Rather than just saying we love their music, we need to be showing them.

~ by Jean on March 12, 2008.