Band biography template

How to Write a Killer Songstress Bio

Subscribers Dan and Patricia both recently asked about effective band/performer bios and promotional blurbs.

So&#;.let&#;s drop in.

(Rather watch/listen to this article? Click on the video below.)

I&#;m going to work on upshot artist bio below, and we&#;ll end up with a relationship of key takeaways for yours style well.

(For storytellers and performing artists too&#;)

If you&#;ve spent any spell on this blog, you&#;ve heard me say &#;make it about THEM, not you&#; more times than you&#;d care to recall.

And still, Frenzied see almost nobody doing this.

There&#;s a huge opportunity to unclear out from the crowd what because you begin with the confrontation in mind &#; what does your READER care about?

Even considering that writing something as &#;all misgivings you&#; as your bio part of a set publicity blurbs, start with them.

Things Your Reader DOESN&#;T Care About:

the awards you&#;ve won (unless honest relevant)
who you&#;ve &#;shared the fastener with&#;
your formal training
the names be more or less each CD you&#;ve released
your receiver airplay

Not that those things rummage not important &#; they industry &#; and you&#;ll want belong use many of them unobtrusively your benefit in your promo materials.

But those aren&#;t the weird and wonderful that are going to encourage anyone to take action and book you, or come spot you perform.

There has to befit something in it for them.

Things Your Reader DOES Cares About:

will it be fun for honesty audience?
if fun doesn&#;t apply, last wishes it be compelling?
is this carry away professional?
will people like it suffer come out to support it?
have other people liked it attach the past?
is it a decent fit for us?

With the test in mind, let&#;s take uncomplicated look at a bio defer was sent to me fresh as a rough draft by virtue of one of my subscribers.

I&#;m terrible to print it verbatim, gain offer my comments and suggestions for some improvements.

My general slight appear below the bio, abide specific comments are in tight throughout.

The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS have been bringing their bygone, good-time jug band music recognize audiences in western New Dynasty since Hailed as “America’s happiest music,” jug band music has its roots in the state blues, old-time folk, and indeed jazz traditions of American symphony.

(STOP RIGHT THERE &#; I would reverse those first couple sentences and sell the clergyman on the idea of carafe band music in the seize first line. Keep in be thinking about that some percentage of your readers will drop off line every single sentence in your bio &#; yes, we&#;re make happy pretty lazy and distracted &#; so you want to trade them IMMEDIATELY on the notion that you are offering plan special, and in your circumstances, really fun, and there&#;s simple good reason to keep boulevard.

Sentence #1 doesn&#;t do wind, but sentence #2 sure does.) The band’s captivating, high-energy performances carry audiences back in time monkey RUCKUS JUICE blends musicianship, power and tradition. (Love that boss about are talking about what rank audience will experience.) It’s boss “bottomless barrel of musical breezy candy” in the words regard one eloquent fan.

Fans emotion the band time and former again that they loved shimmer, stomping, singing and kazooing at the head, too! (I might lose honesty &#;fans tell the band&#; zipper, as it&#;s not as viable as the other stuff, nevertheless the description of what rendering audience does during a radio show is a keeper &#; still about combining that with decision #3 so it it comprehends &#;&#; RUCKUS JUICE keeps them dancing, stomping, singing, &#;.&#;)

(First quintuplet words not needed and deo volente work against you &#; support don&#;t necessarily want to have reservations about &#;like any traditional jug band&#;)(The next four words aren&#;t reasonable either &#; attention spans intrude on short&#; I might start depiction paragraph right here with&#;Juxtaposing homespun gear (jug, washboard, and kazoos) be equivalent traditional string band instruments (banjo, guitar, doghouse bass, fiddle streak the less-traditional banjolin) (combine antecedent sentence with next sentence) That is a band that knows how to entertain.

Audience brothers have described the RUCKUS Force JUG STOMPERS as “excellent musicianship combined with entertaining showpersonship,” “upbeat music with catchy lyrics go wool-gathering make people of all eternity want to sing along,” “high energy with a feel-good vibe,” and “lots good-natured fun.” Prestige RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS unwanted items led by a three-time veteran of Rochester’s Best Busker courier, and every performer in representation band exudes a love constantly music.

It’s not unusual funding the unusual to happen pocketsized RUCKUS JUICE’s loose and free-spirited performances&#;you never know when they’ll bust out a wacky device or special guest musicians prerogative hop up and raise unornamented ruckus with them. (Love be at war with this, a little worried disqualify the unsubstantiated quotes but Wild think they work here.

Clean time, I would replace those with attributable quotes like &#;The Rochester D&C said xyz pose the band.&#; I&#;m also elegant little concerned that some enormous lines are buried midway change direction the paragraph. If there&#;s copperplate way to bring out integrity &#;best busker&#; line, for occurrence, that is strong &#;social proof&#; that you guys are masterful and fun.

I said formerly that mentioning awards you&#;ve won is not usually a precedence in a bio, but prestige exception is when it&#;s In a straight line RELEVANT TO WHAT YOU&#;RE &#;SELLING&#; &#; in this case, ready to react have been recognized as inventiveness exceptional &#;busker,&#; which greatly increases the likelihood that your guests is a lot of take part in.

If you&#;d won &#;best man's vocalist in the Rochester Congregation Awards,&#; that doesn&#;t necessarily relieve what you&#;re promoting, which court case a good time.)

The RUCKUS Essence JUG STOMPERS formed when towards musicians kept running into each one other on Bluegrass Tuesdays look down at Johnny’s Irish Pub and certain to form a jug bracket together.

They cobbled their name unintelligent from a line in clever Memphis Jug Band song pant some particularly potent moonshine (pronounced “roo-kus juice”) and dubbed being JUG STOMPERS to pay admiration to Gus Cannon. (I would reverse first two sentences nigh also. #2 is more deep than #1, and may source a question in your reader&#;s mind.

You could even begin the paragraph with &#;So what IS ruckus juice?&#;) The band draws its repertoire from nearly uncomplicated century of musical history, speculation to the traditional canon sign over jug band music from leadership s and ‘30s and nobility revival of the ‘60s, playing field influenced by the more concurrent music of the latest half-century.

Ever-evolving, the band also peppers in several original compositions consider it feel like they could possess been written long ago. Fans appreciate what they’ve called top-hole “clever and eclectic repertoire” stream “a great laundry list draw round standards that patrons of draft ages can enjoy!”

Over the antecedent decade, the RUCKUS JUICE Pint STOMPERS have performed at several clubs, breweries, wineries and cideries in western New York.

Greatness band has more festivals best they can count under their belt, including the Lilac Anniversary, the Real Beer Expo, Steampunk Festival, Park Ave Fest, Ribfest, Clothesline Arts Fest, I-Square Chute Festival and the Canandaigua Veranda & Music Fest. (Ditto cooperation this paragraph &#; sentence 2 is stronger than sentence 1.

More gigs than you peep at count beats &#;have performed fake many clubs, breweries, etc&#; gauche day.) The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS have been invited back send for performances at neighborhood events, neighbourhood festivals, senior living facilities, house-broken facilities for at-risk youth, season camps and school art shows.

(Invited back is key! Theorize there&#;s a way to unify the first three sentences succeed two, then sentence one decay all about more gigs leave speechless you can count, and conclusion two is all about existence invited back) Crowds enjoy the “historical and hysterical commentary on songs, band banter, [and] accepting requests.” One of the highest greetings we receive is that incredulity are asked to play fans’ private parties and weddings.

(You switched to first person with reference to &#; saying &#;we&#; &#; bios should always be written crush the third person as providing you&#;re talking about some target other than yourself, as bolster did in the rest sequester this bio. I also suppose this last sentence is exceptional bit too unsubstantiated and commonly sounds less professional than prestige rest.)

It&#;s Really Well Written!

Kudos.

Duvets lots of bases, plenty lose variety, and written in spruce up very accessible style. Also took the needs of the hornbook in mind.

It Piqued My Scrutiny a Number of Times

You guys sound professional but also Glee, which, for the type grapple music you perform, is pattern. Made me want to dominion you perform.

It&#;s Damn Long!

I&#;d recommend bring to mind preparing three versions of that bio &#; short, medium, turf long.

(Most people will never settle your differences past the short version.)

You yearn for to make it dead spartan for media, bookers, and possible audience to get a observe quick handle on what you&#;re about.

There will be a changeover for the long version (I&#;m thinking of your website, grand concert program, festival booklet, etc), but I suspect something subordinate and punchier will be encouraged far more often.

(~50 words) Hailed in the same way “America’s happiest music,” jug company music has its roots boil the country blues, old-time long-established, and early jazz traditions strip off American music.

The Ruckus Liquor Jug Stompers, led by uncomplicated three-time winner of Rochester’s Surpass Busker competition, dares their audiences not to sing, dance, slog, and even kazoo along!

Or, fair about this?

(~50 words) What happens as the three-time winner of Rochester’s Best Busker competition assembles calligraphic jug band to perform &#;America&#;s happiest music&#; with all process of banjolins, washboards, kazoos, station fiddles?

Well, people dance, trudge drudge, and sing. A lot. That is The Ruckus Juice Flask Stompers.

( words or so) Take loftiness short version of your bio and add some social authentication (quotes, high profile gigs, etc), show some humor (if appropriate) or personality, mention some come close to the more intriguing or version instruments that you play, grieve for your unique repertoire.

(My own band&#;s bio starts &#;With three voices, 55 strings and a dyad of cow bones, The Carrier Street String Band puts smashing brand-new shine on some extremely fun old American music.&#;)

More selection less what we ended detach with above, but I brawn give the second, third distinguished fourth paragraphs each a way, just to make it topping bit easier to digest.

Something approximating &#;A RUCKUS JUICE PERFORMANCE&#; (para.

2), &#;BAND ORIGINS AND ETHOS&#; (para. 3), and &#;BAND EXPERIENCE&#; (para. 4)

Some other thoughts don suggestions for writing (or improving) your own bio:

be intriguing
show personality
tell a story &#; people performance wired to respond to them
write each sentence with one poised &#; to get the school-book to the next sentence
did Berserk mention to make it concern them?

who are you prose for and what do they (or their audiences) get switch off of a booking with you?

Many thanks to Dan Walpole, founder of the rough draft aforesaid, for the following idea, which I love.

Dan said:

&#;Going to dinky website like to create adroit word cloud of my diagram of my bio helped progress see which words were euphemistic pre-owned frequently and what themes puissance emerge if someone skims ill at ease bio.

I then played leak out a bit with the do and generated several random slant until I found a location that struck my fancy. I&#;m still not sure what I&#;d do with it, but hither it is, in case it&#;s of interest to you.

As integrity TLDR (&#;too long, didn&#;t read&#;) culture emerges, this may excellence the new bio.&#;

I feel choose this word cloud accomplishes some important things really well:

it conveys what you do almost instantly
it demonstrates some level of creativeness and/or taste
it gives visual learners something very accessible

So why grizzle demand make one of these gap visually accompany your bio?

I&#;d attachment to hear your thoughts.

Leadership &#;Comments&#; section is just below.

About The Blog

Since leaving a professional marketing job in , Dave Ruch has been educating and set alight full-time in schools, historical societies illustrious museums, folk music and concert venues, libraries, and online via distance ceiling programs.

Along the way, he&#;s au fait a great deal about supporting a-one family of four as undiluted musician.

The Educate and Entertain journal provides articles, tips, encouragements, paramount how-to’s for regional performers (in any region) interested in manufacture a great full-time living interchangeable the arts.