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Title: Punk Rock Etiquette: The Ultimate How-to-Guide for DIY, Punk, Indie, and Underground Bands
ISBN: 1596434155
Author:
Travis Nichols
Publicate Date: 2008-09-02
Publish: 2008-09-02
List Price: $12.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $6.99
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $6.69
Amazon Merchant Price: $10.36
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| Customer Review: |
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1: PUNK ROCK RULES
this book is it
and its great because it aint about
countery music haha
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2: A must-read
I bought this book a few weeks ago out of curiosity at my college book store. It's actually a great read. I've been working with indie-bands all through college, giving airbrush tattoos from [...] for promotions. I loved the DIY merchandise and promotion suggested in this book. I'm giving one to a few of the bands I've been working with for Christmas this year. I've ordered many things from Amazon.com before, and their service is absolutly excellent.
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3: A Perfect Introduction to the World of Punk Rock
"Punk Rock Etiquette" is the ultimate guide for anyone looking to start a band. It gives the basics on everything from finding and choosing bandmates, findings gigs, making your own merchandise, and touring. The book is full of useful advice on stage and touring etiquette, and tells you why these guidelines are so important. The biggest thing that makes this book stand out from other books on these topics, is that it is entertaining. There are many books on how to start a band and how to print your own shirts, but they tend to be very dry and clinical. That's not punk rock! Travis Nichols doesn't dwell on a topic longer than necessary, and the book flows nicely. The writing has the feel of a friend who has been there sitting you down and telling you what you need to know.
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4: 'etiquette' is a sure bet-iquitte!
Are you looking for a quick read? Want to laugh out loud? Need a book that doubles as entertainment and as reference for all your diy band how-tos? Well, friends, you have come to the right place. Nichols keeps this page turner light, friendly and full of do-gooder advice. As if this weren't enough, we also get plenty of cute cartoons drawn by Nichols. This is a fun book that I also plan to buy for friends.
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5: 'Punk Rock Etiquette' offers useful guide to musical manners
It is a well-known scientific fact that everyone wants to be in a band. Everyone. At least, that's what illustrator/musician/author Travis Nichols was presumably banking on when he wrote "Punk Rock Etiquette: The Ultimate How-To Guide for DIY, Punk, Indie and Underground Bands."
As the book's lengthy subtitle suggests, "Etiquette" offers loads of tips to aspiring rockers from the perspective of Nichols, who has firsthand experience wading through the not-so-glamorous trenches of the (extremely) indie-rock scene. It is a refreshingly quick read, and Nichols punches up his earnest advice with enough humor and personal anecdotes to paint a realistic picture of what it must be like to play in -- and tour with -- a garage band with a few buddies.
To be sure, the book is very much geared toward the class of bands that truly qualify as "indie" -- the ones whose members hand-draw their own posters and flyers, make CD sleeves from cereal boxes, count on word-of-mouth publicity, and survive by booking any paying gig they can get their hands on (and going halfsies on gas and food money). Steven Tyler and Mick Jagger will find nothing useful here, but for the remaining 95 percent of bands who regularly lug their equipment around in a used GMC van, the information contained in Nichols' guide is invaluable.
Part One provides descriptions of several common types of potential bandmates (i.e., The Tortured Poet, The Rock Star, The Delinquent) and lists their respective pros and cons. Also given is an insightful list of do's and don'ts to follow when choosing the look and name of your group (do not wear one of your band's own T-shirts on stage, and avoid using weird capitalization in your band's moniker: "SeE hoW lame iT LoOkS?" writes Nichols.)
Nichols has played in a number of bands (Omega Monster Patrol!, the Needies) and even self-released a few albums, so it's obvious he knows his stuff when it comes to "Etiquette"'s subject matter. And the passion with which he writes about life as a small-time musician is incredibly endearing and honest. Nichols hasn't hit the big time yet, but to hear him tell it, the sense of satisfaction and fan adoration he gets from performing at a local youth center is comparable to a headlining gig at Madison Square Garden.
Information about the technical side of music abounds, with advice about the different types of recording equipment, how to best utilize your time in a studio, and even a step-by-step guide for screen-printing your own T-shirts (merchandise can be a significant source of revenue for even the most amateurish of bands, Nichols says.)
The heart of "Etiquette" lies in the very genesis of its inception: manners in music. Nichols' tongue-in-cheek delusions of grandeur may elevate the persona of a humble musician to that of a bona fide rock god who would gladly melt your face off with a blistering guitar solo, but he is still very much a Nice Young Man. A lifelong Texan, a vegan and a relentless friend to the environment, Nichols is adamant about practicing good behavior on stage and on tour.
For example, it is standard procedure to thank the venue before beginning your set and talk up the next band afterward. When you finish, get your gear off stage quickly, tip the sound guy (who knew?) and politely ask for your payment (but divide the profits among touring bands if you are the local act.)
Not everyone can be a rock star, but even if you have no musical ability, are a homebody, or have a family and full-time career (strikes one, two and three against folks like me), "Etiquette" is still an enjoyable read. Nichols also dresses things up nicely with his distinctly cute illustrations of anthropomorphic animals, which are scattered throughout.
For beginner bands whose members need some inside information on how to get their collective feet in the door, the book is a valuable tool. And for would-be guitar heroes who still need to master the A chord, it's still totally punk rock.
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