Playing in a band was my dream in high school.

I wanted to be the next big, provocative thing in music.

I wanted to be Jason Newsted. But as I got older, I realized being in a band is not about “making it.”

Being in a band is about two things: having fun and sharing music with other people.

It sounds cliché, like when coaches tell you it’s only about fun, but it’s true. If you are in a band and not having fun, it’s not worth it.

Over the past few years, I have been in two bands — The Craves and Robin Parrent & The Remnants — and have experienced how much fun it can be. I also saw how miserable it can be.

Playing shows is atop my favorite things to do. There is nothing else like it.

Usually, playing a show results in pain, sweat, beer, absurd dancing and equipment problems, but that is all part of the package. You cannot have one without the other — except maybe beer, that is not a necessity.

I draw a lot of inspiration from the band the Minutemen, who lived by “jamming econo,” which is playing only the bare essentials and leaving the rest up to chance.

I go to shows and have one objective: play hard. Nothing else is planned.

I had the opportunity to interview Minutemen bassist Mike Watt and he told me that being in a band is about getting back up when you fall down.

“It’s sort of like skateboarding, you know? You can’t really talk your way out of falling down,” he said. “You have to get back up and get back on that board, and it’s kind of econo, you just need a deck and some trucks and try to develop your own style.”

That is the attitude I take whenever I walk into a musical situation: How can I challenge myself and create something new and unique? This creative process is what makes a band so fun.

As Watt said, “I think the rewards are worth it as far as giving birth to some creative (stuff).”

Getting the word out

Sharing the music can be equally as rewarding as well. But just like writing a song, it takes a ton of work.

One of the biggest problems with trying to get the word out about music is that fliers don’t carry the same weight as they did in the past. People don’t usually see a flier for a band and think, “I haven’t seen this band before, maybe I’ll check them out.”

I have found that one of the best ways to get the word out about a show is our good friend, the Internet.

Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are all valuable tools for bands. Though MySpace is less popular, it is a great substitute for a Web site, where bands can have a blog, post music, photos, etc.

I know from experience that using these tools is not enough. Word of mouth is still the primary force in getting people to come to shows. Whenever I have a show, I tell as many people as I can because you never know who might mention it to someone else.

And as a musician, I suggest you attend a few local shows. Local music needs all the help it can get, and there is nothing like dancing with a bunch of strangers on a Saturday night to the music of a local band.

E-mail the author: Michael L. Hoffman