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| Haven't been doing much extra-curricular writing lately, and I spend most of my Internet time on Facebook these days, but I figured I'd post this here as well. Enjoy!
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Just for the heck of it, I've thrown together a few tips for anyone who wants to show their support to musicians whenever you attend a live show. These are things I strive to be better about, and I thought I'd share. I use the word "band" a lot, but of course, I see a lot of solo acts too.
1. RSVP (and show up)
When you get an invite to a show, let people know if you're coming, and if you're not, be honest about it. The longer you take to make a decision, the more likely you are to flake out. Figure out if you can go, and then go. It sucks for a performer to be either completely in the dark about attendance or to wind up with half the people they expected.
2. Tell Friends (early)
If you're going out to a show, let others know it's happening. Post it up on your blog or invite people from work, and be sure to tell them a couple days in advance instead of dropping it on them an hour before the show. If you have friends stopping in from out of town, rather than skipping the show, bring them along. It's probably more fun than your living room.
3. Buy a Drink
If you're seeing a show in LA, you're most likely going to be at a club or a bar. While the staff there may appreciate good music, they're bringing in bands to make a living. If the crowd's generous, the owners will be more likely to book the band for another gig. Buy a drink, leave a tip, and be friendly.
4. Listen to the other bands
The principle here is similar. If the group you're seeing is part of a tour or an organized line-up, be attentive to the other bands. Don't wait outside or stand around and fill the room with chatter. Take some time to listen. They'll appreciate it, their fans will appreciate it, and chances are relationships between bands backstage will go smoother too. And you might even like their music.
5. React
Everyone reacts to music differently. Some people sing along. Some people scream. Some people jump off the stage. Some just clap between songs. Whatever you do, do something. Even the most seasoned musicians get self-conscious about their performances, and they'll be more relaxed and energetic if they know the room doesn't hate them.
6. Buy merch
This one's simple. If you like the music, buy the CD. If you'll wear a T-shirt, pick one up. If you have friends that might be interested, get extras as gifts. The best way to make sure the band plays again is to keep them from having to get a job at Best Buy.
7. Say Hi
When the show is over, stick around and take some time to let the band know you're a real person. Don't treat them like they're the greatest, just be friendly and encouraging. But if you see them a lot, try not to monopolize their time. Make way for others who may come less often or who might have driven in from out of town.
Well, that's about it. Let me know if you have any additional tips or feedback.
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Finally got my Tokyo photos up. There are a few from the show, but I was usually too busy working to take photos. Most are from our adventures around the city in the evenings and afterwards. See them all here. Enjoy!
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So in a few hours, I will be getting on a flight to attend this year's Tokyo Game Show. For the uninitiated, the event is one of the biggest video-game conventions of the year, not a television program involving ninjas. There will be lots of big announcements and new games for us to cover, and I'll be helping with the standard barrage of conducting interviews with developers, getting new gameplay footage, and posting media to GameTrailers.com as quickly as possible.
This is my first trip to Japan so I'm actually a bit nervous right now. As much as I've always wanted to go, it's my first time in a country where English isn't the primary language. We'll have "fixers" to help us out, but still, my personal skills with the language aren't exactly at their peak right now. I'm sure I'll adjust after a couple days, though.
As for the image above, it's not a reflection of my nervousness, but a fun little bit of trivia about our trip as we'll be staying in the same hotel featured in the movie. I don't really think I'll have time to be lonely, plus there's close to ten of us going so it should be a lot of fun. Perhaps, I'll do some extra blogging while I'm there if I get a spare chance, but no guarantees. I'll be back on the 14th. See you then!
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Check out the new album to see photos from my trip to Park City, UT a few weeks back. I went up to see Shaun White's new snowboarding games, capture footage, and help out with interviews for our TV show. It was far too hot for snow, but they did take us up the mountain to get some history on the area and see a few locations that inspired scenery in the game. If you want to check out the game itself, the footage I captured is up over at GameTrailers.com and the show will air on Spike TV some time in October. Fridays at 1:00 AM (actually Sat, but whatever).
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Last weekend was my Grandfather's 80th birthday, and they had a great big bash up at his farm in Illinois. My mom went up a few days early, then my brother and I flew into St. Louis and rented a car to drive up and surprise him. We got to Payson the night before, helped pack some chairs and tables into the pick up trucks, and then headed back to the farm and walked around in the dark, looking at the stars.
In the morning, we spent a couple hours walking around the fields. There's soybeans, corn, cows, a couple of horses, and some miniature donkeys there, but most of the land is actually rented out to another farmer at this point. While we were walking, saw one deer as well as plenty of signs of more deer and raccoons, and we sat out by one of the ponds for a bit too. The farm is huge though - hundreds of acres - so once we got done with our walk, we went with our Uncle Bruce on the Mule (which is like a golf cart with 4WD) to see the back fields and woods.
In the afternoon, family and friends started driving in. Altogether, there must have been almost 200 people there. For the main course, they were frying up catfish, onion rings, and french fries, plus nearly everyone brought plenty of good food. We had tables, chairs, and a band set up in my Uncle Bruce's new barn, but there were tons of people all over the place. The festivities went on into the evening, and I got a nice bruise on my leg from kids throwing apples at each other.
Since I grew up in Florida, I've only been to the farm about four or
five times before, so it was great getting to see Grandpa and the rest
of the family and play with my cousin's son Hayden. Even my Aunt's
family from Albuquerque made the trek, and I've only seen them once or
twice before.
In the morning, Grandpa took us out-of-towners out to breakfast, and James and I packed up to head back to the airport. Mom took us out to see my cousin Linda's place on the way, which was pretty cool since they pretty much built their house on their own. Then after hanging out for an hour there, it was time for us to head back to the airport and fly home.
I took a lot of pictures and posted them online, so if you want, check out the full album.
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