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# 10 Year Old Book Is Still Inspiring A New Generation Of D.I.Y. Musicians
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/10-year-old-book-is-still-inspiring-a-new-generation-of-diy-musicians/
- Published: 2011-05-24T11:48:00.000Z
- Updated: 2011-05-24T11:48:00.000Z
- Description: Published in 2001 – long before the internet disrupted the music industry as we knew it – the book "Our Band Could Be Your Life " provided a history lesson. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/05/10-year-old-book-is-still-inspiring-a-new-generation-of-diy-musicians.html]
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:55

[![image from www.amazon.com](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2014e88a261af970d-150wi "image from www.amazon.com")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e2014e88a261af970d-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

Published in 2001 – long before the internet disrupted the music industry as we knew it – the book **"[Our Band Could Be Your Life](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316787531/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=hypebot-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0316787531&ref=hypebot.com)**

![](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=0316787531&camp=217145&creative=399349)

" provided a history lesson of what could loosely be called punk rock by sharing the stories of a dozen bands who found a reasonable level of success without any help from major record labels. A decade later, a number of young musicians are finding inspiration and sound advice there.
  
  
"It's funny — Our Band Could Be Your Life has been out for 10 years," the books author **Michael Azerrrad** [told NPR](http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/05/23/136579205/our-band-could-be-your-life-still?ft=1&f=1106&ref=hypebot.com). "But in the past maybe three years, I haven't been able to go out to an indie rock show without someone in the audience or someone in a band walking up to me and telling me they were inspired to do what they do by reading it."

"That (book) was a really empowering thing for a young kid like me — to learn that all these supposedly legendary groups were people just like me and my friends, who were just doing their thing in their own communities with their own resources," said **Patrick Stickles**, frontman of the New Jersey punk band **Titus Andronicus**. "It made me dream of someday getting to do that."

Chicago punk band **Big Black** led by **Steve Albini** is one of the band's featured in the book. "I prided myself on the fact that my band never undertook a tour where we didn't make money," [said Albini](http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/05/23/136579205/our-band-could-be-your-life-still?ft=1&f=1106&ref=hypebot.com). "You don't get anywhere by pretending to be a big shot. You accomplish things by working within your means, and by keeping as much control of your own existence as possible."

The decade 1981-1991 covered in the book, "was the period during which the independent bands and labels got their sea legs and established a solid foundation for all of the other independent artists to work with," Albini continued. "You could have a comfortable existence completely outside of the mainstream music business."

**Purchase: [Our Band Could Be Your Life](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316787531/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=hypebot-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0316787531&ref=hypebot.com)**

![](http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=0316787531&camp=217145&creative=399349)

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