Every band needs help sometimes.
You could be in a high school hardcore band with only your girlfriends as fans, or you could be in a touring band recording your third album. Every day is a struggle–with broken instruments, trouble booking shows and the rising CD pressing costs. It can be a distraction from most bands’ number-one goal–to R-O-C-K.
So, whether you are in a band that is starting from scratch, or you are beginning to take off, here are some local resources to help you in your times of need.
Band name:If you are in a band, you obviously need a name. Yet, it seems like all the good ones are taken. Unless you want to name yourselves “MC Grout and the Caulks,” it might be hard coming up with something original. Well, thanks to the beauty of the Internet, you can let random band name generators do the work for you. They might be played out, but these generators are capable of coming up with some magnificent sounding monikers, such as “Picasso’s Arsenal” and “Goat Jesus.” Stand back, U2. Gore Coffin is taking the stage.
Band name generatorwww.1728.com/bandname.htm
Metal band name generatorwww.b10m.swal.org/cgi-bin/bandname.cgi
Band members: You can’t have a real band without other members. So instead of asking your friend with no talent to play bass for you, realize there are other easy options. These Web sites will set you up with possibly demented, but likely more talented than you, musicians.
Willamette Week musician classifieds: www.portland.wweek.com/MusicianWanted/classifieds/Results?category=55896
Band mixwww.bandmix.com/oregon/
Portland Mercury musician classifieds: www.classifieds.portlandmercury.com/portland/Results?section=oid%3A6
Portland Craigslistwww.portland.craigslist.org/muc/
Gear: If you are still plucking that flea-market guitar your parents bought you when you turned 12, it’s time to move on. A good band needs a good sound, and for that you need quality instruments. But it’s also easy to get ripped off. Here are some stores that offer a good balance between low-cost and high-class.
Apple Music Rowwww.applemusicrow.com225 S.W. First Ave.503-226-0036
Guitar Center – Clackamaswww.guitarcenter.com13029 S.E. 84th Ave.503-654-0100
Pioneer Musicwww.pioneermusicco.com 907 S.W. Ninth Ave.503-224-4047
Rhythm Traderswww.rhythmtraders.com424 N.E. Broadway St.503-288-6950
Repairs: Tried to pull some sweet stage move but instead ended up with a broken guitar neck and a hole in the bass drum? Don’t try to fix it yourself; let a professional handle it.
Trade Up Musicwww.tradeupmusic.com4701 S.E. Division St.503-236-8800
The 12th Fret Guitar Repair Shopwww.the12thfret.com2402 S.E. Belmont St.503-231-1912
Practice space: Some bands might have the good fortune to be able to practice in a soundproof basement, but for most of us who have to dwell in apartments or tightly crammed residential neighborhoods, we need some place to rock without setting off car alarms and making dogs howl. Check out these practice spaces for some options.
Audio Cinemawww.audiocinema.org226 S.E. Madison St. 503-467-4554
The Magic Closet www.themagiccloset.netS.E. 17th Ave. and S.E. Spokane St. 503-382-9268
Reverb Rehearsal Studioswww.reverbrehearsal.comDowntown Vancouver (Call for address)360-213-0465
Venues/Promoters: You could have the best songs in the world, but if you play only house parties and battles of the bands, where can you go from there? In order to get your music out there, you are going to want to play shows. But unless you are friends with Mike Thrasher, you’re going to have to network. Make friends, call up promoters, go to shows and meet bands. Here are some local promoters to get you started.
Monqui Presentswww.monqui.comSend press kits to:P.O. Box 5908Portland, OR 97228
Mike Thrasher Presentsmike@www.miketrasherpresents.com
King Banana (Owner of the Satyricon) www.kingbanana.netBooking: Satyriconpdx@aol.comkngbanana@aol.com
Merchandise: So you’ve come up with that perfect band name, written some killer material and booked some gigs. You don’t want to be stuck without any merchandise to hock at your shows. You need an album pressed if you want your fans to sing along at your concerts, you need stickers if you want to plaster the town with your name, and you need T-shirts so you can hike up the price and make some money off your followers.
NW Media – CD replicationwww.themagiccloset.net106 S.E. 11th Ave.503-223-5010
Cravedog CD and DVD manufacturingwww.cravedog.com1522 N. Ainsworth St.503-233-7284
CD Forgewww.cdforge.com1420 N.W. Lovejoy St. #327503-736-3261
Taylor Made Graphicswww.taylormadegraphics.net15802 S.E. 114th Ave., Clackamas503-318-0310
Phoenix Mediawww.phoenixmedia.com2420 S.E. 11th Ave.503-977-0330