Guitarist and vocalist Charlie Leduc of Canadian death metallers Deformatory takes over this installment of Music and Money with practical tips for people who are goal-oriented about their music. I don't know if I would ever have the dedication to wake up at 5 am to work on band promotion, but Charlie and I do share a penchant for lists.... Read on to learn how he shares his brutal death metal with the masses!
Tell our readers all about your band! Where are you from and when did you get started? What is your music like?
DEFORMATORY has been forged in the frost of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Forming officially in 2011, we’re a death metal band that barrels down the track, veering slightly into the technical and brutal realm, often compared to old school Cryptopsy and Origin.
What are your goals for your band?
Our goal is to write and release as much music as we possibly can, while organically pushing our own creative boundaries in the process.
What do you do for a living? I’m the C.O.O. of an international indoor environmental consulting firm.
How do you balance your work and personal life with the band?
Regularly scheduled, weekly rehearsals.
Dedicating early mornings (5AM to 7AM) to band related deliverables (i.e, graphics, videos, etc.)
Prioritizing and dividing band-related tasks amongst members.
Being passionate about both work and personal life interests.
Numbered lists.
What do you consider to be the best investment you've made, music-wise?
Time. It’s the most overlooked and costly investment. It takes time to learn, create, refine and publish. It’s the one thing that will always get you that ROI.
Leduc and drummer Neil Grandy
What's the worst or least helpful thing you've ever spent money on as a musician/band?
Embroidered shirts to wear as stage gear. Not sure who had the idea, but I can take a guess. It was costly for what it was and was by far, the lamest shit we ever did. [...]
What kind of merch sells the best for your band? And what do you purchase most often as a music listener?
For a band of our size and niche, shirts and CDs are very reliable merchandise items. For me, CDs and vinyls are often what I will buy. I still love going through the booklet and art package behind the music. I see it as the totality of that band’s creative process.
Can you share some tour budgeting tips? Boy Scout rules apply: Plan ahead, be prepared, leave it cleaner than you found it, and use up what you already have at your disposal. Which online music or social media platforms are most helpful to your band? The only ones we utilize are Facebook, Instagram and YouTube; all of which have their purpose in helping us deliver the band’s message, music and mania.
What does "making it" mean to you, and what do you think a band needs to make it in 2022?
I think “making it” is all relative to goals you have as a band. For some, touring the world & making bank is their metric for having “made it” while others it’s getting some air play on a local, University radio show. “Making it” to me means achieving the goals you have set out to accomplish, and all a band needs in order to do that is a passionate dedication to their art.
Find all Deformatory's links here and listen to their most recent album below!
Interview courtesy of Asher Media.
To learn more about budgeting, band finances, and more, order Money Hacks for Metalheads and Old Millennials in paperback and ebook formats: https://amzn.to/3lCsFdq
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