What Makes Gear Special?

It narrows options. And by doing so, it makes decisions for you.

It frees your mind up to use your ears.

That was one of the features when music was made on outboard gear.

You were limited to the gear at the studio and it was gonna be expensive to get more.

If the compressor has a 2:1 ratio setting and then jumps to a ratio of 8:1…looks like 4:1 isn’t even worth thinking about.

These days we all have access to all the same gear…and there’s a lot of it. And it’s cheap.

The glory isn’t in having more gear anymore. It’s in intentionally selecting gear in a way that it makes decisions that further the creative idea, so that we can get back to the creative idea.

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The Fear We Seek

The fear you should have worked on it longer

The fear it should be released already

The fear no one is going to like it

The fear the people we care about won’t get it

The fear you’re too late

The fear that the mix is all wrong

The fear that it was all too easy

The fear you’re going to be found out

That fear you feel is the fear we seek. It’s part of the creative, musician, artist deal. It’s part of the hard part of the overall great thing.

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Now We Have Sides

If there’s only two of us…

I’m on my side.

And you’re on yours.

That’s why adding a third to the band is interesting.

Now we have sides. Now we have unevenness and compromise that can’t be kept track of.

That’s what makes it good. No one got their way…and because of that we have magic.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Hit Live Show Moments

There aren’t many.

Sure, if you’re a musician there’s a bigger pool of live show moments that you and all your friends reference…

But the general public?

Lots of hit songs, not many hit live show moments.

Whitney’s national anthem.

Freddie at Live Aid.

The Beatles on Ed Sullivan.

We can all think of more great moments but are they known by twenty year olds and seventy year olds?

There aren’t many hit moments because most live show magic…well, you had to be there. And it isn’t easily captured and reproduced in video.

Maybe that’s the way it should be.

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Taking The Better Gig

There’s an ethos in Nashville where if you’re offered a gig that is better than the one you have, you can jump ship and no one will blame you.

And there’s lots of reasons the new gig could be better…better pay, better travel, better music, better people, bigger stages, better food, more shows, less shows.

But in most cases it’s mainly the money.

So take the better gig. It’s hard to make money and if you’re offered more of it, go for it.

But remember, there’s always a better gig.

Eventually it’s worth prioritizing how you make the gig better rather than only focusing on the better gig.

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You Might Forget The Words

But that’s probably ok as long as you keep going.

You don’t need to be perfect to still deliver on the promise.

While the audience might be there to hear all the correct words, odds are they’re there for something else. The feel. The experience. That thing you do to the room when you’re on stage.

That’s what you can’t let drop. Don’t let a few missed lyrics get in the way of a great performance.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple