How Important Are You…?

Face It.

You’re Only As Important as You Think You Are.

You can Either Live By & Under the Expectations & Evaluations of Others – or – You Can CHOOSE to Create & Model Your Own Principles or Ideals.

You Can Either Agree to The “Usual” Pay Scale of the Masses or CHOOSE to Negotiate Your Fee.

It’s Up To You.

Your Self Importance is the Sum Total of Your Own Thoughts, Experiences & Esteem.

Your Self Importance is Directly Tied to Your Own Vision & Goals.

You are Either One Who Sees Him/Herself as Having Very Little to No Worth – or – Someone Who Envisions Endless Possibilities. You Either Settle or You Set Out.

It’s Up To You.

Although Present Options may be Limited, Important People are Always Creating Opportunities to Change that Present Situation and Improve Their Positioning.

EntreMusicians MUST Embrace the Realization that Our Art, Music & Creativity is IMPORTANT. We Must No Longer Accept or Agree to Selling Ourselves Short and/or Out!

It’s Time To Set A Price For Our Shows & Songs that Reflect Fair, Equitable Standards which Put Money in Our Own Pockets or Refuse to Participate on Their Platforms & Stages.

Important People Know How to Say “NO.”

How Important Are You?

The Plan in Perspective

I have a friend named Joe (real name) who started a New Gym in Youngstown Ohio 18 Months Ago. Geographically, Joe’s Gym is about 2.8 miles away from that Other, Better Established, Open 24/7, Only $10 a Month Gym that Most Everyone Frequents. Joe’s Gym is only open from 5:30am to 9:00pm, has far less equipment & space and his Monthly Memberships begins at 5x more than that other place. Yet Joe has a startling slew of clients and continues to add Specialized Sessions & Trainers to his Growing Roster.

The Secret to Joe’s Success is Joe.His Gym Provides Intentionally Focused Workouts in an Exceptional Environment that Provides Optimum Results to its Members. Joe’s Gym is called The Train Station.

I often think of Joe as I talk to Musicians and Software Developers about this Unfolding Plan I’ve proposed. In case You are Unaware, I began a Post several weeks ago concerning EntreMusicians readdressing the Direct Sales & Digital Distribution of their Art. I continued to Add Thoughts & Emotions and will continue to discuss & work with EntreMusicians to formulate a workable plan. The Conversation is Growing!

In short, I Believe that ALL EntreMusicians must utilize their ability to Stream their Content Directly to Their Own Tribes on a Subscription Basis, without the need of a Billion Dollar Corporation paying them less than a penny per stream. The Technology is Available, but must be Personalized in a format best suited for both Artist & End User. 

Dr. Nelson Harrison, a very forward thinker and founder of The Pittsburgh Jazz Network has proposed an Alternative through Millennium Music Media which I am currently checking into and awaiting a callback from a known Artist Currently on their roster.

Joe’s Success in Starting  & Growing The Train Station is in His Initiative to Customize a Service & System the Larger Gyms simply cannot and markets his personal touch accordingly, without railing against them – and Word of Mouth is growing.

Every EntreMusician Must Go and Do Likewise. The Excuses are Over. Other Options Are Available. The Ultimate Option remains in Controlling & Distributing Our Own Songs on Our Individually Owned Platforms and Doing the Hard Work of Marketing Ourselves Appropriately. That’s The Truth of Being Independent Artists.

I wasn’t playing any music while blogging, but I’ve just finished practicing the drums to the “Dreamland” CD by YellowJackets. William Kennedy, ALWAYS WOW!! 

The No Comfort Zone

If Music is anything at all, it’s an Adventurous Journey into Amazement! Music is an Oasis of Emotions which ofttimes teasingly, lovingly, spiritually and at other times, violently causes the Listener to Experience a moment they could never imagine on their own. My definition is Completely Melodramatic, I know, but not without reasonable consideration for what usually happens in the Musician’s mind…or at least in my own.

Interestingly, in the course of time, that same musician, if not intentional, begins to Slide into the Frontier of the Familiar. They recycle Chord Changes, Patterns, Harmony Structures, Beats and Choruses that meander subconsciously without the least bit of explorative engagement. Usually this happens once the Artist’s fan base is well established and the season of scratching and hoofing out gigs while tearfully begging people to download their music has become a distant memory.

While it’s always important to maintain your own DNA and promote your unique style of singing, playing and performance antics that make you You, the moment you quit learning, taking risks and expanding your palette for the minds, hearts and souls of your tribe is the very moment you’ve filed for retirement. A Musician’s laurels never look as cute to their fans as they do to themselves and they can always smell when you’ve phoned in a gig.

A true EntreMusician graces the tender tightrope of keeping their identity while stimulating advancement, growth and progress in their art. No “cookie cutter” formulas and presumptuous phrases which undermine the intelligence of your audience will last for long. They will remember and they will defect in time. It’s an uncomfortable position to be in, but well worth the music that results if you stay on your toes!

Finally, an EM realizes that his/her music is not just for the entertainment of others. Our souls are also fed when The Spirit downloads into us the wellspring of New Life in Song. The more we return, the more deliciously refreshing we find the water and the more prone we are to resist pondscum.

The Case for Soul & 25 Albums I Could Never Part With

It’s not impossible to sell records devoid of soul. You can make quite a lucrative career without it.

In fact, soulless music seems to be much in demand – or at least that’s what the gatekeepers lead us to believe.

Have You noticed that No One sweats on the big stages anymore or makes those ugly “I’m in intense pleasurable anguish because the funk is hitting me very, very hard right now” looks? And when was the last time You bobbed your neck so hard to a new groove, you needed a sedative?

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a quarter of a century since Chuck D asked the question everyone was pondering, “Who Stole The Soul?” and with the exception of a few Indie EntreMusicians like Frank McComb, Marlon Saunders or Martha Redbone, no artist of major label status has returned it.

Now I’m not trying to split hairs about this. There’s been slick, cool, hype and some funky tunes that have hit pay dirt, but the overwhelming majority have lacked the greasy essence of in yo’ face emotion that songs, of any genre (except Lawrence Welk) used to require.

I was listening to Jackie Wilson’s “Doggin’ Me Around” this morning. Although the song is a meaningful ballad of a love turned stone cold, clearly intended for a pop audience, his adding that mammoth “Yeeaaaaaaaaaah” made his point last longer! The funk nasty Wurlitzer piano intro that coaxed a tender young Michael into his “I Got This” crooning on “Who’s Lovin’ You” drips with more soul than James Brown allowed and we won’t even get into his mighty story!

Smokey Robinson (who penned “Who’s Lovin’ You”) also beat the smash out of the soul bone with “You Really Got A Hold On Me.” I could go on, but you get the point…I Hope.

Again, there IS Music out there splashing grits and gravy, but you have to hunt for it. It used to be center stage! 

I believe we can turn it around. Calling All EntreMusicians!!

Below, I’ve placed 25 albums I’ve been digging on lately. It seems I can’t get these out of the CD player once I put ’em in. They are mostly jazz, but they ALL Got Soul!

In No Particular Order:

Bob James – Grand Piano Canyon

The Crusaders – Chain Reaction

Herbie Hancock – The New Standard

Michael Brecker – Wide Angles

Earth, Wind & Fire – Spirit

Dave Holland Quintet – Prime Directive

Traut/Rodby – The Duo Life

Wilton Felder – We All Have A Star

Pleasure – Future Now

Foley – Directions in Music

Stevie Wonder – Fulfillingness’ First Finale

Phillip K Jones II – Sticology

Pat Metheney Band – The Road to You

Kirk Whalum – Into My Soul

Bernie Worrell – All The Woo In The World

The Eagles – Greatest Hits Volume 2

Ernie Isley – High Wire

Donald Fagan – Kamakiriad

Parliament – Chocolate City

Paul Simon – Graceland

Billy Barber – Lighthouse

LA Boppers

John Pattitucci – Sketchbook

Jim Couchenour – Quiet Canvas II

SounDoctrine – Inspire

Feel Free to Send YOUR List – Let’s Trade Notes! I might do 25 More Next Week!

Timelessness

What’s the Difference between a Tune and a Song?

I would venture to suggest the difference between day and night, right or wrong and front and back…

This is not to say that tunesmiths are wrong, dark or backward. Certainly, he and she thrive on the merits of trending what’s hot and happening right now, consequently reaping the short term rewards and accolades of the microwave society known as the Music Industry (which include all participants and purveyors). A tune is cute, catchy, sweet. Extremely Easy to Sing. Impossible to Ignore and in spite of itself, annoying. It’s generally accepted that overtime the listener will tire of listening to it and may grow to hate it (especially when a ‘new tune’ is released). They will delete the download the moment the tingle fades and will not look back in their pursuit of the next big thing. The Artist themselves tango on the tight rope of the tawdry tune, which they soon stuff into a medley of other tunes while on tour, only singing the hooks, less they vomit on stage from the nausea of being associated with the doomed thing in the first place.

A Song, however, knows no such fate. Every Lyric, Melody and Curious Chord Change are constantly reanalyzed, rebuilt and refined from cover to cover. Devoted Fans flock to the Song and File it in their Fave Folders. Artists & Musicians rush to it and celebrate the opportunity to express its universalism and gravity. On stage, the Artist may change the lighting, their clothes and/or the tempo to go into deeper explorations of the Song’s original intent and purpose.

Generations of listeners appreciate the Song. Grandparents immediately reminisce, sharing stories of young love, fate and destiny, while the young carve out their own histories, utilizing the Song’s timeless wonder as the backdrop to their lives.

The Song beckons You. The tune teases.

The Song melts into your memory. The tune takes advantage of the moment.

The Song walks with you through heartache and pain. The tune provides no remedy or safety net.

The Song takes up residence in Your Soul and consistently breathes life into Your Very Being. It offers no stress and harnesses sacred memories that remain with you forever.

At the end of every songwriting session, it is my desire to have received that mystical download from the portals of heaven which engages with the human spirit to encourage and expand life itself for everyone who listens.

I trust we share similar examples.
I would love to know your thoughts!