The Scarlet Paradigm

The other day, I found out that one of my favorite bands was close to releasing a new album. I started reading their Wikipedia page:

After spending 7 years as a local band, recording demos and three EPs, Story of the Year signed a deal with Maverick Records in 2002, then recorded and released their first album, Page Avenue, in September 2003. (Story of the Year, Wikipedia)

And another favorite band:

Rx Bandits is a four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, and at The Bamboozle. (Rx Bandits, Wikipedia)

One more — The Mars Volta formed in 2001. I’d consider them pretty huge now. They’ve won a Grammy.

There are lots of other bands that took a while to gain a following. It seems like a regular trend.

My point? If it takes 7-15 years of my life for the band to gain traction, I’m down.

A few weeks ago, we took several hours out of our weekend to attend one of the SPARS Sessions at NAMM 2010 to hear “Building a Buzz and Selling your Music Online: how to make the most of today’s internet music landscape (and double your sales in the process) – an industry expert round table.”

Saying that the panel was really informative doesn’t do it justice. I think they did a great job giving us insight.

The mailing list is now on MailChimp for its flexibility, stats and friendly service. We’re getting shirts for our fans. The digital CD is on Bandcamp to help with distribution and stat tracking. Lastly, we’ll release the physical CD in the next couple weeks.

Because of our journey, I have hope.

Facts:

• Bill, James and I have made music for the past five years.
• Chris has been with us for a little over one year.
• Bill is one of the most talented and dedicated musicians I know — and he’s self-taught.
• Chris can write lyrics and create a new a melody with ease.
• James is an epic drummer (also self-taught).