nathan norfolkbassist:Klipspringer, multi-instrumentalist:The Candliers

Meeting likeminded musicians:

If you don't go out and see other local bands, you shouldn't expect to be in an even moderately successful local band. Once, I had a stranger introduce himself to me at a bar telling me he liked the way I dressed and that he had seen me at some shows. He wondered if I played music and what I liked. I didn't know if I should be flattered or scared. I never was In a band with the guy but now we're friends. As far as playing with people, I've usually been friends with one person and they've introduced me to everyone else.

Band practice:

Klipspringer tries to practice once a week and more if we have a show. Sometimes we will skip practice if someone has something going on. If we're going to record or play new songs, it's not unlikely to practice a few hours a day for four or five days straight.

I've been in bands that write songs at practice, and I've been in bands where someone shows up with material. I've got to admit that the “let’s jam this from the ground up” band model probably causes less arguing. If everyone is writing together, you're less likely to have confusion over a songwriter’s "artistic vision". Currently I'm in a band where I am one of two songwriters, so I'm an advocate of coming to practice with a song already written. If you're too attached to the way "your" songs should sound, it can be a real pain to cooperate with you.

Making music in Milwaukee:

I think Milwaukee is an amazing place to play music. Because the music scene is so diverse, it causes more people to pool together. It's not like there are just 100 nu-metal bands and 100 alt-country bands that all hate each other and never even perform at the same venues. Most Milwaukee bands don't fall into any genre that can be hyphenated. The only problem I see is that there are more options than there is support, you could see a different band every night for the next three months, but you would see the exact same faces in the audience. Playing out of town is still exciting because it's the only way I feel that I do get to met new people that share my interests. After you've been playing in a band for a couple years around here, you get the feeling that you know everybody. Now when I do a show I feel like it's some kind of weird family gathering.

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