We’re All On Stage Asking The Same Thing

There’s a place in the heart of every artist that is crying out during every song of every show, and every interview, and every session, and meet & greet…all standing on the edge of the stage (figuratively and literally) asking the exact same thing…

DO YOU LIKE ME???

And one more ‘yes’ is never enough.

The constant hunt for reassurance and affirmation.

I heard it said like this once…if you need check the mirror just one more time before you go out, you will continue to check one more time forever.  As soon as the reassurance is there, it’s gone, it’s there, it’s gone, it’s there…

But what would it look like to stop hunting for it?

In fact, what would it look like to actually seek LESS reassurance and affirmation?

A lot of ideas are heralded as “good ideas” simply because it’s easy see the threads and possibilities of reassurance and affirmation that go along with them.

But have the pats on the back ever been enough?

I can answer that for you…No.

So what if you did the opposite? What if you picked the idea where affirmation isn’t even the point? The idea where for every supporter, there will be two nay sayers?

What does it look like for you to give up the fight for reassurance and affirmation, to seek less of those things?

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

You Don’t Go On Jimmy Fallon For Therapy

You don’t go on Jimmy Fallon for therapy.

You go on Jimmy to be funny.

You don’t buy food from the Shell station for nutritional value.

You go to Shell because it’s convenient and gets you out of a pinch.

You don’t watch the NBA for the defense.

You watch the NBA for the offense.

You don’t listen to Adele’s When We Were Young to get pumped up for the weekend.

You listen to When We Were Young to get Adele’s permission to cry your eyes out.

You don’t need a new iPhone for it’s technical capabilities.

You need a new iPhone to feel better about what you already do on your iPhone.

Everything has the power to fulfill a desire…for the specific type of person looking to have that desire fulfilled.

Artists are so bent on either trying to please everyone, or saying they just make the music for themselves and don’t care about anyone else at all.

It’s not all or nothing.

It is some and it is not others.

Here’s the fill-it-in word puzzle for you.

You don’t go to (insert your band/artist name) for __________.

You go to (insert your band/artist name) for __________.

**The above examples are so clear, extreme, obvious, true, and are a large reason for the level of success of each example.  Don’t be afraid.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

The Artist Trap

You’ve met with the prospective manager/agent/publicist/etc a handful of times.  They seem ok, not great, but not bad.  And isn’t it better to have someone in that seat than an empty chair on your team?

And having met with them so many times now, there feels like a tremendous amount of obligation to hire this person.  They’ve even picked up the check a couple times.

And if you come on board sometime this week, there’s that special opportunity (they’ve been talking about incessantly) that has the potential of maybe happening sometime in the near or distant future…perhaps.

Doesn’t the answer have to be yes now?

They have a special opportunity MAYBE lined up? They picked up dinner? They have a cool office?  There’s been multiple meetings?

Hands tied.  Trapped.  You feel trapped.

But you’re not.

You feel trapped when you don’t believe you have options.

When you feel trapped, go meet with 5 other people in that same field.

Even people you don’t think you would hire. Even people you don’t think would want to work with you.

Your eyes will be refreshed.

Believing you have options gives you energy and power.

Give yourself this gift (of meeting with more people) and receive the freedom it brings.

p.s.  If someone is rushing you to sign, that’s a bad sign.

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

Or connect via…

CDs, Stealing And Streaming

I think I stole music because I wanted revenge for all the years of the $15 cd with only one good song on it.  Revenge and rebellion at it’s finest.

But any generation after mine (and I’m not that old, yet), doesn’t have the $15 to rebel against.

No one under 25 has any real recollection of associating “normal” with purchasing music.  People under 25 may indeed have purchased music, but it’s been the exception, not the rule/norm.

Rather, they are FOR simplicity and convenience…they’re not rebelling via Spotify, they’re not trying to screw you via YouTube, they’re not getting revenge against you via Apple Music.

The problem isn’t streaming.  The problem is we need more people streaming.

Collectively, as musicians and artists, along with the musicians and artists around you…we need to encourage fans to LISTEN to the music.  Not download, not purchase, not enter in a promo code.

We stole music partly for revenge and rebellion.

We stream music only for the enjoyment of music. Encourage that.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

5 Star And 1 Star Shows

Think about your live show.  The way you walk on stage, the opening song, the flow of the show, the dialogue between the songs, the interaction, the aesthetic, the vibes, the dynamic, the last song, the way you end the last song, the way you walk off stage.

Now imagine someone wrote a 5 star review of the show. What would it say? What would they write about? What moments would they highlight, specifically? How would they praise your show? Why would they praise your show?

Now imagine someone wrote a 1 star review of the show.  Exact same show, different review.  What would it say? What holes would they point out? What improvements desperately need to be made? What is the glaring short fall of the thing?

If you’re feeling brave, take a few minutes and actually write these two reviews, yourself, for your live show.  You’ll learn a lot.

If you’re feeling extra sassy, ask everyone in the band to do this.  You might fight a little upon reading the reviews, but you’ll learn even more.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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

Of Short Term Importance

If you’re long term strategy is to make money by playing shows, but you never make enough money to keep playing shows, then it’s an incomplete strategy.  You’ll never reach your long-term.

It’s easy to not strategize and plan at all.

But then, once you get over that hump, the next easiest thing to do is to strategize the distant future…that way it’s far away, and has the least amount of connection to today.  You can strategize the distant future and then just go back to doing what you were doing, since the distant future doesn’t apply right now.

What’s your short term strategy for bringing money into your system? What’s your short term strategy for keeping the lights on and gas in the van?  What’s your short term strategy to make this year better than last year?

The long-term, big dreams and plans are crucial, but in order to get there, the short term strategy needs your attention.

The short term is a gateway to the long term.  The long term is a gateway to the short term.

Don’t miss a post. Sign up for free.

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