Issue 19: Jamie Danish of KickBoy
Welcome to The Band Bible! I’m truly glad to have you here. If you’re a new reader, purpose of this newsletter is to address, break down, and shine a light on the business of being in a band. Each issue, we do this by interviewing (and celebrating!) someone who is making waves through their incredible work with or for independent artists. Sometimes, we interview independent artists themselves. Learning the business of being in a band is something that is often inaccessible or shrouded in mystery, and it shouldn’t be, so I hope The Band Bible is able to play even a small role in helping to change that.
Well, hi again! The Band Bible is back for the first time in a long time (IYKYK), and it’s a pleasure to make the return with Jamie Danish of KickBoy as the interviewee. I came across KickBoy on Instagram when looking for bands to book, and all it took was listening to a snippet of “Portland from Streetview” to know that I had to reach out to them. When the day of the gig rolled around, I learned that KickBoy are not only wonderful performers, but wonderful people. Their music is creative and fun, and they’re a joy to work with.
KickBoy hit a notable milestone last week when their debut EP, Ick Boy, was released. Here, Jamie discusses the EP as well as building community around the band, the importance of planning, how their current tour came together, and more. As a quick note to you, reader, the interview was conducted prior to Ick Boy’s release. Read on and enjoy.
In light of the EP you have on the way, what advice would you give to bands who are about to embark on their first big recording process together?
Be super prepared, plan shit out and give yourself looooaaaads of time to get to release day. Like months and months. Everything takes way longer than you think, especially if you're holding down a 9-5 / multiple jobs.
Like you wouldn't know for example that most publishers if you're submitting to Spotify usually ask for a good 4 weeks between uploading and release day. Then there's allowing time to pitch to curators as well if you want to get on to editorial playlists. The whole thing is a minefield.
Planning stuff out for promotion like your release show also needs months of lead time if you want a good slot etc. There's just a lot to think about so trying to rush it would be super stressful, just take it easy and slow.
What's the secret to making KickBoy work?
KickBoy is essentially my project, but as we've been picking up more shows and released music as a band I've realised it's just impossible to do everything on your own. More recently I've definitely been leaning more on the band and friends to help out with everything: making merch, artwork, making music videos, photography, social media, booking shows, gaining promotion.
So I guess the secret is just to reach out to your friends - people are super willing to help and I guess everyone wants a creative outlet. It's not like you can pay professionals to help because if you're performing as an unsigned band you're not making any money.
At the time of writing, you've got a string of tour dates coming up this month. What was the process of integrating those dates into all of your existing schedules like?
It just took a loooot of planning. We got super lucky in that a friend of ours now works as a tour manager for small bands - he's building his portfolio so wanted to get us to Europe which is amazing; "I Found What I've Been Looking For" is his company name.
We've been chatting about it since November last year so we all just agreed as a band to keep a whole month free in the Summer so we could go crazy with booking as many shows as we could. It worked out great, we're playing a show on average 1/3 days in May which is bonkers and not something we could've done otherwise.
Is there anything you wish the industry better understood about what it's like to be an independent artist?
I have no idea. There are things I wish I knew better as an artist, like how to get a manager or a label to back you.
Maybe from the promoter's side, understanding that bands don't want to bombard their following with ticket links every day of the week - it should be a split between the promoter and the band. I think promoters being clear from the outset in terms of how much 'sales work' they're expecting from the bands would really help everyone here. It's just there are some real awful ones out there who will base your position on the bill on how many sales you make, basically pitting the lineup against each other. It's a load of nonsense and leads to a really toxic and capitalistic approach to putting shows on. Other bands who have worked with these promoters will know exactly who I'm referring to. Performing's supposed to be the fun bit, so don't ruin it!
In terms of what bands can do to avoid these people, just see which other shows they've put on before if you haven't heard of them. Chat to the bands the booked. Did they have a good experience? Or was the whole 5-band lineup forced to soundcheck in under an hour?! (I might be venting now)
Lastly, which "commandment" would you like to leave behind in The Band Bible?
If you're planning to release a track you've mixed yourself, get a pro or someone else who mixes to listen first.
Send your final mix to get mastered by Pete Maher. He's worked with like everyone in the music industry and gives insanely cheap rates for unsigned bands. Truly a legendary bloke.
A huge thanks to Jamie for taking the time to share such thoughtful answers. To learn more about KickBoy and keep track of all they’re up to, click here to view their Linktree.