There's no more IDEAL time than RIGHT NOW!

It's true. There will never be a more ideal time to launch our new projects, record our new album, book our next show, or take over our next town or city, than RIGHT NOW!

A lot of times, as artists, we spend time looking for our opening. We try to build the perfect beast and then frustrate ourselves when it never seems to see the light of day. We toil for our perfection. We destroy ourselves over tiny details that just don't seem to come out right. We fixate, obsess, and dwell.

I do anyway.

So, I'm making the conscious decision to say "Fuck it!" and just make the most out of what I've got.

My new band, Tailhook Echo, the one I've been working on for the past two or three years, finally starts rehearsing this next week. I love the songs, I love the sound, I love everything about it, so long as I don't dwell on the little things. But I'm going to launch it and let it be what it is. I have to trust that others will see in these songs, what I see in them. That they will hear what I was feeling when I wrote them. That my art will translate in a way that speaks to others. But, dammit, I have to put it out there for myself. As long as I like it, and my bandmates like it, then I trust it will speak to others as well.

In the words of Sir Richard Branson: "Screw it! Let's do it!

Daily Creativity

It's a busy life, you know? Sometimes daily life just gets in the way of creativity. It's not always easy to fit in time to play guitar or drums or whatever we play. It's not always the right moment to put that pen to paper and write that next great song.

It's vital that we do though.

I've gone through HUGE dry spells, where I've just not wanted to do any of it. I've let the business side of things here, the voice over recordings, or the hunt for more clients, keep me from doing what I love best. Being creative. It's not fair to our artist side to deny ourselves this outlet. It's the way to early retirement from our biggest dreams.

I'm finding that if I set aside a little bit of time each day, and just let myself be free to create, it comes in waves. Big, crashing waves. Sometimes enough to overwhelm, but always good stuff.

Leave room for creativity. It's what makes us who we are.

Plant Your Seeds and Move to the Next Row

Yep, just like in gardening, business is a plant and wait prospect. Not saying that you don't do the tending, such as weeding out the bad prospects, or nourishing the good ones, but once we've picked the spot and planted the seed, it's just a matter of waiting for it to grow.

The size and quality of your crop is dependent on the work you put into the cultivation. Put in the elbow grease early and you'll enjoy a fairly trouble free and bountiful return.

One of the issues that we, as business owners have though is that we're impatient. We plant it and expect it to grow overnight, and it doesn't always work that way. Plant it and move to the next row and plant some more. Keep going and one day you'll look back and see the healthy crops that have sprung up behind you.

Most importantly, we have to be thankful for what we have. Every little bit helps and builds us up to better deal with next season. Here's to healthy crops all around this year!

Scenester Casualty or Rock Star?

Well, what's it going to be? Are you plugging along, trying to make things easier for others? Make someone else's dream a reality? Are you playing the game, as the industry, or your local scene, dictates it to you? Or even worse, are you just thinking about your next small club gig and what the free drink limit is?

OR

Are you in a constant state of developing new material and planning your next step? Are you looking at the next rung on the ladder out of mediocrity? Are you setting the next bigger and badder goal?

That my friends is the difference between being a scenester casualty and a bonafide Rock and Roll success story.

It really does come down to what you're willing to do to make your way. What you're willing to sacrifice and live without. What kind of effort you're willing to put in, and most importantly, how quickly and effectively you're able to launch your new materials. Launch quickly and launch often. Make people see your dedication. All the rehearsals in the world won't show people how much effort you're actually putting into your project. They only see the physical aspects of what you're doing.

Don't be afraid to take big steps. Take chances. It's only your future. Your success. What are you afraid of?

Why Do We Think There Are Rules In Rock & Roll?

So last night I was reading an article by a moderately successful rock star from the 80s/90s and he was spouting off about how the music industry has changed and the rules don't apply any more. Um what rules? It's fucking ROCK & ROLL!!!

Rules. Yes, somewhere through the course of it all, rock & roll has lost it's rebellious, fuck the establishment, mentality and set up it's own set of rules and guidelines. There's a certain way to approach labels, there's a certain way to book tours, there's a certain way to make videos, there's a certain way to inject the heroin just right to...............oh, too far? Yeah. What's with cookie cutter rock stars? I mean, Disney owns rock & roll now, for god's sake.

Let's face the fact that Rock $ Roll is a big money proposition for the labels and they will, just like they have for years now, chase the trends rather than cultivate the talent. It used to be that the A & R rep would court the talented and cultivate new and exciting things to give their label a leg up over the competition. Anymore, they're just scouting for the next so and so. No money goes into taking chances anymore. That's the downfall of labels being run by corporations. Risks need to be minimized and profits capitalized. Rules come into effect when money becomes the sole objective.

The unfortunate thing is that the Indie music world mimics that mentality, just on a smaller scale. They may be a little more willing to take the chances but they still try to set up those stupid rules. They still try to tell people how it's done. Dammit, it's ROCK & ROLL, there is no way it's done. Real, long term, breakthrough rock stars don't exist anymore, because no one takes chances anymore. New paths are struck by the bold and the rebellious, not the trend chasers.

Time Limits and Expiration Dates

It's a cold hard fact of life that we won't be here forever. This never fails to occur to me when I find out that someone I know is sick. It's an eye opener to what I've been letting slide. What I've been putting off. Life is short and if we don't knuckle under, we won't leave a big enough dent in it to matter.

Isn't that what life's about? Making a mark? Making an impact on the world and being something other than just another parasite on the face of the planet?

Laziness and procrastination are not a luxury we really have. The urgency is real, we don't have long here, and there are always things that can shorten that time, so what can we do to maximize out impact?

Sometimes I wish it didn't take this kind of thing to teach me such lessons.

The Prospect of Scaling Back on Prospecting

Whether you're looking at this from the perspective of an artist, a label, or any other kind of small business viewpoint, the fact remains the same. We spend a shit ton of time prospecting for leads. Our next gig, our next record sale, our next client, our next opportunity, our next.....................whatever. When do we make time to do what we REALLY do?

I know that the argument can be made that the economy has people pulling back on their spending and that we have to work harder to find the next paycheck, but do we really have to? That wasn't meant to sound like a spoiled kid stomping their feet about something they don't WANT to do, but a serious question. Do we REALLY need to spend so much time on prospecting? Of course the answer will be different for different folks, but I've been thinking about this a little bit. Maybe too much, really.

The object of prospecting is to convince people that they need what we offer. Why don't we just call it sales? That's what it is. We're trying to tell people that they need our music, that they can't live without seeing us this coming Friday at 10 PM at such and such a bar. Why are we spending so much time trying to convince people? Isn't that what our music is supposed to be doing? Isn't that what our marketing plan is supposed to do?

What if we just did what we do best? Why not just make what we make, and do what we do, and maybe just talk about what it is we're doing and making? It may take a little longer to reach all the right people, but we won't be wasting valuable energy in trying to convince the non-believers into buying our stuff. We won't be throwing resources into the wind of ambivalence.

There's a lot to be said for the tactic of hard work and diligence. It will be noticed by those who appreciate it and it will be skimmed over by those that don't, but in the long run, you'll have a following of ONLY those who are really interested in what it is that you do. Plus you'll have the added benefit of all that extra prospecting time that you can roll into making what you make and doing what you do.

Don't forget to talk about what it is you're doing though. Set up a twitter account and tweet about what's going on in the studio, or in the office today. Set up your Facebook account and periodically update about what's going on. Let your followers know what's up and they will tell others. Grow your followers organically, it's not about the numbers, it's about the quality. Most importantly, use that time to better yourself and your product. Be worth following and you'll see that people will talk about you. The more that happens, the less prospecting you'll have to do.

One last thing. Too much of a "sales" kind of attitude makes you look like a salesman. What does THAT do for your image?

Creativity and the Business Are NOT Mutually Exclusive

For years we've been fed the idea that we need someone else to take care of the business side of our music careers so that we can focus on being creative. What is non-creative about the business aspects of our career? Now, I'm not trying to say that we should all fire our managers or agents and go it alone, but having a hands on approach to the business portion of our careers can be just as creative and rewarding as the actual creation side of it. Plus you get the added benefit of knowing EXACTLY what's going on with all aspects of your career.

The fact is, there is no such thing as a plug and play plan for success in the music industry. Sure, there are the well used and frequented paths that most all musicians and bands take, but the success level is low. I kind of think of it as there only being a bottle neck opening of success and the more sand you have in the bottle the harder it is to get to that opening. So, why not unleash the creative side of ourselves and make new openings? Why stick with traditional means if tradition tells us we're delusional? Why not apply our creativity to our business plan and our marketing efforts. Why should we should we look at the business side of our endeavors as different than our music making? They are not, and should not be, mutually exclusive.

As technologies and attitudes toward, and about, music change, the industry changes. That's why I find it amusing when I hear people say that "this is just the way it's done". That's like saying, "well, I had success doing it this way in 1974, it's bound to work now". Um, probably not. Times change, markets change, fanbases change, economies change, social outlooks change, public opinions change, so why don't our business tactics change?

If you can't see the path to success over the heads of your competition, you're on the wrong path. Be creative and strike off into the unknown. You'll be rewarded for your efforts.

Does Music Still Stir the Soul?

Does Top 40 radio speak to you? Does popular music make you feel anything besides confusion as to which sound alike band is being shilled to you? Does music still stir the soul of the masses?

It's no secret that CD sales are way down over the last few years, and while downloads of certain artists are there, does that method really work for the Indie? Is it possible to make a decent living as a touring musician anymore? Is any of that actually the point?

In order for our music to stir the souls of others, it has to stir ours first. We have to have a passion for it. Sure, there's some success associated with the prefab kinds of acts that permeate the radio these days, but what's the shelf life of your throw away pop princesses? The Miley Cyrus's of the world may have the business savvy, or management that does, to build a small empire, but how many songs of theirs can you actually name?

The more I think of the way this game is played anymore, the more I think I'd be much happier writing music that I enjoy and hope that it touches others. If it doesn't though, I'm okay with that, cause at least I know that I love it. In the grand scope of life, that's all that really matters. I'm going to stir my own soul, you can listen in if you'd like.

A Rested Mind

I've found that I have a tendency to think a lot. Yup, I do. I think about work, I think about play, I think about family, and I think about how tight my jeans are getting and it's time to start running again.

The thing is, I never really take the time to not think. To completely tune out and rest for a while. I mean, even when I'm sleeping I have a tendency to toss and turn because of my mind being in overdrive. It's not healthy. It makes for a bad mental state and an uncomfortable inability to focus.

I think this is pretty common among creative people. Our bodies might be limited in the number of pursuits we can delve into at one time, but our minds are not. I find that it's very easy to get carried away, thinking of future projects, or trips, or events, or whatever. Basically, anything but being focused on what's at hand.

Meditation is one way of bringing ourselves back into focus, but then, how many of us actually take the time to do it? Unless you've got a structured practice, it's not an easy thing to remember to do, not to mention it can be taxing in itself. Being persistent at it brings pretty solid results though.

I just know that, for myself, I need to find time to shut my mind down and spend time not thinking. When I do, I find that my musical abilities are better focused, my writing is better, my ability to stay on task is easier, and my interactions with other people, especially clients, is sharper.

Yeah, I think there's a lot to be said for a rested mind.