Hyland

Three quick pointers for new bands:

1. You are a Start Up Business. You are entrepreneurs. View yourself that way. All income for the first THREE years of a startup venture go BACK into the business. Do NOT expect to get paid, and do NOT take any money from shows. Put it all back into the band. And find members who get this vision. They won’t last otherwise.

2. Touring is the best way to LOSE money. Yes, touring is the dream. But you need a vehicle, you need merch, and have you seen those gas prices?! Stay home and build your local fan base. They are the only real chance you have at breaking even on your tour. (Homecoming show anyone?!)

3. Write as many songs as possible. Don’t just write 5 songs just so you can play a show and call that good. Write those 5, play that show, then write 5 more. Most bands can’t begin to find their musical identity (much less their BRAND!) until they are about 2 records in. News flash: that’s actually about 50-60 songs, only the cream of the crop make the cut on the album. Become a SONG-WRITING MACHINE. Write new tunes until your new fans react to one most. Then write a bunch more like that.

We salute you!!

-Jon

I remember the first time Hyland came to Nashville. We were invited to come play a showcase, and we routed a couple shows on the way to/from. We were driving an old ford van that we paid $1200 for, and truthfully we weren’t sure if we would make it. We lost the muffler somewhere in Indiana… The coolant lines were rusted out and we were always adding ant-freeze. It was a daily driving hope and a prayer.

When we got to Nashville we stayed on the floor of our friend Mike’s (he’s now the manager of The Museum) one bedroom apartment. We went downtown to the strip, hung out on the walking bridge, and walked all the way down to Vanderbilt without really knowing where we were going. We were just a bunch of Midwest boys freaking out about being in the city of music. We stayed up all night and just allowed ourselves to dream a little.

At the showcase, I broke a string and was horribly out of tune… All the bands were hyper competitive and the judges were sitting at a folding table 5 feet in front of the stage… Which wasn’t really a stage because it was a practice room, only the drums were on a riser. I remember it being both awkward and fairly miserable…

It’s crazy to me that I now live in this city. I’ve been to Nashville quite a bit now, but every time I go anywhere, my brain fires off memories from previous visits. Hyland has been all over the country, but there’s something special about Nashville and how my brain reacts to it.

I’m excited to see what God is going to do with us here, and so thankful for the path He’s paved that is ONLY visible when you look back.

-Jon