When I started my career in the mid 80’s things were a lot simpler. People bought music. First, it was cassettes, then it was CDs. This is how I largely made my living for close to 30 years. I played gigs and sold music plus the occasional t-shirts to go along with a tour. I certainly wasn’t getting rich, but I supported my kids and was able to pay my bills. Here I am 30 plus years into a music career and things have changed.
Read MoreFrom scenic sunsets to dialing in soundchecks every musician loves to tour during summer. While touring in the summer can be extremely fun and lucrative, just like any other season there are considerations to be made to make sure your tour is as successful as possible – both professionally and personally.
As a singer, allergy symptoms are the bane of my existence. Just like clockwork as soon as it started to warm up in the spring and cool down in the fall there were those terrifying symptoms that would plague any singer – runny nose, watery eyes, scratchy throat, and sinus headache.
Read MoreWe all work within some kind of budget, whether you are an aspiring songwriter that just wants to lay your songs down or you run a studio business by working with outside clients. Here are some ways to save money on your home or project studio so you can focus on what really matters – making music.
Winter is in full swing and it’s been a particularly brutal one across much of the United States. While sub-zero conditions and heavy snows might be fairly common to touring musicians in other countries, this was a challenging touring season for us in the States.
I wanted to write an article with some tips for touring during winter, as I’ve done so numerous times both as a performer and as a part of a tour crew and wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned along the way.
Allow yourself a little detour, a little extra outside fun on your next tour when the going gets boring. Or tough. Or burn-out starts to set in. Make your happy breaks intentional. Treat yourself to something out of the ordinary, even for an hour. Your inner-kid will thank you and so will the Muse.
Rusted light fell across the desert floor, backlighting an ocean of sage brush heavy with yellow flower blooms. We drove the mostly empty two-lane highway along the railroad tracks heading south, winding through the hills of desolate Nevada back-country. Neither of us had ever been in this part of the state. Highway 50 — “The Loneliest Road In America”.
It’s late. After midnight. I should go to bed so I can function tomorrow. But the guitar case is staring me down from the corner of the room and a restless feeling is pinging around inside my ribcage. I surrender and strum a few chords. No particular idea in mind. No words. No real thoughts. I’ll just play a few minutes then turn in for the night. A feeling breezes across my skin and tickles my voice into humming a piece of a melody. Silly sounding non-words escape my lips carried on a tune that is being given to me.
Read MoreSomehow, in my twenties, the craziest thing happened. I made a living writing songs. My life was a cliche. Threw my guitar, sleeping bag and dog in the back of my pickup and drove to Nashville. Ran out of money. Got stuck there. Lived in my truck in a campground for three months until I got a job at The Boardwalk Cafe where there was a songwriters night. I was bold. Walked up to a great up-and-coming-at-the-time songwriter and asked if she would write with me. She said yes. That year her publisher, Bluewater Music, signed me.
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