If you’re a young musician who has just arrived at the University of Oregon and looking to make a name for yourself on the local music scene, you’ll no doubt be relieved to hear it’s not hard to do at all — so long as you follow these tips.
Have a good name. By this, I mean avoid any name you would have thought was cool in middle school. If you’re called “Cosmic Ostrich And The Electric Wienerschnitzel,” good luck headlining any gigs.
Be memorable. If all you’ve ever wanted to do is make music that sounds like Modest Mouse, godspeed to you, but good luck carving a niche for yourself in the hyper-regional Eugene scene. If you’re an avant-garde Balkan soul-funk ensemble, you’ll probably be a lot easier to remember.
Go to tons of other shows. The easiest way to network and make connections in your local music scene is to go to as many shows as possible — especially house shows, which can be hard to find unless you know where to look. Talk to the bands; see if they want to play a show together sometime. And talk to the people in the crowd, too; they’re as passionate as you.
Play as much as you can. The best way to establish yourself on the local scene is by having your name pop up as much as possible. If people see your name on a lot of flyers, they’ll remember it. It’s not hard to book shows, especially bar shows (which have the benefit of a paycheck). Get a few of the bands you met at the last show you went to together and throw a party.
Retrofit your set for bar vs. house shows. At bar shows, people are mostly just trying to be serenaded while they drink, so it’s best to play it straight at your next Black Forest or Luckey’s gig. At house shows, people are there for the music, so do whatever the fuck you want.
Put on a show. People watch live music to be entertained, and it’s not terribly entertaining if your idea of “performance” is staring at your feet and pretending the audience doesn’t exist. Prance around a bit. Wear something ridiculous. Say weird shit to the audience. Bust out some covers.
Don’t just write songs about college. It’s easy to fall back on writing lyrics about drinking beer and getting high and watching Netflix because if you’re in college and you’re in a band, that’s probably what you’re doing most of the time. But if you’re looking for any kind of longevity outside your local scene, it’s best to think broad and more timeless.
