New songs- Hardships for local bands

One of the hardest parts of being in a local band, at least in my mind, is not coming up with new songs but the frequency in which you have to so the usual crowd doesn't get bored.

As everyone knows, big name bands go on tour for at least a year on their new album and during that time and the year after that they are writing and recording their new album. But for local bands it's different. They play a lot of the same bars, in front of a lot of the same people, and in order to keep people interested they have to come up with new songs. It's not always easy for bands to write new songs, the songwriter can write new lyrics, but the rest of the band has to be together or at least around to collaborate on the rest of the song.

This is unfair to local bands. The fact that they could lose people coming to their shows because everyone has heard the songs they are going to play, so they have to keep writing music- which is awesome, but there is more of a forced pressure to write a new song to add to your set list, than big name bands who can take years to get out a new single.

The Lansing local bands are lucky though. The community is very close and supportive, and people (unless they have to work) are usually always at their favorite bands' show. However, it is very nice when one of the bands around here writes and performs a new song- you feel part of their band, their life, because you get to experience it with them. so my advice to the local bands, not that they're not already doing it, is to keep writing and try and get a new song out there every couple of months- it'll keep people around and it'll probably add more.

As always support your local scene. Go check out bands and feel free to comment when you find ones you like.