Mar 172012
Mar 142012
I get asked “what kind of strings do you use?” all the time. So this week I thought I’d address the false assumption that you need to use the same equipment as someone you admire in order to be creative.
I don’t know why we do this but it’s common in all walks of life. I know countless musicians who get asked about their strings or their effects set-up or amp settings. I have a friend who is a painter and she gets asked about her brushes or the brand of paint she uses. I used to work in a camera shop and it was very common for people to blame their poor photography skills on the camera. I don’t even want to know how many dudes endure bloating and flatulence just because Hugh Jackman looks like a badass with a milk mustache.
Continue reading »
I really admire people who have clear focus and a sense of determination. It is really impressive when somebody can make a statement like “I want to be a doctor” or “I want to be a marine biologist” and then focus and pursue that goal to completion. People often ask me how I came to the decision to be a musician and I wish I could tell you that I thought “I want to be a musician” and then followed a clear path. When it comes to the arts sometimes the path is not so clear.
I’m not a high-school drop-out. I never went to high-school. In fact the last year of school that I completed was the 7th grade and I wasn’t allowed to attend the grade 7 graduation for my elementary school. I was sent home a day early and put into the 8th grade so they could be rid of me. I coasted through Junior High until I was told that I wouldn’t be allowed to coast into high-school and was forced to repeat the 10th grade. I lasted a couple of months. Continue reading »
Don’t be an asshole. Pardon my french but it’s that simple. You can skip this blog and walk away with that little nugget of wisdom. This entry is a doozy so I figured I would just put the main lesson up front and let you get back to whatever you were working on if you’re short on time;)
Still here? Good.
I’ve received a few emails from fellow independent musicians recently and I think it’s interesting how many people are concerned about making mistakes that could have lasting repercussions on their careers. The following seem to be the main concerns for new and upcoming artists. Continue reading »
Does the rant below sound familiar?
“Why should I be expected to work for free? Because I’m doing what I love? Would you tell your boss not to pay you if you had a great day at work? Why should I work so hard for nothing? Why should I be made to feel like some ruthless capitalist pig for wanting to sell my final product? Why? Why? Why?”
And even though these were valid questions “why? why? why?” started to sound a lot like “me, me, me”. I became angry at “them”. Confidence cancer had set in and was quickly eating away at my soul. I was discouraged and I’d decided that it was easier to blame others for my failings as an artist rather than re-examine my goals. Continue reading »
Feb 142012
Spread the love, I’ve released a free song.
I’m really happy to put my new song, Love, out into the world. Click “Download” and it’s yours, no strings attached.
Featuring special guests Kelly Haigh and My Boy Rascal. Clocking in at 2:34, this pretty little ditty is sure to leave a smile on your face!
Share the love…
Feb 102012
Related to this week’s blog post:
Feb 082012
This week I thought it would be fun to tie my blog back into my first entry “It all started with a D chord” by talking about the first song I learned from beginning to end and how I developed as a musician.
The first song I learned from beginning to end on acoustic guitar was Unknown Legend by Neil Young because I saw him playing it on TV so I could figure out the chords from watching his hands. It still drives me nuts when they don’t show a guitar player’s hands! Continue reading »
Feb 012012
“it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
Wise words spoken to me by a good friend Kris Ruston many years ago. I keep it in my head like a mantra and it has served me well. I have never gained anything positive in life from telling somebody off. It took me a long time to learn this lesson. In fact I think I’m still learning it. I had to learn that being nice doesn’t mean letting people walk on you but that standing up for yourself doesn’t mean walking on somebody else. Much harder to put into practice than one might think, but well worth the effort.
Being a musician is tough. Sometimes I feel like a total fool. It can be really easy to lose sight of the positive and get bogged down in negative thinking. I could write this blog about all the things that frustrate me and it would be easy. What’s hard sometimes is finding the positive.
Jan 292012
Great fun at the Railway Club in Vancouver with Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk and Colourful Language!
Kelly Haigh and I singing a duet.
More Folk Thief