Why you don't need the holy grail

     I've discussed image consistancy, sound image, and many other tips on constructing a bangarang sound (thank you Hook fans), but never gone over exactly what the mentality discovermyband.com uses to pick instruments to review and endorse.
     First of all, I will say that we do NOT pick items that are the ultimate best instrument ever to be mass produced. 
     Why not?  If you are purchasing equipment to play the crap out of it- to take it on the road and play in the rain, heat, cold, and whatever else you face, you don't need a $7,500 guitar.  If you do then every nick and scratch and drop of rain can be painful and devastating to its value. 
     If, however, you have one cool looking $700 guitar that plays really well, and at an outdoor concert you fall off the stage, you can cover that cost many times over before you come close to that holy grail guitar that you might have bought.
     So the guitars that we endorse sound good, they look cool, and they are as inexpensive as I can find without terrible comprimise.  Someday there may be a "holy grail" list blog for your personal collection, recording studio playing, or once you land that elusive record deal and they foot the bill, but that is not what you need now.  Good quality, inexpensive, good looking guitars that match you look and sound.
Here's a link to our Instrument Review Section

The Goods

After all is said and done- you practice, you have solid equipment, a good sound, great image, professionalism all around, to get a gig a venue manager probably wants to hear what you sound like- or know that you have a following that will come to their location just to hear you.

The first obvious solution is to have recordings of some songs you've played. Good recordings. If you have a phenomenal stage presence, then a live recording from a show would be good- also the hoots and hollars of a crowd might help some too. If, however, you are not all that exciting to watch- it might hurt you to bore your potential host. Make a good recording. there are tons of programs out their that are free or next to free like cakewalk or ACID Music, but I use protools which is more expensive.

The next step is establishing a following, and conveying that said group will make an appearance at any given performance. Be creative. Grassroots marketing is fun, invite coworkers, it'll be a connection that many people are looking to make without gathering at someone's house, and supporting someone you work with is always a good ploy. Also advertise some special giveaway, It doesn't have to be expensive. If you are single and funny you could say that you are giving away a free date to someone in the audience. Anything to connect the person you are talking to with the concert you'd like them to come to in their head. Even if it's something that they aren't interested in, it's just a way of distinguishing "this is a date to remember" vs. "you may come if you aren't doing anything else."