Last night we played our 10th gig, possibly our last for 2011. It may not sound like much, but those first 10 gigs, especially when spread out, can be hard work. I'd love to see the stats on how many bands make it to 10 gigs - I reckon less than half actually would. It's a lot of time & effort for very little reward, most people would lose hope and give up.
Why? Well you're still learning the songs, learning to play music with each other, relate with each other, figuring out what works, giving up a lot of time for home/band practice, gigs, travel - and you don't even have any real fans at the start (no one knows who you are!). Even booking the gigs is hard work - after booking the first 2, I've been more than happy to pass the baton to Ana! On top of all that each band member has to fight their own disillusionment at times - are we ever gonna get anywhere? But fight on we have. All whilst juggling familys, careers, study etc
The easy, fun, rockstar life people believe in is far from the truth - at least in the beginning anyway!
But looking back over the year, we've actually achieved some pretty great firsts:
* settling the line-up
* (re-)naming the band (Taun)
* recorded Taun's first EP
* learnt 9 intricate songs
* developed a web presence (website, facebook, twitter, blogs etc)
* begun networking (manager meetings, getting to know other bands etc)
* first merchandise (t-shirts)
* first gig
* first band comp
* first 10 gigs
* first radio interview/ airplay
* first commercial radio airplay
For my part, I'd like to thank Mike for inviting me along for the ride - helping bring Mike's songs & long term vision alive has been a real honour to be a part of. It's also been great getting to know both Mike & Anna, developing the Taun family. Playing with 2 amazing musicians has been a great learning experience for me, helping me push myself - and hopefully me them. Anna's tireless work behind the scenes managing the band has also been invaluable!
So hopefully the hard work in Taun's inaugural year will all start paying off next year - the foundation has been laid for something great to be built, with lots more exciting things to come (and more hard work!). Some of the things we may be doing in 2012 include Taun's first overseas tour; an EP launch; full length album recording (& launch!); and possibly country & interstate tours - and of course more local gigging.
So thanks Mike & Ana - and make sure the rest of you join us for the ride in 2012! [Oak]
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