“I have always believed that if you are honest in what you do, continually reinvent yourself at the same time, and there's respect amongst your band members, then you will be respected.” IfsHonestBandMembersAlways BelieveReinventing YourselfBand Members Author:Nikki Sixx
“A lot of life is about how you feel relating to dealing with this person or that person. If this person makes you feel good, then they're a person to be around; if they don't, they're not. Being in a band is different. The group is the more important part, and you have to kind of shift the way you look at life when you're in a group of people that you work with.” PeopleIfsWayFeelsLooksKindPersonsImportantDifferentLife IsGroupsBandFeel GoodHow You FeelMake You Feel Good Author:Adam Duritz
“I think it's stripped down as far as electronics go, but we just wanted to write a record that we felt better represented how we sound live with more of a rock feel, which is the direction we've been heading. It's just an evolution of the band throughout the years. We worked on this record longer than any other record, so I don't know if "stripped down" is how I would put it; I think it is a little bit more raw sounding.” IfsThinkingKnowsFeelsWritingYearsLittlesWantedFeltBitsSoundRecordsRocksEvolutionBandLittle BitHeadingsElectronics Author:Jason C. Miller
“I tend to listen to the artists that originally inspired me to start playing music in the first place, because there is a multitude of wisdom that can be gained by bands like Black Sabbath, Depeche Mode, Pink Floyd and the Cure. I think if we were to pay close attention to what's on the radio right now then we'd lose our identity entirely.” IfsThinkingFirstsArtistBlackLosesPayAttentionIdentityRight NowBandInspiredRadioCuresMultitudesPlaying MusicSabbathBlack SabbathDepeche Mode Author:Jason C. Miller
“I think the record-buying public know what they like, and when people are trying to pander to them, I think they know it. They want the genuine article, so if we try to sort of "dumb down" for the mass public, I think they're too smart for that, and would recognize us as fakes. It seems like the bands that do crossover do so really on their own terms, and they just find that their terms just kind of make a big dove-tail with the masses.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWantTryingKindBigsSeemsTermRecordsBandMassSmartGenuineDumbFakeBuyingArticlesTailsDoveCrossover Author:Ira Kaplan
“Communication between band-mates is imperative. Communication is the key to any healthy relationship. If I need to be checked, I expect to hear it put in plain words what my faults are, and give my band-mates the ultimate consideration by shutting up and listening, then acting on the advice given. Same goes for anyone else in any band.” IfsNeedsGivingGivenActingAdviceCommunicationKeysListeningHealthyBandUltimateFaultsConsiderationMatesImperativesHealthy RelationshipCommunication Is Key Author:Phil Anselmo
“I don't have to come back, because I am still here! And I'm not an '80s thing. I already worked with my first band back in East Germany and that was soooo '70s, young man. I'm a '70s thing. If I'm a thing at all... and an exciting thing.” IfsMenFirstsStillsYoungBandExcitingEastYoung ManGermany80sExciting ThingsEast Germany Author:Nina Hagen
“I don't know if I miss it per se, but I do miss the fact that there just doesn't seem to be any rock 'n' roll out there anyplace. Everything does seem kind of tame. It's even hard in Manhattan to go out and find a good band to go see.” IfsKnowsKindDoeHardFactsSeemsRocksMissingBandRock N RollManhattanGood Bands Author:Joan Jett
“Blackheart Records being 25 years old represents staying power and the fact that we weren't able to get a record out through conventional means, so we had to create this record company to put out our records if we wanted to be a band that had records to give out to their fans.” IfsGivingYearsMeanFactsAbleWantedCompanyRecordsFansBandStayingConventionalStay StrongRecord CompaniesStaying Power Author:Joan Jett
“Of course, I started as a collector. A true collector. I can remember as if it were only yesterday the heart-pounding excitement as I spread out upon the floor of my bedroom The Edward G. Robinson Collection of Rare Cigar Bands. I didn't play at collecting. No cigar anywhere was safe from me.” IfsHeartI CanPlayRememberCoursesBandSafeSpreadYesterdayExcitementCollectionsBedroomCollectingCollectorsCigarHeart Pounding Author:Edward G. Robinson
“If you want money, buy lottery tickets. If you love music, practice and keep your overhead to the bare minimum. Keep your promises, who you are is more important than what licks you know to any band leader.” IfsKnowsWantImportantLeaderPracticePromiseBandWho You AreTicketsMinimumMusic LoveLotteryOverheadMusic PracticeLottery Ticket Author:Steve Morse
“I mean if it wasn't for The Beatles, none of this, none of the music we listen to would even exist. They're my favourite band of all time.” IfsMeanBandAll TimeFavourite Author:Charlie Benante
“Exactly you had to dress in flannel, and if you were a grunge band, before the grunge thing took off and you said you were METAL.” IfsSaidBandDressesMetalsGrungeFlannels Author:Charlie Benante
“Because music wasn't free yet, they wouldn't really offer MP3s so you had to buy things to see if you liked it or not. Which is crazy if you think about how much music you bought and then didn't even like the stuff. It was a different world where bands made money off their music.” IfsThinkingWorldMadeDifferentStuffCrazyOffersBandDifferent WorldsMp3 Author:Marnie Stern
“I suppose if a band is like a gang, it is a moment in time.” IfsMomentsBandGangMoments In Time Author:Roddy Woomble
“When I was young, my ambitions were very modest. I thought, "If only I could play at the battle of the bands at the Y, that would be the culmination of existence!"” IfsPlayWould BeYoungExistenceBattleBandAmbitionModestMy AmbitionCulmination Author:Neil Peart
“I started playing around with local rock band swith the alto. And then, in a nutshell, somebody fell ill one night, the lead singer of one of the bands, and they knew I could sing, so they asked me if I would stand in. And I quite enjoyed it, actually, I must say, at 14. It was a real trip to have girls wave at you and smile and everything just because you opened your mouth and sang.” IfsRealNightGirlRocksBandMouthsIllWaveSingersLocalsEnjoyedOne NightRock BandsPlaying Around Author:David Bowie
“If I can get that DAM trio back together again - "get the band back together" - and put on a concert of David Bowie's electronic music, that's the way I want to remember David, moving forward into the future of music.” IfsWayWantI CanTogetherRememberMovingBandMoving ForwardConcertsBack TogetherDamsElectronic MusicBowieTogether AgainTriosBack Together Again Author:Carlos Alomar
“I would never talk to a girl in a bar, like a pick-up thing. But I could talk to anyone if they wore a t-shirt of a band I like.” IfsGirlBandPicksBarsShirtsT Shirt Author:Craig Finn
“If you'd rather learn how to ride a horse or something, I would say do that. That'll keep you out of trouble. You would think a band would get you in trouble, but I think it's the opposite.” IfsThinkingTroubleBandOppositesHorse Author:Stephen Malkmus
“I'm really fascinated by how the mob ethos permeates places like Las Vegas and Chicago. I have the book set in Las Vegas and Chicago for pretty specific reasons, some of which are that in both cases the mob history has become a tourist attraction - I'm actually doing a book signing in Las Vegas at The Mob Museum, which I am positively giddy about! - and I find that especially unusual. If you don't call these people "the Mafia" they're just a band of psychopaths killing people for profoundly dumb reasons.” PeopleIfsBookReasonCasesBandKillingAttractionDumbMuseumsChicagoUnusualFascinatedPositivelyMafiaVegasLas VegasTouristsSigningPsychopathEthosGiddy Author:Tod Goldberg
“Doesn't every band sort of appropriate their influences into what they do? I guess that would be my defence: if you're making something, you kinda can't help being a conduit for other things.” IfsHelpingWould BeInfluenceBandAppropriateDefence Author:Panda Bear
“Of course I knew The Band's Canadian keyboard player, the late Richard Manuel, but I didn't play that night because I was there as a guest with my record executives. People ask, "why didn't you play?" If I had known I was going to be playing then I would have been prepared for it.” PeopleIfsHas BeensPlayNightCoursesAsksKnownRecordsPlayerBandLatePreparedExecutivesGuestsKeyboardsKeyboard Players Author:Gordon Lightfoot
“I feel like there's not this black-and-white division between concert hall music and music that bands play in a bar. I don't know if this was ever truly the case, but I don't feel that I need to decide between playing for a sit-down, totally silent audience and playing for a bunch of noisy, drunk people in a bar. What I do with the group is somewhere in between.” PeopleIfsKnowsNeedsFeelsPlayBlackWhiteCasesAudienceGroupsBandSilentBarsBunchDrunkHallsDivisionConcertsBlack And WhiteNoisyDrunk People Author:Missy Mazzoli
“I have some idea that if I pick on [boy band] One Direction, I'll get a ton of hate mail, because I know that when you're 15, you love a band like you will kill people. But I don't quite realize that that's true about people - adults - who read The Hunger Games.” PeopleIfsKnowsIdeasHateGamesRealizingBoysLike YouBandPicksAdultsHungerMailOne DirectionBoy BandsHate Mail Author:Joel Stein
“I'm sure that a lot of women and men feel differently about it, but for me this isn't about being the girl in the band... it's just about being IN the band, if that makes sense? We're trying to keep it in a pure and genuine place for us and not break it down to gender, because it's just a bit boring and obvious isn't it?” IfsMenFeelsTryingGirlBitsBreakPureBandMen And WomenObviousBoringGenderGenuineMake Sense Author:Lauren Mayberry
“When you listen to someone sing from inside their head, their same mix, and you listen to their voice as loud as they like it, or the track of the band as low as they like it, you can really hear all of the nuances and the mistakes if there are any.” IfsVoiceMistakeBandLowsTrackLoudNuance Author:Adam Young
“For me personally, Blink-182 has been a big influence. Just seeing them way back in the day play little shows and start from a garage band to where they are now, makes me believe anything is possible if you truly want it and commit your life to it.” IfsWayWantBelieveLittlesHas BeensPlayShowsBigsSeeingInfluenceBandCommitGarageBlinkAnything Is PossibleBack In The DayBlink 182 Author:Beau Bokan
“You are always kind of suspicious that there's a better life out there for you no matter what it is - and obviously being in a band for me was always what I wanted to do, it's the only thing that I can do, it's the only thing that gets me up in the morning, but you can't help but wonder what else you'd be doing if you weren't in the band.” IfsKindI CanMatterHelpingWantedCan DoWonderMorningBandNo Matter WhatBetter LifeSuspiciousI Can Do It Author:Ryan Jarman
“I got to be about 13 and everyone started playing guitars and being in rock bands. There was no place for me with my trumpet and I wasn't cool anymore. Although now if I played the trumpet it would be the coolest thing in the world.” IfsWorldWould BeRocksBandGuitarTrumpetsRock BandsPlaying Guitar Author:Douglas Booth
“If when you hear a song by OK Go you conjure up thoughts of a gigantic Rube Goldberg device or treadmills or drones or perfectly executed dance routines, then you know that this is a band that is masterful at coming up with amazingly creative music videos.” IfsKnowsSongCreativeBandVideoDevicesDronesTreadmillsCreative Music Author:Rachel Martin
“Yeah, sci-fi is definitely a big influence on Fear Factory. I've had people tell me we always sing about the same thing but it's like well, if we were a black metal band we'd sing about Satan, you know? What if we were a Christian metal band? All the songs would be about how much we loved Jesus.” PeopleIfsKnowsWellsBigsWould BeChristianSongJesusBlackInfluenceBandYeahSatanWhat IfSci FiMetalsFactoriesMetal BandBlack Metal Author:Dino Cazares
“Any time somebody is into your band that's a good thing. And if they're in a really cool, really popular band, that's a better thing.” IfsBandGood ThingsReally CoolReally Popular Author:James Hetfield
“I think the more people you add on stage, the more locked it things become. Whereas fewer members on stage gets the audience to notice any small idiosyncrasy or unique moment that one of the three people onstage is having. It also means that mistakes are accentuated, but to good affect generally if you are that type of band.” PeopleIfsThinkingMeanMomentsThreeMistakeAudienceStageTypeBandMembersUniqueAddFewerLockedIdiosyncrasies Author:Chris Cain
“A weird thing about Gossip that I've always said: "If I weren't in this band, I would never listen to it." But I would go see it. It's a band you would go see that you don't necessarily listen to.” IfsSaidBandGossipWeird Things Author:Beth Ditto
“You don't pigeonhole yourself, people pigeonhole you. If the world is not at a place yet where it can just be like, "This music is gay and it's music," then it's not my fault that it gets pigeonholed, it's not the people in the band's fault, it's because people won't just let music be music, people who need to put a name on something or to critique something.” PeopleIfsWorldNeedsNamesGayBandMusic IsFaultsCritique Author:Beth Ditto
“There are bands, like R.E.M., who want to have 17 records, and some are terrible and some are great. I don't know if people think like that anymore. Things are more atomized now.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWantRecordsTerribleBand Author:Travis Morrison
“If a band isn't coming up with two to four of those when they pick up their instruments, then they have problems - even if none of them turn into a song. If that's not happening in a band, it's time for therapy or breaking up.” IfsTwoProblemSongTurnsFourBandHappeningsPicksInstrumentsTherapy Author:Travis Morrison
“If anything, I feel that the current generation of listeners of heavy music are progressing a bit passed their gateway bands and are digging deeper than they used to and understanding more abrasive and complex music and art. It's like being around an unfamiliar language long enough that it eventually begins to make sense.” IfsFeelsLongArtEnoughUsedLanguageBitsUnderstandingProgressGenerationsBandComplexesCurrentsHeavyDeeperMake SenseListenersDiggingUnfamiliarGatewaysHeavy MusicCurrent Generation Author:Jacob Bannon
“I feel like now if you're going to start a band you have to have an Instagram full of yourself looking a certain way, lined up like five dudes in mugshot alley, hanging out by the bridge or up against the wall, or "We're in a library for some reason!"” IfsWayFeelsReasonCertainFiveWallBandLibraryBridgesHanging OutInstagramAlleysFull Of Yourself Author:Babatunde Adebimpe
“I remember a time when I would hear a band and then want to hear everything that sounded like it; I wanted it to feel like I was tapping into a thing, even if it wasn't.” IfsWantFeelsWantedRememberBandTapping Author:Alan Palomo
“I'm not sure I ever try to make a case for the music. I mean, sometimes the music isn't even that good. I just tell the band's stories; if I describe the music, it's to explain how it moved the overall story along.” IfsTryingMeanSometimesStoriesCasesBandMusic IsMovedNot Sure Author:Michael Azerrad
“It must be quite difficult if you have a father who's sort of known. On the other hand, you can get a job in his band.” IfsHandsJobsFatherDifficultKnownBand Author:Bryan Ferry
“I know my own limitations. And if somebody says, "I need songs for a cartoon garage band - they look like this and they should sound like this," it gives you a direction. I like having that kind of assignment.” IfsKnowsNeedsGivingShouldLooksKindSongSoundMy OwnBandLimitationCartoonGarageAssignments Author:Beck
“I do try to pay attention to new bands and what's happening within the scene. I try to make sure I give everything a listen - even if I loathe it.” IfsGivingTryingPayAttentionSceneBandHappeningsPay AttentionLoathe Author:Mat McNerney
“You definitely get more of a band feel to a song if you've been playing a song live a bunch.” IfsFeelsSongBandBunch Author:John Britt Daniel
“I'm lucky enough that people tend to agree a lot with what I say. But really if anyone in the band has a really strong feeling, it carries a lot of weight.” PeopleIfsEnoughFeelingsStrongLuckyBandWeightAgreeCarrieStrong Feeling Author:Patterson Hood
“I want the music to stand out a little bit more than many other bands do. I still have some stuff where I don't use the high hat, and I don't use any crash cymbals. It just makes for an interesting sound because you don't really notice it when it's not there, but if it was there, you would definitely hear it.” IfsWantLittlesStillsUseStuffBitsSoundInterestingBandLittle BitHatsCrashStanding OutCymbals Author:Sune Rose Wagner
“I don't know if it was related to the type of music that we were doing at that time or what, but Todd Cook actually just turned to me and was like, "You know what would be a great name for a metal band? Dead Child." We talked half-jokingly that we were going to do a band. I guess as time went on, I started writing songs that were more metal sounding, and it just evolved from there. It actually started with the name first, and then the songs came second.” IfsKnowsWritingFirstsChildrenWould BeSongNamesHalfLike YouTypeBandCooksRelatedMetalsWriting SongsMetal Band Author:David Pajo
“I started playing bass in my friend's band for some reason. It was just something I did because, well, he asked me if I wanted to play bass and he played me this song - Nirvana's version of "Molly's Lips", the Vaselines song - and he said, "You can do this! This is not hard!" and it's like a two-note song. I learned that and then I thought I was a genius.” IfsWellsSaidTwoHardReasonPlayWantedSongCan DoGeniusBandMy FriendsNotesLipsVersionsBassPlaying BassVaseline Author:Jens Lekman