I've been writing, composing and playing since 1982 or so. I've been in gigging bands since 1987. I've toured the U.S. and Germany (recorded an album in Berlin in 2000), played at SxSW in 2008, done the Hollywood club circuit, and recorded 5 solo albums.
Music gives me a chance to say things I want to, and it gives me something to focus on when my attention is challenging.
I would like to record music for films, continue to record albums, perform live, produce, and someday teach.
Make Bernie Sanders president.
Rapture by Blondie
I don't pick favorites.
Life experiences, desires, clever comebacks to imagined conversations, other music.
We're all weird in our own way. Don't be ashamed of it. Here are some of the ways that I'm weird...
Exhilarated, energized, proud, excited, like I never want it to end.
The musician's reality is a bleak one. It's very hard to succeed at music unless you have sex appeal you can fall back on, and you're willing to sell out to mainstream channels. Something that would improve the music business would be if we could do away with the major labels, and if radio stations would play music based on merit rather than sponsorships. A film production company could do a series of films on independent groups (chosen on talent rather than marketability) to expose these groups to the general public, and let the people choose what they like to listen to rather than shoving the same 50 artists down everyone's throat over and over.
One thing I like is that it doesn't force me into a box out of the gate, and prompts me to think about what genre each of my songs is in. I've been struggling with identifying them, but this is helping. I also find the other users to be very active, and the site is very responsive about alerting me to feedback.
The fact that people don't seem to be willing to take a chance on new, unheard artists. If you don't establish yourself with paid promotion or some sort of scandal, people will never know what you have to offer. Also, to succeed you pretty much have to adapt to the expectations of the mainstream. Rather than embracing our individuality, the industry pounds that out of us to make us fit some mold because it's proven to be profitable. Greed is the worst. Plus, to get any kind of coverage or publicity, it's all about money. Those who pay get the best press. So it's not a matter of being good, it's a matter of paying for it. Get on Drooble's list of notable artists: pay for it. Get on the radio: pay for it. Get anywhere at all outside of your own little world: pay for it. Get on pretty much any chart anywhere: pay for it. So the charts don't reflect talent or giftedness, it's all about who has the money. It's almost like bail. If you don't have money, you stay in jail. No matter what you've done wrong, as long as you have the cash, you're free. To adapt the old saying, money talks, and it's bullshit.
I champion lesser-known acts, I encourage people to listen to friends' groups and other independent acts, I purchase music when I can from small labels and bands, I vote for independent acts in contests, etc, I promote unsigned and independent acts at Best Policy Music (bestpolicymusic.com).
Playing live shows exposes you to people in a way that you can't otherwise, and seeing a band live does create a sort of bond between band and audience that can't be artificially created. Opening for a bigger band is one of the best ways I know of to widen your exposure.
Xanthan (from Houston), Wavebreaker, The Paper Sea, The Rosemarys, Poster Children, Osco Fiasco, Los Bitchos, Scratchy Blanket, Gold Vine, ¥@T!M!T0 F@W@!!, Orange Cones, Oppenheimer, State to State, XIII Knots, Press Darlings, Tongue, Woolly Bandits