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Music. That one simple word affects the life of every living person on this planet in one way or another. Every culture has a unique brand of music. Radios all over the world blast thousands of different genres—modern rock, pop, new age, electronica, classical, etc.—during every waking moment, and even during some sleeping moments. Each artist has touched at least one person in the world; each song has influenced at least one listener. With so much material out there, however, how do aspiring artists manage to be discovered, and how do new artists manage to survive?

 

Millions of people across the globe want to be “rock stars.” In this aspect, the little girl singing with her hairbrush in front of the mirror and the weathered guitarist who just can’t seem to hit his big break share a lot in common. This goal unites people in a way that nothing else can, but it is also notorious for tearing them apart, as well.

 

Growing up around musical legends such as Steve Perry from Journey and all of the members from Chicago, I know from first-hand experience that the music industry is a tough one. It’s a dog-eat-dog, cat-eat-cat, musician-eat-musician world out there, and only a select few manage to survive and gain a decent claim to fame. I’m sure that most of us have heard of artists such as Evanescence, Shakira, AFI, and, yes, even Britney Spears. We all know that they’re famous, but do we know how they got there? We all want to be rock stars (or most of us, anyways), but do we know what it really takes?

 

Brian Kato, the frontman of the unsigned band 8om, knows what it takes. Starting out in the music industry isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, which shows clearly as he “fondly” remembered the first few years of 8om’s existence, saying, “The first couple of years were really rough. We played a few shows for one or two people.” While many would find this kind of turnout to be utterly depressing, Kato—along with 8om’s guitarist, Ross Ryan, and the other rotating members of the band—pressed forward. “Dedication is obviously very important,” he stated. “Without dedication, a band can't go anywhere.” Unless you have all of the right contacts that can make fame easily attainable for you regardless of your talent or musical training (Hilary Duff, anyone?), dedication is a vital attribute for any artist to have. But having dedication to your art doesn’t necessarily entail giving up the rest of your life. When asked if he had a job or made his living off of 8om, Kato stated that all of the band’s members have day jobs, quipping, “Personally, I like being able to live indoors.”

 

So, dedication is key. What else is necessary for a band to run smoothly and make that flying leap to the Billboard Top 100? Band members seem to be pretty essential. One band that knows all about the necessity of band members is The Dear & Departed, newly signed and fresh off of their earth-shaking tour with AFI. This five-man team was once the three-man team of frontman Dan Under, drummer Joel Bourne, and guitarist Simon “Scraggs” O’Gorman. The addition of guitarist Darren Parkinson and bassist David Williams completed the band. When asked about some of the major obstacles in starting a new band, Parkinson responded, “It's hard to find people that are in the same boat as you and are as passionate about what you're doing as you are. That's one major step to pass when first starting a band.” Concurring, Williams stated, “The hardest thing to do is find the right people to surround yourself with, both in a writing environment and a social one. Touring is a hard experience and it forces relationships, good or bad.” Relationships are always sticky things, and, when you’re forced to spend seemingly endless hours in a bus with at least four other people, they’re bound to get stickier, just as Brian Kato said: “Without unity, life on the road is impossible.  We'd be at each other's throats in just a few days.”

 

Dedication and cohesive band members apparently are, then, very important facets of life in a band. Even if you want to be a solo artist, you have to possess a vast amount of commitment, and you’re still going to have to tour with a backup band. Well, then, with faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust, everything should be all rosy and you should quickly get a recording contract, right?

 

Wrong. Ever heard that “it’s not what you know, but who you know?” Well, take those rose-colored glasses off, because it’s true. Without an edge into the music industry, chances are that you’ll never be graced with a record deal. When there are so many millions of aspiring artists out there just dying to be heard, what makes you special enough for the “big wigs” in the music industry to pay attention to? You could be a completely unique, off-the-wall act, like a tone-deaf Chinese college student who likes to sing Ricky Martin songs rather badly (William Hung actually sold quite a few albums, y’all). You could simply be at the right place at the right time. Or you could manage to garner yourself a rather recognizable following. That would be nice, wouldn’t it?

 

How does one gather a following that’s big enough to gain any attention, though? There are several methods of advertisement that, over the years, have proved to be efficient and effective. When asked how the members of 8om manage to get the word out about their music, Brian Kato stated, “We use Myspace a lot. It's a great tool to inform people about the band, and it beats trying to beat the street handing out flyers.” Darren Parkinson had a slightly different take on promotion, advising, “Promote as much as possible, whether it be through Myspace, web pages, magazines, flyers—whatever it takes to get the word out there.” The Dear & Departed, unlike 8om, has the advantage of being signed with a record label, but they weren’t always signed, and they paid their proverbial dues when it comes to promoting. This paid off in a big way for them, landing them an opening spot on AFI’s “Love Like Winter” tour. “It's crazy how many bands want to do an AFI tour, and we got to do one,” Parkinson mused. “The fans were very responsive to us and that tour definitely helped us.” David Williams agreed with his bandmate, confidently stating, “We won’t be unheard of for long.”

 

In the eyes of many new and aspiring artists, The Dear & Departed are living a rock-'n-roll fairytale. Their debut album, scheduled to hit the shelves on May 22, is still mostly shrouded in musical mystery, yet they have already been on tour with multi-platinum band AFI and have already managed to collect a substantial following of devoted fans. Not every artist autobiography can include the same happy story, however. Many people have let the lack of a record deal force them to back out of the running completely. Brian Kato is not one of those people. When asked about the probability of 8om gaining a recording contract in the near future, he could only respond, “Record deal? I can only wish that happens sometime soon. We just focus on writing music that we can look back on and say truly comes from the heart.” In the end, that’s what truly matters.

 

So, if you are one of the millions of people world-wide who wants to be a rock star, or if you’re one of the thousands of lunatics (like me) who would stand in the ludicrous lines for your chance to audition for American Idol just so that you could get what might be your only shot at entering the music industry, know that the journey is a hard one, but also know that you are not alone in it. Stand proud and hold your head high, realizing that you’re taking the torch that so many brilliant musicians have carried before you. And, most importantly for all of you Christians out there, remember who you represent and never waver in your commitment. Final words of advice from musical guru Darren Parkinson? “Don't give up, no matter what people say, or if they don't believe. Keep doing what you're doing as long as you love it, and good things will come.”

 

If you wish to learn more about 8om and The Dear & Departed, visit Myspace Music and do a quick search. Their pages are virtual treasure troves, and I assure you that you will not be disappointed. Many thanks to Darren Parkinson, David Williams, and Brian Kato for their time and input.

 

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