Monday, April 14, 2008

review for michael w. dean's book '$30 music school'

If you're looking to become a rockstar overnight don't buy the $30 music school. But if you want a realistic roadmap for successfully recording and playing your music this book is the real deal.
This book has been in my consciouness for a while, enhanced by a coincidental viewing of Author Michael Dean's endearing los angeles cable access show, which tends to feature his cat! When my brother offered to buy me a book at barnes and noble for my birthday, this is the one I chose.
This book is a barebones guide to launching your diy music career. There is solid advice on recording, promoting, flyering, using the internet to get your stuff out there, and even imformative interviews with the likes of Henry Rollins and Johnathan
Richmond, among others.
One thing I like about Dean's style is his ablility to learn from his mistakes and forge on with humble tenacity. With humor and generosity, he gives numerous examples of why it's preferable to generate good vibes as a musician, as opposed to fluffing one's ego with all too common know it all a-hole-isms. His CD rom is loaded with usable templates for booking shows, keeping track of recordings, as well as examples of EPKs, and numerous songs from his past and present bands, and much much more. In an industry that is constantly changing, the $30 music school is a valuable resource that I will be earmarking, highlighting, and enjoying for years to come.
So take off your Robert Plant wig, quit lip synching to yourself in the mirror for god's sake and go buy yourself this book, and than go thank Michael and write him a review on this very site.

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