The Business of Music

What is new in the world of music for me?

New music to play. New shows to play. New people to show music to. New audiences?

My time is busy with 2 jobs, volunteering, and a training schedule (5 days a week). I want to play music for "fun" and record a few ideas I have, but the time it takes to set it all up and do it takes away from rehearsing for jobs and family obligations. Should this be a warning to younger up and coming musicians to "not get involved with others"?

No. I believe time can be managed and priorities can change and fluctuate with the circumstances. I have time off coming, and I will use that time wisely. I have to set goals and accomplish them. I need to use the support of others to help me-- there is only so much time in the day. The good thing is that I am not looking for only myself to shine, but for others to shine as well. I can be creative, but honestly, I am at the point in my life when I don't feel I need to prove myself with everything I do. Yes, I kill it in the gym and on various stages, but supporting others looks better on me. I would rather now help carry a group of hard working people than be a solo artist trying to outperform others and rake in all the cash. I have been there, and the struggle to be the "one" is not worth it (especially in Maine). Digitally, you can have a website, sell your music on Bandcamp, plug yourself through social media and other avenues, and market yourself in various forms. Yet, keeping up with this is tedious. In EOS, we are lucky to have a dedicated few doing this for us, and I for one, appreciate them (there's a plug to one of my readers)! It is hard to juggle your own professional life, but juggling many lives with various schedules is harder. It is easier to do it with less people, but more people always looks better.

I once played 3 keyboards in a band-- my hands were always on 2 different keyboards. I worked hard to make a huge sound and it paid off. I couldn't stop the drama happening between the singers though, and that band folded. I put in the work to carry the band (I made that sound), but another variable came into play to shatter that career. I know people are fickle, but I still don't give up on them. It is tempting though...

You know what keeps me in this mess of a partial music career? Dreams. I want others to see their dreams become reality, and I want to be more financially secure while doing so. I don't need to be greedy. I want to build bridges and not burn them down. I will have to deal with immaturity and life changes around the people in my somewhat circle, but I will face those challenges when they happen. Most of the adults I know have the decency to remove themselves from situations before they become toxic. Just like cells in your body will commit suicide to save the group, so should troubled adults remove themselves from situations where they will only harm others. Sometimes you need to skip a few measures in the music to keep from sounding wrong. Things happen! I will get what I need to get done under the radar until favorable conditions provide me an impetus to rise.

The business of music is perseverance. If you can creatively play it with ease, then your stress should only come from time management and human relations. For the new musicians, study human relations and dealing with various personalities. Play your role and help others in theirs. We are all counselors in a band working on each other's issues. The music will happen eventually.

2017-- 4 plays over the next 2 months

I guess my hiatus from theatre is short-lived. No, I didn't plan on having a break, but I thought it would end up that way. It has not, and I am getting ready for a play that starts tomorrow. I actually have 4 plays over the next 2 months to be ready for.

This weekend belongs to Xanadu at Mt. Ararat in Topsham. All I can picture is leg warmers and roller skates. Yeah, this is what the 80's looks like on stage.

At the end of the month I will join a few EOS members to play High School Musical for L.H.S. It is crazy that I played this play when it was popular, and that it is still around (despite being based off a tv show that was shorty-lived).

I am filling in for EOS leader M. French for Annie in April.

To end the month, I will be playing Oklahoma at a performance arts school near Augusta. I sang a number from that show for an audition once.

EOS has a few shows in the books for this year. We are still waiting for a month of wedding gigs to fall into our laps (where is the love?).

I am preparing for a few solo projects in between my work and workout schedule. I may just start doing some blind recording until the right conditions are available. Projects are important, and I have put things off for too long. I have ideas for collaborators, but I have not asked anyone yet. Let's get a few plays out of the way and see how things are going by then.

A New Year and Plans

2017.... So many expectations and plans to make.

2016 was a mess of worldly events and national issues. The world seems unsafe. I am lucky to seemingly live "nowhere", but that will not protect me forever. If things work out this year, I will not be living where I am by next year.

 I have reassessed some of my goals and opened up a few new directions to go towards. I remember having artistic projects in my past that were exciting, and I am looking forward to starting a few this year. I remember having lofty goals and dreams that I could create my own employment (which I more or less have for most of my life). I will be returning to a few of these dreams, and changing myself in order to accommodate them.

I am being vague about things, because I do not want to give anything away for the fact that it may fail. I will also have a better story to tell once I have tried a few things out.

Updates

My website has been updated, but I am split between the musician persona, and the organizational professional that my education has made me. I have no decent job position in either arena, but I hate to be typecast. This is my music blog, but I don't like being called a musician-- too many bad personalities and cliches have made that a bad stigma. I will finally return to many music projects this year, but they will not be to glorify my talents, but more to send a message. The messages are best made through music (for me at least).

Since my last post I played several gigs with Every Other Sunday-- August was booked every weekend, I played at the Norland's Pie and Arts Festival, Christmas at the Norlands, Mitch and friend's Christmas concert, and with EOS for New Year's Eve.

For plays, I played Chicago @ CLT on banjo, and guitar for A Christmas Story @ Waterville Opera House. I am currently (this is the last day) finishing up playing Shrek @ Oak Hill H.S.


I have a few future plays in the books, as well as EOS gigs, but that will be saved for another blog installment.

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I will be changing the nature of this blog in the coming months. I don't feel that this platform works for me, and although it is somewhat of a resume on shows and gigs I do, I rarely write about those happenings. My past blogs provide a good basis for the drama that a multi-faceted music player/teacher can go through to make a dime. Now I have remained on a maintenance diet of money "bonuses", and since bills only increase, it is hard to be fully involved in what is happening. This is why I am looking forward to a few projects this year, and hopefully finding a way for them to make money.

I can only hope.

 2017 has not been off to the best start so far, but I will find that silver lining.

The Road to Change

It has been a while, yet updates are needed, and so the writing must continue...

EOS

This month is full of Saturday weddings and a Balloon Festival concert. The more gigs we play the more we find out how to be more efficient, and what works and what doesn't. We have a better cable system, I am using a better in-ear monitor system, and sound quality has been improved through tweaks (DI boxes and cable improvement) and the occasional use of a dedicated sound person. I have a few more things I can do to help my situation with my pedal board (sound issues), and switching between instruments. Unfortunately, it always involves more money, so I will wait until it is absolutely necessary. For the time being, rechargeable batteries will be of great help!

Here is a small list from this month:

--8/6 Newry, ME wedding
--8/13 Pownal wedding
--8/20 L/A Balloon Fest (Auburn side)
--8/27 South Portland wedding

As always, the website provides information on the band: http://www.eosunday.com/

Career

Since I have graduated (and well before), I have been applying to several positions around the state for work that fits with my degree. I also would like work that pays for my education level-- and that seems to be the most difficult part. I cannot maintain my student loans and continue to work in the many places that I do. I also strive for results, and currently I am not able to see those to the degree I would like. I love helping students, but the summer has meant a low turnout. I have no dance lessons planned despite email inquiries. I just finished helping out for summer school, but so long as I remain in my position, there is no upward mobility (nor financial). The time for transformation is now, and I am chasing any leads I find. I would like to remain close to home for family and community, but if I have to work a distance away for the right money, then so be it.

Solo Music

Honestly, I need to get back to recording and playing for myself on a regular basis. I have ideas, and a new way to record them-- I just need to make the time.

I promise more musical insight in upcoming blogs. I seem to stray more into "life" territory, but then again, survival has always been my priority. I have been lucky to have music to aid me in this!

Almost halfway through 2016 and on to a new horizon

I may not have been writing here, but I have been writing...and researching for a master's thesis. It was official turned in at 10pm on Thursday (5/5). I look back at the 2 and 1/2 years it took to complete this degree, and I only feel partially accomplished. I feel some regret for time lost, but mostly I feel empty. The many events and projects I put aside in order to do school work, the people that I might have disappointed, my young son upset that "Daddy has to do homework", and a family that saw me constantly busy and on the go-- I let many people down. I spent the past 2 years without more than a 2 week break from classes (taking classes during the summer to help fulfill the requirements). I am drained, and these past few weeks have seen a mix of emotions in me. I have repressed much of it with exercise (more on that later), but it is still there waiting.

For what? I don't know really. In a week I have to wear an expensive cap and gown (as they get more elaborate with more advanced degrees), and attend a crowded ceremony in Portland. Do I technically put initials after my name following that day? Will my LinkedIn account explode with job offers? I doubt things will change with these credentials-- it will still be my persistence and personality that helps me work up the financial ladder. I have met many great thinkers along this academic journey, but they also are fellow wolves hungry for a piece of the pie. I need to set my sights and chart a path, but until then, I need to play catch-up on things I have ignored.

This blog is one.

Music is another.

This blog is about my life as a musician. To be truthful, although I have played gigs this year, my mind was elsewhere. This did not diminish the performance (autopilot is easy), but it was hard to enjoy the experience. Anyways, here is a list of some of the things I have done "performance/music-wise" in 2016 so far:

I was hired to teach a ballroom class in Lewiston Adult Ed in March. There were literally no takers. I am set for November to do the same, so I will see what happens.

Every Other Sunday (http://www.eosunday.com/) played at Colby college in February, and it was a good chance to play for a new audience and also try out band lights. I liked this gig because the college was generous, large, and had resources for us (aside from electricity and a room to change in). I hope we go back, and I hope we make colleges as 'alternate' gigs to our normal weddings. We have multiple weddings scheduled later in the summer as well as a benefit this month for the Make-A-Wish foundation.

I played bass for Little Shop of Horrors at Community Little Theater in April. Most of the pit (save for 1 person) was EOS members. This was my 4th or 5th time playing this show, and yet playing the bass made it fresh again. I don't mind being the L/A theater bass player (since my high school music teacher who held that position left town after a breakup). I played bass for years in a punk band and a jazz band in college. I like "holding up" the music from the bottom and not always adding the embellishments that guitar is known for. Let's face it, if anyone listens to Dream Theater and thinks that their "embellishments" are on par with John Petrucci's, they seriously need to examine their mental state. Yes, I just say Dream Theater's "The Astonishing" in Boston. They are the real deal! On an equal but opposite side, Pat Metheny is the jazz-equivalent of Dream Theater.

Exercise

I mentioned this earlier. I began exercising more frequently in January. I have had spurts of this over the years. My excuse has not been about health issues, but that of results. When I am not getting results in my life, I find a way to make them. Time in the gym yields results. Nutrition and dedication yields results. You can aimlessly complete assignments week after week and feel nothing, but you can throw weight around for an hour 5 days a week and feel the strain of getting stronger. Eventually you can even see it. This time I am hoping to not stop, because it is also helping me with digestive issues that have increased this year. I need this body to last and help others in peak performance. There is so much more to that last statement that relates to other avenues I have been exploring over the past 4 years, but that is for another blog (Humanity + Maine).

Goodbye for a shorter amount of time.

2015 is over-- Goodbye to that hustle!

January 2016-- I finally made it!

Last night Every Other Sunday (http://www.eosunday.com/) played a New Year's Eve celebration at the Franco Center in Lewiston. It was sold out, and a good way for us to wrap up the year.

I realize that I have not blogged about any of my music travels for many months, and since this next year doesn't look promising for any gigs, I figured that I would start the year off with possibly the only musical blog for the year. The truth is that I am at a nexus with my career, and things will be changing this year with my professional life-- and that doesn't entail music. One can easily look back at this blog and find a struggling person only working as a musician for several years. That was not so fun. Maintaining a student roster throughout the week and trying to grab any gig in sight is tiring. I remember inquiring about gigs to all the directors I knew, and playing events that I only learned about during a phone call 1 hour prior. If the money was good, and sometimes it seemed like it was, I might still be in that predicament. Fortunately, my focus on my graduate studies (3 classes this past semester) and the ability to say "no" has helped me separate from that stressful lifestyle. It is better to have money that you can count on than money you only hope for.

 Since my last post in October 2015, following a few months of recovering from a robbery (and no, the police have not contacted me since), I have done a number of gigs.

Oct. 17th-- EOS played a "country gig" for Becky and Kris's wedding. Becky was an old friend who did theater with me in Auburn. The band learned a lot of country music hits, and we did it quite well (and to think of the potential with all the summer festivals in Maine). The wedding was beautiful, and I discovered that my Ovation acoustic has an electrical issue (which I might get around to fixing).

November-- I played guitar for Shrek the Musical at Yarmouth HS. This was a great pit, and I started liking a few songs by the end of the run. It was a bit of a hike to get there, but I also got to see more of this town that I have wanted to move to for years.

I performed in the Franco Center's medieval feast next. Good food and great acting, even if the script was a little confusing. I was Rumpelstiltskin and I gave away chocolate quarters during the night. I played the lute (as usual) when guests came in, and I had my picture taken a dozen times because of that fact. I miss playing early music, but the level of dedication to do it well has not paid off in the past so I stopped pursuing it. Maybe this year I will take the lute out again.

Legally Blonde the Musical for Lewiston HS finished out November. I played this show before, so it was easier this time. A good portion of the players were from EOS.

December-- I played Mitch's yearly holiday concert at the AUMC and Franco Center on the 19th. It went smoothly once everyone was comfortable with tempos and such. I got to stand on a riser box on stage for a Trans-Siberian Orchestra piece, and I am sure that this piece will be played again next Christmas.

As mentioned before, EOS played New Year's Eve and finished this busy year.

This year I will be starting a new blog more dedicated to what I do now, organizational psychology, and my ideas about the future of business and biotech (a personal interest). If any gigs pop up, I might note them on here. Otherwise, I will be finding what creative ventures music offers me, and choose to write about that instead. I have started improvising again just to relax, and I think that posting it would be interesting. I may just end up as a musician that prides creativity over all else.

Take care.

What has happened? Oh yeah-- my house was burglarized!

Greetings!

I know the title of this blog might be shocking-- and it deserves to be!
I will get to that later!

First I must recount the past few months of gigs (for posterity as always).

Since the last post I did play at the Civil War reenactment at the Norlands Living History Center, followed by Fishstock with EOS (mid July), then Into the Woods (musical) @ Community Little Theatre in Auburn, a solo guitar wedding in Boothbay, and Dr. Paul Caron's wedding at the Franco-Heritage Center (he has been my music director for over a decade in countless shows).

I have noticed that musicals and gigs in general all seem to "flow" better the older (seasoned) I get. Problems are resolved faster and I feel I am almost a spectator to myself playing. That comes with playing by rote (something I despise unless the music is breakneck exciting), but then again, I like being the pilot of a ship and being able to focus on things besides the regurgitation of notes (dynamics and expression come to mind). I still look for creative opportunities, and I will never play any song the same way twice for this reason. Maybe I am still looking for an Allen Holdsworth meets Dream Theater experience, but that doesn't mean I can't create that in the moment for myself.

Don't lose yourself in your playing. Do not become something you are not, and do not lose what you love about music (find what this is at the core). You can find what you like in all music, or you can add it in intentionally!

Now about my house being burglarized...

Over a month ago, while I was sleeping upstairs with my air conditioner on, a burglar broke into my house, stole my Fender Power Tele guitar, recording equipment, and all credit cards. I caught the act on camera with a few videos. He started out breaking a window in my basement, but couldn't get up past my cellar door. This man then proceeded to tear my air conditioner out of my livingroom window, leaving it hanging while still be plugged in, and got into the house. The time was 3am. I woke up and found a window wide open, front doors open, and I initially thought that my cat had gotten smarter and much stronger. When I saw my guitar missing and items misplaced, I knew what happened. Credit cards were cancelled and the police were called. An officer showed up and seemed uninterested. I dropped off the videos, pics, and serial number of my guitar to help find it at the station. Later in the day 3 investigators showed up and asked a few questions. After that day, no one got in contact with us. 2 weeks later I emailed to ask where they were in the process, and I received a generic indifferent response. It has been over a month and no one has contacted me since then. I am not impressed with law enforcement in my area, and I feel that my guitar might be in a pawn shop somewhere (which they promised wouldn't happen). They will be receiving an email today.

The lesson is that you need to question how secure your living space is. Think like a criminal and do not be blatant about showing off what you own. I have always locked up my music equipment since I started living in my house, but chose for that night to have 1 guitar out to practice for a wedding the next day. Keep yourself safe first and foremost, but also have peace-of-mind. I once had a single camera in my house, and I now have 5 (4 of which are in continuous record mode whenever movement is detected). Sleeping is still difficult although my house is more secure. I am more pessimistic about the town where I live, but that will fade slightly with time. By next year (or soon) I will be focused on moving to a location I deem safer, in a house that I will personally secure from the ground up. The world doesn't seem to be getting any better, so this seems to be a common sense move.