With a 16 year career, over 2 million albums sold, and six top 30 singles, Sister Hazel’s journey stands out as a an example of the type of long and successful career that every artist aspires to have.

With their combination of great music, extensive touring, and unique fan centered events, Sister Hazel hasn’t just acquired fans, but built a community.

I got to experience the Sister Hazel’s fan phenomenon first hand when I attended the band’s annual event The Rock Boat this year.  I was so amazed at how well Sister Hazel has succeeded at building and maintaining their fan community that I wanted to find out how they did it.

I had the opportunity to ask Sister Hazel drummer Mark Trojanowski my questions.

Here’s what he had to say:

How long has Sister Hazel been playing together?

The band started in 1994 and the current 5 guys have been playing together since 1996.

How many albums have you recorded?

7 studio records, a Christmas CD, an acoustic record, a live record and a DVD.

I read that your initial independent release of …Somewhere More Familiar sold approximately 30,000 copies through its initial pressing, which is how you got the attention of Universal Records. How were you able to sell so many copies on your own?

With every aspect of that CD release, we worked on it to appear like a major record label put it out. We did in-store performances at record stores, we made flats and posters for displays at record stores.  We visited many college radio stations and did on-air interviews and performances and we hit the streets and passed out 4-song samplers from the CD to get people’s interest.  We had a very good marketing plan that we planned out prior to the release.

You’ve gone from recording independently, to recording for a major label, then back to recording independently. What were the positives and negatives to each situation?

I think the positives of being independent are that we can release records whenever we feel like we are ready and that there is not going to be any criticism or judgment from anyone at a label who many not like certain songs.

I think the one positive a major label can provide is money.  They have the resources to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on radio and retail promotions that an independent band can’t afford.  But with the online presence growing stronger over the last several years, more and more bands are using that medium for their promotions.

Do you have a lot of fans that have been with you from the beginning?  What do you think has kept these fans engaged for so long?

I think we have many fans who grew up with us during their college years and have stayed fans of the band. I think our live shows keep them coming back as well, as we continue to write songs and put out records.

You describe yourselves as Road Warriors, how many shows do you think you’ve played?

I would guess it somewhere over 2000 shows. The first 5 years we were playing over 200 shows a year and now we are playing around 100 per year.

What have you learned by talking to fans at shows that you have used to maximize your success touring?

I think we always try to mix it up. We bring back old songs that people haven’t heard in years and we try to get back to cities once a year to keep that connection with the fans.

How has your approach to fan interaction changed with the rise of social networking? What things have you not changed?

I think we have always embraced and been at the forefront of the Internet.  We had message boards and street teams before people even knew what they were.  I think what has changed is how people get their information and that we have grown into a reality-based society that wants news faster.  The social networks are in one minute and then they are out with the newest and the greatest. If you don’t keep up you will not get your information out as well.

What type of promotions have you done that you think brought in the most new fans?

It is hard to say one promotion has brought in the most fans but I would say that “The Rock Boat” cruise we started 10 years ago has been a huge success for the band.  It started out as an after tour party for our fans and it has become this unbelievable music festival that sells out every year.

I heard that your album “Santa’s Playlist” was recorded in response to requests from the band’s fans.  What other ideas have you gotten from fan requests?

Our fans always request us to play songs that we hardly ever play live.  Several summers ago we gave the fans a chance to vote on songs they would like to hear us play on our summer tour.

Last year you gave fans the opportunity to call you and ask questions. Where did that idea come from and what did you learn about your fans?

Our management brought us the idea to further interact with the fan base.  I think where it was good was connecting with people who don’t always get to see the band live.  They were many calls from people overseas as well as cities that we may have not been to in years.

Your band has expressed the philosophy that its not just about songs but about building a community of fans through events.  You have some really unique fan events, can you tell me about them?

I mentioned earlier our “Rock Boat” cruise and we also do an event in South Carolina on the beach where fans come down for the weekend and hang out with the band.  It is called the Hazelnut Hang.

What has been your favorite event? Which event has been the most successful? How do you define success at these events?

I think our Rock Boat has been an amazing event and has been successful beyond our wildest dreams.  It brings people together from all parts of the country for a week of great music.

How has your charity Lyrics for life helped you to connect with fans?

Well we get to meet so many different people through our travels.  I think if our music can help people feel good then that is awesome.  We have had the opportunity to visit children in hospitals and play music for them and to be able to put a smile on their face is a great feeling.

What failures have you had and what did you learn from them?

I wouldn’t necessarily call it a failure but rather poor judgment.  We bought a tour bus early on that was really a piece of junk and we should have listened to people who told us not to do that.

What is the most important piece of advice you can give to musicians who are just starting their music career?

I think that you just need to work hard and you can achieve whatever you want.  To also have an open mind because within the music business there are many playing opportunities and you might end up somewhere completely different than you expected but you are still getting to do something that you love.

Learn more about Sister Hazel, their charity Lyrics for Life, and The Rock Boat:

http://www.sisterhazel.com/

http://www.lyricsforlife.org/

http://www.therockboat.com/