This post isn’t aimed at anyone in particular but I just feel the need to get this rant off my chest.

Yeah, sometimes bands & musicians don’t get along with each other. Not just with me, I have seen some pretty heated feuds with other bands & musicians lots of times. It happens all over in the music world.

The way I see why this sometimes happens is that the other guy wants to make it seem like you started it when you didn’t. All you did was trying to be helpful, be supportive, offer some advice and express some constructive criticism for this band. For example, when all you want to do is give this band some advice and criticism like for example watching out for pay to play scams like AftonLive, disagreeing with them entering band competitions like Battle of the Bands and such, giving them some live performing tips (which is what I did), give them some tips on songwriting or their musicianship, etc. They won’t like it. All it is that it was just some of your 2cents and advice but they didn’t listen to you. They’ll lose their temper at you. Insult you, judge you and call you every name in the book. When you want to say things like music shouldn’t be about the money and things like that, they won’t like that either. All of this was just your opinion and you were just being a little honest… and this band didn’t like it so they get all over ya. They start to call you out publicly and retaliate.

Some bands respond to criticism in this way ’cause many of them mistakenly believe they know everything in the music world and they think they know what they’re doing. So because you’ve had some success and accomplishments in music, doesn’t mean you know everything and know what you’re doing. All I did was warn some bands on being a little more careful on how they put themselves out there ’cause it’s a crazy world out there.

When you give bands some helpful advice and tips, they become defensive and they’ll hate you forever for it. I don’t sit here and call bands egomaniacs for no reason ’cause that’s exactly what they are if they lose their temper  and becoming defensive over a little honesty. Instead of them saying, “Thanks for the tips” like a professional, they’ll be all confrontational with you instead.

When I give bands helpful advice, tips and a little criticism… it doesn’t mean that I dislike them or hate them. It doesn’t mean that I was bashing them. It means that I was just doing it as a fan. I was looking out for them. That was all and they try to make it seem like that I was getting all over them when that wasn’t my goal. I was just warning them about a few things about the music world. That was all I did.

These guys think they can give me advice but if they won’t listen to my advice, why should I listen to theirs???

If they don’t wanna take a little bit of honesty, that’s their problem. Not yours. You have every right to offer constructive criticism all you want to. Nothing wrong with it ’cause that’s what music is here for.

Don’t get yourself into band drama. It’s a waste of time and something you shouldn’t get yourself into. Talking to some musicians is like talking to a brick wall. When they get all confrontational just immediately back off and walk away. You can’t win with them ’cause they’re a piece of work.

Think about this, if you offer bands some constructive criticism and they respond negatively… it means you were right. They didn’t like the truth and it bothered them. So don’t ever think you did something wrong. You shouldn’t apologize to them either. They are their own worst enemy… they don’t owe you anything. It’s their responsibility of how they respond to people, not yours.

Just say what you need to say and just move along. If you’re getting them mad, then your work is done.

Kev