Long long ago, in a city not so far away, I decided I hated work. Work is the worst thing even invented and farming and trading goods was still not all that great. I wonder to myself, 'Why can't I be something awesome, like a mattress tester, or a video game tester, or some other kind of tester that was fun and relaxing?' But alas, No such job has ever been made available to me. What is surprising is that you need a degree to make $ testing video games and there are NO people who go into work and make their living taking naps on new mattresses....are there? I know most people hate their jobs, so I say, if you hate it and there's something you love to do, figure out how to make money doing it. You can! But HOW?
This is the journey we have yet to take.
We have been fortunate in the press we have gotten, and even some of the places we've played and people we've opened for but still when we call to book and places we have played several times, even THEY don't even know who we are lol. We have learned so much in this world of music, and yet, we are soooooooo new to this.
I have learned about the ways of music from an embarrassing amount of TV and radio. Music videos we're my radio and they were always on. My dad played old 8 tracks with old old old music on them and I realized from "May the Bird of Paradise Fly up your Nose" (real song, look it up) you can be a silly songwriter. I tried that as a kid and it was not the fit for me. I have learned that some of the more experienced musicians are the biggest a-holes and some of the less experienced are the greatest people you could ever meet. But growing a business is its own learning experience entirely. Because that's what this is. A business. I wouldn't mind if we could perform for a living and make close to what we make now at the full time jobs we love so dearly. That shouldn't be TOO hard. But there's so much to it and you have to take it seriously. Theres research, pictures, new songs, legal issues to understand or know someone who does that can help you, taxes, your image, social media, and so much more than I even imagined.
In an effort to bring a community together as well as build some worth for our business, Ty and I founded an acoustic music festival called The Acoustic All-Stars (http://www.acoustic-allstars.com) about 3 years ago. The first 2 years were spent working out kinks, which will inevidably continue, but now its growing more. If we can't advertise, it will not grow, and eventually die. This is a huge task because I have never done anything like asking for sponsors before and quite honestly its scary as hell. But, knowing that if we can't make a business out of music, I'll sit behind my desk for the rest of my life, we HAVE to succeed. This is all part of our plan to take over the music universe......or at least a small corner of it.
I have heard numerous interviews with actors, singer, writers, all these "you'll never make it" type industries, and so many have said 'I wasn't successful until I risked it all and did this full time. Then I had nothing else to fall back on I had NO choice and HAD to make it.'
The biggest problem we have is that everything we do is twice as expensive. I can't quit my job and tour with out him, and vise versa. If we tour, it costs us twice what it costs our solo friends. Food, gas, everything. Most people have one of 3 situations. 1: They're solo or in a band, but their spouse, significant other, parents work and cover extra expenses. 2: Their job pays well and they're financially fit now so they can work AND tour as much as they want, or 3: They are already successful musicians making their living that way.
So we have started saving money to pay off all debts, and working on a business model, which I had heard of before but when told we should do it, I thought...'How have we NOT done that!?' (Thanks http://www.Gregdowns.com)So now, to learn what a business model is. lol
If anyone has some suggestions, we'll take them :D
We need to learn how to monetize this bitch. lol It is time!
We also have to realize that management in the music industry isn't what it used to be. Now everything is DIY. Getting a big record contract isn't the dream most of us have anymore because we can loose our creative freedom, and a huge chunk of hard earned money to the company/label taking good care of us. Besides, a lot of labels sign you and then say, ok keep doing what you're doing, good luck, we may drop you.
Here's what Im reaching at. If I could travel the world singing and writing songs and meeting the awesome people we get to meet at shows, I wouldn't work another day in my life. Its not work to me. I have only ever played a show one or two times that felt like I was going to a job. Its the thing that I was born to do. Its what makes me breathe. (Id add eat but thats not why. I love food!)
Let me tell you how it feels. Its like the best drug ever that makes you feel like you're in the right place, and is almost orgasmic but in the purest form. Its zen and its beautiful. This is all really deep........
5/09/2010
The Operating Room Looked Nothing Like ‘Grays Anatomy’
Blog
“The Operating Room Looked Nothing Like ‘Grays Anatomy’”
My damn veins were NOT cooperating while I was laying there in the operating room and the anesthesiologist tried to get an IV in me. I told him they roll on my wrists but naturally a man who has done this countless times felt he knew best and kept trying. Luckily he shot me with some kind of numbing agent so I didn’t care. (When I woke, I had an IV in my hand.)
A few months ago I found out I had a large uterine fibroid which was causing a lot of discomfort and needed to be removed. Fibroids are not life threatening, though some times they grow to ridiculous sizes. One of the heavier reported fibroids in history was over 25 lbs. I am definitely not the worst scenario. Mine was however the size of a small football, which was larger than the originally thought large grapefruit and we figured weighed about 1.5 lbs. You couldn’t ask to lose a pound and a half any faster.
I realized in January this year that something was not right. I started noticing a large bump in my pelvis area and it would swell a few days a month and then be almost invisible except when I was laying down. Ty and I were on our way to Denver and, though usually I am a great traveller, I kept making him stop at the rest stops. I just couldn’t hold it like I used to. I was waiting to get in to see a new OB to see what the problem was and finally got to see her in March. She knew what it was as soon as she saw and she looked pretty surprised at the size. She told me that if it didn’t cause any problems I could leave it in as long as I wanted but it was getting to a point of serious discomfort and was beginning to affect my every day life so I had to bite the bullet.
I avoided the oh so frustrating and attention asking Facebook posts about it and told people that I figured would notice my social absence in email, text etc and pretty much kept it hush hush. I think of Facebook as a ‘spread the word’ media and this wasn’t a ‘spread the word’ situation. But then as I lay in the hospital I decided that blogging about it would be a different story. First, its post surgery, asking for no sympathy, worry, or ‘its gonna be ok’s; Second, Blogs don’t have the need for comment the way Facebook does which is my first hang up. I want to talk about my experience for those who have been or may go through this to help and don’t want to ask for attention and do so in more than the 40 characters allotted; Third, I have about 400 friends on Facebook, 350 of which I rarely hear from or speak to, and 30 of whom probably don’t read this blog. (No offense, or discredit to anyone but if you’re on Facebook, you know how it goes). Last but not least, my personal struggle is so small compared to perfect strangers and recent family members who have been diagnosed with far worse. I need not ask for prayers and help when so many people need it more. (Ty’s cousin recently found out his body is riddled with cancer. It seems hardly fair to worry about me when he and his family need help that I don’t require)
*Now that I’m done with that rant*
I was a little nervous about the surgery. After all, I’ve never so much as broken a bone. (Call me what you will but I am not a prissy girl…..just safe) It took some good friends to point out that I was in a depressive funk and had to get back to me. After playing a very down and deep set at our favorite bar, I went home and cried one night. I felt better after that. Aah, how therapeutic a good cry can be, and yet seen as weakness. Interesting.
I went in for my pre-op and listened to all the horrible things that could happen with rare chance, and some of them were actually laughable. “On rare occasions, while removing the fibroid, due to its close proximity to your bowels, a small incision can occur causing bowel leakage into your uterus and infection. In this case a specialist will be called in to fix this and you will be closely monitored.’ I laughed and said to my OB ‘So, you’re saying I could literally shit my own uterus? How would you list that in my obituary?’ She laughed. (In these cases I wonder why an extra procedure would not be covered by the hospital. If you order a meal that is made improperly, does the restaurant not refund the price? Just a thought here people)
Sadly, there are risks as with any surgery. If there is too much blood flow to the fibroid (which we were 99% sure there was a LOT) I could bleed out and if the complications were too much, they would have to give me a hysterectomy or I could even die. This was one of my biggest worries.
5/4/10 Day of Surgery
My sister Kristianna, having previously teased me about my awesome situation, referenced ‘Alien’ saying that my fibroid was actually an alien getting ready to burst out of my belly at any moment, and changed the procedure name from a myomectomy or something like that, to an alien-infant-ectomy. I showed to the hospital and checked in. Kristi, Ty, and my dad were with me. They took me in back to put on the super sexy robe and pee in a cup and then asked me questions that seem silly to ask a pre op patient of any sort. ‘What is your desired outcome?’ ‘To live’ I said ‘How can we make sure to reach your desired outcome’ ‘I’m alive after surgery’ I said. (These are REALLY the questions and answers given)
The anesthesiologist came in and was ready to go even though I hadn’t given blood or been given my IV tube so they put me in a bed, I said goodbye to Ty and they took me off. After prep questions making sure I understood the procedure, they took me in the room. I lay there thinking ‘This looks nothing like ‘Grays Anatomy’ and soon fell asleep. I was somewhat conscious to hear the nurse in recovery talking to another nurse and saying I lost a lot of blood and saying how pale I was. I woke again as I was wheeled into my room because I heard Ty’s voice. It made me conscious and I wanted to hold his hand but couldn’t really move. The next 3 days were groggy. I had a morphine pump that I used as little as I could because I wanted to make sure I could handle it if I didn’t get meds when I needed, (which later proved to be the best idea I’d had because my nurses never brought my meds on time and I would have to page them to ask for them). I also had a catheter that didn’t drain properly so I always had a full bladder until they drained it, and was given 2 bags of blood the first night. (my joke referenced Sesame Street’s Count saying ‘1 bag of blood wa ah ah, 2 bags of blood wa ah ah…’) Thank God for the following: Kristi or Ty staying with me, my wonderful visitors, and my CNA Ian, who made me walk when I didn’t want to and just get the hell out of bed because I needed someone to knowingly nudge me and make me get better. I came home Thursday afternoon and slept. I realized my bed was higher than the hospitals and had some trouble getting in and out for the first day, but soon figured out the trick. Family brought food and visited, and I figured out how to wash my hair in the sink and brush my teeth using a Dixie cup to spit. Ty helped me take a wanna be bath today and let me just say WHAT a difference! It really is the little things in life that you forget are so wonderful, like showering, sitting outside in the sun, walking, breathing, and just being totally independent. Even now I sit here writing filled with oxycodone and prescription strength Ibuprofen with an ice pack on my wound wishing I could just have a good stretch. (forgive any scatterbrained thoughts)
I have realized with all the personal and embarrassing things happening through all this how important it is to have close friends and family who love you no mater what. I lay here in a night gown that is far to large for me for the purpose of movement, wearing knit underwear that the hospital gave me (and let me just say it is some SEXY underwear), unable to fully shower, waking Ty up at all hours of the night with needs like ice in my ice pack, and the tums from the car, as well as some extremely personal and unmentionable circumstances that are only for the closest of close friends, and I am thankful that the people I surround myself with are truly my friends. People that love me and worry for me and bring me flowers and food and stuffed animals and I am so glad that I didn’t shit my uterus and die.
“The Operating Room Looked Nothing Like ‘Grays Anatomy’”
My damn veins were NOT cooperating while I was laying there in the operating room and the anesthesiologist tried to get an IV in me. I told him they roll on my wrists but naturally a man who has done this countless times felt he knew best and kept trying. Luckily he shot me with some kind of numbing agent so I didn’t care. (When I woke, I had an IV in my hand.)
A few months ago I found out I had a large uterine fibroid which was causing a lot of discomfort and needed to be removed. Fibroids are not life threatening, though some times they grow to ridiculous sizes. One of the heavier reported fibroids in history was over 25 lbs. I am definitely not the worst scenario. Mine was however the size of a small football, which was larger than the originally thought large grapefruit and we figured weighed about 1.5 lbs. You couldn’t ask to lose a pound and a half any faster.
I realized in January this year that something was not right. I started noticing a large bump in my pelvis area and it would swell a few days a month and then be almost invisible except when I was laying down. Ty and I were on our way to Denver and, though usually I am a great traveller, I kept making him stop at the rest stops. I just couldn’t hold it like I used to. I was waiting to get in to see a new OB to see what the problem was and finally got to see her in March. She knew what it was as soon as she saw and she looked pretty surprised at the size. She told me that if it didn’t cause any problems I could leave it in as long as I wanted but it was getting to a point of serious discomfort and was beginning to affect my every day life so I had to bite the bullet.
I avoided the oh so frustrating and attention asking Facebook posts about it and told people that I figured would notice my social absence in email, text etc and pretty much kept it hush hush. I think of Facebook as a ‘spread the word’ media and this wasn’t a ‘spread the word’ situation. But then as I lay in the hospital I decided that blogging about it would be a different story. First, its post surgery, asking for no sympathy, worry, or ‘its gonna be ok’s; Second, Blogs don’t have the need for comment the way Facebook does which is my first hang up. I want to talk about my experience for those who have been or may go through this to help and don’t want to ask for attention and do so in more than the 40 characters allotted; Third, I have about 400 friends on Facebook, 350 of which I rarely hear from or speak to, and 30 of whom probably don’t read this blog. (No offense, or discredit to anyone but if you’re on Facebook, you know how it goes). Last but not least, my personal struggle is so small compared to perfect strangers and recent family members who have been diagnosed with far worse. I need not ask for prayers and help when so many people need it more. (Ty’s cousin recently found out his body is riddled with cancer. It seems hardly fair to worry about me when he and his family need help that I don’t require)
*Now that I’m done with that rant*
I was a little nervous about the surgery. After all, I’ve never so much as broken a bone. (Call me what you will but I am not a prissy girl…..just safe) It took some good friends to point out that I was in a depressive funk and had to get back to me. After playing a very down and deep set at our favorite bar, I went home and cried one night. I felt better after that. Aah, how therapeutic a good cry can be, and yet seen as weakness. Interesting.
I went in for my pre-op and listened to all the horrible things that could happen with rare chance, and some of them were actually laughable. “On rare occasions, while removing the fibroid, due to its close proximity to your bowels, a small incision can occur causing bowel leakage into your uterus and infection. In this case a specialist will be called in to fix this and you will be closely monitored.’ I laughed and said to my OB ‘So, you’re saying I could literally shit my own uterus? How would you list that in my obituary?’ She laughed. (In these cases I wonder why an extra procedure would not be covered by the hospital. If you order a meal that is made improperly, does the restaurant not refund the price? Just a thought here people)
Sadly, there are risks as with any surgery. If there is too much blood flow to the fibroid (which we were 99% sure there was a LOT) I could bleed out and if the complications were too much, they would have to give me a hysterectomy or I could even die. This was one of my biggest worries.
5/4/10 Day of Surgery
My sister Kristianna, having previously teased me about my awesome situation, referenced ‘Alien’ saying that my fibroid was actually an alien getting ready to burst out of my belly at any moment, and changed the procedure name from a myomectomy or something like that, to an alien-infant-ectomy. I showed to the hospital and checked in. Kristi, Ty, and my dad were with me. They took me in back to put on the super sexy robe and pee in a cup and then asked me questions that seem silly to ask a pre op patient of any sort. ‘What is your desired outcome?’ ‘To live’ I said ‘How can we make sure to reach your desired outcome’ ‘I’m alive after surgery’ I said. (These are REALLY the questions and answers given)
The anesthesiologist came in and was ready to go even though I hadn’t given blood or been given my IV tube so they put me in a bed, I said goodbye to Ty and they took me off. After prep questions making sure I understood the procedure, they took me in the room. I lay there thinking ‘This looks nothing like ‘Grays Anatomy’ and soon fell asleep. I was somewhat conscious to hear the nurse in recovery talking to another nurse and saying I lost a lot of blood and saying how pale I was. I woke again as I was wheeled into my room because I heard Ty’s voice. It made me conscious and I wanted to hold his hand but couldn’t really move. The next 3 days were groggy. I had a morphine pump that I used as little as I could because I wanted to make sure I could handle it if I didn’t get meds when I needed, (which later proved to be the best idea I’d had because my nurses never brought my meds on time and I would have to page them to ask for them). I also had a catheter that didn’t drain properly so I always had a full bladder until they drained it, and was given 2 bags of blood the first night. (my joke referenced Sesame Street’s Count saying ‘1 bag of blood wa ah ah, 2 bags of blood wa ah ah…’) Thank God for the following: Kristi or Ty staying with me, my wonderful visitors, and my CNA Ian, who made me walk when I didn’t want to and just get the hell out of bed because I needed someone to knowingly nudge me and make me get better. I came home Thursday afternoon and slept. I realized my bed was higher than the hospitals and had some trouble getting in and out for the first day, but soon figured out the trick. Family brought food and visited, and I figured out how to wash my hair in the sink and brush my teeth using a Dixie cup to spit. Ty helped me take a wanna be bath today and let me just say WHAT a difference! It really is the little things in life that you forget are so wonderful, like showering, sitting outside in the sun, walking, breathing, and just being totally independent. Even now I sit here writing filled with oxycodone and prescription strength Ibuprofen with an ice pack on my wound wishing I could just have a good stretch. (forgive any scatterbrained thoughts)
I have realized with all the personal and embarrassing things happening through all this how important it is to have close friends and family who love you no mater what. I lay here in a night gown that is far to large for me for the purpose of movement, wearing knit underwear that the hospital gave me (and let me just say it is some SEXY underwear), unable to fully shower, waking Ty up at all hours of the night with needs like ice in my ice pack, and the tums from the car, as well as some extremely personal and unmentionable circumstances that are only for the closest of close friends, and I am thankful that the people I surround myself with are truly my friends. People that love me and worry for me and bring me flowers and food and stuffed animals and I am so glad that I didn’t shit my uterus and die.
4/29/2010
ASCAP 2010
This past week Melody and I had the amazing opportunity to attend the ASCAP "I Create Music" Expo in Hollywood, Ca. For those of you who don't know what ASCAP is, it's American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers. We had the amazing chance to interact with some of the music industry's top people as well as listen to some amazing speakers talk about their careers and what got them to where they are at.
I'm going to take you with me on the journey and tell you how the weekend happened from my point of view . . . . here we go!
Wednesday morning comes and the anticipation has been killing us to head out on the road and start our first "long distance" road trip. The few days before Mel spent a lot of her time compiling the "perfect" iPod road trip mix, just to find out that Kole's car doesn't have an input jack. DOH! So it's CD's & old fashion radio for us on the drive.
After picking up Mike, getting some road snacks, and stopping to pee, we're finally on the road headed south towards warmer weather. The drive wasn't bad at all, except that it rained the whole time up until we rolled into Vegas, where the sky cleared just enough to see the sun setting over Sin City.
Now the plan was that we were to meet up with Kole at one of her friends house, after changing plans 3 or 4 times, we eventually ended up doing what we had originally set out to do. Now the only problem was that her friend lived in a gated community that had a guard at the front gates. *Note to self: Make sure that you know the name of the person who's house your going to, make sure you know the correct gate to go to, and also, make sure that you understand that they may want to do a complete background check along with a rectal exam before letting you into their "gated club"
Finally we were in Vegas and headed over to The Freakin Frog for our show. The Freakin Frog is located just across the street from the UNLV campus so they get a lot of the college crowd in there. Another draw they have is their 777 different beers and over 200 different kinds of whiskey, SCORE! The sound guy, Howard, pulled us aside and explained to us the history of The Freakin Frog along with the 777 beers, and finished off with a tour of the beer cooler *drooling*. He basically said to us "If you come in here and fuck around on stage and make a spectacle of yourselves, don't expect to come back". So we start the show, Mel and I take the stage for our set and we're playing for a few sparse couples in the place and at the bar is a UNLV softball rec team, they seemed to enjoy the music and we had a great time. Next up was Kole, this deserves a whole new paragraph to tell her story . . .
Kole takes the stage, and if you don't know anything about her, let me help you understand her a little better. She's a ball of friggin energy ALWAYS! So she's up on stage playing her songs and interacting with the crowd. "If I leave here without at least some sort of tip, I can't get a pack of gum on the way to LA, so please tip me" she says in her quirky way. Sure enough, she get's a couple dollar bills and a stick of gum. Always be conscious of what your asking for, because you might just get it!
I was the DD for the night because we were headed to LA after our show. Here's what happens when you get a group of Utahns together in Vegas . . . Mike becomes Michael or Gapa, Mel becomes Leody, and Kole, well Kole is Kole. So on to LA . . .
The drive wasn't bad at all, Mike, Kole, and Mel slept for most of the way and finally we pulled into Hollywood at 4:30am ready to crash. After unloading the car, finding our rooms, brushing our teeth, and finally settling in, it was 5am.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* sounds my alarm at 7am and the only thing that I can think to myself is "Who on God's earth is stupid enough to wake up at 7am just for some music conference?" Us apparently. 2 hours of sleep is tough but nothing that a few cups of coffee can't fix! So we get into the car and make our way down to the Renaissance Hotel where ASCAP was being held.
I won't go too much into detail about the classes and speakers because that was something that I think you need to see for yourself to actually get the full effect.
The first day was tough because none of us had slept too much the night before, we had just spent a full day in & out of various classes, and we still had to drive down to Long Beach to play another show. So unfortunately for Mel we had to miss most of John Mayer talking, sorry Mel. On the brighter side, we were really excited about playing that night at a place called DiPiazza's. We had tried to book a gig there a few months before without any luck, but because we had helped another band from Long Beach score a gig in SLC, they helped us get booked. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT GIG TRADING IS BRILLIANT!!!!!
The show went great, the crowd was responsive, Mel's long lost cousin showed up, and the Lakers lost! Great night!
Friday came and went without a hitch, nothing dramatic happened during the day, but once the night came so did SUSHI! We met up with a couple friends that we knew from down there at this little hol-in-the-wall place called Sushi Ike in Hollywood. Little did we know, but this place is one of the most coveted sushi stops in LA and they didn't disappoint! DE-FREAKIN-LICIOUS! The best part about eating sushi is that there's a little bit of a sushi coma that comes on after and it makes sleeping quite nice!
So on to Saturday, this was the big finishing day of ASCAP and we were trying to soak all of it in that we could. The classes went great as usual, and the whole event was capped off with an amazing Justin Timberlake & Bill Withers interview . . . some of my favorite words from Bill Withers were "It's time to stop worrying about what designer clothes your going to wear, or who your going to be seen with, it's time to get back to making music because you love to make music!". Cheers to this Bill!
Saturday night was FULL of great times, we walked over to the Grauman's Chinese Theater and saw all of the celebrity foot & hand prints, Mel got sliced up by an impressionistic Edward Scissor-Hands, we saw a Zombie march of about 100-150 people fully dressed as zombies, and then it was on to U-wink for cocktails. U-wink is a sports type bar that has little touchscreen tv's at every table. The touch screen is how you do everything at this place, it's how you place a drink order, food order, play games with people throughout the whole bar, and just an all around cool atmosphere. The best part for me was that as we played bingo with the whole bar, I kept putting my name as "Lakers Suck", this was especially great when we won and everyone's screen popped up "Lakers Suck is the WINNER!" HAHAHA, all of this during the actual Laker game where they were getting whopped on by OKC. This was my own personal victory, watching the Lakers lose twice and both while I was in LA!
So onto Sunday which was the day that really made this whole trip worth it for me. It started out a little better than the previous days because we didn't have to wake our asses up at 7am, we could actually sleep in a little bit. The weather was absolutely perfect and the coffee was extra delicious. We were getting set up for our backyard concert session that was to take place that afternoon. We hadn't really put much into planning this, other than we all knew that we were going to hang out in the back yard, and play some music.
As myself and John Zay were setting up the chars and getting all of the dog poo out of the way, John started talking to be about the "power of the tree". In this backyard there is a huge tree that overhangs the entire size of the yard. "It's full of great vibes" John told me. And let me tell you, this was ever so true. The concert started off with Marc "Coop" Cooper on guitar playing some ambient moody riffs, then Shelly Riff adding his acoustic take, John Zay on 12-string really filled up the mix, Kole & Melody singing lightly, and I was keeping some rhythmic beats going on the guitar body. This 1st jam lasted about 15 minutes and really set the feeling for the rest of the afternoon.
Each of us took turns playing our songs and every other musician would join in and create a version of the song that no one had ever heard before. This was pure magic and to me what making music is all about. None of us had EVER played music together, yet we all spoke the same language and communicated without a flaw.
Sunday April 25th, 2010 - Los Feliz, Ca - This is a date that I will always keep in my memory bank as one that helped reload my love and passion for music. The love and passion has never left me, but there are times that you need a little boost, and this did more than boost it, it redefined it. What an amazing weekend!
So what a great weekend I had and we look forward to including many many more people in trips like this in the future!
I'm going to take you with me on the journey and tell you how the weekend happened from my point of view . . . . here we go!
Wednesday morning comes and the anticipation has been killing us to head out on the road and start our first "long distance" road trip. The few days before Mel spent a lot of her time compiling the "perfect" iPod road trip mix, just to find out that Kole's car doesn't have an input jack. DOH! So it's CD's & old fashion radio for us on the drive.
After picking up Mike, getting some road snacks, and stopping to pee, we're finally on the road headed south towards warmer weather. The drive wasn't bad at all, except that it rained the whole time up until we rolled into Vegas, where the sky cleared just enough to see the sun setting over Sin City.
Now the plan was that we were to meet up with Kole at one of her friends house, after changing plans 3 or 4 times, we eventually ended up doing what we had originally set out to do. Now the only problem was that her friend lived in a gated community that had a guard at the front gates. *Note to self: Make sure that you know the name of the person who's house your going to, make sure you know the correct gate to go to, and also, make sure that you understand that they may want to do a complete background check along with a rectal exam before letting you into their "gated club"
Finally we were in Vegas and headed over to The Freakin Frog for our show. The Freakin Frog is located just across the street from the UNLV campus so they get a lot of the college crowd in there. Another draw they have is their 777 different beers and over 200 different kinds of whiskey, SCORE! The sound guy, Howard, pulled us aside and explained to us the history of The Freakin Frog along with the 777 beers, and finished off with a tour of the beer cooler *drooling*. He basically said to us "If you come in here and fuck around on stage and make a spectacle of yourselves, don't expect to come back". So we start the show, Mel and I take the stage for our set and we're playing for a few sparse couples in the place and at the bar is a UNLV softball rec team, they seemed to enjoy the music and we had a great time. Next up was Kole, this deserves a whole new paragraph to tell her story . . .
Kole takes the stage, and if you don't know anything about her, let me help you understand her a little better. She's a ball of friggin energy ALWAYS! So she's up on stage playing her songs and interacting with the crowd. "If I leave here without at least some sort of tip, I can't get a pack of gum on the way to LA, so please tip me" she says in her quirky way. Sure enough, she get's a couple dollar bills and a stick of gum. Always be conscious of what your asking for, because you might just get it!
I was the DD for the night because we were headed to LA after our show. Here's what happens when you get a group of Utahns together in Vegas . . . Mike becomes Michael or Gapa, Mel becomes Leody, and Kole, well Kole is Kole. So on to LA . . .
The drive wasn't bad at all, Mike, Kole, and Mel slept for most of the way and finally we pulled into Hollywood at 4:30am ready to crash. After unloading the car, finding our rooms, brushing our teeth, and finally settling in, it was 5am.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* sounds my alarm at 7am and the only thing that I can think to myself is "Who on God's earth is stupid enough to wake up at 7am just for some music conference?" Us apparently. 2 hours of sleep is tough but nothing that a few cups of coffee can't fix! So we get into the car and make our way down to the Renaissance Hotel where ASCAP was being held.
I won't go too much into detail about the classes and speakers because that was something that I think you need to see for yourself to actually get the full effect.
The first day was tough because none of us had slept too much the night before, we had just spent a full day in & out of various classes, and we still had to drive down to Long Beach to play another show. So unfortunately for Mel we had to miss most of John Mayer talking, sorry Mel. On the brighter side, we were really excited about playing that night at a place called DiPiazza's. We had tried to book a gig there a few months before without any luck, but because we had helped another band from Long Beach score a gig in SLC, they helped us get booked. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT GIG TRADING IS BRILLIANT!!!!!
The show went great, the crowd was responsive, Mel's long lost cousin showed up, and the Lakers lost! Great night!
Friday came and went without a hitch, nothing dramatic happened during the day, but once the night came so did SUSHI! We met up with a couple friends that we knew from down there at this little hol-in-the-wall place called Sushi Ike in Hollywood. Little did we know, but this place is one of the most coveted sushi stops in LA and they didn't disappoint! DE-FREAKIN-LICIOUS! The best part about eating sushi is that there's a little bit of a sushi coma that comes on after and it makes sleeping quite nice!
So on to Saturday, this was the big finishing day of ASCAP and we were trying to soak all of it in that we could. The classes went great as usual, and the whole event was capped off with an amazing Justin Timberlake & Bill Withers interview . . . some of my favorite words from Bill Withers were "It's time to stop worrying about what designer clothes your going to wear, or who your going to be seen with, it's time to get back to making music because you love to make music!". Cheers to this Bill!
Saturday night was FULL of great times, we walked over to the Grauman's Chinese Theater and saw all of the celebrity foot & hand prints, Mel got sliced up by an impressionistic Edward Scissor-Hands, we saw a Zombie march of about 100-150 people fully dressed as zombies, and then it was on to U-wink for cocktails. U-wink is a sports type bar that has little touchscreen tv's at every table. The touch screen is how you do everything at this place, it's how you place a drink order, food order, play games with people throughout the whole bar, and just an all around cool atmosphere. The best part for me was that as we played bingo with the whole bar, I kept putting my name as "Lakers Suck", this was especially great when we won and everyone's screen popped up "Lakers Suck is the WINNER!" HAHAHA, all of this during the actual Laker game where they were getting whopped on by OKC. This was my own personal victory, watching the Lakers lose twice and both while I was in LA!
So onto Sunday which was the day that really made this whole trip worth it for me. It started out a little better than the previous days because we didn't have to wake our asses up at 7am, we could actually sleep in a little bit. The weather was absolutely perfect and the coffee was extra delicious. We were getting set up for our backyard concert session that was to take place that afternoon. We hadn't really put much into planning this, other than we all knew that we were going to hang out in the back yard, and play some music.
As myself and John Zay were setting up the chars and getting all of the dog poo out of the way, John started talking to be about the "power of the tree". In this backyard there is a huge tree that overhangs the entire size of the yard. "It's full of great vibes" John told me. And let me tell you, this was ever so true. The concert started off with Marc "Coop" Cooper on guitar playing some ambient moody riffs, then Shelly Riff adding his acoustic take, John Zay on 12-string really filled up the mix, Kole & Melody singing lightly, and I was keeping some rhythmic beats going on the guitar body. This 1st jam lasted about 15 minutes and really set the feeling for the rest of the afternoon.
Each of us took turns playing our songs and every other musician would join in and create a version of the song that no one had ever heard before. This was pure magic and to me what making music is all about. None of us had EVER played music together, yet we all spoke the same language and communicated without a flaw.
Sunday April 25th, 2010 - Los Feliz, Ca - This is a date that I will always keep in my memory bank as one that helped reload my love and passion for music. The love and passion has never left me, but there are times that you need a little boost, and this did more than boost it, it redefined it. What an amazing weekend!
So what a great weekend I had and we look forward to including many many more people in trips like this in the future!
*Memory*
*Memory*
(2 uncensored phrases)
I remember sitting at work thinking about all the cool things going on around SLC and how fun it would be to be a part of them. When you're an acoustic musician, you have to be careful who you're trying to get in with. I mean, though I think Gawdzye (http://www.myspace.com/gawdzye) is a great heavy metal band, I don't believe we would do ourselves any favors to open for them. right?
I began searching artist names of people touring through Utah and sending emails to them from their websites asking if we could open for them. I probably sent about 30 emails that week. Mostly I was asking smaller acts, but sometimes I got bold and sent one to, say, Colbie Calliet or someone. I figured, they may say no now, but next time they come through, I'll ask again, and again, until they start either remembering us, and I can build a relationship with them without being a crazy person, or they just pick us out of luck. I mean, Roll the dice, they'll land on 7 at least once :D
I began searching artist names of people touring through Utah and sending emails to them from their websites asking if we could open for them. I probably sent about 30 emails that week. Mostly I was asking smaller acts, but sometimes I got bold and sent one to, say, Colbie Calliet or someone. I figured, they may say no now, but next time they come through, I'll ask again, and again, until they start either remembering us, and I can build a relationship with them without being a crazy person, or they just pick us out of luck. I mean, Roll the dice, they'll land on 7 at least once :D
I had been talking to Ty a few days before about how excited I was that J.R. Richards (http://www.jrrichards.com) of Dishwalla ('Counting Blue Cars') had chosen to 'Follow' me on Twitter. I figured it had to be some mistake but all the same, J.R. is a HUGE inspiration to Ty and I both and we love his old and new music. With a wild hair up my ass, I wrote to him and asked if we could open for him.
Before I go any further, I want to address any aspiring musicians etc reading this....
When you send an email to someone asking to gig, whether its to the coffee shop next door or fucking, J.R. Richards manager, you have to be certain you do a few things.
1: Sell yourself. I don't mean offer a blow job in exchange for the spot. I mean tell them about you in a way that says "if you don't book me, you'll miss out on a GREAT performer". Now, you can't JUST say that. Here's a sample of someone I will make up:
"Gene Roddenberry comes from a hometown family with hometown values that translates into hometown music. He has been singing since he was a child and knew he was going to write songs to speak to the world. His sound is unmistakable and fascinating. Gene has performed with musicians such as Larry King, Tyra Banks, and the great Melody with Tyler Forsberg, and has traveled the world over building a fan base that is growing and dedicated....." etc etc etc. I would go on to talk about what you've done that stands out, what makes you special, and if you can be you without being weird, dirty, or creepy, DO IT. Just sell yourself!
2: If you don't get a response, treat it like a date. Don't write back every day until you get one. Wait 3 days, then, if you feel there's a chance, check back. My rule of thumb though, is if I don't get even a 'thank you we'll be in touch', I don't write back until they may be looking for another act. Remember, if you seem like you're going to stalk, fall over, bug, or otherwise annoy their artist, you wont get booked no matter how good you are.
and I think I'll cut this to -
3: Be professional and very grateful. If they write back and say, 'you suck and we really think you shouldn't quit your day job" Don't tell them where to shove it or be nasty about it. If they never respond, don't write to them and tell them you don't appreciate being ignored or what ever you want to do. And if you get a response and they like you, thank them. Not so much its all the email says. you don't want to look desperate. But tell them how much you appreciate it and be thankful that you got a response. And don't say anything stupid like 'my girlfriend and I make love to your music all the time' lol
Back to the subject;
I sent an email to J.R. Richards, expecting to hear nothing but in the back of my head I kept thinking, "He DOES follow me... maybe...."
We received a response from his manager saying 'I forwarded this to his booking agent' then the booking agent said 'yes we'll be there and may be looking for an opener. I forwarded you to the the guy in charge of that show' The guy in charge of that show wrote us and told us he loved us. We began the booking process but had to wait until J.R.'s team confirmed 100%. It was rough cause we wanted to shout if from the rooftops "WE'RE OPENING FOR J.R. RICHARDS!!!" But we didn't want to tell everyone and have it fall through (reputation is everything. If people think you're a big fat liar, you might as well be because its hard to prove otherwise)
Finally, it was confirmed. We opened for J.R. Richards on October 26, 2009 for a benefit concert for Hanna Laursen. He and his team are the nicest most delicious smelling people I've ever met. We were honored and humbled and realized we have a hell of a lot of work to do lol.
We aimed for something that seemed unattainable and though I sent over 30 messages and we literally only received 1 response, we were able to take part in a life changing and beautiful experience. Thank you to the music Gods for that moment in time. We are in your debt.
10/01/2009
My first blog
Hello. And welcome anyone. This is my attempt to make a sort of journal of our road to success as musicians with details about how we get where we're going and all the spectacular events we get to be a part of as well as the amazing people we get to meet.
I wish I would have started this 2 years ago, because I think that If I had, it could have maybe helped another struggling artist in their journey to find their success no matter what level that may be.
For now, we'll do a quick back story. Im sure as time goes on I will add stories from the past.
Ty and I met about 3 years ago this March. I had just moved back from doing door to door sales in Washington State, and Ty was a flooring installer who had recently been a drummer in a band. We met because I played at an open mic and he heard about me and my friend Mara introduced us. We haven't been apart since. :)
I had been playing solo once every 2-3 months at coffee shops and pretty much woke up one morning and said "Im getting Old. Its time to quit effing around if I really want this." I knew that if I didn't get serious about being a musician then, I never would and I would regret it for the rest of my life.
I had tried out for American Idol in Washington just before moving back to Utah, and though I didn't get far, I knew I had something special and NO ONE could tell me differently.
So, Ty and I. We began jamming a little here and there and I was playing at open mics and things like that. Once Ty and I started dating and getting serious he was pretty much performing with me all the time. I remember literally telling him "I'm done messing around. If you want to be together I'd love that, but, I am really going to hit this HARD! I want to play every weekend, all three days if possible. I want to tour, I want this. So if you're in, you're IN"
He said "IM IN"
We haven't looked back lol
Our first show in SLC was at Burt's Tiki Lounge at 10 pm on a Wednesday night. It was rough because we didn't have a reputation to get us weekend shows, we didn't know anyone to open for, and we certainly didn't know where to ask to play.
I am sort of the main Booking agent, as we have rationed out the duties. Ty is the Manager/PR/Producer/Sound guy. I am the Booking agent/advertising rep/songwriter...i guess lol Thats the jist of it.
What happened next? Keep reading :D
I wish I would have started this 2 years ago, because I think that If I had, it could have maybe helped another struggling artist in their journey to find their success no matter what level that may be.
For now, we'll do a quick back story. Im sure as time goes on I will add stories from the past.
Ty and I met about 3 years ago this March. I had just moved back from doing door to door sales in Washington State, and Ty was a flooring installer who had recently been a drummer in a band. We met because I played at an open mic and he heard about me and my friend Mara introduced us. We haven't been apart since. :)
I had been playing solo once every 2-3 months at coffee shops and pretty much woke up one morning and said "Im getting Old. Its time to quit effing around if I really want this." I knew that if I didn't get serious about being a musician then, I never would and I would regret it for the rest of my life.
I had tried out for American Idol in Washington just before moving back to Utah, and though I didn't get far, I knew I had something special and NO ONE could tell me differently.
So, Ty and I. We began jamming a little here and there and I was playing at open mics and things like that. Once Ty and I started dating and getting serious he was pretty much performing with me all the time. I remember literally telling him "I'm done messing around. If you want to be together I'd love that, but, I am really going to hit this HARD! I want to play every weekend, all three days if possible. I want to tour, I want this. So if you're in, you're IN"
He said "IM IN"
We haven't looked back lol
Our first show in SLC was at Burt's Tiki Lounge at 10 pm on a Wednesday night. It was rough because we didn't have a reputation to get us weekend shows, we didn't know anyone to open for, and we certainly didn't know where to ask to play.
I am sort of the main Booking agent, as we have rationed out the duties. Ty is the Manager/PR/Producer/Sound guy. I am the Booking agent/advertising rep/songwriter...i guess lol Thats the jist of it.
What happened next? Keep reading :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)