[dach]

I don't have a relevant reply but I look at it like this... almost everything I've heard from no-name bands, local, circuit, even touring openers... was just not that good... the music wasn't too bad but something's always lacking... they just don't stand out.... perhaps the songwriting was lacking... maybe performance or arrangement issues etc... or the vox just didn't have character.... or the band is just plain ugly! Some genres of music- especially when the market is already saturated have any chance of selling... Rarely is it overly bad production... even locally. The only exception I've seen in the last year was the Pat McGee Band... they had a single on the bottom of the charts somewhere and their performance was pretty good... not to mention there was no lack of 18 year old hotties tossing their panties up on stage.... I bought their CD... very good songwriting but so over compressed and muddy, it's almost un-listenable. As you can guess, the 18 year old hotties all left when the Indigo Girls got onstage and were replaced by a bunch of middle aged, overweight, bowling shirt wearing dykes... but... lesson learned about why those people went to the shows and bought discs....

most likely the problem is the bands themselves - telling themselves that it is good enough and don't want to spend the extra effort or $$$ to improve their performance... or they just can't tell the difference... they could hire a producer but I don't know of any truly competent people who will toil with stuff that just isn't up to par to begin with. People give me their discs all the time... I don't play any of them except when I need an ego boost or are drinking...

It seems that stuff that's done without someone competent behind the wheel has zero chance of doing much at all... even selling locally... very rare is the band that can self produce and turn out something that I'll listen to more than once. Even bands like the one I talked about had a budget, a producer, a studio and a video... I wish them well because they ARE good, but I doubt I'll ever hear anything about them again... which is sad....

just what is it the local bands expect? Most everyone I've ever been involved with just does not have the determination to make it happen... then there is a little thing called talent.... Look at Jessica Mellot... she is busting her tail to make it happen and she expects no less than success... She's making it happen... one step at a time..... The people I've known all talk a big game but only run the first play.... no wonder they're not selling discs... It's about so much more than the studio!