Brand Your Band – Stage Presence and Performance

So you are in a great band and have started playing the circuit.  You've got your track list, your look and a handful of cool songs that your growing fan base seems to love.  We all know that a working band is a tough and demanding job.  You put your blood and tears into your music and then over a few hours, sweat it out on stage giving the fans exactly what they demand...entertainment.  And for those few hours, you become a star.

I've been in the music industry for decades with different bands including Paradox, AWAKE, Mystyc, Quitting Heaven and more.  Over this time, I've been involved in the recording of thirteen albums and have been on stage more times than I can count.  And the one thing I have learned is that giving something special while on stage, is key to growing a following of fans.  You can no longer just be a great musician with catchy songs...you have to be a performer.  You have to put on a show.  Yeah...it may not be what you hoped for, but it is the nature of Rock n Roll in 2013.

I opened SkinYourSkunk.com and SkinYourSkins.com to provide something I have always felt was missing from modern metal music.  A simple way to add to your stage presence at an affordable cost for even the youngest bands.  We sell guitar skins and bass drum skins and offer a truly amazing, custom service to make your guitar or kit look memorable.  And it is the impression, the memory you create, the attention to detail of your show that keeps fans coming back.

I remember once having a very cool, steampunk guitar on stage.  Nothing special, but it was different.  This was back with my band Mystyc playing the Pocono Mountains area clubs and bars.  We were a new band but understood that stage presence was important.  Hell, we even put a few large TVs' on stage to add to the show.  We had the songs, we had the look but we struggled with the performance.  Anyway...every time I brought out that axe people stared.  I would be stopped while packing up our equipment to be asked where I got the guitar...how much it cost, etc.  It made an impression.

Your impression, your attention to detail does matter!  The time you put into how you look on stage, your visual appeal complements your music.  Fans today pay for a show, not to see some guys in jeans and torn t-shirts blast out a few cool tunes.  You need to capture your audience and keep them captivated...a captive audience.

Sure, many of you may think KISS or Alice Cooper are simply sell-out bands that rape their fans for money.  And in some ways, maybe they are.  But you know their names, you know their look and therefore...and here is the key...you know their brand.  So in concluding my first little brain dump of musical experience and opinion in our blog I'll simply say this...as corny as it sounds.  If you truly wish to become a famous rocker you need to realize how close BAND and BRAND really are.  Musicians don't get rich off CD or MP3 sales, they get rich off their brand, their name, their face and their merchandise.