When You’re Gone

If you decided right now, today, that you were done with the music business, your world hopefully would be sad for a second, but then your world would move right along and be just fine.

This thought probably brings you either freedom or fear.

You don’t HAVE TO do this (whatever it is you’re doing), but you chose to do it, so do it well, since that’s what you’ve chosen.  You choosing it is what makes it valuable.

If you’re married to an idea that you need to stick with what you’re doing because that’s what you’ve always done and/or everyone would be just DEVASTATED if you stopped, you can let go of that idea.

They won’t be devastated. Your mother might be, but even she will move on after 36 hours.

Seth Godin had a really great post a while back along these lines that I think you should read.

Some of you run around thinking “what will everyone do, how will they react/live/look at me/respect me if I stop…and do something else”.

At some point you’ll realize that in life, you’re trading on your character, generosity, thoughtfulness, the essence of your passion (spoiler: your passion isn’t music even though you play it) and who you are as a person.

And the good thing is you get to take all of that with you after the last chords ring out.

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

I Don’t Love Third Eye Blind

I don’t love Third Eye Blind. I say that I do. I say that I love a bunch of bands and artists like The Beatles and Queen and Foo Fighters, but here’s the truth.

I love me and my life and thinking about me and my life in the context in which their songs are/were part of it. Narcissism (and nostalgia) at it’s finest.

I love the story that plays in my head when I hear their songs, what I’m telling myself. I love the way I feel. Me, me, me, I, I, I.

I listen to music for me, not for the artist. Best case scenario: I remember to give the artist credit in some way for allowing me to love me more.

This is the truth for all fans of all bands, and might come as a strange realization to some of you, but the more you know the better you can navigate the relationship between you and your fans/customers.

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Open Letter From Band To Producer

Dear Producer…

We have a confession to make.

We’ve followed The XYZ’s forever.  It was their album, ABC, that you produced that really put them over the top and made them super successful.

So we thought if we made what they made (a really good album), we would be successful too.

The natural next question was to figure out how they made it.  Because if we could follow the same process, that would lead us where we needed to go.

That’s when we emailed you to produce our album.

When you agreed to produce it, we were thrilled.

We were following the path of The XYZ’s to the T.

While we were making our album with you we had an expectation that since we were making an album (like The XYZ’s) and were using the same process as the XYZ’s (you), that you could give us what we needed to become famous.

We never said that to you, but it’s what we were thinking the whole time.

And because we didn’t get worldwide acclaim from this album, we felt really let down by you and had hard feelings toward you for a while.

We’re sorry.

Now, after a year or so, we’re starting to see things a little more clearly.

We failed to realize that The XYZ’s blew up not because they made a good album, and not because they made it with you.

But because from the beginning The XYZ’s knew WHY they were doing all of this.

And we’ve never stopped to figure that out. We talk about WHAT we want and HOW we want to get it, but never take time for what we’re realizing is the most important part, the WHY. The reason, the motivation.

And without knowing it at the time, we expected you to make up for our lack of true purpose.

You’re great at your job, one of the best in the world.  It just took us a while to understand the truth of the situation.

No hard feelings anymore. See you around soon…

The Typical Wanderers

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

A Guest Post Appearance

The inspiration for, and most of this actual post comes from an email my nephew, Walker Owsley (aka True Odyssey) sent me about doing something original and unique.  Something honest and from the heart. About wishing you were you and not someone else.

No one became Michael Jordan by wearing his jersey

No one became Guns & Roses by being in a Guns & Roses cover band

No one became Jerry Seinfeld by telling Jerry’s jokes

No one became Picasso by hanging one in their living room and claiming they did it

No one became Zooey Deschanel by dressing dorky

The list goes on and on for things the world has trademarked.

You can’t copy and rip-off your way to the top.  You may be inspired to the top.  But people can smell a copy cat mentality a mile away.

And that’s what it is most of the time, mentality.  

The goal is the mentality to do something original, and all the while be wide open to inspiration, motivation and encouragement from a broad range of sources.

We need to experience what only you can give us.

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Artists: Talk To Artists

Fellow artists and bands are your best sounding board when brining on a new team member.

Fellow artists are much more likely to give you a straight forward answer of what their experience and perspective is.  They’re less likely to be hiding the truth.

When you’re thinking about hiring an agent, manager, publicist, etc it’s easy to get romanced in the initial meeting, go home and talk about it, see how you feel, and then make a decision.

Talk to other artists who have worked with that person/company! It’s so easy to forget this. But so important to remember.

If you don’t know an artist or two or three who can give you their experience…ask the person you’re potentially hiring for some references of other bands they’ve worked with…and then call those bands.

Remember, YOU are hiring THEM, not the other way around. Don’t be afraid to do your due diligence.

There’s important reasons artists have left you’re potential team member, and there are important reasons artists have stayed with them.

You should know this before…not after.

You are the leader. You are the driver. You have what it takes.

Talk to each other.

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

Cool And Sexy

Doing the hard part is neither cool nor sexy.  But when you’re finished with it and it works, everyone wonders how you got to be so cool and sexy.  And how can they get there…quickly.

The first thought is to just jump to doing cool and sexy things.  
-Get 100k Instagram followers.  
-Get tons of comments.
-Get important people to say cool things about you.  
-Attend a premier.  
-Get a picture with a big star like it ain’t no thang.
-Get other people to wish they had your life.

None of those things are bad (except that last one…but lets get real…we spend a lot of time on that one). I hope you achieve all of them.

But

If you have not done the real hard work and agonized, worked through the night, worked hard with no one watching, wept, and nearly given up multiple times, you haven’t done the hard part and will never be cool and sexy.

And the funny thing is, I bet after we’ve truly done the hard part, pushed through and succeeded, we’ll care about cool and sexy a whole lot less.  We’ll realize that was a foolish goal to start with.

Maybe we should just ditch it now.

I’m always interested in your perspective, whether affirming or dissenting. Continue the conversation anytime: gabethebassplayer@gmail.com