Get ready, Brooklyn. Over 400 bands are coming to town. We’re just about one week away from the start of The Northside Festival, a seven day festival bringing together bands, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, innovators, and thousands of fans. In case you haven’t heard, we’re partnering with The Wild Honey Pie to throw The Beehive at Brooklyn Bowl on June 14th. We’ll be there, hanging out with the awesome bands performing like Step Rockets and Canon Logic.
In anticipation of the event, we caught up with Minneapolis-based indie rockers Step Rockets to find out how they’ve been keeping momentum going with their music, how they approach music festivals, and more…
How do you get the most out of a music festival?
Have a kick-ass live set. I enjoy getting ready for tours and festivals, and I’ve found that spending those endless hours in the rehearsal space can be extremely rewarding. It’s also incredibly inspirational to check out as many other performing artists as possible. Seeing what your peers are doing, meeting new friends, and brainstorming with potential collaborators is time well spent.
What are the top 3 tips you’d give an independent artist looking to grow his/her career?
1. It’s all about the music. After we released “Kisser,” we had the opportunity to talk and meet with music industry people across the world. We learned so much about the business side of music, but the most refreshing thing we discovered from talking to other people in the industry was that creating a successful career still comes down to making the best music you possibly can. At the end of the day, the music industry is built on great songs and great songwriters, and it’s up to the artists to keep growing their craft, creating the best music possible.
2. Be nice, talk to everyone and create relationships. Get to know industry people, bloggers, concert promoters, fans and everybody else who has anything to do with creating or listening to music. You never know if that blogger who digs your jams is going to get a job working in A&R at one of your favorite labels. People shift positions and climb in the music industry like in any other industry. So, the more people you know and have good relationships with, the better.
3. Don’t stop working and learning. It sounds pretty cliché but it’s true. No one is going to come in and create your career for you. Even if you have an all-star manager or booker, it’s still always up to you to make things happen. The work will only get harder and more intense the more you grow, and while it’s best to have hard working, inspiring and intelligent people around you, it’s up to you to work your butt off to achieve your goals.
You’ve gotten an incredible response from your single “Kisser” (nice!). How have you been continuing to keep momentum going?
Thanks, it’s been wonderful to feel the support and connect with new people and fans. In addition to focusing on our work ethic and fostering relationships, we have been touring and releasing new music and content. We did a few remixes (the RII remix was released via TuneCore!) and just released our latest jam, “Heart Attack Again.” The tours are great to meet new fans and new bands as well as keep in touch with everyone on our social media platforms.
[Editor’s Note: More updates to come on The Beehive, so make sure to follow us on Twitter (@TuneCore), and of course, claim your tickets now!]
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