Chances are good you’ve seen a local band perform, sometimes amateurs, sometimes pros, but you can bet that every musician puts a lot of energy into each show. Most local bands, however, can’t stay afloat and it’s not surprising why, but here are three local bands that work it: Aviatrix – Alexis (vocals), Brian (guitar), Luis (bass), Adam (drums). Aviatrix has been on SLC stages roughly once a month for a little over two years. For them, getting gigs hasn’t changed much since the beginning except now they don’t do so much cold-calling. As Aviatrix networked with other local bands, their show opportunities increased, but not all shows pay. Every month, each member of Aviatrix puts $200-$300 of their own money into the project. Despite this financial sacrifice, they are still excited to play free shows. Adam explains, “Payment is motivation only in that we’re a small, struggling act, and selling a shirt or making any kind of money helps our project move forward.” Exit Strategy – www.facebook.com/exitstrategymusic – Ash (vocals), Duncan (guitar), Austin (bass), Charlie (drums). Having been in a band before, Ash was no stranger to the local music scene when she posted
the Craigslist ad which brought Exit Strategy together. Exit Strategy consistently plays one to three times a month while also managing to integrate new members when necessary. “We have gone through a few band members,” Ash says. This doesn’t seem to slow them down though. Recently, a representative from Kilby Court contacted Ash to help them put together a charity show called Gay Rocks. Thanks to Ash’s efforts the show was a success, “We ended up with eight bands, and six poets that night. We had $1 from every ticket sale donated to the Utah Pride Center, and we ended up raising over $100.” The Whits – www.thewhitsband.com – Amy (vocals), Todd (keys), Stephen (guitar), Mike (bass), Robbie (drums). Todd says, “In the music world, nobody is going to hand you anything. You have to really want it.” The Whits really do. If you haven’t heard of them, a glance at their Facebook page (2400 likes!) alludes to how far they’ve already come in gaining a reputation in Utah. Four out of the five Whits met in the Commercial Music program at BYU and almost all of them now work in the music industry full-time, but they had the same humble beginnings as any local band – plus one awesome opportunity: opening at the Stadium of Fire last year. Amy weighs in on the five-round competition, “It was a long road, pretty involved, but worth every step and we still are in awe at
how many people really stepped up to help us…friends, family, fans. We owe them for that opportunity.”
caption: Duncan, Exit Strategy
