This may or may not come as a surprise to you, or perhaps it's just a rude
awakening. But in the music business, it's almost all about who you know. Yeah,
you have to have great tunes, and yeah, you have to have discipline and a
strong work ethic. And, yeah, you definitely have to have some luck. But when
it comes right down to it, networking, making the right connections -- with
bands, lawyers, agents, managers, A&R guys, label executives -- makes a
massive difference when you try to ease your way through the nationwide music
tangle. You wanna tour the country? Get outta town? Throw down in Iowa? You
best better start introducing yourself to any and everybody.
When Rhody's own Grüvis Malt embarked on its first national tour about a
year and a half ago, they considered it a test. They had released Backout
Smiling in April 2000, and wanted to promote it outside the narrow purview
of the Northeast. It would be the first time they'd try a tour living on money
the band made as it went along.
"It was definitely difficult," says singer/keys guy Gavin. "For me, it was the
most fun I've ever had. I like living like that. That was the last time we
worked real jobs. Being on tour is like the best vacation you can have. You can
play guitar, read, do things you don't necessarily make time for and then play
music at night."
The lifestyle transition wasn't quite as seamless for everyone in the band.
Shortly after the tour, the band's bass player and guitarist fled. "It was a
necessary test for us. It helped us see the road ahead. It could have ended in
complete debt, but we broke even. Which is considered successful."
One of the major reasons the tour ended successfully had to do with the band's
networking. They joined shows with the Sugar Hill Gang, Ozomatli, and Wilco
across the country, and when they needed a show in LA in a pinch, an executive
at Interscope who had been keeping an eye on the band reserved a showcase slot
for them at the Viper Room. "A lot of people in the business have known about
us for a few years and when we feel we need their help, we call them up," says
Gavin. "If you book your own tour, that's the only way to get into places. If
you call the club yourself, there's no way." About half the shows on the band's
last national trek were booked through connections of some sort, while the
other half was done the old-fashioned way, with phone calls, press kits, and
CDs.
Grüvis has been interacting with labels a lot over the last two years,
nurturing both ends of the rock and roll spectrum: the music end, and the
business side. The latter relationships have helped give Grüvis an
incredible boost. "It's about relationships," says Gavin. "That's why you hire
a manager, because it's important to tend to those relationships. We have no
problems making friends with the bands we tour with; we've made some close ties
to larger bands. It's easy to meet other musicians. But we're focusing on ties
on the industry side. But not exactly those A&R-guy ties -- they bounce
around so often you never know where they're going to end up."
So if the band connection is number one, and the VIP connection is two, the
last thing is what you might call begging.
Other things Grüvis have learned along the way? "Finding a booking agent
without a label is next to impossible. They have absolutely no faith in a band
that doesn't have some sort of financial backing. You can play but you won't
get to Japan and back without backing. We got so sick of being stuck in one
place, we just decided to say, `Hell with it,' and off we went. That's how all
of our career moves have taken place. You either do it or you don't. If you
don't, you go nowhere."
Give a quick listen to the intricate pop songs and dazzling instrumentation on
the band's challenging new disc, . . . with the Spirit of a Traffic Jam . .
., and you'll understand that GM is definitely on the move. It's a
high-octane trip, fusing Zappa, Dave Matthews, and Phish with jazz-fusion,
funk, and hip-hop. It's a stunning display of innovation and kaleidoscopic
color, with exhilarating performances and unpredictable shifts in direction.
Songs like "NonSanity2037X" begin with some trippy rap, then inches into
Zappa-esque post-jazz and crunchy guitar rock before ending with a Lambert
Hendricks and Ross lounge-core coda. It also has a little cameo from DJ
Killmore, who plays in a band called Incubus. "Filling In a City" sounds like
Steely Dan on even more pot, while "Mobile" has the furious funk feel of prime
Chili Peppers. . . . with the Spirit of a Traffic Jam . . . is many
things as it reaches to the furthest corners of pop music expression. But the
challenge of listening is ultimately rewarded with great performances and songs
that stick. "We're really happy with the sound of the album," says Gavin. "We
produced it ourselves, and we really wanted a textured feel with more volume
and a little more depth on the hip-hop side."
The record is being released on the Lakeshore imprint, the independent
recorded music division of Lakeshore Entertainment, a motion picture company.
"They're really excited about having us," says Gavin. "Lakeshore is a middle
step between us and labels that are waiting for us to sell 40,000 before they
commit. With Lakeshore, we outlined what we wanted and they gave us everything.
Plus, we interact with them every day. They give us things they want us to do,
help us with advertising, the whole bit. It's nice not to be the only ones
working in the band's interest."
They're also helping Grüvis avoid the jam band tag, which is no easy
feat. The band has made every effort to sidestep that pothole themselves (on
"Then Silence" the rap goes, "Time signatures designed for something more than
moving feet"), even though three-minute pop song radio programmers hear the
band's name and shove their disc aside, tunes unheard. "For us, the jam circuit
was a near-miss," says Gavin, "so we lucked out. We don't disrespect the bands
that are on it. And it's not to say that being in a jam band doesn't work,
either. Some of our favorite bands, like the Slip, are in that category. For us
it was a conscious decision to not jump in to that style with both feet."
Why not? The band obviously worships its instruments and technical ability
more than most. Why not go the jam band route? "It came from playing shows on
Block Island and Nantucket," says Gavin. "You start to see the total circuit
and bands chugging away to achieve a certain status. But it seems like the best
a jam band can do is pack a 1400-seat club. We'd like to shoot higher."
Grüvis Malt's record release party is at Lupo's on Saturday, with
Paranoid Social Club, Funkbunker Fleet, and Spujpooby AAA.
WANDERING EYE. Betty Finn and the Jim James Band take over
the Green Room this Friday night, in a great double bill. The same night,
the Shivers will be at Area 22 in Newport, playing songs from their
newly recorded Smooth Me Out disc. On Saturday the Green Room features
Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billies, the Haymakers, and the
Coots, while Jake's Bar & Grill features a night of screaming rock with
the Fabulous Itchies, and the Lords of Altamont. Of course, the
awesome Wild Card DJs play all night long as well. The Sleazies will
hold forth at the Met Cafe on Sunday, sandwiched between the Tamp-Offs
from Boston and the Briefs from Seattle.
On a side note, Freakshow has named their new bass player, and it's
Rick Miller from Slugworth. They have also just signed up with LiveUnsigned and
will be heading out to LA this summer as part of a tour across the country.
Check out www.freakshowband.com for details.
E-mail me with music news at big.daddy1@cox.net.
Issue Date: March 29 - April 4, 2002
