For Those About to Rock: A Road Map to Being in a Band

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

This book opens by saying that if 40 doesn’t sound old to you, “you
have no right reading this book” and you should “go busy yourself
with shuffleboard of something.” So this review is jointly written by
a teenager, who is about to rock, and his mother, who thinks that 40
doesn’t sound old.

In writing this book, Dave Bidini of the Canadian rock band The
Rheostatics is both drawing “a road map to being in a band” and
writing a kind of book that didn’t exist when he was a youth.
Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, it chronicles the development and
exploits of the band over a period of 20 years.

Based on the wisdom and scars of someone who has “been there and done
that,” the book is written with practical advice in mind. It covers
naming the band, getting along with other band members, “making it”
in the industry, being on the road, recording, and marketing—all
illustrated with examples and anecdotes from Bidini’s experiences.
Kids who are in the early stages of their music careers could learn a
lot from reading this book. Bidini describes both the incredible joys of
making music in front of a receptive audience and the gritty
hand-to-mouth existence that most beginning bands live. However, much of
the terminology is specific to the music industry or is music industry
slang and the content is sufficiently dense that it will not be an easy
read for many teens.

In spite of Bidini’s admonition that the book is not meant for his
peers, it will be the people who are already embedded in the music
industry and those who have known and loved The Rheostatics who will
really enjoy this book. Over time it will stand as a useful contribution
to the documentation of Canadian music history. Highly recommended.