Song Selection

The song you pick as the single…

How are you going to play it live?

What about when you only get to play one song…for a showcase or in a meeting room?

What about when you only get to play that one song amidst a bunch of other artists playing one song?

What if you have to play for an audience in the morning?

How will it translate best on TV or video?

If it becomes a hit, how does it best fit in your set? Can you close with it?

When the song is being played and performed at its best, what is the audience doing, how are they responding?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘I don’t know’, it’s not a reason to not pick the song as the single. What it tells you is you have some fun problems to solve if you want to have more fun with your song.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Help Is On Its Way

…isn’t quite as good as help is here.

But we can’t be everywhere at once so it might be best to simply help wherever we’re ‘here’.

In the same way…

If we’re always on our way, we’ll never be here. And here is the only place we can help.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Over A Long Period Of Time

This is what we are the worst at and yet the future is all we worry about.

Leaning into the power of ‘over a long period of time’ is perhaps a leap of faith more than a defined path.

And yet we can’t help but notice the reasons for being exactly where we are today come from the habits, skills, relationships and commitments we’ve made over a long period of time.

So if we’re utilizing this power subconsciously, why do we have such a hard time wielding it consciously?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Shoes Or Boots

I was playing a gig with an artist and had brought a pair of high tops and a pair of brogue boots as options to wear for the show.

It was my first show with the artist so after soundcheck I asked the manager if I should go with the shoes or boots. He said shoes.

Important to note…He answered immediately. He didn’t know what pants or shirt I’d be wearing with the shoes. He hadn’t even seen the shoes.

He answered the question based on what the choice would be saying to the audience. Based on marketing. Based on story.

On the other hand…

If I would have asked a stylist…a stylist would have asked to see the shoes and the boots and my clothes and everyone else’s attire. A stylist would have answered the question based on how good it looks. And hey, looking good is important.

All things considering, I’m sure the shoes were the right call. I just hope I looked ok.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

The Invitation

That’s what a show is. Putting on a show means going first. Taking the initiative.

We’re doing this…You can join us or not…But we’re doing it either way…It probably won’t be perfect but we’re the kind of people who aren’t afraid to try and you’re invited to be a part.

And it turns out people like people who are willing to go first because it relieves them of the pressure and stress of going first.

We are putting on a show…So you don’t have to…You don’t have to figure out what to do on a Thursday night, we got you, everything is gonna be ok…It’s a show, there’s gonna be music, there’s gonna be people, you’ll know a few of them, you’ll see other people you think are weird and you can quietly make fun of them.

And if people can rely on you for this invitation, it’s a gift to everyone involved.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Three Cookies

You may have three cookies.

It’s not that four is to many but if I don’t say three you’ll eat three hundred.

And that’s too many.

We are only as fit and as focused and as productive as the boundaries we build (or adopt) and stick to.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple