Author Archives: Brian LaRue
Bad Advice Musicians Hear, Part 4: Is Music PR a Waste of Money?
Today, we’re going to get into this bit of not-so great advice: Paying for PR doesn’t work, and it’s a waste of money. You hear some wildly contradictory POVs about music PR, depending on who you ask. Some people will … Continue reading
Bad Advice Musicians Hear, Part 3: Can a PR Rep Fast-Track You to Fame?
Today, we’re going to get into this not-so-great piece of advice: If you hire a PR rep, you’ll fast-track your band’s rise through the ranks. When I was about 21, I asked an acquaintance of mine who was already in … Continue reading
The Collected Brian LaRue New Yorker Caption Contest Submissions
For reasons I can no longer remember, but that probably had something to do with needing another vector through which I could scream my frustrations and disappointments in being forced to exist as a human being in the physical world, … Continue reading
The Thing About the Mountain Analogy
I spent my late teens and half of my 20s as a serial monomaniac. I wanted to be a professional musician. I wanted to publish books of fiction and poetry. Basically, I wanted to be an “artist,” and I really … Continue reading
Bad Advice Musicians Hear, Part 2: Start Your Own Music Scene
In the second installment of the Bad Advice Musicians Hear series, we’re going to get into one of the more daunting pieces of “advice” young musicians will hear as they’re coming up and trying to gain a foothold in their … Continue reading
The Fifth Universal New Yorker Caption: “Almost Positive You’re in the Wrong Panel, My Guy”
As a society, we’ve accepted there is such a thing as a universal New Yorker cartoon caption — a gag line that can work with any New Yorker cartoon. It’s an elusive thing. I’d be willing to wager the dream … Continue reading
Introducing: Bad Advice Musicians Hear (The Series)
I’ve been playing in rock bands since I was a teenager, and while the realities of being a gigging musician have taken loads of wild turns over that time, one truism has held throughout: When you’re a young musician, you … Continue reading