When we’re standing in a claustrophobically tight venue, completely immersed in the atmosphere while simultaneously fending off drunk punters who are trying to steal our primo vantage points, it rarely occurs to us that the musicians up on stage, the ones providing us with hazy memories, actually have to function in the real world.
As soon as the night’s over, most of us merrily stumble home (possibly making a cheeky detour to release that one beer too many in an alleyway) and the night’s over for us. For the artists though, they have their own shit to tackle.
For bands who aren’t generating sufficient cash flow to pie off their other jobs, the balancing act of having a steady income and chasing their dreams can be draining beyond belief, so we asked three bands just how they manage it. In short: being able to fulfil your creative passion is worth the hard work. Sometimes you gotta risk it for the biscuit.
Find A Support Network
Good Doogs‘ drummer and vocalist Michael Grainger explains the struggles quite succinctly:
“You’re always either at work or at band practice so I think the other relationships in your life tend to suffer…having the band is like having another girlfriend on the side that you have to nurture and keep happy as well [laughs]”
There’s no denying that the effort required to maintain a job on the reg while also forcing yourself to work on your craft is unbelievably taxing, and as is the case for most bands, it’s likely that you’ll turn to your bandmates for support.
Your bandmates are all experiencing the same journey, so they’re the obvious people to turn to when you need a lil morale boost.
Shelly Fitzpatrick of the five-piece Tuppaware Party has been fortunate enough to form a tight support network within her band and has nothing but love for her fellow musicians.
“I’m so grateful that we ended up with such a great group of boofheads, we are like a little family now…sometimes we are all at practice, so knackered and upset and sweaty, it’s so important that we all look after each other to keep us going.”
Invest In Yourselves
After hearing from all three bands, the underlying similarity was that they all reinvested the money that their bands were making back into the music itself while using the money from their other jobs to sustain a plausible day-to-day life.
The Ruminaters‘ Jake Mossop has no qualms burning the cash if it’s for the benefit of the band:
“Every cent we make we pour back into the band. Whether it be for recording, stocking up on merch, travel, accommodation and the list never ends. Being creative is expensive.”
The Ruminaters have managed to hit two birds with one stone, having their band member Pencil produce their merch and cover art. It’s not plausible for everyone to find a jack-of-all-trades for a band member but it’s sure as hell handy.
Refrain From Hesitation
There was a level of determination that was projected from all three bands, who made it abundantly clear there’s absolutely no time for shilly-shallying. It could be argued that one of the main reasons these bands are still charging ahead is because they make a conscious decision to maintain a full-time job without so much as questioning their loyalties to their respective bands.
For Michael, the ability to balance his day-to-day life and his music boiled down to the idea that he would do whatever it takes for his passion in life.
“I was never hestitant to start a [music] career, I was always pretty confident that I would sacrifice whatever I have to make a career work.”
While Jake and The Ruminaters are taking it a step further:
“We are literally all quitting our jobs this year to take our music career to the next level. There is only so much time we can devote to the band with the jobs we have.”
Or, as Bryce Hearnden, a construction manager and member of Tuppaware Party puts it, “standing wall frames feels unbelievable but still doesn’t compare to playing live and drinking beers”. Drink on, Bryce. Drink on.
Be Hopeful But Realistic
Reality can often be a tough pill to swallow at the best of times, especially if it’s not leaning in your favour. By learning to accept where you are at the moment and figuring out how to work with what you’ve got, it could be the difference between make or break.
As it’s not possible for everyone to pull a Ruminaters and quit their day jobs in the pursuit of happiness, Michael puts it in layman’s terms as to why juggling both your day job and your passion is not just the norm, but often necessary:
“I’d like to say being an electrician isn’t as important as a music career, but the reality is, without it I wouldn’t be able to chase music which is my life dream. I guess being an electrician is pretty essential to being able to chase a music career – at least at this stage.”
Good Doogs’ rhythm guitarist, Dylan Brown, emphasises:
“Of course it’s a long shot, but we’ve chosen to work really hard at it to see what we can do with it.”
It is possible to be both a realist and a dreamer, y’all.
Sit Down, Be Grateful
It’s easy to become frustrated and jaded if you’re working overtime in all aspects of your life, but it’s better to have a lot on your plate than nothing at all (I assume? Sometimes doing shit all for the rest of my life sounds like a pleasant alternative tbf).
Although Shelly has her fingers in many pies, as does 99% of other musicians, she’s especially grateful that her regular job and her desired career have, to an extent, been able to merge together:
“I’m lucky that my jobs kind of bend and support my passions, I’m so grateful that I get to constantly use my craft and the skills I’m passionate about.”
She continues:
“Even if this is as far as we ‘make it’, I think we would all be stoked on the experiences that we’ve had together as a band. The whole process and dynamic between us has been such a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
If everyone could be as optimistic as Shelly, the world would be a much better place.
Motivation
Self-doubt can creep up on even the best artists in the biz, so it’s crucial that if you lose that spark, even momentarily, that it finds its way back to you eventually.
Jake explains:
“It gets to a stage where it becomes incredibly expensive and time-consuming and if you aren’t prepared to push a little harder and take it to the next level, then it’s a good time to pull out…if anything it’s made us work harder. We completely believe in what we are doing and we wanna keep doing our own thing and making music we love.”
Shelly reiterates that sentiment:
“Self-doubt happens all the time. Will be it worth it? Am I doing the right thing? Should I save heaps of money and go to Peru for a year, live off the land and drink my own bodily fluids? But I guess you do a show or even sing in the shower and that little reminder of the buzz you get from doing what you love is enough to keep you going.”
Buy Shirts
Without any context whatsoever, here’s Tuppaware Party’s Jamie Wilson to point out the main key to multi-tasking success:
“Buy shirts, motherfuckers.”
Can’t argue with that sound advice, really.
