Re: Street Cred
Well, I have to add there are a couple of important angles here...
I have said it, and I can't say it enough - Fashion Rules. I did an audition for a signed band 3 weeks ago, and you'd be shocked - the singer insisted that they take the JCM900 out of the room and bring in a Marshall JCM800 2203, he wouldn't even start until that happened. Needless to say, I had my 73 LP at that audition, I had a feeling it would be that kinda vibe. Believe you me, in that quick trial setting, 800, 900 - it really didn't matter. This project was well funded to say the least.
I can tell you my last manager was well known for his involvement in a late 80s/early90s "boy band" act (that's more than enough hint), and with him looks and the possibility of merchandising prevailed over playing ability. It was an amazing education. However, I made my own choices - as much as I am a Prince fanatic, rock n roll ahs to be part of what I do. Great guitars and amps play into that picture. I have always been insistent upon playing my own instruments on recordings - that is all the more reason to have some decent gear - harkening back to the famous "NOT IN MY STUDIO" thread that was on here a while back. (No one has ever said no to a Bogner or vintage Marshall).
So many situations, so much BS to put up with. As I said earlier, then you have the LA Punk Scene and their anti-tone, anti-technique movement (I generalize here, some are very cool), then there is the shredders and their, "oh, anything that isn't 200 bpm with 5 different augmented scales is blues" attitude, or the jazzer, "Guitarists come last after the horns" attitude...lol.
Street Credibility to me matters. For all the different situations and scenes, you have to also put up with the 15 yr old pop stars (hey, I think next generation coming is more real then ever, but we have yet to get past the Lip Syncers), Pro Tools has leveled the field for the less able, the industry has changed, and money is all that talks now. For crying out loud, Eric Johnson got dropped from Capitol, so trust me nothing is sacred.
Steve Vai has kept it real, down to the point of Favored Nations, his label that offers artist friendly deals. Needless to say, that is where EJ has landed. Of course, he aims his company at the virtuoso community, but still, he is fighting the "trends".
To answer someone who mentioned it, yes, I have considered some other cities - but LA is my home. I have done the Vegas scene a little bit, but I like it here in LA, and I am still rolling the dice. I get a lot of good opportunities with some very well-known acts. Most of all, I want to create my own music and sound.
I envy the younger kids on this thread - while you have a tough industry to deal with, thanks to resources like this forum, you can circumvent some of the hurdles to creating music. I learned how to mic amps and studio tricks because I was tired of being a slave to a lot of double talk. This forum is a GREAT TOOL!
This thread has really been helpful to me. I finally feel at ease with what I am doing. I will say, the next challenge is dealing with the trends in tone and style. I am that guy that would have been playing a Plexi and Les Paul / Strat in the mid 80s when everyone was Kramer Floyd Rose with JCM800s or Rectos (in the 90s). I prefer the word timeless as it applies to music. Look at guys like Kirk Hammett, who discovered, as his career grew, a love for Jazz and funk - that at the core of it all one needs to have an ear for timeless tones and grooves. I still stand on that same thinking no matter if Emo or Shred or MEtal or Pop/Rock are what is "in".
