I know what you're thinking, "Bobby, you're in a metal band. Why would you tell us this?" My answer to that would be, yes I am in a metal band, however, this article is not called "Why Bobby Shouldn't Be in a Metal Band" it's why YOU shouldn't be.
****DISCLAIMER****
If you want to be in a metal band you have to be very skilled at the instrument you play. If you're not good, take some more time to become efficient at your instrument aka practice. There are enough mediocre metal bands in the world already. We don't need more.
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What are some of the top reasons people start or join bands? Of course love of music is one of them, but I have found that a lot of people want to be in bands because they want to be famous. In fact my band had a guitarist (who is credited on our first album in the liner notes as a member) who did not contribute anything to the band at all. In fact he couldn't even play guitar efficiently enough to stay in the band. His only ambition was that he "wanted to be famous." Me and the other band members would bust our butts working on music or booking shows (all of which we had to drop off of because this guy had to skip practice to spend time with his, as he put it, gulfran.) He would take credit for any and all of our accomplishments by saying, "You know why this happened right, because of me, because I'm so good looking." Our ex member is a big example of why you shouldn't be in a metal band.
Here's the thing, I love what I do. I love my band and we put a lot of effort into our craft and we do have heated arguments over it, which always helps us turn out the best music we can. But I also realize the sacrifice that being in this band entails. For the most part, we live in a van, not a tour bus, a van. Now, the bands that have tour buses have worked hard, spent years touring in a van and built up a fan base. We, however, are still building our fan base and putting in the hours. Touring is not easy, it's sometimes not even fun, but it's worth it. You may very well become famous. However you will not become rich in the least. You will need a job when off tour. You might have to teach guitar, bass, or drum lessons. Just as an aside, being a famous metal musician in this generation is not what you think. It's not like the Metallica famous. It's like you'll get recognized by scene kids at the mall famous.
If you want it be in a metal band for any other reason then love of the music and a passion for writing and performing, you shouldn't be. If you only want to be famous, a metal band is not for you. Metal bands can become known, but you shouldn't get into it for that. I do what I do because I love performing and connecting with people. Not because I make a ton of money doing it, actually we have $0.07 in our royalty account right now and that's pretty normal.
Do what you love because you love it, if you can make a career out of it that's a plus.
~HiMyNameIsBobby
