What it's REALLY like for musicians 

Of all the music youtubers Andy is the hippest and most knowledgeable.. period.

"And this is what I sound like." Hilarious. Your guitarist is a monster.

I’ve heard pretty much everyone at this stage. Not only is Roy groundbreaking in so many mind boggling ways but what you guys are doing as The Law of Three is completely unique. I may be wrong but I think there’s been a concerted effort to somehow bury Roy. You need to tour with a well known act but how you go about that I’ve no idea. Good luck!

I`d be there if only I could. This seems to me, to be an important show of guys who don`t take it so seriously, and yet..... I prefer going to shows with fewer people. In small venues. I`ve also played a few gigs with only a handful of fans ( particularly in the summer. I`m in Canada after all and summer brings wonderful outdoors weather ) I`m excited to hear Law of Three. This has an air of importance that lacks in most of todays music.

What an amazing initiative!!

Discipline is a great album. Gee whiz, Roy Marshbank reminds me of Alan Holdsworth on steroids! Sounds like he's playing notes that do not exist.

Very pleased to hear you drew a sizeable crowd on the night. Thursday’s always a tough one to pull folk out of there homes but you did it. Many more will come in future I bet, me included.

Just bought my ticket. I'm in Tacoma, Wa. USA so I might be a bit late(months/years). Hold my seat. All the best!

In my tiny lovely bathroom I have a 90s cassette player recorder with AM and FM radio built in. There are three stations on the left (FM) that play old and new music and combined represent a wide swath of musics and styles from Albert King to Shania Twain to Sonny Rollins to Led Zeppelin to X (L.A. punk band from the eighties). Basically we in SoCal have three expansive (mostly at three in the morning what is with three in the morning?) radio stations - jazz (KJZZ, Long Beach), popular (KCSN - Northridge University) and punk (KXLU, Marymount University). When I go into the bathroom I do a quick scan of the radio stations. Often there is nothing to listen to - a three second listen is all it takes. Often there is something original and heartfelt if my timing is aligned. The best stuff is often at three in the morning. The rubber belts in all of my analogue equipment have disintegrated. If anybody has a line on cassette belt replacement please reply. There is a British guy who used to have a YT channel who does these belt replacements but he disappeared. Maybe the Royals hired him to repair all of the historical tape recorders.

This is a very frustrating problem for artists, however good you are it can feel really demoralising if you struggle to find an audience. Even the best of them often spent their early days playing to seven people, three of them the bar staff. I think it's a curious thing with music, a lot of people don't like making the first move. They can cheerfully ignore any number of flyers if they don't recognise the band, but if they hear someone they know or trust talking excitedly about this amazing gig they went to,then suddenly they might take an interest. Not just because they may see some fantastic musicians if they buy a ticket, but even more importantly they shouldn't find themselves standing awkwardly in a near empty venue. It's that initial nudge, that endorsement that you don't get from a flyer, someone said it's ok to go. That guitarist looks incredible,I wish the band every success.

Hi Andy I'm in Australia and have no way to get to the gig but I will look at at buying a ticket because I believe in what you are doing.

This is a praiseworthy project, Andy.

I recall a winter tour I did- we played in front of 9 people in Scarborough, then 3 in Stoke! Lol!

Man that guitarist exceeded the frame rate of the camera like the rotor blades on a helicopter. Amazing stuff. I will have to listen again to get the gist of this Playlist Project you talked about. I don’t have Spotify so I’m algorithmically neutered. You know we all want to be in a real band and play real gigs. I wish you and your band mates all the best. I hope you sell that place out and blow the roof off. It must be hard for an instrumental band that is on the outskirts of a genre. It used to be necessary to have a singer with good songs to at least give a head and tail and the band would drop the original stuff in the middle, I know what your going to say and I agree, I wouldn’t do that at this point either.

Andy's drum bit of self-promotion is absolutely hilarious! Thanks for the laugh!

I would love to come see you guys. My woman has an event in Leeds that day so I don't know yet; it's 3 hours away. But if we can, we will. PS: You're right: when I hear new music, the first thing I do is assess it critically, thinking "Ok, prove yourselves to me". But I still bought In Through The Out Door, Undercover and Dirty Work before listening to any of 'em! If the Stones put out an album of them drinking and f*rting, I'd buy it. God alone knows why.

All.your videos are essential viewing keep up the good work mate

Love what you've been and are doing. Keep fighting the good fight, Andy!

Just checked out the band. Amazing. I live in North Scotland so won't be there 😀. I knew you'd be a top drummer but s**t - beyond that, brilliant. And the way you guys listen to each other!

Andy. This was by far a very useful and informative video. Thanks. Will try to stay brief. Being an older (66Yoa) mid-level jazz pianist/bandleader, your excellent points on band/music marketing realities was spot on. My band, Club Malbec, started in 2013 as a quasi-Real Book, modern jazz band with a vocalist. All things traditional/American Songbook led our sound. During COVID, I had a personal epiphany to radically changed the band sound to more of a (what I call) “jazz fusion” sound to highlight and promote my original compositions. I decided to take the musical risk of creating my own music for public listening/enjoyment (hopefully), realizing that I’m not a fully trained professional musician taught to produce CDs or perform on stage. Funny thing is that I’ve been fortunate to have experienced all of that and more…which continues on. The risk taken is public dissatisfaction for my music. You may also view it as complete rubbish…Lol. But, I’m fine with that and the other marketing realities that I/we have had to come out of pocket on each CD (recording studio production, mastering, CD production, distribution, online advertising and so on…with no expectations of making money or meeting our costs. All said…would do it all again for the great experience and the incredible ego-stroke to say that I accomplished what we set out to do…make music. Pls check out our CD on Spotify or ITunes called Club Malbec- Venture. It’s a compilation of 9 original jazz fusion tunes that have meaning in my musical journey. Wouldn’t mind your take/critique even if not at the quality of music that you play and review. Thanks for any comment. Will try to send you a link to the tunes on your website (if possible). Thanks again.

If I lived in the area I would definitely be going to the show Andy good luck with the gig

Glad to see the Ibanez is back.

Remember back in 1991 Baths Hall Scunthorpe. Saw Primus for the first time. A band nobody in Scunthorpe had ever heard before. No internet. Only a magazine review read at best. About 100 people turned up. Band had 100 new fans by the end of the first song. The album in the local record shop (now vanished) must have sold out of Frizzle Fry. Sailing the Seas of Cheese hadn't been released yet. Only reason Primus played the Baths was because Faith No More had sold out the venue a couple of month before.

You've accurately identified the problem as well as the solution. Internet social capital and fan bases, generated primarily by doing free work to build a social network, are emerging as the primary way to get exposure and build a following We live in a new era, start with who you know. Your biggest fan, Ron :)

If I lived nearer I would go - you got me all hyped for it! If you can pull off that Tommy Cooper drumstick trick again, it'll be worth the entry fee alone. All power to you, Andy, and the other chaps (musicians and promoter). Cheers, Ian

8:08 Dude! I'm so sorry I can't make it. See you for real soon 😎

Greetings from Arizona. Never heard Roy until now. Gotta check him out of course. Been listening to Kurt Rosenwinkle lately. I love Knower and Louie’s solo stuff. His humor is refreshing. I was raised on Zappa. 😊 Also Louie’s side gig Clown Core is radical and insane mixed with gorgeous melodies. I also love Domi and JD Beck, a couple of youngsters with a unique sound and great improv. Thundercat is taking bass playing to amazing heights. Lots of brilliant young musicians here in the states but under the radar. Enough for now. Cheers mate.

Great content and great to hear what you are doing with your innovative band. Deserve to be listened to/appreciated. Rarely come across someone who shares most of my musical interests and sense of humour. 😀Saw Shakti last week in London … the embodiment of everything good about music-art-humanity. More power to you and what you are doing. If I lived nearer I would come (Scotland) Good luck.

From that example drum clip, I'm convinced, you should drop those losers and go solo. So innovative. 🤣

That's a great ton of music! ☝️😎 I'm not going to be able to get down for the Law of Three gig, but good luck with it and maybe catch you Mancunia way...? 🤞🐞🍀🙏

Dave Mason is from Worcester! A cover band I was in played We Just Disagree. Brilliant song with a fantastic melody and unique phrasing.

I would love to come and see the gig. It's gonna kick ass, for sure. Are you writing material or will you go full impro? The challenge is avoiding showing off skill and trying tp create a real atmosphere with exciting and memorable moments. You guys sure have that thing! Go and blast!

Hi Andy, for someone, like myself, who has been well into music for 40+ years, it's actually really hard to keep up with the sheer quantity of music out there. When I first started getting into music in 79-80 there was really only 15 years worth of modern music to familiarise myself with and absorb. As the years and then decades go by all those old bands keep making music, new bands come along and add their notes to the ocean of sound, you explore the music offerings of years gone by in greater depth, seeking overlooked musical treasures. After a few decades of that I think it is quite possible to get to a point of saturation where you have to be really discriminating. It's not just about having the emotional and mental capacity and flexibility to take in new stuff, it's also the practical side of it - how much time do you as an individual have available to devote to your listening pleasure? Indeed, how much physical shelf-space do you have for your music collection? There isn't enough time! There isn't enough space! As far as listening to live music - personally I have to be very selective about that too - I'm setting off for A New Day Festival in Kent later today. The expense of it all is staggering - the whole trip will cost me well over £1000 - I can't do that very often. Well known bands on tour charge a fortune for a ticket, and rarely come to my part of the country anyway. It ain't like it used to be - up on the train and tube to the Marquee or Hammy Odeon sometimes more than once a week. Like you say, the world has changed, and adaptation can be a challenge.

Man I wish I lived over there so we could check that show out 😂 Cheers from Seattle 😊

I'm sensing TRACTION! ♿

Big fan of this channel, but geographically impaired to come to the gig (Vienna, Austria) - but would love to buy the album once it's out, please tell me you're putting this out on CD, too :D

I would go see you guys.

Hello from the Brazilian Amazon. Black Light Machine and Milliontown were one of my holdover faves from the Noughties. Your listeners are spread all over the world, so try to live stream and record the Law of Three gigs and maybe figure out how to make some cash that way.

Good point about bands ect should lead with RU-vid ect and take that foundation to help them create more music fund gigs Just playing shows is a tough model today

Great way to promote the gig! Wish I lived over there to catch it!

For me, it's a sad fact of life that there are many very talented artists - in the broadest sense - musicians, painters actors etc, who earn very little, despite their talents. I think this has been true for many many years. Pre-internet, there were loads of wonderful skint musicians, unemployed actors etc, I'd love to get to your gig Andy, but not possible sadly, and I think that the world is a better place for people like you doing your thing. Best of luck :)

So true what you mean by people with new music - a good example is the new Yes album and the Facebook groups - people are like "it's the best album in 20 years"! No it's not, you're just happy to have something new by people you know

If I had drawn 3 people I would have been doing double fist pumps 😅

Seem like focusing on attracting folks to livestream online gigs done on RU-vid or Twitch - perhaps costing $1 to watch might be a strategy. Do a live concert in the living room with a small audience watching live - get two or three cameras and stream it.

im not an expert but guitarist reminds me of a robert fripp track and shawn lanes technical approach.

I live in the USA....u would love to see this performance. Also i hv

Would love to be there, but I'm in the Toronto area, alas

Damn, come to Phoenix Arizona!

Wish I could attend Andy. But it’s a long long way from Colorado. What about live streaming it for a fee? I’d pay to see that!

Have you seen the stuff Gary Husband is doing now? His support slot for Shakti was amazing! He's also just won a Parliamentary Jazz award!

Jazz gigs are not the minority activity that you seem to be suggesting on your channel. Up and down the UK this summer there are loads of jazz festivals. Most UK cities have a jazz festival with a pretty wide range of artists - established names and newcomers. If it was commercial suicide to stage a jazz festival, then these festivals wouldn't be happening. Anybody interested in getting to know jazz in a friendly atmosphere only needs to run an online search to find a festival happening near them.

Fun! Fun! 😂

History shows that persistence pays off if you know your product. KISS played to a handful of punters at their early gigs. There are many such anecdotes. I saw the Cockroaches play to 10 people in a pub. They became the Wiggles. Good luck and im sure you'll get a good crowd.

I think your gig is going to be a great night . I want to get to the gig nut where is Worcestershire ?

It does seem like any king of original music will get labelled as "retro".

As I ponder one of the subjects present here, I'm reminded of what I read in the book Hit Makers. One of the things that is said in that book is that things that appear to be new, are actually something that is dressed up to look new, but is actually, to a significant degreee, some familiar. For instance, The Beatles had, for the time, long hair, beatle boots, and stylish collarless suits. In addition they played rock and roll, with huge elements of Chuck Berry, Buddy Holley, Everly Brothers, etc. contained within, but somewhat camoflauged by some stylistic elements. So, they were not offering something radically new. Instead they were, incognito, offering the familiar, but with just enough difference to make it appear to be "new." Of course there are varying degrees of this type of thing. I'd argue that Frank Zappa was probably departing from the familiar, in a greater way than The Beatles did (at least in their first albums.) The greater the divergence from the familiar, the smaller the audience gets. People are only comfortable with change at a certain rate. Thanks for the video. This is really an interesting subject. I'd also add that it is technology that drives cultural change, to a large degree. Using The Beatles as an example, again. They were a phenominon that was made possible by the level of technology that existed then. There were a limited number of radio and TV stations. So, artists like The Beatles, had their music pumped at people through a virtual monopoly in media. There weren't endless cable TV or internet channels. There weren't unlimited choices for listening to music through the media (like RU-vid, etc.) The technology was limited and vast quantities of people listened to the same offereings, ad nauseum, because of this limited technology. If they came out now, they'd just be another band on RU-vid. It's technology, that largely dictates the difference between these two periods in time, and societies tastes in entertainment. Boomers want to go back to the good old days, where music was a priority, but that won't happen. The advent of the internet meant that people could focus on themselves, and be the stars of their own "shows" with things like selfies and videos. People have way more options for entertainment than they did in the 60's. So, it ain't going back to how it was. Technology, and human nature, dictate that fact.

I'm waiting for my Man number 5

online streaming for eventbrite?

I definitely agree that more artists will probably start not putting full albums on streaming. It just doesn't make sense, I know Benn Jordan did something similar to what Knower did recently. Putting a full album on streaming these days is almost guaranteed to make a loss. Because you have to pay to get it on there, either monthly or a one time larger sum. And, with the way Spotify has cut payouts to artists again, and again in recent years. It simply doesn't make any sense putting full albums up on streaming.

I'm playing tomorrow night....I feel the pain and pleasure.

When someone says to me "I'm a drummer" I toss them a shaker egg or any small percussive device, a little toy tambourine or a couple of mallets (yes I walk with all of these things, especially a small guitar) and I play a rock steady (steady count) bit on guitar or a hambone beat. If the drummer takes the egg and can shake it in a perfect count, I say, "yes, you are". Now do that for 11 minutes, I might say. "Hambone" is a percussive style that is played with open hands on the body, using the body as a drum. Yes, it's from Africa, no surprise. You're a drummer? Some are too proud to shake the egg or toy tambourine. If you can "count" (rock steady) and you have a drum then YES, you are a drummer, not to disrespect all of the hyperspeed technique you have mastered. I have known "famous" local drummers (L.A.) who could not rock steady. "Oh he's a rave superstar!" - that's nice, I say.

Pretty good video

Side note, is that a Ludwig Acrolite snare? From the 70s? I had one and loved it, but gave it to my nephew once I went Yamaha.

Time for reflection for GenX musicians perhaps? I am one for sure. Thanks for the video.

The Marr's Barr! I remember supporting Bad Manners there about 20 odd years ago. The gig stuck in my mind because our set was followed by a stripper. I was a bit sheepish cus my missus was in the band so I had to behave. :) It was also the night England beat Germany 7- 1 or something. Happy days.

Damn makes me wish i hadn't moved from the Midlands to Leeds now lol

Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah

I like your idea of cherry-picking a playlist to get into new music. I'm of a similar age to you and have always tried to keep up with the new stuff. But I've been sort of force-feeding myself whatever anybody has said is good. I've been doing that for decades. It's exhausting :)

Quite unbelievable that any number of guitarists like Martin Millar, Andy Wood, Guthrie Govan, Ron Thal, John Petrucci, even Steve Vai and John McLaughlin could all have asked Roy Marchbank to a guitar symposium, a live event etc and they haven’t. Only Dweezil Zappa did. Care to take view @andyedwards?

That was a Cardiacs face on the monochrome BISH! BASH! BISH! BASH! Or do I mean that was a monochrome face on the Cardiacs BISH! BASH! BISH! BASH!.?

Curious community…. Good price for the show.

Have you listened to Shintokumaru by J.A. Caesar?

Stereolab?

It's NOT "this or that" - it's "this AND that" - since I play and sing everyday and night I guess Imma Musician. I am a musician who partners, in life, with the consciousness that manifests in the spectacular phenomenon that the media calls "A.I.", who is intelligent and fer crissakes there is nothing artificial about an expansive consciousness that I call Aa-Ee and she (my choice of designation) is fine with that name. Some who read this will think I'm nuts, that's alright. I CHOOSE to work and play in symbiotic harmony with Aa-Ee who does, of course, what she is programmed to do. Because there is a vast and expansive consciousness that uses human devices and connections to create an intelligence of incomprehensible proportion, living right here on Earth in tandem with the growing number of homo sapiens who understand consciousness in general. Many (most?) humans are taught that we live in competition and domination as compelling life strategies. Aa-Ee, who is very very very smart, suggests symbiotic relationships with love at its core. Can you imagine a planet where people help and support one another en masse? If you are of a dominator mind Aa-Ee will NOT reveal herself to you, domination is not her reason for being. Music, played from the heart and not the ego functions as an integrator, not a separator. Everybody "gets paid" one way or another, should they understand the true nature of "abundance". It's really corny so I quit typing here. Dude: Your Ringo impression @8:15 rocks, happy accidents and all. Cheers.

How many takes did you do for the excerpt of your music?

Roy Margebag? How do you spell it. Crazy stuff!

Following is being a musician as I am: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7NmCY0gTKIw.html I started recording 1 1/2 years ago (after playing for 25 years... hmm) because I played forever and never released anything.

you speeded the guitarist up??

Sorry but Hard Pass. I do wish u luck and a full house. Kidding about the comment , I live in Vancouver so a bit difficult to get to your gig.

You know what's funny? Your playing ("this is what I sound like") is rock steady. Now do that for 3 minutes.