New Indie True Issue December 2024

Indie True Volume One

Do you let the algorithm tell you what you should love? If that describes you, then hopefully this will challenge your thinking a little… Algorithms have provided a way to discover new things for a long time now, and that’s not a bad thing on it’s own. The issue with algorithms, is that they typically create an environment of complete sameness, or true extremes. We’ll explore this more in this issue of Indie True, along with getting to know some of the musicians in the indie space, and what they’re getting up to.

In This Issue

• Get Your Ears Dirty – Don’t Let the Algorithms Tell You What to Love
• Incredible Bands and Where to Find Them: Indie Boom Shockwave
• Artist Profile: Kian Dray – Electric Metal
• Pay to Play – Managing the Less Obvious Costs of Being an Indie Musician
• Raise a Glass to the Friends Worth Keeping

The world isn’t designed for total harmony. The world is a bit chaotic, a bit stressful. It’s not too shocking that people seek out something mundane, something that doesn’t pull them in any direction.

But We Were Meant to be Pulled…

Over the years, music has become less of an art, and more of a recipe. There used to be truly great distinctions between one artist and another, now most artists in a genre sound the exact same.

That’s because in an industry that fails so frequently, sameness is safety. Once they found a successful resonance, they kept repeating it over and over. Give society a decade or so of that, and it’s no wonder that our ears have become used to it, and they don’t go looking for anything new.

A side effect of that is the loss of connection between the artist and the audience. In my younger years, you listened to an artist because you identified with their message, now people listen to an artist because the algorithm tells them to. You don’t necessarily identify with the artist, you identify with the mathematically perfect replication of familiarity that makes you feel… nothing.

There is a golden zone though, where an up and coming artist still has a little indie flare, and hasn’t quite been commercial washed. These are the artists you hear on the radio that immediately grab your attention, and your ears perk up a little, and you think to yourself, “Wow! That’s different.”

This happens because we were meant to be pulled. Art was never meant to be sterile. This is the difference in artists that create for money and artists that create for the love of the art. The difference between an artist that tries to get you to buy a ticket, and an artist that is trying to connect with you on a human level.

Discovering Indie Music

There’s nothing wrong with generic, commercial washed music, but there’s a whole world of artists out there to discover. You won’t like all of them, and that’s okay. The only way to find out is to listen. To go around the algorithms telling your what to love, and you just have to be willing to get your ears dirty.

Indie Community Fallout

If you’ve been involved in the indie community very long, you’ll be familiar with Only the Host, and Only the Label. At one time it was a very quickly developing community of independent artists fighting the good fight to gather an audience for artists that would otherwise go unheard.

As is common with quickly growing communities, the Only the Host network experienced growing pains. The internet being the internet, there were also plenty of communication failures, and at times mismatched egos and ambitions vs. the initial altruistic vision of the project.

As a result, the community collapsed earlier this year, leaving a sizable portion of the artist community fractured.

Engagement is What You Do With It

Engagement is necessary for any artist to be successful, but there are two types of engagement. There is positive engagement, where an artist can interact with their listeners in a meaningful way that forms connections. There is negative engagement where an artists creates a lot of click bait and time wasting interaction that results in listener annoyance.

Some platforms are more conducive to one or the other depending on the type of art you create. X for example is more conducive to time wasting engagement for musicians. You pose a question that may or may not be useful to anyone and people randomly spit ball, contributing nothing to the indie community or the universe overall.

Then there are platforms like Twitch, Bandcamp, and YouTube that allow listeners to interact with an artist directly while keeping the focus of the interaction centered around the music. This is where things like the Indie Boom Shockwave enter the scene.

What is the Indie Boom Shockwave

Indie Boom Shockwave is a weekly live stream hosted by James Allen Stellar, better known as Clysmic in indie circles. James saw the need for a live stream show where artists could interact with each other and potentially with new listeners.

He wanted to go a step farther than the Indie Music Hunt from the Only the Host network and incorporate more than just YouTube. James hosts his live stream on both YouTube and Twitch, greatly expanding the potential audience as Twitch has become a popular platform for musicians over the last few years.

The Twitch platform offers a few things you can’t get anywhere else. The live chat function is ever present, but the ability of a listener to interact with the stream in unparalleled, utilizing visual reactions. There is also the ability to expand show features using loyalty points gained through subscriptions and show attendance.

James offers his unique personality as host as well. Hailing from Alaska, his property is set up with cameras that allow the viewing of his farm animals during the show, which frequently acquire community given names and personalities of their own.

James is a true indie music fan and has a love for driving the community forward. If you are an artist and interested in having your music on the show. There is a secret discord… Ask around… It’s a secret. If you are interested in finding truly new music, the show airs on Twitch and YouTube simultaneously on Tuesday evenings at 7 PM Central Time with co-hosts John Woodson and Doc Gryphon.

Disclosure: Abrasive Monologues is a supporter of the Indie Boom Shockwave. Jon Hadley, Only the Host and Mario Marino sit as admins on the discord server.

About Kian Dray

Kian Dray is a member of the Abrasive Monologues creative team, specializing in electronics and programming in the metal genre.

What got you interested in Music?

I had always gathered a very strong interest in music since I way very young. By the age of 5, I had grown interested in playing the guitar and keyboard.

When I got my first keyboard at the age of 3, and my own acoustic guitar at the age of 9, I used to record myself playing a variety of tunes I could come up with from the top of my head, which I would always listen back to.

Growing up with a very veritable selection of bands like Green Day, Lamb of God, Metallica, Korn, Slipknot, and all the other classics of the 2000s, I had already come to an understanding that that was the type of music I wanted to make when I got older.

How long have you been at it?

Well, the first time I had gotten into composing music properly was when I had begun my higher education journey at college, at the fall of 2018. I hadn’t actually had much experience with using a DAW until then, but within the first few weeks of practicing it, I had already gotten the hang of how it all worked (and I’m a very quick learner), and so that was when all of my creative juices had come pouring at at once.

Up until near the end of my second year in university (June 2022), I had continued putting my songwriting into practice using the DAWs I had to hand until I had at last felt comfortable enough to release my own work out in the wild – Sacrilege: Volume 1 being my very first album, which I’m gonna get onto in a bit. I’ve been prolific in the music game since then, arguably more so even than most other prolific artists out there, one could say.

Currently, I have 6 years of experience in music composition and production.

What Struggles Do You Face as an Artist?

My main struggle is getting a big enough reach, as is the issue with most artists in the current climate. Another struggle I have, if anything, is finding enough time to actually fully promote the work I put out there, more so the budget to do so, because a lot of methods can be pretty expensive. Furthermore, I may say, promotion can be quite risky unless you know exactly what it is you want to get from it, and how to do it in a way that doesn’t risk you getting botted to oblivion, for example.

What Does Your Album Sacrilege Mean to You?

Sacrilege, in this case, revolves around a main character I had created from the very first single I had produced and released for this storyline, Progression To Self Driven Insanity. The Vengeful One, later the Exultant One, in this storyline, had always had a particularly turbulent time growing up, with very near everybody believing everything he had stood for, and everything he had cared about, as outright ‘sacrilege’. Effectively, his beliefs and values had differed from that of the majority of the country he was raised in, in a way that could make him capable of destroying the dystopian landscape that had long since come of it. Some had even seen it as downright blasphemy. Try what they could, however, they could not bring him down. He was simply too powerful. This had caused him to completely lose faith in everything that was once good and pure by the time he had awakened in the year 2071. What I would like the audience to take from this, primarily, is that even in an increasingly insane world, with an increasingly dystopian rhetoric at that, there is a glimmer of hope that not all common sense is lost. Not all sanity is lost into the either. And I should like to think that a very big part of that lies within Project Sacrilege itself.

What Are You Budgeting?

As an independent musician, your life is a delicate balancing act. Beyond the financial concerns of studio time, equipment, and promotion, there are subtler, equally crucial areas that require your attention and planning: your time, your relationships, and your sense of self-worth. Addressing these often-overlooked aspects of your career or hobby can make the difference between burning out and thriving. Here’s some tips on how to budget these less obvious, but essential resources effectively.

Budgeting Your Time: The Minute Hand is Your Fastest Enemy

Time management is critical in the chaotic world of an independent musician. Between gigs, rehearsals, recording sessions, and promotion, your days can feel like a whirlwind. To regain control:

• The music industry is a business, and like it or not, we’re all part of the machine. Like a business, if we want to succeed and thrive, we have to set priorities and goals. We need a business plan. Having a plan in place will reduce the time investment at every step giving us more time to be our every day selves and fulfill our obligations.
• Embrace the tech. Use Google Calendar to map our your timeline for your productions before you begin.
• It’s okay to take a break. Opportunity is everywhere for collaborative work and features, but don’t forget to take some time out for yourself.
• Down time and family time should be written straight into your plan. You’re not just a product, you’re a person and people have needs that don’t include putting on a show for others.

Don’t Forget The People Who Encourage and Inspire You

The music industry is demanding, and it’s easy to let relationships fall by the wayside. That remains true no matter what level you engage on. Often the people around you are where your inspiration comes from and often they get cut out of the schedule. You have to find a healthy balance.

• Communication is key to many things in life and sharing your goals and your time line with family and friends can help manage feelings of abandonment when the studio door closes.
• Make sure the time you spend with your family and friends counts. Put your phone away and be present in the moment.
• Involve family and friends in your production. Provided they don’t think you’re nuts for wanting to be a musician, they may find it really interesting to see a different side you. When we record, we often are behind closed doors and the process is a bit mysterious.
• When the schedule says you’re done, be done. Just like any other job, you want work/life balance.

Budgeting Self-Worth: Nurturing Confidence and Resilience

Your self-worth is your most valuable internal asset. The music industry can be harsh, with constant comparisons and rejections. To preserve and grow your self-esteem:

• Take time to acknowledge and celebrate even small accomplishments. Whether it’s completing a song, booking a gig, or gaining new fans, every step forward matters.
• Surround yourself with people who provide honest yet supportive criticism. This helps you grow without tearing you down.
• Remember that your worth isn’t tied to likes, streams, or reviews. Art is subjective, and success takes time.
• Take care of your mental and physical health. Regular exercise, mindfulness practices, and pursuing non-musical hobbies can help you maintain a well-rounded sense of self.

The most recent episode of Indie Boom Shockwave was a somber one. The community said good bye to an excellent artist, solid supporter and friend to many in the community. Finding friends in the world-wide community is difficult, and when it happens, those people tend to be really great friends that stay with you forever, and grow with you as an artist and a person. Their loss is a major one and felt deeply. Rest easy Yuki.

You can watch the episode and the heartfelt goodbye here and listen to her final song, The River Flows, saying goodbye. It’s a truly beautiful work of art.

Raise a glass to the friends worth keeping…

Be Abrasive