Andy's blog entry on the life of a musician

Yeah, so we were just chillin' and killin' some time before a gig, eating burritos-- always good food for thought-- and we started talking about life and music type-stuff (what else is new?!) ... Nathan was saying it's funny how we go out and get together and set up and do our rock & roll thing and kick some ass on the weekends, and then just quietly go back to the other things we do during the work-week -- our "normal" lives and "real" jobs, etc... And that's OK. We do what we can, when we can, where we can, however we can...
So I got to thinking, 'what if' this and 'what if' that... And if this were a better world, our "real" jobs would consist of doing what we really love to do with our time and energy. In our case, I think it's safe to say that would be MUSIC.
Now, unfortunately we are not a full-time famous successful national touring act. I believe we have the ability and the capabilities to do that, to be that-- and we dream of it-- but our particular circumstances prevent that from becoming a reality at this point. But--- again, that's OK. We just like to play music whenever, wherever, for whoever is around. But I mean, shit! Who wouldn't want rock & roll as a legitimate career?! (my Grandparents maybe?) And that's why only a few bands really get there. For every band, probably 1 out of 100,000 makes it big. (I define "big" as getting paid enough to be able to support yourself /your family in reasonable comfort and stability. I don't mean "big" like having 47 different classic cars and a personal chef and a castle in Spain. I mean buying a regular old house, and putting your kids thru college, and taking nice vacations every now and then, and maybe a retirement fund) Yes-- not many bands make it big. Because it's not easy. You really have to work, work, work. And you have to sacrifice many things-- job security, health benefits, family-time, sleep, sanity, etc. You have to be away from home. You have to rely on other people who may not be that reliable. You have to wait and wait for all kinds of shit. Waiting for marathon soundchecks. Waiting for people to call you back, and then when they don't call, you have to bug them and harass them until they begrudgingly give you what you wanted, which wasn't too much to ask for in the first place. You have to fight the apathy, the hostility, the incompetence, the urge to strangle the guy who drunkenly knocked over your amplifier. You have to put up with incredible amounts of bullshit.You have to be a dickhead business-man sometimes. You have to swallow your pride. You might even have to make enemies. Sometimes you might feel like crying yourself to sleep, but you can't sleep because there's a raging party going on in the next room. Sometimes you might feel like kind of a whore. "Sure buddy, I'll play [your favorite cover song] for $20." Or maybe you actually get a record-deal offer but you have to do exactly what they tell you, play what they say is the money-making-thing, change your whole identity or else the deal is off. You have to play by their rules. or you have to tell them to shove it, even though you might have gotten alot of $$$... You get up so close, but then you get set back so far away. It doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. You feel like quitting, but you preservere. You question everything. You get pulled and pushed around. You have to cling to your dignity. You are usually very poor for a very long time, you have to eat bad food, or maybe no food, you have to sleep in uncomfortable places, you have to drive for long boring stretches of time with somebody who has god-awful farts, only to end up at some shithole bar in Nowhere-ville and play to 3 people for 4 hours... then you get shafted by the manager. You just keep truckin' on... And even if you do all that and more, there's still no guarantee that all this crazy stuff and hard work and sacrifices will eventually pay off-- no guarantees whatsoever!!!! OK?!
I don't expect you to read all of this. I'm just kind of going off here. But if you have made it this far in this blogg-o-rama, then I commend you. And I will conclude by saying that you never know when it's the last gig you'll ever get, so go out every time as though it is. And even if we end up playing music together for 50 more years and never get anywhere near "big", or if we never make it past the weekend warrior/semi-pro/regional level-- it is still the most fulfilling, worthwhile activity-- to communicate and connect with people, to turn them on, to feel the soul stirring within, to give it your all, and maybe help them in some small way. And the next time you see us performing, and we're all sweaty and funky, and when it's over and we pack up and drive away, back to our "normal" little lives, please be aware of our gratitude, our respect and our motherfucking passion for playing music-- all for you.
11:19 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment
mark
we just came up with the t shirt slogan....Soulslaw.... Fresh Greens with lotsa mayo...If there are 4 people