But I don't want to do a stuffy ballet that has no elements of modernity in it. I want to do a ballet where a dancer gets to fully participate in the creation process. I want the dancer to have a chance to design half the dances herself without the input of any music, and I would love to give her half the music to use to choreograph. I saw some of the most amazing dancers today just from a local studio, but these were strong girls who were artistic, creative and fearless. I want to work with people like that. I want the ballet to be an indie pop/rock album, but I want it to mean something to little girls who want to be dancers as they watch someone who is strong and still young absolutely killing it visually. I just think that would be so cool. Not just for me but for the girl does the dancing, a chance for us both to create something wholly unique.
Too many projects and not enough time :)
PS–Guys, if you don’t already know, girls are STRONG, and most of them
can snap you in half. The “girlier” things they do, they’re probably
even tougher. You need to recognize. Girls rule, and us boys, we drool
;)
Showing posts with label indie rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie rock. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Patreon, Here We Come
So, I am slowly creating a Patreon profile so that I can get more funding to complete my work. This is not a sales pitch, it's more of a PSA. You can use Patreon to create a great many things, and it might help you pay your rent, etc. It's a very cool platform. If you wanted to donate to me, that's great, but there's lots of good people on the site, and that is a very cool thing.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
No More Emotional Drain
Starting in 2001, I joined a community band here in the area. We played all kinds of music, conferences and conventions. I basically did the bulk of the bass clarinetting in a section that is beset with very nice people. The section has changed slightly over the years, and I even took a 5-year hiatus from the group.
When I came back to the group, I was having a VERY hard time in my personal life. So, playing was a good thing to do because I was so distracted by everything. I had just gotten my contra and alto, and I started using the three-way setup in the group, essentially, to entertain myself. I played some very good stuff, but I was mostly doing it for me. It doesn't pay, so that was not the issue.
We played a conference this year, and the whole experience aside from the concert was a nightmare. I had to spend ten minutes earlier this season explaining to the director that I shall not play with a bland tone. I spend a good deal more time explaining the breadth and resonance in my sound as it relates to a band that is so big it shouldn't be a problem.
If you've ever dealt with a manipulative person, you know that they are working very hard to point all the conversation at them. Everything is about making them look good, and even more is about making sure they look smart. They change little details in stories hoping no one will notice, and they tell these stories to tons of people who were not there. Manipulative people change history, and they are very good at making you feel bad because they are being a jerk to you.
If you have dealt with the same manipulative person on and off for nearly 25 years, you get used to their tells. I mean, you never start out thinking they're manipulating you, but when you realize what is really going on, it's hard to ignore. Because you're a nice person, you don't say anything. You try to be as chill as possible, and you go on about your life. However, there comes a time when you have to cut ties.
My life is very drama free. I don't like drama, and I have close friends who don't like drama. MY family doesn't like drama, and I'm not a teenager anymore. When a band director uses you (and your classmates) as a teenager to make themself look good, it's kind of sad when you repeat the pattern (in my case twice) when you are an adult. Some people have a "respect cup" that is bottomless, and they are going to make you fill it all the time. There are band directors like that you who live on respect. It's a drug, and when you don't play by their rules, they single you out (sometimes in EXCEEDINGLY subtle ways) to make sure that you fall in line. I don't fall in line like that anymore, and so I have to remove myself from the situation.
The fact is that the majority of the people in the band are happy because they don't know any better. That's fine. There's no reason for me to mess with that, but I won't be party to it anymore. I literally have too much going on to care anymore, and I need to focus my energy on projects that I know I can release this year. I can really do something, but I can't if I'm constantly listening to someone who is trying to get their respect cup filled. You may say that that's selfish, but you have to remember that I know what I'm worth. I don't get paid to perform a service that is highly valuable, and I have to listen to the constant barrage of manipulative banter which, even though it no longer works on me, is upsetting to listen to.
I just finished writing lyrics for an album, half the music is done, and I am going to record the melodies in the next couple weeks. The children's book may get a boost because I may have found an artist, and I have a thousand things I want to release digitally.
So, if you're experiencing drama in your life, it may be time to walk away or create some distance. You don't kick over the table and tell everyone to fuck off, but maybe it's time to get out of the situation and try something else. If you're a student who is stuck in the situation, hang in there as best you can. The best advice I can offer is this:
1. You're worth more than they say
2. You have a long life after this to live
3. I especially prefer when Lorelai explains to her mom the way she acts. She tells her that she chooses to laugh at Emily's insanity and narcissism. That is where all the jokes and sillyness come from. She uses humor to get around the fact that she knows she is being manipulated in every conversation. Choose to laugh at how silly it is on the other side, do something else with yourself and move forward. You don't always just move on, but you can move forward.
When I came back to the group, I was having a VERY hard time in my personal life. So, playing was a good thing to do because I was so distracted by everything. I had just gotten my contra and alto, and I started using the three-way setup in the group, essentially, to entertain myself. I played some very good stuff, but I was mostly doing it for me. It doesn't pay, so that was not the issue.
We played a conference this year, and the whole experience aside from the concert was a nightmare. I had to spend ten minutes earlier this season explaining to the director that I shall not play with a bland tone. I spend a good deal more time explaining the breadth and resonance in my sound as it relates to a band that is so big it shouldn't be a problem.
If you've ever dealt with a manipulative person, you know that they are working very hard to point all the conversation at them. Everything is about making them look good, and even more is about making sure they look smart. They change little details in stories hoping no one will notice, and they tell these stories to tons of people who were not there. Manipulative people change history, and they are very good at making you feel bad because they are being a jerk to you.
If you have dealt with the same manipulative person on and off for nearly 25 years, you get used to their tells. I mean, you never start out thinking they're manipulating you, but when you realize what is really going on, it's hard to ignore. Because you're a nice person, you don't say anything. You try to be as chill as possible, and you go on about your life. However, there comes a time when you have to cut ties.
My life is very drama free. I don't like drama, and I have close friends who don't like drama. MY family doesn't like drama, and I'm not a teenager anymore. When a band director uses you (and your classmates) as a teenager to make themself look good, it's kind of sad when you repeat the pattern (in my case twice) when you are an adult. Some people have a "respect cup" that is bottomless, and they are going to make you fill it all the time. There are band directors like that you who live on respect. It's a drug, and when you don't play by their rules, they single you out (sometimes in EXCEEDINGLY subtle ways) to make sure that you fall in line. I don't fall in line like that anymore, and so I have to remove myself from the situation.
The fact is that the majority of the people in the band are happy because they don't know any better. That's fine. There's no reason for me to mess with that, but I won't be party to it anymore. I literally have too much going on to care anymore, and I need to focus my energy on projects that I know I can release this year. I can really do something, but I can't if I'm constantly listening to someone who is trying to get their respect cup filled. You may say that that's selfish, but you have to remember that I know what I'm worth. I don't get paid to perform a service that is highly valuable, and I have to listen to the constant barrage of manipulative banter which, even though it no longer works on me, is upsetting to listen to.
I just finished writing lyrics for an album, half the music is done, and I am going to record the melodies in the next couple weeks. The children's book may get a boost because I may have found an artist, and I have a thousand things I want to release digitally.
So, if you're experiencing drama in your life, it may be time to walk away or create some distance. You don't kick over the table and tell everyone to fuck off, but maybe it's time to get out of the situation and try something else. If you're a student who is stuck in the situation, hang in there as best you can. The best advice I can offer is this:
1. You're worth more than they say
2. You have a long life after this to live
3. I especially prefer when Lorelai explains to her mom the way she acts. She tells her that she chooses to laugh at Emily's insanity and narcissism. That is where all the jokes and sillyness come from. She uses humor to get around the fact that she knows she is being manipulated in every conversation. Choose to laugh at how silly it is on the other side, do something else with yourself and move forward. You don't always just move on, but you can move forward.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Any Opinions On Lyrics Videos?
I'm also wondering if anyone has an opinion about unsigned artist sites... Someone who likes making lyric videos would be a help, but I am really interested about a site that deals with unsigned musicians.... The two together are a big focus for me right now.
On a side note, it's almost time to shred and find out how these songs actually sound :)
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
You Have To Play It Out
I having such fun playing new melodies and creating something that us improvisatory... It is like it can never really be written down, and I like that :)
Monday, March 16, 2015
What About The Length Of An Album
I've got albums from my favorite band that are barely 40 minutes long. I don't care, I love it...I just always wonder what convinces people to make albums of a certain length. Is this something that people arrive at because they think the album is done, or is the number of tracks and their relative length part of some divine formula. Just wondering...
In other news, writing in the middle of the night really helps. I have some great tracks ready to go, and I just need to decide what is going to accompany them. How simple or complex they will be. But this thing is coming together in a way where I can spend mid-April to mid-May recording and see if I can release this puppy on June 1 on basically all forms of media :)
In other news, writing in the middle of the night really helps. I have some great tracks ready to go, and I just need to decide what is going to accompany them. How simple or complex they will be. But this thing is coming together in a way where I can spend mid-April to mid-May recording and see if I can release this puppy on June 1 on basically all forms of media :)
No One Knows For Sure, But That Time You Know
That time that you know that you wrote something truly brilliant. I mean, you will be happy with all the things that you write and record, but sometimes they are things that you like personally. They are not necessarily things that everyone is going to stand up and say "That's fucking brilliant." However, there are those few times when you write something that you know is utterly brilliant, that's a good feeling. It's an even better feeling when you wrote that song at 2 in the morning and it's about somebody you care about. Yeah, that's a good feeling. I cannot wait to really finish this work and put these songs on tape.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Cover songs...
Anybody got experience with releasing covers? I had a brilliant idea, but I want to do it right... I don't want to be a cover freak unless I can get it right... Really right... You know?
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Tell Me Your Method?
There are many ways to write a song, but there is only one way to get it on paper... Would you improvise until you got a final version or write everything down and splice together a final version??? The process can be fast, but which do you prefer?
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