Gianni Sarmiento aka Crocodile

Gianni Sarmiento ~ Crocodile

Hello there, Amused Now reader. I am Gianni Sarmiento, also known as Crocodile. I have been playing music since I was just five years old, and I have continued for the last seventeen years.

My dad used to play in a band, and I guess I fell in love with the idea. I never really took any classes. I was mostly self-taught with a bit of help from my family. Since my dad was in a band, it provided the perfect environment for learning.

Although I started playing in bands in middle school, nothing serious ever transpired until high school, when a friend and I started our first real band, FSL. I learned pretty much everything I know now while playing with them. Once that disbanded, I started recording on my own, something I had always wanted to do. That’s how Crocodile came to be.

My latest endeavor has seen me releasing my EP Crocodile Vs. The Mutant Alligators From Space. It’s also gotten me to experiment with a public relations (PR) company for the first time and to launch a Kickstarter to fund the project. Beyond social media, I think these are two things any up-and-coming musician should look into: a PR company and a Kickstarter campaign.

Crocodile album cover

If you have the goods to back it up (and by goods I mean good material), PR is a wonderful thing. How do you think I got this guest spot?The PR campaign has just started for me, but it’s going well so far and I’ve already gotten a few hits. When the single came out, it got more listens than pretty much anything else I’ve ever released. This is an exciting time for us right now, even though we don’t know exactly where things are headed. The biggest problem I see most bands having with PR companies, apart from maybe music that isn’t strong enough, is money. This brings me to my next point- launching a Kickstarter.

Everyone knows about Kickstarter by now, that little website where you ask for donations from friends, family and fans and, in return, give them something personal. No money is exchanged until the deadline, and only if the monetary goal you set for yourself is met.

I love this site and I think it’s such a great tool for the modern independent musician. Like social media, it’s a chance to get closer to the people who listen to your music in a very unique way: they donate a little something and you give back a little something. Our prizes include everything from copies of the EP to personalized songs. I’ve had friends who did stuff like spray-paint random household objects with the band’s name. Anything goes. You can get as creative as you want and as weird as you want. I think people respond well to it, at least I know I do.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you still need to keep up with your Facebook, your Twitter or whatever social media accounts you have. In an ever-growing business, you must attack the thing from all sides. I don’t believe you can just exist in one of these areas. The public nowadays is thrown so much media that it’s very hard to keep up. The key is to be everywhere at once.

Get yourself out there, be brave and confident and play the kind of music you want to play. Be honest with yourself and your fans and people will respond well. Remember: people like honest and kind people. It really is as simple as that. The rest is being at the right place at the right time.

Crocodile bandGianni Sarmiento aka Crocodile
@crocodile_music
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