Around 8:30 AM on July 26, I rolled up to Merriweather Post Pavilion with a backpack stuffed full two bottles of Gatorade, two cans of Red Bull, $100 for merch and my camera. I walked in to find Fueled By Ramen’s booth, where I would be helping Metal Mike put posters up all around the venue. (I was actually greeted by A Rocket To The Moon’s videographer, Travis Zachary, because Metal had other business to attend to.) I grabbed some Sublime With Rome and The Swellers posters, and made my way towards the nearest fence, where my other street teamer and I were racing somebody else to get up our posters. The other person and I eventually ran into each other and ended up introducing ourselves. I saw that this man was putting up posters for a band called Shut Up and Deal, so I told him I would be the EIY press correspondent for the day and knew a lot about this band. After a few seconds, he introduced himself as Joe, the vocalist for SUAD, and we did a little fist bump and decided we had just become best friends. I talked with him, exchanged meet-up and set times, and we continued with our poster hanging.
With Warped Tour having such a wide variety of people, I didn’t know what to expect at the Earn It Yourself meet-up. It was hard to gauge what type of people would be there, or how many people would be there. But come 1:45, Shut Up and Deal had close to 20 kids surrounding their tent, eagerly awaiting the walk backstage to meet with Kevin Lyman. My new best friend, and SUAD vocalist, Joe, passed out orange wristbands to each person signed up to attend the meet-up, and soon herded all of us backstage.
Once we got through the gates, we were taken to a tent where another meeting was just finishing up. Kevin Lyman began the meeting by making sure everyone knew what they were there for, and explaining the philosophy of Earn It Yourself. Joe chimed in, saying, “A big part of this is to bring back what some of us remember what the music business was six or seven years ago.”
The meet-up had a few boys, but was very heavily populated by girls who all shared a fear of not being able to get into the industry because of an ongoing prejudice towards females. Of course this question came up, and Lyman told the group that regardless of your gender, you need to have a wide range of skills to make it. Lyman said if you’re going to go to a music school, a big thing you want to look at is whether the school has many internship opportunities or not, especially at events like South By Southwest or Lollapalooza. Lisa Brownlee, Warped Tour’s tour manager, agreed with Lyman and said that regardless of whether or not you go to a music school, you need to make yourself valuable to a band until they want you to work for them. An example Brownlee gave was first offer to sell merch for them, then offer to keep records, and continue until they decide they want you on the road with them. Brownlee stressed heavily that a tour manager with more skills is more likely to get a job.
Joe, Lyman, and Brownlee, continued for nearly 90 minutes, answering questions and dishing out tons of helpful hints. While asking questions, attendees of the meet-up all mentioned their ages, ranging from as young as 13 to as old as 23. One attendee even brought a sample of his band’s CD to give to Lyman.
Lyman mentioned one thing that really stuck with me, and proved itself later in the day. He said that bands that are better to their fans establish a larger fan base. While this seems obvious, it definitely meant something to hear it from someone with his foot in the door. At 7:15 when Family Force 5 went on stage, they had quite a stage presence, with a hamster ball for Soul Glow to crowd surf in and just generally fun music to be around. But as the set went on, the crowd kept getting bigger and more lively, just proving Lyman’s statement to be true. Lyman mentioned to bands he specifically liked working with right now, 3OH!3 and Paramore. Lyman said he liked them a lot because of the charity work they do specifically through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and also how long they spend with fans. Brownlee then chimed in, saying when she toured with Hey Monday she was amazed at how long they would spend outside with fans after their shows signing and taking pictures.
As the meeting finished up, I asked Kevin Lyman a few questions and wrapped up. For anyone who hasn’t attended warped yet, or missed their EIY meet-up, I highly recommend finding one near you. Not only was it helpful, but Lyman, Brownlee, and the SUAD boys all have so much insight into the industry and how to get your foot in the door.
As the meeting finished up, I ran as fast as I could back to the Nintendo 3DS stage to get back in time for The Wonder Years’ set, one of three I swore I wouldn’t miss. Just as I reached the stage, they began with “Local Man Ruins Everything.” The boys played an incredible set, and I then had a break in my sets to see, so I sat and gathered myself together. I then took a quick stop by the non-profit area and had some very nice conversations with people from To Write Love On Her Arms and the Dear Jack Foundation. If you get the chance, I definitely recommend participating in TWLOHA’s Dreams Vs. Fears project!
While I’ve never been one to take other people’s advice, hearing it from Lyman was something completely different. There were a few specific tips I know will stick with me for a long time, and I think I speak for the crowd when I say the meet-up was incredibly helpful. Be sure to stop by the meet-up when the tour is in your town, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you wouldn’t want to miss!
