The Position Of Lead Singer

One of the hardest things about having the title of bass player, guitar player, drummer, keyboardist or back up singer is that you don’t have the title of lead singer…and coming to terms that the lead singer, in the eyes of almost everyone outside of the band, is more important than you are.

It’s not that you’re not as important…it’s just that the masses don’t perceive you that way.

And here’s the thing…the fans need the lead singer…the lead singer needs you.

So then…One of the hardest things about having the title of lead singer is admitting (to yourself and to them) how much you need the confidence and trust and support of your band. Recognizing the power of the band as a whole, not only in practical function but in synergy and personal grounding.

It’s hard to not be the lead singer. It’s hard to be the lead singer. But so much of this business revolves around the position of the lead singer that it’s important to understand your proximity to it and then how to best serve in that role.

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Blazing A Familiar Trail

It’s a lot easier to blaze a trail that has been blazed before.

The chances of you truly blazing your own trail in this business is close to zero.

But rather, the most likely way to succeed is to blaze a familiar trail. It’ll look and feel new and exciting but most of the elements of success in the marketplace will be the same ones that have worked for other artists kinda like you.

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First Shows Back

When you get back on the road after having a bunch of time off, no one will blame you for having a rusty, somewhat lack luster show. But why lean on that?

The accepted assumption is that since you haven’t done a show in a while that your next shows will be a little worse than normal…as opposed to a little better than normal.

Why do you have to be rusty? Why do the first shows back have to be worse than normal? Are you going to use the time off to get better and to push your creativity…or are you utilizing the time off as a good excuse for not getting better?

Artists tend to believe that the show only gets better by playing shows. Not true. The show gets better by making a better show. By building a better show. By rehearsing a better show.

If you’re an artist chances are you don’t have a big tour coming up. Use the time now to make your next shows better, not rusty.

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Maybe It's Time To Get A New Car

When you’re driving down the road and hear a couple pops and subsequent rattle coming from under the hood it’s easy and tempting to get wound up and go down the metaphorical road of ‘maybe it’s time to get a new car’.

You get home, open the hood. You take a look as though you know something about cars. It all looks fine. Drive it again, same thing. This happens a few more times with the rattle getting a little worse each time. At this point you’re scouring CarMax and Craigslist. You’ve got a full page of car buying apps on your phone. Even the weird Carvana vending machine is starting to look like a solid option.

But in a last ditch effort, beaten and bruised, you take your car to the mechanic to see if there is anything that can save this horrible wretch of a vehicle.

Upon fifteen seconds of inspection it’s discovered that the lid of the air filter wasn’t put back on properly and simply needs to be snapped back into place, correctly.

You didn’t have a horrible car. You didn’t need a new car. You just needed clarity about what the problem was. Making the solution simple.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Decrescendo Songs

There aren’t any decrescendo songs. I’ve never heard a hit (or any other song) start really huge and then get smaller and smaller until the end.

Yes, some songs are a bit more static than others but there’s always a trend…wherever the song starts, by the end it’s at its biggest.

So make yours get bigger. The last chorus should sound elevated from the first. I should be able to tell it’s the last chorus and not the first.

All your favorite songs crescendo. So make sure yours do too.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into

It’s easy to want to avoid situations that could end up in a ‘what have we gotten ourselves into’.

BUT…Most of my best stories and moments of greatest progress (and probably yours too) are the ones that have a ‘what have we gotten ourselves into’.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple