Moving to L.A. seeking advice!

Isaac Lee

Member
Hey fellow drummers! I have a great opportunity in LA and I'm planning on moving there in about a month. I would love any positive advice about getting a start there as a drummer wanting to play professionally. I want to have a good plan in action so I don't just show up clueless and get my ass kicked. So I thought I'd ask you guys. I am working on getting a job lined up doing something in the music biz. Thats important to me so that I can network with muscians at work. I'm also going to get a promo pack together before I leave. Its a big step for me but I'm not going to let this chance slip by. Thanks!
 
I went to LA on a vacation a few years ago, and checked out a few clubs with up and coming bands.

Everyone had a nicely done demo

Everyone was really good.

Really good didn't seem to cut it... I got into a conversation with one band, and they all made their living in the recording industry, and played shows on weekends. They came up from San Fransisco for the weekend to play shows, and did two on friday and one on saturday all at different venues.

I guess my advice would be:
  1. Have a great job lined up
  2. Be a super fantastic drummer with great gear
  3. be ready to play lots of shows
  4. Be realistic about your hopes and dreams.

Keep the dream, keep the fire, but keep a day job... Food and a roof over your head are great and sometimes under rated...

Good luck on your move and aspirations!
 
L.A.'s no better or worse than anywhere else, and all the rules and pitfalls apply.

Rule #1: Among musicians, the nice guys finish first. If there are a dozen amazing players who are overly aggressive or cocky, and one guy who's pretty good and makes everyone comfortable, guess who gets the gig?

#2: Network and get known. Every little thing (like frequenting jam sessions) can pay off.

#3: Unless the pay is ridiculous or nonexistent, or unless you're already booked, never turn down a gig, or you'll soon be known as the guy who turns down gigs and the calls will stop. Be the guy who gladly takes gigs, and you'll get called and recommended more often. Some nights will pay $75, some $125, some $50. Do 'em all. Don't be one of those guys who won't walk out the door for less than $100, or you'll find yourself sitting at home a lot.

#4: Seek auditions and promote yourself online as an L.A. player, and be a nice guy about it (did I already mention that?)

#5: For auditions and gigs, keep it simple. Bring a 4-pc kit, play 2&4, and you'll work a lot. In L.A., you get paid to play oldies, classic rock, & blues. If you're under 40, start boning up on your Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Cream, Animals, Creedence, Hendrix, Led Zep, Motown, and every one-hit wonder from the '60s. The paying jazz/fusion/funk gigs are few and far between. Don't turn 'em down, but don't expect to make much money. Consider them good networking opportunities.

#6: No shame in having a day gig... I assume you like to eat and have a roof over your head? :) Besides, most of the guys you'll be playing with will also have day jobs, so your schedules and availability will be similar.

Good luck and welcome!

Bermuda
 
If possible, come out before you move to scope out where you're going to live.

Los Angeles is HUGE with a very wide varriety of neighborhoods, and even with in one single neighborhood, one or two blocks can make a huge difference. And keep in mind, LA is expensive, and taxes just went up even more.

One one hand, LA is where is where everything happens, and it's an exciting place to be for musicians. On the other hand, this is where everyone is, which means you're only one of a million drummers for every oportunity, and on the flip side, there are a million bands looking for a drummer, and sorting through them all to find the good ones can be a task. So be prepared to take the good with the bad.

And always leave for a gig/audition/rehearsal with plenty of time, traffic is often a nightmare.
 
L.A.'s no better or worse than anywhere else, and all the rules and pitfalls apply.

Rule #1: Among musicians, the nice guys finish first. If there are a dozen amazing players who are overly aggressive or cocky, and one guy who's pretty good and makes everyone comfortable, guess who gets the gig?

#2: Network and get known. Every little thing (like frequenting jam sessions) can pay off.

#3: Unless the pay is ridiculous or nonexistent, or unless you're already booked, never turn down a gig, or you'll soon be known as the guy who turns down gigs and the calls will stop. Be the guy who gladly takes gigs, and you'll get called and recommended more often. Some nights will pay $75, some $125, some $50. Do 'em all. Don't be one of those guys who won't walk out the door for less than $100, or you'll find yourself sitting at home a lot.

#4: Seek auditions and promote yourself online as an L.A. player, and be a nice guy about it (did I already mention that?)

#5: For auditions and gigs, keep it simple. Bring a 4-pc kit, play 2&4, and you'll work a lot. In L.A., you get paid to play oldies, classic rock, & blues. If you're under 40, start boning up on your Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Cream, Animals, Creedence, Hendrix, Led Zep, Motown, and every one-hit wonder from the '60s. The paying jazz/fusion/funk gigs are few and far between. Don't turn 'em down, but don't expect to make much money. Consider them good networking opportunities.

#6: No shame in having a day gig... I assume you like to eat and have a roof over your head? :) Besides, most of the guys you'll be playing with will also have day jobs, so your schedules and availability will be similar.

Good luck and welcome!

Bermuda

Man. I love you!!! Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I'm literally going to print this out and hang it on my fridge.
 
I'm also going to get a promo pack together before I leave.

A word or two about that...

An 8x10 (or two) with a one page bio & resume is a good start. Whoever receives it only needs enough info to entice them to call or at least keep your name on file. They're initially uninterested in your life story or your goals, they already know you want to make money playing drums.

An audio CD is a good thing to include, but refrain from putting a string of songs on there. Nobody wants to hear a dozen 5-minute songs, and don't expect them to take the time to skip through them and find the 'good' parts. Your best bet is to make a short medley of 30-45 sec. excerpts of maybe 5 or 6 songs, for a total length not to exceed 5 minutes. This keeps it moving, allows you to give them your specific best playing, and at worst, leaves them wanting more.

Classy is good. Put it all in a nice folder, not just a manila envelope. Here's mine:

presskit.jpg


It includes a resume sheet, three 8x10s, my business card & phone #, and the bit of text at the top left above the photo is my bio:

"Bermuda has been the drummer with "Weird Al" Yankovic since 1980, and is seen and heard on all of Weird Al's albums, videos, and concert and television performances."

Concise is good.

Bermuda
 
Fantastic. I can't thank you enough Bermuda. On a side note you might be interested to know that upon your recommendation I contacted Chris Heuer about having some bearing edge work done to some vintage drums and hes working on them right now. Hes a wonderful person and I appreciate the heads up on his fine work. Cheers.

And thanks to everyone else who has posted a response to this post so far!
 
Chris is the best, you'll get to meet him when you get here.

Glad to help!

Bermuda
 
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