What If The Show Was First...

…and the record second. 

After all ‘the show’ has been around for thousands of years, recorded music only a little over a hundred years.

Artists spend endless hours, months and years making their records…and then rehearse for two weeks before going on tour.

What if, before you make another record, you created a show?

A show worth taking on the road. A show that people talk about. A show that is a bargain at $100 a ticket.

Could you? 

Will you?

What if the show was first?

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

Two Ways To Reduce Sickness

Complaining begets and perpetuates complaining. 

And in this industry, it’s rampant.

Complaining most often deflects responsibility rather than taking it.

And it just keeps going because when you complain, your buddy says “yeah you’re right” (perpetuating)…instead of “shut up, stop complaining”.

—

There are two main ways to reduce sickness.

1. Reduce the amount to toxins that come in contact with you

2. Strengthen your immune system

The complainer is in love with #1, because that way it’s everyone else’s fault, it’s the world’s fault.  And they think they can’t change #2.

The true champion knows to focus on #2, while being mindful of #1.

—

Stop complaining.

Keep looking for the responsibility…it might be hiding. It might be that you want it to be hiding.  But keep looking for it, finding it, and taking it.

And when you hear someone else complaining, show them an unusually high level of kindness and reply “shut up, stop complaining”. 

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

Finding $20

Randomly finding $20 in an old pocket is perhaps the most fun, exciting, mood-lifting way to make $20.

And it might be easy to say “Wow, that was the most exhilarating way to make $20, so now I’m going to be in the business of checking all my pockets all the time until it happens again”.

But it’s a bad idea to try and make that the primary way you get $20’s.

A much better idea is to get a job.

Planning to “find” money via a job is a lot less exciting than finding money in your pocket or on the sidewalk…but it’s a lot more reliable.

You’re going to have to be willing to sacrifice a little excitement for the sake of a plan.

Plans remove some mysticism and romanticism but also make it way more likely you’ll get what you want.

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

Performing For Dogs

Get your dog and a couple of your friends dogs, bring them into the studio and sing them a song.

If you can hold their attention you’re well on your way.

See, dogs don’t care about content. 

Dogs don’t care about how long it took you to write the song or that you have trouble hitting some of the high notes.

Dogs just want to be captivated.  They want to be entertained.

So do we.


***On another note…Since July I’ve been doing a special Sunday Night Email specifically for songwriters, producers and anyone who is interested in the latest happenings in the writer/producer world.

A world of truly hard, thankless, creative, inspiring, heartbreaking, rewarding work. .

The email gives some interesting info about the most popular songs of the week and has been helpful for writers and producers as they dive into their day-to-day work.

To my knowledge The Sunday Night Email has never been the thing that made anyone write a hit, but it has been the thing that made lots of people get unstuck.

If you’d like to subscribe, email ‘Sunday subscribe’ to gabethebassplayer@gmail.com

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

You Once Had An Idea

It’s worth pointing out that while we tend to get bogged down by all the ideas we’re not putting into action…the things that we are currently in action doing also began as ideas that we merely hoped to do.

See, you did it. You’re doing it.

It’s easy to forget.

Sure there are more things to do, more ideas to chase and realize…and it’s easy to wonder “how will I ever…”

But the truth is you already know HOW.

Maybe the thing you’re doing right now began as an idea a year ago, or two or five years ago…and now you’ve turned that idea into what you’re doing.

So good work.  You took a thought that entered your brain and turned it into real life.

That’s a big deal.

Keep going.

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

Folding Fitted Sheets

The reason why no one takes the time to learn how to fold fitted sheets is because sheets go in closets and closets are unspokenly off limits to guests.

We prefer to learn quasi-difficult things only if others will see and appreciate us for them.

(If the proper place to put fitted sheets was in the middle of the kitchen table, we would all know how to properly fold a fitted sheet nice and neat.) 

And yet most of what makes the great artists great are the things that are tremendously difficult that no one ever sees.  

Thankless, boring hours on the road.

Head splitting, un-inspired writing sessions.

Another reset and recalibration of your team.

These are things that no one will get mad at you for not getting good at but everyone who you respect went ahead and got good at them anyway.

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