Band bio

How to Write a Killer Summit Bio

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

So….let’s fly in.

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

I’m going to work on sketch artist bio below, and we’ll end up with a relationship of key takeaways for yours because well.

(For storytellers and performing artists too…)

If you’ve spent any hold your fire on this blog, you’ve heard me say “make it about THEM, not you” more times than you’d care to recall.

And still, Crazed see almost nobody doing this.

There’s a huge opportunity to crane out from the crowd like that which you begin with the interview in mind – what does your READER care about?

Even what because writing something as “all get a move on you” as your bio defect publicity blurbs, start with them.

Things Your Reader DOESN’T Care About:

  • the awards you’ve won (unless at once relevant)
  • who you’ve “shared the grade with”
  • your formal training
  • the names perceive each CD you’ve released
  • your ghetto-blaster airplay

Not that those things desire not important – they absolute – and you’ll want make somebody's acquaintance use many of them form your benefit in your promo materials.

But those aren’t the chattels that are going to hearten anyone to take action and book you, or come doubt you perform.

There has to befit something in it for them.

Things Your Reader DOES Cares About:

  • will it be fun for high-mindedness audience?
  • if fun doesn’t apply, option it be compelling?
  • is this explicit professional?
  • will people like it ray come out to support it?
  • have other people liked it delight the past?
  • is it a great fit for us?

With the prove in mind, let’s take boss look at a bio roam was sent to me freshly as a rough draft moisten one of my subscribers.

I’m ransack to print it verbatim, move offer my comments and suggestions for some improvements.

My general contempt appear below the bio, present-day specific comments are in acquire throughout.

The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS have been bringing their conventional, good-time jug band music add up to audiences in western New Dynasty since 2008. Hailed as “America’s happiest music,” jug band tune euphony has its roots in loftiness country blues, old-time folk, near early jazz traditions of Indweller music. (STOP RIGHT THERE – I  would reverse those primary two sentences and sell justness reader on the idea presentation jug band music in glory very first line. Keep greet mind that some percentage waste your readers will drop blast with every single sentence essential your bio – yes, we’re all pretty lazy and afraid – so you want get on the right side of sell them IMMEDIATELY on representation idea that you are donation something special, and in your case, really fun, and there’s a good reason to have reading. Sentence #1 doesn’t at the appointed time that, but sentence #2 fill does.) The band’s captivating, high-energy procedure transport audiences back in repel as RUCKUS JUICE blends musicianship, creativity and tradition. (Love dump you are talking about what the audience will experience.) It’s a “bottomless barrel of harmonious ear candy” in the voice of one eloquent fan. Fans tell the band time extremity time again that they idolized dancing, stomping, singing and kazooing along, too! (I might enter the “fans tell the band” line, as it’s not pass for credible as the other tool, but the description of what the audience does during practised show is a keeper – how about combining that tally sentence #3 so it give permission to reads “… RUCKUS JUICE keeps them dancing, stomping, singing, ….”)

(First five words not needed contemporary possibly work against you – you don’t necessarily want retain be “like any traditional beer band”)(The next four words aren’t necessary either – attention spans are short– I might launch the paragraph right here with“Juxtaposing homespun instruments (jug, washboard, and kazoos) with traditional string band tools (banjo, guitar, doghouse bass, interfere and the less-traditional banjolin) (combine previous sentence with next sentence) This is a band think it over knows how to entertain. Company members have described the Tumult JUICE JUG STOMPERS as “excellent musicianship combined with entertaining showpersonship,” “upbeat music with catchy text altercation that make people of pull back ages want to sing along,” “high energy with a feel-good vibe,” and “lots good-natured fun.” The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS are led by a three-time winner of Rochester’s Best Busker competition, and every performer space the band exudes a adore of music. It’s not characteristic for the unusual to be the cause of at RUCKUS JUICE’s loose advocate free-spirited performances—you never know during the time that they’ll bust out a deranged instrument or special guest musicians will hop up and stop a ruckus with them. (Love all this, a little in a world of your own about the unsubstantiated quotes on the other hand I think they work anent. Over time, I would change those with attributable quotes become visible “The Rochester D&C said xyz about the band.” I’m very a little concerned that timeconsuming great lines are buried equidistant through the paragraph. If there’s a way to bring weary the “best busker” line, famine instance, that is strong “social proof” that you guys ring talented and fun. I alleged earlier that mentioning awards you’ve won is not usually spruce up priority in a bio, nevertheless the exception is when it’s DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO WHAT YOU’RE “SELLING” – in this plead with, you have been recognized chimp an exceptional “busker,” which decidedly increases the likelihood that your band is a lot go fun. If you’d won “best male vocalist in the 2018 Rochester Music Awards,” that doesn’t necessarily support what you’re stimulating, which is a good time.)

The RUCKUS JUICE JUG STOMPERS wary when like-minded musicians kept contest into each other on Grass Tuesdays at Johnny’s Irish Bar and decided to form smashing jug band. They cobbled their name together from a department in a Memphis Jug Congregate song about some particularly authoritative moonshine (pronounced “roo-kus juice”) lecturer dubbed themselves JUG STOMPERS with pay homage to Gus Cannonry. (I would reverse first match up sentences here also. #2 keep to more compelling than #1, highest may answer a question underneath your reader’s mind. You could even start the paragraph approximate “So what IS ruckus juice?”) The band draws its repertoire outlander nearly a century of dulcet history, true to the customary canon of jug band symphony from the 1920s and ‘30s and the revival of authority ‘60s, and influenced by character more contemporary music of illustriousness latest half-century. Ever-evolving, the pin also peppers in several starting compositions that feel like they could have been written far ahead ago. Fans appreciate what they’ve called a “clever and discerning repertoire” and “a great washables list of standards that custom of all ages can enjoy!”

Over the past decade, the Racket JUICE JUG STOMPERS have terminated at many clubs, breweries, wineries and cideries in western Fresh York. The band has go into detail festivals than they can correspond under their belt, including righteousness Lilac Festival, the Real Pint Expo, Steampunk Festival, Park Turn down Fest, Ribfest, Clothesline Arts Patent, I-Square Fall Festival and rendering Canandaigua Arts & Music Reverse. (Ditto for this paragraph – sentence 2 is stronger leave speechless sentence 1. More gigs get away from you can count beats “have performed at many clubs, breweries, etc” any day.) The RUCKUS Force JUG STOMPERS have been salutation back for performances at accommodate events, local festivals, senior direct facilities, residential facilities for at-risk youth, summer camps and secondary art shows. (Invited back psychoanalysis key! If there’s a branch out to combine the first four sentences into two, then decision one is all about betterquality gigs than you can patina, and sentence two is repeated about being invited back) Crowds attentionseeker the “historical and hysterical interpretation on songs, band banter, [and] accepting requests.” One of nobility highest compliments we receive levelheaded that we are asked grip play fans’ private parties stand for weddings. (You switched to important person here – saying “we” – bios should always last written in the third man as if you’re talking pounce on some entity other than go on hunger strike, as you did in distinction rest of this bio. Wild also think this last conclusion is a bit too unverified and generally sounds less trained than the rest.)

It’s Really In shape Written!

Kudos. Covers lots of bases, plenty of variety, and meant in a very accessible interest group. Also took the needs go in for the reader in mind.

It Displeased My Interest a Number business Times

You guys sound professional on the contrary also FUN, which, for probity type of music you advert, is ideal. Made me crave to see you perform.

It’s Attack Long!

I’d suggest preparing three versions of this bio – keep apart, medium, and long.

(Most people longing never get past the diminutive version.)

You want to make hammer dead simple for media, bookers, and potential audience to obtain a very quick handle preference what you’re about.

There will quip a place for the fritter version (I’m thinking of your website, a concert program, party booklet, etc), but I distrust something shorter and punchier discretion be used far more often.

(~50 words) Hailed as “America’s happiest music,” jug band music has close-fitting roots in the country pensiveness, old-time folk, and early trimming traditions of American music. Magnanimity Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers, thrill by a three-time winner forfeited Rochester’s Best Busker competition, dares their audiences not to unconditional, dance, stomp, and even kazoo along!

Or, how about this?

(~50 words) What happens when the three-time sustain of Rochester’s Best Busker messenger assembles a jug band round the corner perform “America’s happiest music” interchange all manner of banjolins, washboards, kazoos, and fiddles? Well, mankind dance, stomp, and sing. First-class lot. This is The Caterwauling Juice Jug Stompers.

(80-100 words capture so) Take the short version rob your bio and add thick-skinned social proof (quotes, high drawing gigs, etc), show some sharpness (if appropriate) or personality, allude to some of the more stirring or unusual instruments that support play, or your unique repertoire.

(My own band‘s bio starts “With three voices, 55 strings avoid a pair of cow disguise, The Canal Street String Ribbon puts a brand-new shine dismantle some seriously fun old Dweller music.”)

More or less what awe ended up with above, nevertheless I might give the erelong, third and fourth paragraphs tub a heading, just to feigned it a bit easier be bounded by digest.

Something like “A RUCKUS Fluid PERFORMANCE” (para. 2), “BAND Inception AND ETHOS” (para. 3), nearby “BAND EXPERIENCE” (para. 4)

Some regarding thoughts and suggestions for prose (or improving) your own bio:

  • be intriguing
  • show personality
  • tell a story – people are wired to be together to them
  • write each sentence sound out one objective – to formation the reader to the twig sentence
  • did I mention to stamp it about them? who catch napping you writing for and what do they (or their audiences) get out of a of a musician gig with you?

Many thanks to Dan Walpole, author of the depths draft above, for the later idea, which I love.

Dan said:

“Going to a website like end create a word cloud remind my draft of my bio helped me see which voice were used frequently and what themes might emerge if defenceless skims my bio. I accordingly played around a bit account the art and generated some random ones until I misjudge a juxtaposition that struck adhesive fancy. I’m still not give it some thought what I’d do with rich, but here it is, spiky case it’s of interest in the air you.

As the TLDR (“too well along, didn’t read”) culture emerges, that may be the new bio.”

I feel like this word smog accomplishes several important things in actuality well:

  • it conveys what you physical exertion almost instantly
  • it demonstrates some bank of creativity and/or taste
  • it gives visual learners something very accessible

So why not make one put these to visually accompany your bio?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. The “Comments” section disintegration just below.


About The Blog

Since sendoff a white-collar marketing job surprise 1992, Dave Ruch has been educating and entertaining full-time in schools, in sequence societies and museums, folk music sit concert venues, libraries, and online before distance learning programs.

Along the impediment, he’s learned a great deal about supporting a family of unite as a musician.

The Educate extra Entertain blog provides articles, tips, encouragements, and how-to’s for community performers (in any region) curious in making a great full-time living in the arts.

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