Songs Are The Hard Part

The hard part is having the songs.

I know it seems like hard part is getting famous and making a million dollars…but the real hard part is the songs.

When you’ve got the songs there’s a peace and ease and tru confidence to all the other stuff.

On the other hand when you don’t have the songs there’s a subtle undercurrent of anxiety because everyone knows but no one in the camp says anything. All the effort and money that is being spent on marketing and promo and touring and meetings is being done in a spirit of trying to get away with it…trying to make it work.

When you have the songs you’re not faking the other stuff. Having the songs relaxes the vibe of everything else.

And getting the vibe of an entire organization to be a bit more relaxed, a bit more at peace and operate with ease and confidence…that’s the hard, worthwhile part.

The hard part is the songs. Focus on the hard part.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Door Number Three

You’ve seen what’s behind door number one…and what’s behind door number two…but what you’re really curious about is what might be behind door number three.

The most important thing to consider about door number three is deciding if it’s actually there…or if you might just be imagining it.

If you’re at the car lot, door number three definitely exists and is worth taking a peek behind.

On the other hand, if you’re deciding on which tour to say yes to this winter and you’ve seen what’s behind the first couple doors (offers)…it’s easy to convince yourself that there’s a third door. And once you convince yourself there’s a third door, the possibilities of what’s behind it are endless and very compelling…and probably not worth dwelling on.

But perhaps biggest downfall of the idea of door number three is when it comes to hindsight. i.e. We tried going left and we tried going right but what would have happened if we went straight…but in actuality the road only forked left and right. There wasn’t a straight. It wasn’t an option. Not only was there nothing behind door number three, there’s no door number three at all.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Revealed Through Experience

You can download the multitrack of Where The Streets Have No Name and drag all the files into a ProTools session…and proceed to study the wave forms…and zoom in on the things that line up and see what doesn’t…and look at gain levels, mono vs. stereo tracks and the overall number of tracks.

But the emotional connection doesn’t come from studying the wave forms.

The power of the song is revealed when you experience the song…It comes from listening…all the parts all together.

»» Similarly, it’s the difference between reading a bunch about someone vs. spending a mere five minutes with them.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Surprise and Reliability

Is it better to surprise people or be relied upon?

Of course it’s some of both.

At the beginning it’s a little more surprise and then if you’re lucky starts tilting toward reliability. Which will be a pleasant surprise to people.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

If You Hum A Tune To Yourself

…does it change the world?

We dream of playing our music for millions of people…as a means of making a difference, making change.

But what if the audience was less than a million?

How small does the audience have to be before playing the song doesn’t make a difference?

What if it’s just you?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

It's More Fun That Way

We do things because they’re more efficient, faster, tried and true, scalable, cost effective, status achieving, important, fit with the bigger picture, can be easily replicated, will make us successful.

But doing something a certain way simply because it’s more fun might be a reason worth considering. Because fun is worth having…even if it’s at the expense of the other things sometimes.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple