Micheal Bowes - Session Drummer to the stars

Micheal Bowes has been in the business a number of years now, drumming for the likes of Heather Small, Joss Stone and Sid Owen (that's right, Ricky from Eastenders). Here he tells us the highlights of his musical career and some advice on how to get there. 

1. How did you begin your career as a musician?

  I started off drumming in the church, however my first break came when I was up against David Bowie's drummer 'Woody Woodmansey' to do a recording project with a band called B.L.O.W.

2. What would you say were the top 3 things to focus on when building a career in the industry? 

Persistence; Passion; & networking.

3. What has been your highlight in your career so far? 

Performing with Heather Small (M People) at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff for the Tsunami appeal in front of 70,000 people, with live transmission on TV & the Internet. The other was, co-writing a song with Joss Stone, which was later released on her album titled 'Colour Me Free', which went Top 10 in America. The song titled 'Incredible' was later used on the American film 'Morning Glory' starring Harrison Ford. The film was released at the Cinemas in the Uk & America, then later released on DVD & later broadcasted on SKY. I can't choose between these two as they both gave me such an amazing exhilaration & buzz.

4. What advice would you give to a young musician today?

  My advice would be, "an amateur practices until they get it right. A professional practices until they can't get it wrong".

Mel Brown Impressive PR

Mel Brown- Impressive PR




Mel Brown is the founder and owner of Entertainment based PR company 'Impressive PR'. Her company covers industries such as Music, Comedy, Theatre and other large events such as Edinburgh Festival! The company has a roster of artist's such as Snow Patrol, Coldplay and the giants that are Muse! So here's what Mel has to say on to get your band's name out...

As the founder of a very successful PR company (Impressive PR), could you please describe to me what exactly you do to help artists with their careers in the music industry? 

Not all PR companies are the same as ours. We can offer advice at a very early stage - which could be - you are not ready to be placed in the media!  Or it could be that we help to get the image right.  We come up with a strategy - this is bespoke to the band and then once this is agreed implement the campaign.  We are the people who get you coverage in the press and online via our contacts.  Obviously the music has to be good too!

How important do you feel PR is to the success of a musician/artist in today's industry? 

Massively key without this how are the public going to know who you are?

If there is one piece of advice you could give to an up and coming musician/artist what would it be and why?  

Don't put out any music until you are really ready - ideally you will have a good /experienced manager and team around you 

What is the most common mistake you see in a majority of musicians today that impede them in their progress to achieve their full potential in the industry? 

Putting out music when you are not ready!

How often do you think a band/artist should be rehearsing on a weekly basis to stand a chance of competing on a performance level, with other professional working bands in the industry?

If you are committed ideally every day! 

Interview with James Scott

Interview with James Scott from Out Like a Lion 

A bath based indie band, who's first gig was to support the fiery Florence and the Machine! These boys have played the Introducing stage at Glastonbury festival, Won Chris Moyles New unsigned music competition on Radio 1, supported Example and all this in the space of two years and without even releasing their debut album! Not to mention the fact they are part of 'The Agency Group'! They sure are Busy, but how did it all start for their guitarist james, we had a little chat to find out.... 

 Whats your background in music.

When I was about 8 years old I stood up on the kitchen table and played along to Chris de Burgh on my fathers tennis racket. It wasn't long after I learnt "Wild Thing" on an old spanish guitar. My mother took my to Glastonbury in 1999 (I think that's what did it.) I got an electric guitar for christmas and started a band with a friend. We filled up several 90 minute tapes worth of jams and since then I can't remember a time when I wasn't thinking about writing music.

 What makes you want to work in the music industry as a musican?

I just love writing music. In my world there is nothing more exciting than the possibilities that occur every time you pick up your instrument. Also, away from the creative side, the music industry works in a way that suits me. What I mean is, I would hate to work in a prison cell of office dry walls for a company I didn't care for. For me, there is something electric about music; even music associated offices have a relaxed environment.

How did you manage to be played on chris moyles show on radio 1?

When we started this band we were lucky to gain support from BBC Introducing. They actually gave us our first show and since then we have kept good ties. We received an email discussing the 'Chris Moyles competition' and we were asked to submit a track. At the the time all this was happening we were in the middle of recording new material in London. We saw the competition as such gift of an opportunity but we were not confident in the music that we currently had. We were told that there was no way we would have the new songs finished in time so I got the files off the computer at the studio and stayed up all night and mixed the song myself. We managed to get it in just inside the deadline and the song went on to win the competition.

How did you get yourself onto the largest booking agency in the UK/USA (the agency group)?

After the success of being on the Radio One playlist we started to get a lot more emails (which is nice). It was a very exciting time going back and forth to London to have meetings about our band. We met with management companies, lawyers, press agents, radio pluggers, photographers, producers. It was my first insight into the 'behind the scenes' of the industry. Some people even travelled all the way to Bath to meet us. All of this made us feel like we must be doing something right. We got a call to come up to the Agency Group's offices in London and we discussed what they could do for us. I like to know every little thing about what's going on regarding my band, so when I looked up the Agency Group and saw their credentials I couldn't believe the roster. It all happened very fast but not in a "don't make any rash decisions" way, just like with finding our mangers, lawyer and everyone else that make a band work we just liked the people. We said that we wanted the business side of our band to feel like a family and it does.

What advice would you give a young musician today? 

Don't have any boundaries, not just in music but in life as well. 
Don't just listen to one genre of music.
Don't just listen to a band because your friends say "their cool"
Don't be Lazy.
Don't loose sight of what you're doing.
Don't let girls get in the way of music.


Do what you love.
Work harder than everyone else.
Have fun.
Don't be a dick.

The best advice I could give is to create something real, something that's yours. People will see straight through you if there's no substance or meaning. We refer to this as "weight" in our band. ie. "I think that chorus holds a lot of weight." Heavy things move you. People like to be moved by music.

An Interview with Rob Shaw

Rob Shaw - drummer

Rob is one of those guys who is never short of a gig and is always popping up on tv shows and sessions… So we needed to find out just how he manages it. We caught up with him to pick his brain.

Tell us about The X Factor performances this year.

I got the gig the first time around through a guy that I'd met on an audition a few years back. It’s always a good idea to stay in touch with anyone in the industry and it turned out he was doing some fixing. I saw a status on his facebook asking for drummers so I was straight on the case and luckily I manage to do two shows of the last season because of it.

Hang on, you got to play on the biggest TV show in the UK from a facebook status? 

It sounds simple, but I knew the guy from before and it was more a case of calling out to his musician contacts all at once. Opportunities can come from anywhere and you have to be prepared to follow up any potential lead for work.

What was it like working on such a massive show?

It’s great! There is a lot going on though so you have to make sure when your a small part in the whole thing that you nail it first time. There are only ever two or three run throughs of a contestants tune and that includes the live show. Because the show is so big there can be a lot of waiting around but this is a great opportunity to make contacts and meet some top industry players.

“when other people around you give up, just keep pressing forward because none of it will come easily and you have to be determined to succeed.” – Rob Shaw

You recently played for Jennifer Hudson’s UK promo. How was that?

I got a call very last minute to perform 5 tv slots in 4 days, they cram it all in as she wasn’t in the country for long. The shows were The Graham Norton show, The Alan Titchmarsh Show, So You Think You Can Dance, Daybreak and a couple of pop outs for Channel 4. 

Sounds like the perfect week for a musician…

Well it wasn’t all glamour, Daybreak was on so early that the driver was due to pick me up at 5am and as I’m from Brighton I had to provide a London postcode. I borrowed a mates address but as he was away, I slept in my car in an alley in S London… Didn’t sleep much but obviously it was worth it.

What advice would you give to musicians looking to get into TV work?

Do your research and be relentless. Find out who the fixers for tv are and contact them with good pictures and a concise CV. Then just make sure you check in with them and try to get on their radar a bit. This doesn't mean you will get any TV as it is hugely competitive and the fixers always have their main guys that have done hundreds of TVs who the fixers trust way more. Your goal is to make them aware of you and hopefully when the opportunity arises make sure that you get the job done. The main thing to remember is that you are competing against 1st rate professionals who have spent years getting to where they are and they won't give up jobs without a fight. It's not easy but if you do get called to do it, you will enjoy it so much and the hard work that you put in will all be completely worth it.

Big thanks to Rob for the advice and insight into tv work.

Earning that dollar!

So you wanna earn some spondoolies playing music huh??

So to start you off here is my 5 top tips you need to consider when looking to build a career in music.

1 – LEARN TO PLAY

Get on YouTube and check out the leading players in your instrument, this is the standard you should always be aiming for. There is no point competing with a local player if you’re going to compete you need to be competing with the biggest players in your field in the world.

2 – PLAY EVERYWHERE

It’s all very well practicing in your bedroom, but the real experience is out there gigging as much as possible. A lot of musicians think they should be paid from the word go, however the reality is you need to be doing a couple of hundred gigs in originals and covers bands learning about gigging and most importantly enjoying it!

3 – TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY AVALIABLE

Something that musicians tend to be very bad at! Take every opportunity available whether it’s paid or not. Even just playing on a mates demo can be a great opportunity to gain experience and you never know what is awaiting in the future.

4 – GO THE EXTRA MILE

Can you sing? How about doing BV’s? 

Can you drive? How are you going to get to gigs? 

Have you good industry standard, versatile equipment? Can your gear provide for stadium gigs, the little pub down the road, studio, pop, metal, jazz? 

5 – “ON TIME, IN TUNE”

My all time favorite rule! In a nutshell do you look the part, are you on time, act professional and are you prepared? Keep in a mind a professional, friendly attitude too as no band is going to want to take you on tour if you’re going to be a pain to live with. Remember the people you meet on the way up are definitely the people you meet on the way down!

STAND OUT:

What makes a musician stand out to me is 100% attitude! I generally assume that when a musician comes to me for advice or looking for work that they are already at a high standard of playing so I tend to pay more attention to their attitude than their playing ability. Keep in mind first impressions too, I know it sounds simple but turning up early having learnt the part to the highest possible standard and wearing relative clothing is key. The amount of musicians who fail at the first hurdle by turning up late, not knowing the track properly, in a superman t-shirt full of excuses is astonishing. 

DON’T BE A REBEL:

In my opinion having a career in the music industry is easy, I’m not saying becoming the next Beyonce, but sustaining a career and earning a living is simple. Yes it’s hard work but it is simple! I feel that where musicians often go wrong is overcomplicating things and not being willing to put in the work. Generally (including myself) musicians have a rebellious streak. Someone who says, “I don’t want the normal 9-5 job” generally has a rebellious nature and this is when they often fall down as they end up rebelling against their own career by not wanting to get out of bed at 8 or having a controversial image because they don’t want to wear the suit and tie. 

So my advice is keep it simple. Look the part, act the part, make sure you have outstanding time keeping and know your stuff!

Written by Damian Keyes, founder of DK Music Management

Scott actually going through one of his practise routines...take a look!! http://scottsbasslessons.com/what-in-my-practice-routine

This guy's an awesome bass player and has a great way of approaching practising, check it out!!..http://scottsbasslessons.com/how-to-approach-practicing