A Decade of Hits

      So, I found this draft from a couple years ago which I didn't publish for some reason, so I decided to publish it now. Mind you, it mentions the 10th year of Brutal Republic. This summer that I'm publishing it actually marks the 12th anniversary of the Republic.    




      Hey all. Jeremy here. Been a loooong time since I've gotten round to write on this, but I'm just in the mood to do so now.

      So I'd like to talk about the music business. Also of what being a successful musician means to me.

      This summer marked the 10th  anniversary of the Brutal Republic. I've gone through many phases of thought throughout my professional music career and learned a good deal of things. I hope and expect to learn more in the years to come, but I'd like to try my best to relay what I've learned to the young musicians  in this industry.(especially those who look to make a career out of it)


      First off, I consider myself to be a successful musician. I've "made it" so to speak. I make a living off of music alone, and I've done this since I was 18 years old. (10 years) I've accomplished this through hard work. Make no mistake about it, any musician you have ever enjoyed has worked his ass off to an extent that's  comparable to most any other profession. If you took two years of school to prepare for a degree to land  a job, remember I took two years on top of school every day with a guitar in my hands to land my job, and have been hitting the books since.
      I should fill you in on the fruits of my success; I'm broke. As I write this, I have $10 to my name. That will be gone come tomorrow as it will go into my gas tank to get me to work so I can teach guitar. Our culture allows those in poverty to still live in luxury, as I do. My bills are paid for the month and food is on the table. I've never lacked a necessity, and have never regretted my career choice.
     If you're a young up and comer in the music business, there may be some illusions to your idea of making it in this business. There are huge names in this business that have done very well for themselves. Elton John is filthy rich, so is Dee Snider. There are some huge names that are usually broke. Willy Nelson and Neil Young come to mind. The business of fame is a gamble, and the chance of getting to that casino is next to none. You may be the best player in the country, and your chances are no better. Right now the most talked about musician in the country is Miley Cyrus. For this reason, it's apparent to most musicians that talent takes a back seat to a great number of things. If you want fame, your best bet is to go on one of those get famous quick shows. (American Idol, America's Got Talent, etc.) If you make it far enough you'll get your record contract. It probably won't be a good one, but you'll get it. If that's your path to fame, you'll still have a lot of work to do to earn the respect of your peers. It's kind of like winning the lottery and then thinking you'll rub shoulders with Bill Gates. He doesn't give a shit about your  fortune, he's been earning his for a long time. The most legitimate goal of a musician is to put out the best work that you can, and if you can live comfortably doing it, it's all the better.
      There can be a lot of ugliness in this business. Shady businessmen, broken promises, broken comraderies and broken gear. There are times when you can't get everyone on the same page. Times when you can't get a gig. Times when you can't write a song, or write what you want to say in a coherent form. I've had the privilege to poor my heart out to thousands of people, to empty bars, to bars packed with drunks who aren't listening to a note I'm playing. I've had the privilege to share the stage with legends, unknowns, humble workhorses and prideful hacks. Some people have ripped me off, but even more have been far too good to me. So here's my quick black and white beginners guide to what I've learned from these experiences:
   
      1. Observe your elders. Without mine I wouldn't be half the musician I am today. If there aren't any offering to throw you a bone, seek them out. Volunteer to carry amps or wrap cables. At the very least attend shows when you can, but most of all observe.
   
      2. Check your ego at the door. Headlining doesn't mean your the better band. It means you theoretically have the better pull. If another band does, be honored to open for them. Take the stage and aim to bring the house down. Hope and expect the other band to do so as well. We're all in this together.
   
      3. Never cease the effort to improve and expand your craft. Even the best can be better. You and I are certainly no exception. Add to your material. If you can only muster up a 45 minute to an hour set, consider yourself an opening act regardless of your pull. We were an opening act for 2 years. In that span, we learned how to headline when the time came.
   
      4. Know your worth. If you think you're worth nothing, play for nothing. Otherwise, figure out your worth and stick to it and make it grow. If you play for less than your worth, you undercut the rest of your fellow musicians. You may not intend to do this, but as whole undercutting hurts the music industry. This is how cities such as Des Moines get to the point where venues aren't willing to pay your band because they can pick up any other band in the city for next to nothing.
   
      5. Answer devotion with loyalty. If someone goes out on a limb for you, vouches for you, aligns themselves to you, they have little reason to do so in this business unless they believe in what you're doing. There's little that can serve as such a compliment to your work. Understand your debt to those that give you your success in this business, no matter how great or small that success is.
   
       With those points made, I look forward to 10 more years of the Republic. Through all the struggles it has persevered, and throughout, I immensely appreciate the friends and family we've made along the way. Know that we'll never present ourselves as anything other than what we are to any of you. We'll always raise a glass with you, and we'll never dilute what the Republic has become or grows to be. For this is the closest thing to religion that I know.


Cheers,
-J

   
   

   

Pride, Loss and Illusion

Come now
For when does thou bristle
Whence a moment of a winds change?
A warm breath gasps submission
Says the commissioner:
"Take what's mine, just leave me to my illusion.
For what a fearful sight am I
Clad in my splendor, doubt and downfall."

Something Old and Something New

Been missing out on the chances to get in here and write. But here we are on a crisp December day, and the time is perfect.
So we've gotten to some new ground over the past couple weeks, as well revisited some old stomping grounds. We've made lots of great new friends, and lost one that was very dear to us.
I'll address that first. Mr. Paul Reisner, a fellow bandmate of mine from Cheap Drinks, and a brother to myself and the Republic, regrettably left us last week. He was a class A gentleman, a friend that would stand by you no matter what, and a hell of a drummer who left himself one hell of a legacy as I imagine he will end up in the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work. He will be missed greatly.
Now, we have to give a big thanks to Jennifer Taylor for bringing us for the first time, to Cedar Rapids. We were given the honorable chance to take the stage at the legendary Big Dog's. Great bands have taken that stage before us, and it seems that nothing has changed. Every band there kicked ass. Plain and simple.
Now on top of that, we revisited the House of Bricks in Des Moines for the first time in four years. It was great to be back, and we're gonna revisit again real soon.
Now, as to our new friends, we were fortunate enough to grace the stage at Big Dog's with Royal Bliss, The Isaac James Band, Violent Impact, Cur, and Armored Angel.
In Des Moines we hooked up with our pals from Half Past Dawn, and got to meet for the first time, In Troubled Times. A great Des Moines power trio. And we like them trios.
Follow the links below to check out these crazy bastards, and keep your eye out for them in your area.
We are inching closer to our EP. So close I can taste it. Hold tight.


-J
http://www.reverbnation.com/brutalrepublic



 http://www.reverbnation.com/royalbliss
http://www.reverbnation.com/isaacjames
http://www.reverbnation.com/violentintent
http://www.reverbnation.com/introubledtimes
http://www.reverbnation.com/halfpastdawn

Slowly......

but surely we are getting our EP polished up. Just to make nice with all of you that have actually been waiting for it, we're giving it away for free. So this last Saturday we got some sick bass parts laid down. As well as some banjo licks. That's right. Banjo licks. Either way, we are getting very close, so hold tight.



http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/brutalrepublic

http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/brutalrepublic

http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/brutalrepublic

Rock Night

It's been a while, so I thought I'd get on here and yap at ya. We had a great time last weekend at the Afterlife in Algona, IA. If you haven't been there yet, put it on your list of things to do. They've done a beautiful job with that place and they're bringing in some kickin acts.
The night opened up with Spenser Rahm. This cat is a phenomenal singer from the Algona area, keep your eyes out for any more bills that he's on. You won't want to miss it.
Also we got to share the stage with Cataclysmic Concoction. Great hard rock band out of Alden, IA. You can check them out here: http://www.reverbnation.com/cataclysmicconcoction.
In the meantime, we're still hitting the studio when we can. Inching ever closer to getting our EP out. Hold tight, a half ass stumble toward genius doesn't happen over night!

-J

P.S. Here's some more ear candy.
http://www.reverbnation.com/rumbleseatriot
http://www.reverbnation.com/halfpastdawn

What happened? I blacked out.

Took a break from the ole keyboard, but here I am back at it again. We've been hitting some rehearsal time in the last couple weeks, and hopefully we'll be getting back into the studio here real soon to finally pump out our EP. In the meantime, check out our reverbnation.com site and browse our video section. getting some new ones up tonight.



~J

In Yer Inbox

We have gotten our mailing list up and running, and now for global domination! If you have not subscribed to our email updates, we would implore you to do so now. As of yesterday, the subscribers all got their hands on the first studio cut of our upcoming album. Sign up before our EP comes out, and you'll be the first to get your hands on it. Why? Because we care. http://www.reverbnation.com/brutalrepublic is where the goods are. Hit the subscribe button and you will be in for the ride of your life! (matter of opinion) But please hurry. Our egos depend on it.



-KiB