Sugar + The Hi-Lows: New Music, Old Soul [Case Study]

One of my favorite things about my time in Nashville is that you don’t have to dig very deep to find great talent.  And Sugar + The Hi-Lows is a great representation of the talent and collaboration that is prevalent in the city.  Two solo singer-songwriters and regular co-writers (Trent Dabbs + Amy Stroup), have created a unique blend of ‘new music [with an] old soul.’  And that friends, is their story.

Influenced by the melodies and style of the 50’s and 60’s soulful pop, Sugar + The Hi-Lows represent that new music, old soul throughout their entire visual, creative and social brand.

Even a brief scan of the band’s online presence, you can see a common theme of colors, style, look and feel that is consistent to their throwback sound.  Their stage clothes, live photos they share, and any graphics they create for their website clearly reinforce their main story.

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Sugar + The Hi-Lows are a band that know how to communicate their story in every small detail of their career, here are a few of my favorite observations about the band:

Partnering With Similar Brands

Sugar + The Hi-Lows partnered with the Nashville Ballet to put on two nights of ‘Attitude’ a ballet featuring the music of Johnny Cash performed by Sugar + The Hi-Lows.

Visuals Follow The Songs

Too many artists create their ‘persona’ and write from that place.  Sugar + The Hi-Lows started writing songs that didn't fit either artist's solo career and formed the band around those songs.  And their styling, images, and music videos all flow out of those songs, which keeps everything very cohesive.

Content Heavy, Current Website

A current bio, information about tour dates, lots of pictures, social media links – this band does a great job with their website.  One of my favorite sections on their site is the ‘Press’ page.  Pulling quotes from larger articles, while still linking to the main article – it is clean and easily accessible.  [Side-note, always start with the most impressive quote from the most reputable, recognizable source… It’s great your mom like’s your record, let’s not share that on your website.]

 Sugar + The Hi-Lows story is new music old soul.

What’s your story?  Lets learn how to tell it together.  Email me here.

Three Things Bands Need To Stop Doing On Twitter... Immediately.

‘One size fits all’ rarely does.  And that is certainly the case with social media. 

Techniques vary because the artist and their potential fans are all different.  The way fans like to see, receive, and interact with information is as unique as the artist they follow.  Techniques vary, but there are principles that apply no matter the context when it comes to effective communication through social media.  Here are three of my top ‘no-matter-what-kind-of-artist-you-are-or-what-kind-of-fan-you’re-trying-to-reach-NEVER-do-this’ list:

1.     The Self-Indulgent Retweet.

Compliments, song lyrics, or any post mentioning your band.  Just stop.  Absolutely, interact with your fans on Twitter – that immediate connection to fans is so important.  But just retweeting the same song lyrics ten tweets in a row isn’t connecting with anyone in a unique way.  The same goes with compliments – it just makes you seem vain and self-involved.  Just say no.

2.     Only Tweeting To Promote

So many bands Twitter accounts lie dormant until they need to ask fans for money for a Kickstarter, announce a new show or share their latest single. Yes, fans want to know that information, but that is not the only reason they follow you.  They want to get to know you as people.  Twitter is about awareness and interaction.  The best rule of thumb is 50/50: 50% self-promotion, 50% talking about things NOT related to your music.  One of the things I do is help artist think through, and schedule tweets that strike the right balance of promotion and personality.

3.     Connecting Twitter To Every Other Social Media

I know it takes less time and effort to just connect Twitter to Instagram, Facebook, and every other social media platform.  But the reality is, every platform has a different type of fan and audience.  And not taking that into consideration is like not adjusting the way you speak to your girlfriend’s parents from the way you speak to your college buddies: not helpful, and not doing yourself any favors.  Who are your fans on Facebook?  How are they different than your Instagram followers?  How do your Twitter followers respond to information differently? 

Ultimately, to be the most effective communicator with social media, you need to be a student of your fans.  Are you a perpetrator of any or all three of these ‘Twitter no-no’s’? Not sure who your fans are or how to communicate with them?  Let’s change that together, email me here. 

Lorde: Showing Strength [Case Study]

I admit, I'm slightly obsessed (like the rest of the world) with Lorde.  At 17, she understands who she is as an artist, and how that translates to everything that she creates – her songs, her styling, her presence on social media, and her engagement with fans.

"I think my whole career can be boiled down to the one word I always say in meetings: strength." She told Rolling Stone in her January 2014 cover story.

Strength is her story.  You can see that thread in every aspect of her career.

Whatever your story it runs deeper than the way you present yourself as an artist.  

Lorde shows strength all the way around - following her gut: "...99 percent of the time, your gut is right, and you know what's right for you.  I know exactly what's right for my career, my art, and sometimes, even if the whole room is saying, 'Don't do that, don't do that,' you know that doing that is going to be good for you..." (Rolling Stone cover story)

Even Lorde's approach to social media shows her story of strength: sharing what she wants, when she wants on her Tumblr account.  Posting equal number of real life and live performance images on Instagram.  And calling out her airbrushed acne-free images on Twitter.

Lorde's story is strength.  

What's yours?  Lets find out together.  

Why Tell Stories?

When was the last time a fact moved you to action?

For me… never.

Facts are necessary and helpful in communication, but rarely do they move people past the point of understanding to that of engagement.

It’s the heart, emotion and convictions behind the facts that draw people in.  It’s the story.

As an independent artist your ability to support yourself is based on how many people have ‘bought in’ to the story you’re telling.

So if you’d like to make a living on your art, the question becomes, ‘how do I tell my unique story more effectively?’

Social media is not your story.  Music videos are not your story.  Album artwork is not your story.  Your songs are not even your story.  All of those elements can be wonderful tools of more persuasive communication – but they are not the story.

The most fundamental components of telling an effective story, you ask?  Understand the story you’re telling, and knowing your audience. 

What are you trying to say?  Who are you trying to reach?

The way you respond to those two questions influences everything else.  Whether you’re not sure of the story you’re telling, or want to know how to communicate your story with influence, let’s work together to cultivate a story that moves people to action.