Squeeze Thoughts ... "What is IT"

So you want to be in a band… Awesome! I love it myself! Now decide what you would like out of this band. So many responses could have resulted from this first of many self-questions. The survey says... (in no particular order): I want chicks… to be popular… to be famous… to have a cool job …to sign boobs etc… Others may say to change my career… to pursue my passion… to welcome a new challenge…to make extra money on the weekends… to enjoy my hobby... to do what makes me happy etc… You’re probably thinking I’m about to take a side somewhere in all that, but that’s impossible because everyone is entitled to rock for any reason under the sun and it’s none of anyone’s business but your own. At the same time you may join a band for one reason and later pursue it or drop it for another.  Not a surprise there, we’re all human and shit happens in our life that will shape our current existence and lead you on new path to another unknown outcome.  Either path will be complete with all the fixings: adversity, good fortunes, mixed feelings, cloud 9 and the ultimate ending non existence (morbid, but the best way I can think of putting it).  What I will elaborate on is: If you join an original band to make “it”. The “it” seems to be what breaks bands up or leads to personnel changes, which may ultimately make the band stronger or weaker.  Each member might have a different "it", which will dictate how a band conducts themselves.

How to define “it” is the interesting yet ridiculously complicated part because whatever “it” is to you can possibly seep into other reasons to aid or poison maybe create a hybrid, which in turn creates a gray perspective. Ok so enough of the psych text book jargon onto the delicious meat we all love to put sauce and bread too.  I have decided to write this blog because Midnight Mob has had the opportunity to meet hundreds of bands all over the country and some international.  I have been able to see firsthand how bands like ours conduct themselves and you can see many personal rifts in certain band situations or just question other bands methods, some better some worse.  It seems that most of these original musicians who are in “it” to make it choose fame, money and the like as their “it”. 

Fame and money is a bonus bi product or maybe a curse pending the individual, but honestly it has been proven that the bands with massive staying power… that wrote classic songs that will never die… that create huge social movements … that created careers are bands who’s “it” is basically just an extreme love and passion for music whether listening, writing or finding ways to be around it.  Music is the reward.  This drive is a relentless horrible cel phone ring you can’t ignore. Eventually you can't help but to pick up and there's a lovely voice on the other side asking you to go on a suicide mission to Mordor for some reason you don't quite understand. Which in return you say, “Those odds are good enough for me, lets go!".  Knowing that even if a herd of magical unicorns found you and your band mates, and you rode them over a glistening rainbow to a land of milk, honey, gold, unending pans of lasagna, mermaids, tea time with Nessie and yes bigfoot there’s a massive possibility you will never be allowed to take your blindfold off to partake in all this mythological goodness (yes, unicorns are known for kidnapping- if only we were so lucky. What do you think Dio's "Rainbow in the Dark" was written about?).

Now to my eventual point, which was an adventure in itself to get here, so if you can't bring yourself to proceed you either don't get my sense of humour or you don't care.  I mean why else wouldn't you proceed.  If you’re current mindset is serious with your band then buckle down put on your knee pads, eat, breath, live and die by this band. You will not be discovered at a show and wake up a millionaire, you will not have a top 10 hit when you finish you’re recording and wake up a celebrity, you will not be famous from 20K Facebook likes.  Be prepared to grind this out face down in the mud for a long time, never stop believing in your band and accept the fact that it’s 101% completely in your hands.  It’s up to you and the band to hustle and figure it out as a unit.  Welcome to the world of being a record label, PR, marketing, advertising, clothing designer, photoshop expert, fully functional business with no money. Either accept the challenge with all your mind & soul fully charged up & hungry to the 9's or try something else. Whatever you choose is cool as long your 101% behind it.

There is absolutely no room for laziness if you want to make “it”. So hike up your dress put your hands in cow shi* and grow a f'n carrot.  Never forget that if you do reach big foot's cabin in the woods the only reason you found his ultra secretive abode is because individuals out there believed in your cause.  They could have put their hard earned money their attention into anything else, but they chose you. And they chose you because they can see you are genuinely putting everything you have into it (Where the f*** do you think great music comes from?).  Hardwork = great product = awesome!  Without a worthwhile product you might as well show everyone you can tight rope walk between two buildings blind folded without a safety net juggling seals that are twirling plates on sticks holding unpinned hand grenades. Be creative, educate yourself, don’t be a di*k and listen.  Be humble be inquisitive be open.  You should be honored someone put down their beer and discarded their spouse to take interest in your band. If you’re not going to work to grab "it" someone else will, it’s the nature of the beast.

All of our pots of “gold” could be right around the corner.  Maybe it's a thousand times bigger now than finding a much smaller one banking on shortcuts.  “All we need is a little patience and we'll eventually get into Abe Lincoln's head (Ren & Stimpy reference). 

Your Favorite BS Artist
-Squeeze