Scandalous Behavior: What Happens At The Afterparty,
Stays At The Afterparty!
By Sheena Metal
Musicians work hard. They write for days. They rehearse like
fiends. Drag heavy gear here and there. Sweat like pigs on
stage. Put marathon hours in at the recording studio. Work
their fingers to the bone…well, at least into some pretty
gnarly calluses. But, musicians also like to play hard: booze,
drugs, groupies, and trashed hotel rooms are actually more
occupational hazards that rock ‘n’ roll myths.
No matter how disciplined an artist needs to be for his or
her music, they will always need to blow off steam in some
way or another. Some hit the gym, run, partake in extreme
sports, do yoga, pursue their spirituality, web surf, build
custom guitars, restore classic cars…you name it. All
of these outlets help musicians to handle the enormous flow
of energy so necessary to channel the creative process. Still,
other musicians prefer a more debaucherous form of escapism.
They drink until they puke, get stoned and eat a case of Cheetos,
or sleep with all of their friends’ sisters.
This wild lifestyle, albeit a music cliché, may feel
terrific at the moment, but many musicians clearly forget
that the days of offstage antics circling around the buzz
of the band, like whispers in the wind, are long gone. These
days, fans carry camera phones to gigs, friends videotape
your band’s every move, and everybody’s a blogger.
The afterparty, once simply a chance to blow off steam with
loved ones and lovers of your music alike, has now gone from
the innocent scandal of, “Oh my God, did you hear what
happened after the gig Saturday?” to a website monitoring
every second of debased insanity with pictures, video, and
descriptive essays.
This new unexpected publicity may increase the number of
crazed partiers at your next gig, but what happens when the
entertainment attorney you’ve been courting, the A&R
guy you’ve been hoping to hear back from, or the manager
you’ve been telling how serious you are about your music,
pops on the internet and finds your drummer passed out in
the pool, your bassist vomiting in someone’s bushes
and your guitarist naked in a stranger’s bed with cheerleaders
of questionable age?
The following are a few tips that may help you to throw a
terrific afterparty without the ramifications hurting your
career in the long run:
1.) Pick A Designated Partygoer---As much as this thought
may send shivers through the spine of any wild-at-heart musician,
it’s a good idea to have someone at your afterparty
keeping an eye on those who’ve sold their souls for
rock ‘n’ roll…or at least Jack Daniels.
Whether you rotate it from gig to gig, or find a friend of
the band (girlfriend, manager, a bandmate’s brother,
etc.) who’ll stay sober enough to make sure that no
one does anything stupid…and if they do, that it won’t
be “caught on tape.” Playing Band Hall Monitor
is truly a thankless job for anyone who parties hardy, so
maybe free admission to the gig and some cool band swag as
compensation would be a nice way to say “Thank You for
being our assigned killjoy tonight!”
2.) Set Some Guidelines For Your Band And Fans---I know it
sounds like Big Brother is busting up your raging good time
but when you’re talking about your career, it’s
better to be safe than sorry. Have a chat with your band explaining
that extreme behavior needs to be controlled at parties where
fans are recording events. Post on your web site, and your
fan club or have a Pow Wow at the gig and explain to your
people that, while you love all of the cool photos and videos
they take of the band at the gig, there has to be a few rules
for what can be shot offstage. Be honest. Let your friends/fans
know that you love partying with them but that the band’s
reputation is an important ingredient for its success and
that it’s vital that certain memories be enjoyed by
partygoers only and not preserved in cyberspace for the world
to see.
3.) Monitor Your Websites And Web Communities---Again, better
safe than sorry. It’s always a good idea to visit your
forums, message boards, photo galleries, fan clubs, blogs
and online communities to see what the latest scoop on your
band is. It’s also wise to retain approval privilege
on anything posted on each of your band sites. Let people
post all of the drunken, naked pictures they want, and then
pick and choose which images you want to represent your band.
The same applies to comments and posts. Remember fans are
important and priceless but it’s ultimately your image
to preserve to the industry and the world and your web presence
is how you represent yourself to everyone interested in you
from fans to labels and everything in between.
4.) Dial Your Scandalous Behavior Back A Bit---It’s
all well and good for your drummer to sleep with your girlfriend’s
mom on his own time, but at band functions make sure that
the behavior is kept professional. In our modern society,
the lines between reality and publicity have become so blurred
that a simple kegger in your singer’s garage can get
more coverage than a Grammy Pre-Show Special. Sadly, that
may simply mean changing the standards of band partying to
those that you exhibit at gigs. Throw private parties and
have orgies in your grandma’s bathtub, but when it’s
music related you’re, in a sense, at work and should
act accordingly.
I realize that telling musicians not to party, is like telling
a dog not to lick its private parts and if, after reading
this, you feel that the thrill of the over-the-edge rock ‘n’
roll afterparty is completely ruined, don’t change your
major to math just yet. Remember, doors lock, parties can
be invitation only, cameras turn off, and bloggers can be
taught to use discretion. You can still live like Jim Morrison
at Scott Weiland’s toga party; just do your best to
keep it off the internet. While a little scandal is titillating,
a lot of scandal just says to a label, “Sure. We’ll
take your money and then we’ll blow it all on Tequila
and show up to the studio three hours late every day.”
Show the industry you’re serious, put on a professional
face, and give your website the appearance of a band that’s
fun and responsible. Then, have a private party, invite the
Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, a donkey, the drug dealer next
door, and your guitarist’s horny aunt and throw a party
that would make the cast of Half Baked blush. After all, you’ve
got to fight for your right to party…in secret…with
the digital cameras unplugged.
Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor,
consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated
radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates
to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance
program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently
promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area,
where she resides. For more info: http://www.sheena-metal.com.
Past Column's by Sheena
Every Song
Fan Etiquette
To Tour or Not to Tour
Leave Your Drama At Home
Burning Bridges
Radio Play
Opening Acts!
Managers
Show Me the CD
Be Committed
Scandalous Behavior
Create A Buzz
Green Eyed Monster
It's All Good
The Winner Is
