Paying Your (New) Dues

About 75 years ago, when being a music artist for a living was becoming something people did, there was the idea of paying your dues.

And paying your dues has always been associated with going out on the road. Slugging it out. Bad clubs, bad pay, bad pizza…but you had to do it. You were paying your dues. And it was pretty awesome.

Let me say here…it’s a good thing its PAY your dues and not GIVE your dues. When you PAY you get something in return. And for those of us who paid those dudes…we did. I did. You did. We got a lot in return.

(And also paying your dues on the road meant that you were engaging in the music business, you were pro active…not waiting on the music business while sitting in your bedroom playing your guitar all day)

But I’m wondering if ‘paying your dues’ is changing.

When I moved to Nashville everyone was still paying dues via the road…but I just don’t see it as much anymore.

I don’t see new bands racing out and playing 200 shows as fast as possible.

Particularly in the last five years, how has the definition changed?

How does a new artist pay their dues now?

If it’s not the road…What is the new daily, weekly, monthly active practice of a new artist to participate in their maturity and having their eyes opened?

Hit me back on this one. I’d love to have your input.


***I’ll still argue that regardless of technology and a changing music business…getting out there and playing 200 shows as quickly as possible is a life changing, fun, unforgettable way to pay some dues.

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

Forgetting And Rearranging

Music at its finest is not for forgetting your priorities, but for rearranging them.


*** “Cause he knows that it’s me they’ve been comin to see to forget about life for a while”…It might be important to note that there’s nothing wrong with the forgetting part. Forgetting can be the perfect catalyst for rearranging.

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

I’ve Never Met Max Martin

I’ve never met Max Martin but regardless, I bet…

1. Max Martin is currently working hard

And

2. Max Martin is currently working hard on hit songs

He probably had that first one on lock down years ago, way before any of us had heard of him.

But it was the first part of the reputation that lead to the second part.

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

Buy The Buns

I bought my first grill a few months ago and I love it.

There’s a scene from Father Of The Bride when Steve Martin gets kicked out (or maybe arrested??) of the grocery store because he rips open the package of eight hotdog buns to take two of them out because he only wants to pay for six buns…to go with the package of six hotdogs.

Well as I’ve found out just recently, the six hot dogs/eight hotdog bun fiasco is still a thing.

I pick out the hotdogs first and then venture to the bun aisle…and my blood pressure goes through the roof because they don’t package the same amount of buns as I have hotdogs.

How has no one fixed this??!!!!!

But here’s the question…am I going to DO anything about the hotdog bun situation?

Answer: no

So I have two options…

1) Boil with rage every time I hotdog bun shop and join Steve Martin in his resistance

2) Just buy the hotdog buns and get on with it


There’s so many situations where we need to simply buy the buns.

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

Moment Of Creation

That beautiful first moment, you can’t get to it by playing the song again, you can only get to it again by creating another one.

The magic in the room when that melody was hummed with those chords for the first time and then the words flowed…a room that was once devoid of a song now has one.

That’s a moment worth chasing again and again. It’s fleeting and life giving at the same time.

After the song is written it immediately becomes something else. It’s beauty that now already exists, it’s a different kind of beauty…as playing is different than writing.

Playing the song again can remind you of the first moment and bring you a similar feeling but it can never actually be that moment again.

That moment is extra special. The first time that song was sung in the world. Before anyone else heard it. Before it went on the charts. Or before it went nowhere. That moment is a gift to you from music…the moment of creation.

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

Not Making What You’re Worth

Even if you’re not making what you’re worth, you can still exude what your worth.

Do that long enough, sprinkle in some wisdom and a couple beneficial coincidences and you’ll be just fine.

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