Takes no Talent

The level of talent in Bluegrass as a whole is staggering. You can attend nearly any Bluegrass festival and see a 12-year-old picking out tunes faster than an octopus eight cups of coffee in on guitar then go another jam and see a 60 something-year-old sing a classic song with such control and power that you would swear it’s the first time you’re hearing it. Thousands of talented singers and pickers across the country have taken the mantle in Bluegrass and have turned the skill level up to 1000.

At the same time, the number of Bluegrass bands who have achieved success, and stayed successful for many years is few and far between. For every Blue Highway and Doyle Lawson there are hundreds of bands with as good (if not better) talent that never make it. Some of it is luck (A bigger chunk than anyone cares to admit); Some of it is timing (some bands just missed their window) but a big part of what makes those long-running, successful bands happen are the things that take no talent.

This isn’t a phrase I came up with (I stole the premise from the Dolphins, who probably are one of the dozens in line who stole it from someone else) but I think it explains a lot about what makes some folks more successful than others. How many times have you heard a fellow musician compare him/her self to someone on stage and say “Man I could be up there”. This happens more times than you would think, and if success and talent were directly correlated that wouldn’t be the case but it just does not work that way. So, what are the things you can do as an artist/band to be successful that “Take No Talent”?

Personality

Artists by nature tend to be a bit different than the norm. They tend to spend so much time on their craft that cultural and social norms can take a back seat. Your talent can speak for itself at times, but you will have to be even luckier than the average person if your personality doesn’t lend well to social environments. If you sing a great song, pick a killer tune but then are unable to carry on even a small talk conversation with fans and/or promoters the likelihood of you obtaining sustained success will be very low. It may not be “right”, that people take that into account when choosing between you and another act but its part of the equation. People tend to gravitate towards people they enjoy being around.

Show

Live music is and always has been the life-blood of Bluegrass Music. From the early days of Bill Monroe to the first Bluegrass Festivals all the way to Feature Films like “Brother Where Art Thou” Bluegrass has always been a spectacle. Part of the attraction of the music is the experience of seeing it played in person. The energy, the drive, and the fun are what sets this music apart from the pack. That is why acts like Little Roy and Lizzy, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have been successful for so long, they entertain. They are full of amazing musicians and singers sure, but they also know how to put on a show. They mix their talent with stories, fan interaction, band interaction, comedy and so much more. They sell a ton of albums, but they also sell a lot of tickets to shows because folks want to see them in action. This, in turn, helps promoters and gets them even more bookings. It “Takes No Talent” to work hard at making your show something worth watching.

Being Social/Networking

Today’s music world is a far cry from the early days of Bluegrass. Social Media has made it so local bands can have the same national reach as any touring act, but they have to put it to use.

Networking has become a huge part of the industry and getting shows/deals/chances tend to fall in line with who you know. This is why being a successful artist/band doesn’t just apply to being on stage, the time leading up, and the time after you get done can be just as vital as the sick licks you crushed during BlackBerry Blossom.

Spending time jamming with folks at a festival, interacting in a positive manner with folks online and just talking to the people who came to see you makes a huge difference in your success and can often lead to more opportunity. You need to have folks invest in you and your project. Once you have shown them the investment you have made in it yourself, and the effort you are putting in to do all the little things, they will often times invest in you and be your “heralds” so to speak telling folks about you.

Effort

This seems obvious, but it needs to be said. The amount of effort you put in doesn’t always equate to success, but it can be a barometer of the probability of that success. Being successful in Bluegrass is a full-time job. You have to work at your craft musically every day, you have to always be trying to improve, you have to take every personal encounter with others (Online or in-person) as a chance to prove yourself to others. You have to “Do Your Time” as folks like to say, and you should try to make that “Time” as productive as that can be. Sitting back, waiting for it to come to you has rarely worked and has almost never been sustainable. Be aggressive with your dreams and always be willing to work harder than everyone else.

Positivity

The world has enough negativity in it and you feeding into that isn’t going to open many doors for you.  While people do like to get together to “Talk smack” about one another, in the long run people find that exhausting. It is super easy to see the negative in everything and be a reason that negativity spreads. It is so much harder (and refreshing) to stay positive. No matter the conversation or adversity, you need to make the effort to steer things to the positive side. This is one of the hardest things you can do that “Take No Talent” but it is probably the one I would say is the most valuable. People find positivity to be a magnet, and it draws other positive people to you. I don’t think I can stress this point enough “Positivity is a currency” it’s worth a lot and rarely found. Some people are just wealthier than others.

On the flip side, one negative post, comment or interaction can sour the well permanently.  Sadly, people will remember those moments much longer than they will the dozens of other positive things you said/did. If you treat every conversation, social media post and interaction with others like its being live broadcasted to the world…you should be safe. Try and refrain from talking about sensitive subjects when at all possible on your social media, stage show or even just conversations with others. I know some of you will think this is not “Keeping it real” but honestly, whos mind are you changing with your strong opinion anyway? Is that worth you sabotaging your own opportunities?

Support

You need to invest in others. One of the most helpful things you can do for yourself is to invest your time in supporting other artists/bands. It a positive thing to do on its own and it also opens the door for you when it comes to future possibilities for you and Bluegrass as a whole. For instance, if a venue is booking band A to play a show each week and they see you promoting that show to others then they may hire you to play a different date at the venue or ask you to fill in when band A isn’t available. This may also give a different venue the courage to add a “Bluegrass” date to their event lineup.  It shouldn’t take this extra incentive to help folks out but it is there. So many artists/bands see everything as a competition and will go out of their way to put others down or sabotage those opportunities for others. If you would just take the time to support others, others will be more willing to support you in return.

Also, you should support festivals and venue’s even if they are not booking you. This is an investment in not only you but Bluegrass in general. The more festivals and venues there are, the more opportunities there are for everyone to share their music with the world. Attend all the shows/festivals you can, promote them on social media, and show folks the added value in having you involved.

Takes No Talent

These are just a few of the things you can do as a band/artist that Takes No Talent but can lead to success for you and those around you. I am no expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express Last night so…..