Horns Up Rocks: Strengthen the Underground

After carefully analyzing the state of the Heavy Music Underground scene, we decided to share some of the research we have gathered. First of all, we believe that there is a lot of potential today, thanks to the hunger behind the bands that have proven to possess all the necessary passion and talent to keep the Heavy Music flame fired up for years to come. So if you are a promoter, a musician, a fan, or have dared to question the state of the Heavy Music Underground Scene, read carefully and take note.

- While there are a significant amount of bands in today's scene, there are very few that are properly managing their careers. Ever wonder what made the bands in the 80's become music "super powers"? An important element of their success is the way they managed their careers, which for many meant dedicating their lives 100% to the bands they were in and most importantly, making sure everyone who came to their shows went home and remembered their music. This needs to be applied today more than ever, because with so many bands around, it’s easy for bands to get lost in the flood of music that is present today.

- We've also noticed that many bands are booking shows back to back, without realizing that this hurts not only their draw, but also the promoters. And if a band has a low draw, this will make it harder for bands to get booked at bigger shows. In our experience, a promoter books a band solely on their overall draw within a period of time. Why do you think national acts spread their tour-dates and avoid playing the same region twice in a short period of time?

- Additionally, we've noticed that some bands are uselessly competitive towards other bands. What bands need to realize is that the more united the bands within the scene are, the stronger the scene will be. The growth of the scene as a unit will benefit all bands involved. The bands and the fans need to understand that it makes no sense to be part of a show without supporting all the bands involved. We often see people go to a show just for a particular bands set, then pack-up and leave. Also, if bands want to sell merchandise, they need to connect with fans on and off stage.

- We have also come across with bands that charge a certain amount to play, but draw very low amounts of people. Word of advice, all promoters and bands talk to each other before booking a band. If you are going to charge to play, you should make sure that you draw a significant amount of people (30+), in order to justify your cost to the promoters.

- Finally, media outlets need to pay more attention to the up and coming bands; since this is were the future of Heavy Music lives. It seems that there is a very big gap between the national acts and the local acts. The only way this gap will be minimized is by making the Heavy Music Underground scene stronger.

Here are some bands that are making a difference in the Heavy Music underground scene: