Usually

When a man is hungry, he eats. But occasionally a man needs something more, something more than just a casual snack or “lite bite”, he needs only one thing, and that my friends, is a SUBWAY.

Subway Tip #1:

First, choose your bread. You want something fresh and tasty, none of this dry, baked-5-hours ago nonsense, for this is the platform on which your entire Sub rests, so choose wisely, and go forth.

Subway Tip #2:

Do not touch the Promotional Sub. Steer clear of the special offer short time only Subway, they will lead you astray and ruin your day. They are the untried and untested and should be avoided with caution, except the Reggae Reggae sauce Sub, that may be consumed.

Subway Tip #3:

Never underestimate the power of “Double Cheese”. Extra cheese can be the glue that holds your Sub together, not just some sort of random condiment. Think it through and be wise; if you’re going to have Swiss cheese on your Sub, then you’ll have to match the contents accordingly, go for the meatball or the tuna with Swiss to enhance the structural performance of your sandwich. Cheddar is reserved for the Chicken and Bacon ranch.

Subway Tip #4:

ALWAYS TOAST IT!

Subway Tip #5:

The Subway Melt shall be held far above any other Sub, for it has bacon in it.

Subway Tip #6:

The Veggie Delight is not edible. Period.

Subway Tip #7:

The Sauce can make a Sub. It can also ruin it completely, for instance confusing Chili Sauce with BBQ can spoil it instantly, bad times. The Sauce is the icing on the cake, the snow on the summit, the awesome-maker, and the choice can be a hard one. Southwest and Ranch are good choices, but don’t mix with the Teriyaki or the Marinara. Lite mayo is always a winner,

Subway Tip #8:

Egg and Sausage Breakfast Subs are a sinful, and to eat one is heresy.

Subway Tip #9:

Always get a cookie.

Happy Subbing,

Ben.

Usually

I wrote a few weeks back

that I was going to write a post about some things I'd gained from lectures I attended by Steve Lawson and Mike McNally. I think the reason I was so excited after hearing from and meeting them was that they summarised a lot of things I'd been thinking about for a while. Things I'd been trying to do. Steve showed me how possible it is to be really independent and just make the music that you want to without trying to conform to the musical Zeitgeist. As for Mike it was more to do with the whole Do It Together thing.

I'm not the best at articulating myself succinctly and I'm easily side-tracked (this article on music marketing has just been particularly diverting) so please bear with me if you can.

What have I learned?

• Fans come first.

Being an independent musician you're looking to make money from selling a small number of records, merch and tickets to a hardcore fanbase. You should own all your own copyrights so this is possible. If you do it right, you could break even before you even release the work. Marillion demonstrate this pretty well. Email addresses are gold. Reward loyalty. Communication with your fans is a two way street (you can comment at the end of this post, so why not let us know what you think?)

• Be accessible.

You've gotta take your web and social networking presence seriously. Make it search engine optimised. Make it easily visible for the disabled and easily viewable in all browsers. Make your website easy to navigate. Use RSS.

• Be interesting.

Well I may not be all that interesting...I don't know because you readers out there haven't told me yet...maybe you're falling asleep! Anyway, I do try my best to be interesting but I'm more about being real, honest and doing things with transparency. Hopefully by doing those things the "interesting" will come naturally.

• Be viral.

Videos, mp3's, ringtones, wallpapers. You know what I mean. Word of mouth is the best marketing ever. FACT.

• Be amazing live.

If you're shit you've got no chance. Same goes for your tunes. Having a good live show is so important because it's where fans are won and lost. It's also an opportunity to meet fans, interact and sell your wares.

• A band is a brand with a product.

I hate the whole notion of this, but all the hating in the world doesn't make it less true. Make your art, but be aware of these things. Market appropriately.

• No one needs a major label deal.

The only thing majors are good for these days is worldwide marketing. They can make you a star overnight but where's the satisfaction in that? I want to do things my way, put in the hard yards and be satisfied with what I've achieved at the end. I'll also be better off financially.

• You don't have to do everything yourself.

Build a small, dedicated team. Delegate. Reward. Incentivise. Work together. If you need someone's help, see if you can do something that benefits them too. It's not rocket science. The whole Polyphonic, Terry McBride, Nettwerk thing seems to be an ideal way forward. In fact, I think it's the dog's bollocks and I look forward to seeing how it works out. Terry, if you're reading, sign me up.


So, yeah. In a nutshell that's what I think we have to do and what we're trying to.

Sound good?

Smashing, I'm off to bed to dream up some stuff.

Love and that,
Charlie.

P.S. I rather like this video and this song. Thanks again MTV 2. Plus, I'm going to do a long long long over due Spotifriday playlist this week. Promise.



P.P.S. Go on, have a gander at The Cribs new video too. I fucking love them. I love Johnny Marr-Jarman. Can't wait to see them in December.

I wrote a few weeks back

Listen again to our 1st time on the BBC!

BBC 6 Introducing Radio Play and Comment 1 by ArcadyBliss

I'd just like to point out that although the biography he said at the end was very much centred around me, Arcady Bliss is a band of four people. It is truly the sum of its parts and more. We're a team and we couldn't do it without everyone who helps along the way, especially our fans, families and friends.

Thanks for helping us make another small step.

Charlie.

Listen again to our 1st time on the BBC!

BBC 6 MUSIC TONIGHT

Tune in to BBC 6 Music @ midnight tonight to hear "Feeling The Glow" on Tom Robinson's BBC Introducing: Fresh On The Net show.

You can listen:

• Live on the good old interweb.
• on Sky channel 0120
• on Freeview & Freesat channel 707
• on Tiscali TV channel 632
• or UPC Ireland channel 912
  
• or Virgin Media channel 909
• or DAB Radio (12B)

(Who says Wikipedia isn't informative, eh?)

Also, if you love us as much as we love you (which is lots) please email a quick note to introducing.6music@bbc.co.uk or send a text to 64046 just to let Tom know that you thought we were better than most of the drivel that's on the radio these days and he should play us again. It'll take you 2 minutes tops and would, in the parlance of x-factor, mean the world to us :-)

Oh no I can't believe I just used that phrase. I'm off to wash my mouth out with soap...

Charlie.

BBC 6 MUSIC TONIGHT

Russell Lissack

This is just a quick post to say that you should go and listen to this 15 minute radio programme from the series Joan Armatrading's Favourite Guitarists.

This episode from the series focuses on Russell Lissack from Bloc Party who I've met briefly on a couple of occasions before and after gigs. Not only is he a most charming, shy chap but he's also responsible for my modest collection of guitar pedals and my fascination with them. Bloc Party are one of my favourite bands, I've seen them live about 5 times and when I really think about it they are one of few bands that never ceases to blow me away live; spine-tingling, euphoric moments a-plenty.

Russell was a true inspiration to my friends and I when we started up our first band, and the first two Bloc Party albums, especially Silent Alarm, will always hold a special place in my heart.

Just go and listen to the show, hear a very rare interview with Russell and wonder at the magic of his guitar work.

Love and that,
Charlie.

Russell Lissack