Please tell our readers who you are and what you do?
My name is Jake Rogers, and I play the keyboard/synthesizer in a Dumpster-Pop Rock group called Violent Bear in Kansas City Missouri
How would you describe your style and genre?
We're like a really fun dancy, folkish, foot-stomping, precious, heart breaking belly laugh you only share once a decade with your best friend.
Who are your biggest idols ever? Dead or alive, musician or non-musician.
Prince. Bowie. Brave, trail blazing women.
What was the biggest mistake you made when you started making music and what would be the number one tip you could give to a newcomer musician?
Take your self seriously. You can have a goofy attitude behind your instrument but be honest with yourself and value your time. Oh, and equally important -seek like mindedness in those things from your counterparts.
How do you get gigs? Can you share any tips?
Persistence and intelegently marketing your self. It's no secret that it's quite a feat to craft a way to stand out from the crowd.. at any level anymore.. so being creative and showing that you are willing to work hard and bring bodies through the door goes along way in a busy, congested local music scene. But the scene is there and very alive. Though the chance to really break in can seem pretty elusive
What has been your biggest challenge right now? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Apprehending the attention of the right people at the right time is and will always be an outstanding challenge. Almost every city across this country or like, even worldwide now, is so inundated with talent and the ability to share those talents so effortlessly {a beautiful thing} that it would really would be pretty unfair to expect anyone to have the capacity/time to pay full attention to you and your project as you fleetingly breeze across their desk.. or sometimes even right under their noses. So.. making sure you're pulling out all the stops -and then some, to steal hearts of your fans again and again, is key. Really is..
How do you promote yourself? Do you have any specific promotion tips for other musicians?
Social media, pull the trigger on cool merch, and business cards. Set up free bees but also charge for the RBI ha your proud of. Be smart about that, keep a focus on the image your cultivating for yourself and the project. Asking for money for well made mech or music isn't a bad thing.
We meet again in one year. What has happened?
We've met enough bands to put together a DIY nation wide tour and we are in the middle of it.. somewhere in California, and every one is very well balanced in their journeys, yourself included.
http://www.facebook.com/violentbear
http://www.facebook.com/violentbear