Since the interview with my guitar teacher, A.J. Niilo, I have been thinking about how had spoken to me about his opinion on modern music and how unsure he would be about pursuing music again if he were my age now. So I decided to see how some of my favorite more modern bands got their big breaks.
Avenged Sevenfold -- According to Wikipedia, the band had just finished a second tour on the Vans Warper Tour and made a music video for their song "Unholy Confessions". This video, because they had made some connections via the Warped Tour, had made its way onto MTV's Headbanger's Ball. After that had made its debut, word of mouth got going and the band got popular enough to get Warner Bros. Records' attention. The band was offered a deal and they left Hopeless Records shortly after their second album was finished and signed with Warner Bros. Their 3rd studio album debuted at #30 on the Billboard 200 Chart, selling over 30,000 copies in the first week. The record went platinum in August 2009.
Halestorm -- Frontwoman Lzzy Hale and her little brother, drummer Arejay Hale, began writing music since she was 13 and he was 10 years old. They started forming a bit of a gathering playing local shows in Pennsylvania, and eventually brought Joe (guitar) and Josh (bass) into the band. In 2005, after working on their sound and more material, Halestorm started showcasing for labels and one snowy night in NYC, a rep from Atlantic Records saw them play and loved the complete sound and attitude. The band was offered a four year recording contract for their first studio album, and they took it. The band kept touring like mad and it's gotten them a good sized following. They're about to head back to the studio and work on a second album.
Muse -- They originally called themselves Gothic Plague, then Fixed Penalty, then the Rocket Baby Dolls. In 1994, as the Rocket Baby Dolls, the band entered into a Battle of The Bands Contest around Teignmouth, England where they lived. They ended up smashing their instruments on stage and just went all out punk. It came as a surprise to them that they won. Afterward, they took the band more seriously, quitting school and their jobs to do music. They played their first few gigs in Manchester and London, and eventually had a meeting with the owner of Sawmills Studio, Dennis Smith. That meeting led to the band's first studio recordings and their first record deal, recording their first three albums with Sawmills.
Apocalyptica -- This band got LUCKY. A band of four cellos from Finland that decided to go against the norm and cover Metallica songs on cello without vocals. They were signed after their first show.
My Chemical Romance -- The band formed in NJ as a two piece (Gerard Way on vocals and drummer Matt Pelissier) one week after the September 11th attack. The band began writing immediately, and recruited Ray Toro on guitar. Gerard's younger brother, Mikey, dropped out of college and started playing with the band. 3 months later, the band adopted Frank Iero on guitar and shortly after recorded their first record with Eyeball Records. The band put free downloads on Purevolume.com and Myspace.com, getting them a large enough following to get a good booking at venue Big Daddy's. In 2003, the band signed with Reprise Records and got on a tour with Avenged Sevenfold. They recorded their 2nd studio album and it went platinum quickly.
I think this research gives me a bit more hope because I know that I can get in people's face when I'm on stage, and as far as off stage goes, I want my music to be heard enough that I will get it in the ears of not only the right people, but as many people as my amplifiers can reach.
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