Research And Development

I am often asked by friends, "do have any concerts coming up soon?" Sometimes, people will inquire, "How are things going with the music business." In reply, I now like to say that I am in a stage of careful "research and development." True, I'm not really doing many shows right now, but I'm not making this choice because I'm quiting on the band idea, nor abandoning the thought of playing out or promoting my music. I have my reasons, and in the next few paragraphs, I will try to elaborate on some level.

Rockstars Do A Lot of Thinking At Starbucks
I've always wondered what bands do in their off season. I think even the most marketed bands have periods when they're not on the road, and maybe not even in the studio. I've heard that some artists will work other jobs to support themselves in their downtime. Some musicians have never earned any formal degree, so when they are not entertaining, they may be bussing tables or serving coffee (not that there is anything wrong with this). I just mention this, because I try to encourage all my young musician friends to develop some type of "tent-making" job... something that can yield them income when the music is refusing to be so lucrative. Anyways, "besides working their day job," I wonder if a lot of bands spend this time concentrating on practice and musical study. Nobody who is good at an instrument develops his/her talent through osmosis. I was at a music conference once, and one of the speakers mentioned that he had once been at the house of Ron Block, banjo player for Allision Krauss and Union Station. The speaker mentioned that Ron (who is an amazing musician) was in the basement running through repetitious scales, a daily routine. I wonder how many people go to concerts and just forget about all the time, effort, experimentation, and monotony that players/singers invest to become who they are as musicians and personalities.

Finding Yourself As An Artist Can Take Discovering Where You Went Wrong
All this to say, I've also been practicing, experimenting, and listening alot over the last year or so. I really went into the creation of "Backstage Pass" without a clear direction of the overall style I was going for. It was almost as if every song was taken from a different musical influence, as oppose to having a constant stew of influences throughout the project. Regardless, I think it's a good album, but in many ways, it's not as focused as it could be. At the end of the day, I also felt like the project was more about the abilities and influences of five Nashville CCM studio players, and less about who I was as a keyboardist/singer/songwriter. I don't blame this upon anyone but myself. I just hadn't done a lot of musical research. I was also very under confident when it came to my piano playing and arranging ability (and rightfully so at the time). I'm not saying that I should have been the one man band, because that would make for a pretty amateur project, as I am neither a guitarist, drummer, or violinist. What I’m saying is this: you've got to let people shine where they shine best, but as a producer/co-producer, you've got to know what you're going for, even if you're not the one playing the instruments. I wish I had known more at the time, but hey, aren’t we all learning?

It's Harder To Get Lost If You Look At The Road Signs
Some of my most recent musical influences have been Keane, Pink Floyd, ColdPlay, Muse, RadioHead, Mute Math, Ours, The Killers, The Fray, and David Gray... many of which rely heavily upon piano and keyboard elements for their sound. (Keep in mind I’m not advocating the message of some of these groups, just taking notes from their tones and arrangements.) I’ve always loved keyboards, and have more recently fallen in love with the overtones and simplicity of the piano. I’ve decided to focus more on being a rock pianist/keyboardist/vocalist/singer/songwriter as oppose to a guy who just sings on stage. One problem I’ve run into is that half my songs are guitar-driven, and being that I’m not a guitarist, I’m left out to dry at shows if the guitarist doesn’t show up. I used to think that people would be bored out of their minds if I sat behind a piano and sang the whole time, but I’ve realized that many keyboard rock artists can mix things up by alternating between sitting at the piano to standing in front of a synth rig on the other side of the stage. I’d eventually like to be set up with equipment and songs which would allow me to play a whole hour + show without any other instrumentalists, or with only a few instrumentalists - a second keyboardist, drums, and one guitar. This would make the whole operation a lot more manageable and cost effective, I think.

Feeding A Two Headed Monster
Along with this, I am trying to slowly assemble my home studio, 10X12 Productions, so I can eventually be set up to effectively create custom music, record voice-overs, etc. for smaller businesses locally, and nationally via the world wide web. I’ve already done some of this, but would like to do more. I am slowly building my resume’ in this regard. I hope to be scoring the music for a 45 minute short film in the near future and may be creating some jingles for a national comedian. In summary, I am trying to merge my ministry/hobby of recording albums/playing out with a day job of sound design, custom music composition, and recording work. The equipment which I purchase to record a new project would directly benefit the hopefully more monetary pursuits of my small business. I spent a lot of money in the studio during the creation of “Backstage Pass,” and in hindsight, I realize that I could have been much further along now if I had instead used some of that money to further my own home studio. As a side note, if I am married some day, it would make more sense to invest in equipment that directly impacts my home business, and our family’s income vs. putting money into my “hobby” of being a solo artist. I am trying to think about how I can keep moving forward without putting my future career and potential wife/family at risk. So far, it feels like I’m headed in a good direction. I have been seeking God’s will on this. Amazing how He gives you ideas sometimes. For me, a year of prayer, journaling, and re-evaluating has brought me to this place.

I continue to work on new songs. I can’t say when and if I am creating a new album for sure. I’ll just say I’m studying the bad business moves I made on “Backstage Pass” and am looking forward to the future with a more long-term and narrowed approach. On this note, I am leaving the coffee shop and heading home to practice some scales.