Be Yourself, You Can Be No-one Else
It is all to easy to emulate your favourite band or artist but many don't even know they are doing it. don't be a tribute act, spot the signs before it's too late
4/25/20243 min read
Kill Your Idols, or at least bury them a little
We all have influences. I am sure you can name in under 2 seconds the band, act or musician that made you want to try a career in music. The one that blew you away, opened your eyes and made you feel like this is your destiny. Having influences is great but they must be just that; influences. This means you can’t just rip off your favourite acts songs, sound or stage craft (unless you are a cover band). You have to forge your own way.
But how do you know?
This is often the difficulty as most people are not able to analyse their own work. They are simply too close to it to actually realise how close they sound to their idols. It is a really difficult thing to sit up and say “Dam it, this is just a rip off of XXXXX” but if you want to truly progress you must push through this because on the other side is something priceless: Your Own Sound.
There are a number of ways to get a perspective on your songs, sound and overall vibe. The best way is to ask people what they think. Do not lead them by asking “do you think we sound like XXXX” let them think on their feet. Ask people at shows, review your music and whole act. If most come back with the same name time and time again, it may be time to sit down and take stock. People are generally lazy when it comes to opinions and will always try to make connections to make the new sound make sense. If you read most reviews of unsigned acts they will always compare them to a popular act. This is not necessarily a bad thing, who doesn’t want to be compared to a multi-platinum artist…..just not too closely.
Ok, so how do you move past this?
The good news is you can grow and develop whilst bringing your existing fanbase. It has been done 100’s of times – look at the shift in Radiohead, Bob Dylan, David Bowie and even The Beatles from their first to later albums. The key is to keep the good parts but evolve your sound into something new. This way your influences will still be there but only as an ingredient and not the whole recipe.
There are lots of ways to achieve this. A few ideas are:
1) Electric? Then go acoustic or the other way round: This will always offer a different vibe
2) Change the dynamic: If your idols play loud and fast, try your songs slow and quiet. Play with all the dynamics. I am not suggesting a complete style change but in doing this songs will naturally change and develop.
3) Rewrite the song: this may sound obvious but start over. Use the initial song idea as if it were the first time you heard it and aim to right in a different direction.
4) Choose another influence: Purposely try to make the song sound like a different artist. Again, this is not about shifting sound completely but making those small changes which enrich your music. When trying this listen to what works, what sounds better, what sounds worse.
The idea here is to add texture to the song, not shift it completely.
Sound is a major part of the mix here but also be aware of other factors which can draw conclusions and leave you pigeon-holed as a “me too” (not that one!) act. This happens any time a band breaks through – just look at the glam, punk or grunge movements and how that impacted fashion and how bands looked and presented themselves.
You need to pay attention to your image, artwork, album covers – everything. This could even be how you move around the stage. If you are running around like an angry Doberman you could show a clear Axl Rose influence (difficult in a bar, I know). The name is also a clear indication of where your influences lie – for example do not name yourself after a favour song, album or word your influence is known for. Remember people are lazy, so if you call yourselves “Teen Spirit” most people are going to think of Nirvana.
We are not trying to say have no influences, quite the opposite. Some comparisons are good but you need to be a blend of influences, carve your own path and not try to follow the same route as another act because that road has already closed.