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Post by jmuscara on Mar 18, 2015 7:00:19 GMT -5
I hear this kind of thing all the time in music and elsewhere. But do you guys think there's some point where you have to say, "this just isn't working?" I'm not talking about getting a record deal, making the big time, etc., all of which are very difficult nowadays anyway. I'm just talking about getting anywhere like getting gigs with bands, writing with people, whatever. Feeling like you're putting a lot of effort into it and not getting anything in return except seeing your own skills improve despite the fact that it's not getting you anything externally in the form of gigs or whatever.
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Post by JamesP on Mar 18, 2015 8:14:15 GMT -5
Hear, Hear!!! Thanks Joe.
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Post by voodoo on Mar 19, 2015 4:27:04 GMT -5
Thanks Jimmm n jmuscara I want U to know zi did not a neve any success because zi was a prodigy or had relatives in the BIZ, I got,success because zi had creeds like ZYOu zreeed, Amdy Warhol, The RAMONES, IGGY op ALICE cooper, Zoe a Perry , club owners like Hilly a Crystal,owner of CBGBS Ya see first U must make it in NYC and that is no easy feet, Once signed we were booked sSo mich. We never needed practice, zthen sent pent overseas with someone all ready a headliners like, IGGY or JOHNNY zthw doers, people who made $$$$ for jungle. Well we did good and ,are decent money but the reason why out of 6 members in my band 3 are dead, two are drug addicted n broke with aids n the ME Ya see some terrible,things happened in 1984, crack, guns, gangs n the end of clubs with LIVE bands n the entrance of Djs SO as I saw things going down hill zi saved more, still more fri eds were dieing,,,,, I was told my a good friend to get out move to LA n start over playing with the CRAMPS. Instead I got married n witha good wife a smart man can accomplish anything !!! I continued to do session work with friends,p, when an extra ax was needed for a tour or a gig they called me, but as my health seriousness zi couldn't even do that so now aim doing guest appearances 5 times a year""""" SO remember just because your dream of a rockstar did not happen U can give up on chasing it but never stop playing or writing, For those of us who are musicians, we'll u will find out that playing ,usic was never about $$$$ but it was your style,of,therapy. IM proud of what I did n even prouder zi went out on my terms not because zi could not fill ISO,the club. . SO I still says if it,is your dream chad it but you'll have to work. _10000 ti,es harder tha at a sy other Job, BuT pleae have a plan B..... This business essay once was based on record sales but the I telnet fucked that up so what U--2 did is all about marketing for the summer tour which will rake in More tha a if the album went triple platinum a SO NO never give up..., but aksplos know whe to out plan B I to action Its a great way to make a buck but believe it or not it TIRNS INTO A JOb that can end at anytime,, Jamea
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Post by jmuscara on Mar 19, 2015 7:00:04 GMT -5
I've been working at it a while. Plan B is already going, in a sense. My wife has a job! That's what allowed me to focus on music in the first place (before that was web development, but I grew to dislike that a lot so I stopped doing that for the most part. But, I did make some money doing it).
I guess I need to keep doing stuff that gives me satisfaction. There are a few things I've tried to do that didn't pan out, like some bands that weren't interested in me that I would have liked to gig with.
Music will always be something I do, but sometimes I wonder if I should be focusing the majority of my time on it or something else. I'm very lucky that I can. I have a very cool wife.
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Post by J on Mar 21, 2015 9:54:59 GMT -5
When it seems NOTHING is working is when YA LOOK to replace those who don't have the desire or drive U have Thats the one biggest problems in music is there,s always a few DRIVERS n ALWAYS a couple who,hang on just to get by DO NOT let the slackers bring U down GET RID OF EM..... I was let go for refusing to play TECHNO, at first I thought whata dumb move but that move opened up a chance to play with someone I thought lucky to even talk to U must stay the course ... If it were easy everybody would do it.. YA see there are different reason n different thing in the line Dor our group of friend in NYC we had NO OTHER OPPORTINITIES, I had a degree but NO DESIRE to,use it, but all my friend n band mates were either gonna play or die in the street . Kind of like going to Prison..... Get tuff n survive n promote yourself or fall to the side be everybody's whore n getis he'd around n never have a shot at that Brass ring U have to do it FOR U, It is your dream,... Sure your band mates R your friends but if a friend was screwing your wife would YA still be friends? Look at it like this... Nothing is greater than 5 guys on the same station with the same dream but if one link falls short or is slacking the. U have breakdown,.GET RID OF The weak !!!! This is a very self serving job, n yes thoug we love it bottom line is we all need money this is the way we chose to make it. Think about it as YOUR BAND n if someone is holding U back CUT em loose v
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Post by jmuscara on Mar 22, 2015 9:06:36 GMT -5
My best asset over 40+ years has been stubbornness. Ha! I've found that I may not be the most driven person in the world, but I am stubborn. It might be a subtle distinction for some, but I see a difference. You know that definition of insanity that people throw around, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? To me stubbornness is sort of like that, but it's that I keep trying until I figure out how to make it work. [laughing] Great posts, all. I appreciate the input.
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Post by jmuscara on Mar 23, 2015 6:56:13 GMT -5
I've been reading and following a lot of Buddhism lately, more as a philosophy than as a religion. It talks about desires and expectations and not really having any. One thing it has led me to is that it's okay to be okay, you know? I can do things in life and they can be just nice, okay, whatever, I don't even think about it, I just do them. I don't always feel that way, and there are times I am wholly dissatisfied, but more often than not, that's on me. In fact, the biggest factor affecting my mood is often if I get enough sleep. So I go take a nap.
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Post by voodoo on Mar 23, 2015 8:13:05 GMT -5
The NEXT way I can put this was.... When living off the street and your only talent other thanIllgal,outlets were music, U have to put EBERYTHING into it, family, girls, friends, material wants all,are second,
This is the MOST SElfish bus ies U can be in... If. 1 of say the 5 in the band does not have the desire or drive as the rest THAT 1 MUST BZe replaced n as the old saying goes it's NOT PERSONAL JUST Business
IN NYC U went NO where without a manager, atty,s n lots of connections.....
Each area is different to make it in.....I would think Nasville would be the hardest as personally the only difference bewtween ROCK N COUNTRY is the Vocals
But as I said for every band that has as ALL SUCCESS 100,000 had NO a SUCCESS.
When getting gigs the WPRAT thing U can do,is show up as a band member, NO club owner is gonna write a co tract with a band member ,,,,WHY? Tnat member is NOT speaking for the rest of the band...... U also need a marketing company .
There R so e FANTASTIC p,ayers n BANDS who Wil. Fall by the way side..... Even with some scuccess I did
TO much pressure I today's market is put in the band ...so if that's so the band MUST have
1... Something special,about em...like,Devo, BOWIE, ALICE,Cooper n the Blues Buddy GUy
2 That band better have the same dream, and focus on NOTNING else that dream
3 The songs..... Ru playing what U want or R u playing your style for the people U have to do BOTH
4..... It is usually just before YA GIVE UP your on the way to,a break through
5 When all else fails...... The take your songs,have session players play the other parts n have a n arty ,,manager n marketing person do the rest.....
6 U must ask yourself is this your DREAM, it is the rat of the BAMDS Dream???
For those who,say NO... They have to go.... In a band it's all for one n ine for all U less YA go,solo n use session players.....
LOTS of bands started out with session players
but u say your at Plan B,.... There is an age limit to BREAK IN. Luckily with Blues, Country that age limit seem to be longer but with POP, ROCK n even RAP it is the MEW N YOUNG The days of The Beatles, STONES, CCR U-2 and othe R multi platinum albums IS OVER
Today your contract will be zone song since the INternet has screwed musicians , but eve still U have that ONE SHOT n U gotta treat it like your child.... Nurse it, treat it right, be open to chamge.... The. If and when U get a real contract STILL it is not as it was for the 50s to,the 2000s......
We got guarantee,s of $$$$$$' albums etc..... But today U put out a re PRS get sent ON A major album tour. With ,any bands all trying for one thing...to GET NOTICED
Dress professionally..... NO KILL ME SHIRTS , nothing policitical, go for the best catchiest song U can make n get there attention, wether it be with dress, lik , gimmick or different music
But U seem so dedicated , I had a career. And with it over NOT A DAY goes by I don't miss it, at least I had ,y 20 years...... But could U give up, knowing U never made the connection it took to get notoced
A friend sat at Arista office for 6 weeks everyday for 8 hours a day... Finally he got heard, then signed .... That person was Elvis Costello and he as so,close to giving up.... His band THE attractions were not as dedicated as Elvis was and now have grat jobs like ASST MANAGER at WAL MART ,, This has happened with TOMMY RAMONe who quit thinking the band was going no where, Marky Ramone was ther for the next 14 years a HPF Inductions and a ton of cash
DONT GIVE UP...may I ask your age???
James
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Post by JamesP on Mar 24, 2015 7:01:38 GMT -5
Everytime I read threads like this one, I'm reminded of those days about 60 years or so ago, when there was always a hundred or more musicians arriving in Nashville and Memphis with dreams of the big break. If one in the hundred ended with a contract, it was not very likely. So most of us just settled in to a routine of playing beer joints, VFW halls, wherever we could make $5 - 10 a night. The more courageous would get a room on 16th or 17th Avenue in Nashville (where all of the recording companies and music publishers had their offices) and try to break in via the songwriting route. Some of us would even try to make a few bucks by hanging around the recording studios, especially the small ones, trying to get a job as a backup band to some aspiring (and rich) singer who was able to cut a demo record on his own.
The point is, eventually we all realized that we would either starve to death or found the necessity to get a "real" job. So the rest became life...
I always think about Lacy J. Dalton's song - "Sixteenth Avenue". If you've ever pounded the pavement described above., you will appreciate these lyrics.
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Post by jmuscara on Apr 7, 2015 8:20:33 GMT -5
Maybe me starting this topic was a clue that I missed.
Last week I was at my every-other-week piano lesson. Something happened at that lesson that sucked all the life out of me. I feel like I hit my breaking point. On a conscious level, I know he was trying to help me and what he wanted me to work on was good stuff. But for some reason I don't want to do it. Up until now, I had been pushing through the doubts, the rejections, the crap bands, the feelings of not knowing what I'm doing nor where I'm going, etc. But, I think I'm just tired of it all. Looking at it, I feel like I've had *nothing* good in return for all the effort and all the work lately and I think that's a BIG problem for me. Again, I'm not saying I need a big crowd, big bucks, etc. I just need to feel like I'm making good music one way or another. That could be with a band or alone. But I can't recall the last time it's happened.
It's still only been a few days since this happened so I know I need to give myself time. But observing myself it's been amazing to see that I can't find my fire anywhere.
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Post by JamesP on Apr 7, 2015 8:41:16 GMT -5
I am very self-critical, but that's a good thing because it keeps me growing as a human being and as a musician. Ray LaMontagne
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Post by jmuscara on Apr 7, 2015 23:18:16 GMT -5
That's kind of the same point as this.
I think I might need a break, though. OTOH, I'm afraid that if I do that, I might never come back to it. That's why I haven't stopped until now.
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Post by JamesP on Apr 8, 2015 15:42:52 GMT -5
I love the post Patrick. So true.
It reminds me of my former bandmate and friend, Billy Henson. Billy tried to make it in the music business, but ended up moving to California and taking a job in finance. Worked at that for years, but eventually came back to Nashville, reinvigorated his music life, and now is making it in the music business, even though it's now in his late 70s.
Persevere!!!
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Post by jmuscara on Apr 12, 2015 10:08:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the posts and support, all. I can't imagine I'd go without playing music for long. If I did stop, at some point, in some way, I'd get back to it. Here's the thing. Last week I went to my doctor, and I've apparently had some sort of virus. I now suspect that what happened to me has been largely physical. That's not to say that some reevaluation wasn't in order. It was. But I think things aren't as bad as I thought. I'm still getting over the bug or whatever but it's been slow going. (It's a weird one because it mostly has me run down with no upper respiratory problems at all.) I'm really looking forward to feeling 100% again and seeing what I want to do then. Keep on guarding the flame, guys. The cool thing is, if you're willing to DIY, I think there's lots of opportunity in this crazy business for us crazy people.
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Post by jmuscara on Apr 13, 2015 7:48:08 GMT -5
Pete who? I work hard to stay healthy, but stuff still happens. I'm starting to get back to it but taking it day by day.
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