Duke Dudes!! can I please have some advice!

[Jacqueline]

Hey Duke dudes!!

I absolutely adore your music!! I think your music and lyric writings are just so artistic!!
i was wondering and hoping that you could give me some much much needed advice!
I'm 17 and i write alot of poetry, short stories and lyrics! I love to sing but I'm scared of singing infront of people incase I'm extremly bad. Anyway I love writing lyrics and singing the songs because its a completely different art form! I was wondering if you could tell me how to get my lyrics published or how did you get into the industry??
I find that your music is deeply inspiring and meaningful, peter your voice rules!
It would be great and unbelivable if you reply with some duke wisdom!!!

ps i missed duke box at belsonic in august!!! which really made me upset!!! lol :)

lots of love
jackie!!!!!!!! xoxoxo

[banjaxed555]

Don't know if this hepls but, I used to be the same. What I found best was performing in front of complete strangers so that way, good or bad, I knew I'd never see again!!;)

[thesneakybandit]

I know I'm not in Duke Special but thought I'd reply anyway. I played a lot of gigs when I was younger, a couple of them alongside people who went on to bigger and better things. Lyircally I was average, vocally poor but people seemed to get some sort of enjoyment out of what I was doing and so I kept on going. As long as I was enjoying it and other people were enjoying it that was all that mattered. When the day finally came that I didn't enjoy it anymore I stopped.

In all the years I played shows around Northern Ireland I never once got paid. None of us on that scene ever did. You have to be prepared to give your art away... a lot! I still work in the music industry and there's still very little money to be made from any of it. If you decide to get out there and do gigs you'll find yourself playing countless open mic nights, church halls, village fétes etc before anyone will ever consider giving you a paid gig. That's how it works for everyone unless you want to try your luck over on X-Factor.

That's not to say I'm trying to put you off, completely the opposite actually, I would say get out there and get the experience of playing in front of people. I rarely played in front of friends either much like banjaxed there. It always annoyed me that they would be so sycophantic with their praise even when I knew I'd played a dreadful gig. Get out of your comfort zone a little and earn the praise of people who know their stuff. It's far more rewarding.

OK I've rambled on for long enough. I've no idea how to get lyrics published as I've never considered my writing to be good enough. You can use Google to find out all sorts of information about copyrighting your material or contact NIMIC... and don't worry about not being a great singer. It worked for Bob Dylan!!

[Jacqueline]

Thankx dudes! ;)

I might try to go somewhere ages away from where I am and do that but i have absolutly no confidence in my singing and lyrics!!!
I don't think i would go near the x factor and embrass myself that much!! simon would want to cry if he heard me lol!! :D
I really appreciate you both replying to my request and i loved the ramballing but understood everything you wrote and i rambel on alot too soo don't feel silly lol!!!
I'm still gonna try a get out there and build my confidence and it sounds silly but your replies have built my confidence a llittle extra!!

sooo cheesie!!!! :L

jackie xoxo

[banjaxed555]

cool! glad we could help!!

[Erik the Swede]

Hello Jacqueline

I'm not into creating music my self but I consume a lot of it, I often see two gigs a week and I found a lot of my new favorite artists on MySpace small as well as big. That's actually how I first got in contact with Duke Special. Guessing I'm not unique MySpace is a great way of presenting your self and your stuff.

One of my friends who have like 200 friends on her MySpace added a music festival in Sweden on MySpace just because she was going to go there and listen to music. Well that was her thought. After some days the festival contacted her and asked if she wanted to play on the festival because the organizer liked what he heard on MySpace. As she lacked experience of performing under circumstances even close to a festival she gathered 46 of her friends in a living room and gave a smashing rehearsal gig. A true story and the only down side was that the festival gig was at the same day as Dukebox...

[Guildford Ghost]

Erik! Did the camera get sorted from the Belfast water incident?