Hello my bandmates, things have been crazy busy in our world here so I apologize for being a little absent. (At least I’m not subjecting you to my absent-mindedness, heh.) I’ve been researching different methods to distribute your music, so watch for the post about online music distribution next week. This week, I’m going to add my voice to the spirit of Thanksgiving and mention why giving thanks can help minimize your band drama.

It’s simple really, every band is a collection of mates with different personalities and talents. The drummer keeps the beat, the guitarists add flavor, the keyboardist fills out the tune and the singer brings it to life. People, though, aren’t always the best at working together. Enter the nefarious “Band Drama.” (Drum roll, please!)

Band drama is a band killer, because when tempers flare and misunderstandings happen — it gets in the way of your music. While there are lots of reasons why band drama can happen, the band drama I’ve witnessed usually comes down to one, sordid point: someone either takes credit for something they didn’t do OR they neglect to give credit when other people were involved. Singers who take all the credit for a song, for example, can really irk the rest of their band. Or how about former leads who tell tall tales about where they really got their start as a musician?

Heartache, hurt feelings and bad business decisions can all be avoided by simply sucking it up and giving credit where credit is due. Credit is your way of saying “thanks” for all their hard work without getting all cheesy and overly emotional. It’s a professional FREE way of recognizing someone’s contribution to your band and your music, and it’s also a great “team builder.”

How can proper credit help minimize band drama? Simple, my peeps. It sets you up as a professional that other musicians will want to work with. If, for whatever reason, your band needs a new drummer or guitarist, word will get around that you give credit where credit is due. Maybe your keyboardist is a poet at heart and wants to contribute to the lyrics or maybe your lead singer wants to take a turn playing a lead guitar solo. By tuning into your bandmates, your music will be stronger as a result.

I hope that you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend. For those of you that are working afterward, may all your customers and fellow employees be in a spectacularly good mood. My best wishes go out to you.

Who can you give credit to this Thanksgiving holiday? Are there any musicians that inspire you to play?