Social media has revolutionized the way that bands communicate with their fans. There are thousands of articles on the subject, and whole blogs entirely dedicated to give advice on marketing through social media. In my opinion, artists are becoming to reliant on social media for promotion. Beware! The Leopard has a facebook page, twitter, myspace, reverbnation, our stage, ning, etc, and it is important to get yourself out there as much as possible. But there is a danger of becoming complacent, of thinking that you only need social media to spread the word. Sure there are a few anecdotal success stories, but by and large musicians still generate most of their fans by writing good tunes and playing shows. We’ve generated some interest on social media networks, and made some valuable connections, but the vast majority of people on our email list got there by signing up at shows. We’ve found that as important as using social media for promotion is, it can also be a huge time suck that gets in the way of writing, rehearsing, and old fashioned promotion. In other words, social media is a tool of promotion, but it is not the be all and end all.

A new artist should focus on two things, music and performance. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what publicity needs to be done, particularly in cyberspace. Everyone is encouraged to make sure they have a proper website, a myspace, facebook, etc. and so many artists focus on these things before they have an album recorded (me included). Once your music is solid and you’re getting a few gigs in your hometown, then I would start worrying about publicity. It is important to have your own website, separate from your myspace, as myspace is very limited in what you can provide to your audience. Don’t forget about traditional media as well. Hit up your local college radio stations with demo copies of your tunes and ask your friends to call in and request it. Also send out copies to local zines and scene papers to have it reviewed. Make sure they know about upcoming gigs ahead of time (newspaper deadlines are important – you can’t let them know the day before the gig!) But like I said before, if you put too much effort in your publicity without having solid recordings and a solid performance, then you are wasting your time.

Wow that’s a tough question. Working part time in a record shop there’s just way too much to choose from. If I absolutely had to pick one, it would be “Quiet little voices” by We Were Promised Jetpacks. The chorus is anthemic enough, but it’s the rawness of the sound and the energy that keeps me coming back for more. Definitely worth a listen, especially on their vinyl release, if you can get it.

This track makes me want to live in Vancouver again so I could see the live performance, preferably at the Railway Club. Aaron has obviously worked hard on the arrangement because it is near perfect, the fiddle, piano, drums, guitar, they just work so well together. I really feel like I’ve been transported to an old saloon somewhere. In my opinion the vocals could come out a bit stronger in the mix, because some of the lyrics get lost in the sea of great instruments. Otherwise this is a great track, and I wish Aaron all the success he deserves.