Knowing Is Not Enough

The pursuit of success seems quite difficult for a lot of us and we find ourselves confused as to why. We have years of experience and we have gained tons of invaluable knowledge yet we still find ourselves a few steps short of the success we want. Well the reason for this is that knowing is just not enough. Knowledge without action means absolutely nothing. A lot of us know what to do but we just won't follow through on getting it done. Even if we start, we have a problem seeing it all the way through. This is why we see so many so called less talented people having success because what they lack in knowledge and experience they more than make up for in the action department. I'm sure each of us can take stock of things we could start doing in the next few days that would drastically improve our careers. We just have to get up and DO IT. It's like anything else in life. Everybody complains about being overweight and we all know the answer to loosing weight but if we don't ACT on that knowledge then we just end of destroying our bodies and our quality of life. Well the same applies to our careers, if we don't ACT on the knowledge we have then we will never advance. We will always be talking about what coulda, shoulda, woulda happened. In the words of Little Richard, "Talk is cheap but ole do is still the thang." ACT NOW and enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Changing Gears

Most people have no idea of the mental capacity it takes to do what we do. Beyond having to be entrepreneurs and handle our day to day business such as bookings, sessions, classes . . .etc, we have to always be at our best mentally because the demands of our jobs are ALWAYS changing. We have to master changing gears. What I mean by this is in the course of a month we could tour with up to three or more different artists who all have different shows and music. It takes great organizational skills, talent and focus to effectively pull this off. The tough part is that you have to commit yourself fully to each situation. This means that from situation to situation you will have to modify certain things to always be at your best and this can be taxing. I've found that it takes meditation and rest to be able to always operate at 100%. I'm always learning new music or writing drums charts for something and it keeps my mind moving ALL the time. From one show to the next, I have to find time to center myself, review the needs of the next job and prepare myself mentally for the tasks at hand. The contradiction is that you have to be able to fully commit and quickly detach afterwards so that you can move onto the next situation. This is why it is always best to keep it about the music and not about personalities. I try not to ever take anything personal or get caught up in organizational politics. I'm there to complete a task with love and humility. All of the other things are too destructive to participate in. This keeps me mentally and emotionally stable and it makes sure that I will get called back. It's all about staying focused on the music and being professional. We must never take anything for granted. We must ALWAYS prepare and deliver our best. Changing gears can be as smooth as WE choose to make it. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Be Optimistic

I had a conversation with a friend recently and she was telling me about an acquaintance of hers that was a musician and he was in a funk. He's been in the industry a while and has had some not so great dealings with people and/or companies so he's now feeling a bit down and is not sure what his next step should be. This happens to ALL of us, especially those of us that have the privilege of doing big tours with major artists. While we are on the road with them, we get treated like kings and we get paid well but once that train stops moving, we are forced to deal with what's left. FEAR NOT! I have the answer to this funk. We all have to understand that life and our careers are all about change and transition. We are always moving from one place or another in our career, at least we should be if we are advancing. The answer is to always be optimistic. You have to know that no situation lasts forever and you shouldn't want it to. The new music industry gives us more options and opportunities than ever before. We don't need record deals or managers. We just have to be willing to work for ourselves everyday. Now the issue is most of us are spoiled and we are still looking at the OLD industry where the artists was catered to and the musicians were heralded and praised. Well along with all that fame and praise, a large majority of them were ripped off because they did not have any stake in the business end of their own career. They were just THE TALENT. Instead of feeling down about things, take time to be optimistic about all of the new possibilities that now exist for us as independent artists. I mean you can make a million dollars selling music on the web and still not be a household name. Forget the ego and the search for so called fame. That's usually when we get into a funk because we are looking at the picture the wrong way. Take control of your career, make plan and execute that plan daily. I guarantee that if you work it, you will see results and when you are busy focusing on moving your career forward, you have less time to complain or be down about anything because you are so optimistic and positive about working your plan. Stay ever vigilant. Use your experience and knowledge to your advantage and above all else, enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Concept

Most musicians spend hours practicing licks and learning songs without truly understanding that being technically proficient is only a part of being a successful musician. Along with technique, we need to develop a high intellectual understanding of what we do. It's all about understanding the concept. This is so vital and can sometimes seem elusive because the concept changes based on the type of music you are playing, the artist you are playing with, the venue, the people you are sharing the stage with and so forth and so on. The key to concept is constant listening and studying. I was told long ago that in order to truly play any song with the correct emotional approach or concept, you must first know something about the person that wrote or composed it. For example, when I first started playing music by Duke Ellington, I approached it from a general jazz angle. I mean I was just reading the notes on the page and playing my best swing feel but it wasn't until I read Duke's biography that I understood how to play his music. Once I knew who he was and what inspired him to create such beautiful music, then I knew how to play it and communicate it with all of the class, elegance and nobility that was Duke Ellington the man. This goes for any kind of music we play. I also believe that it's important to understand the story that a song is telling. Once you know the intended purpose of the melody or lyric, then you know exactly what to play and what not to play. I know this may sound like a lot or it may sound too analytical but the best musicians can execute this process in milliseconds. It's all about surrendering to the art and craft. We must always be tuned into the music we are playing and the people we are playing this music with. Everything matters including the personalities of the musicians you are playing with. Duke Ellington took this to the extreme by composing written solos to fit the skill level and personality of his musicians. He was so spot on that the written solos sounded improvised because he really knew the guys he was writing for. So as we move forward and play more shows and learn more music, let's try to connect with the concept of what it takes to truly communicate this art. It's all about self sacrifice and surrendering your ego to serve the music. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Play The Blues

I recently had a conversation with a younger colleague and he expressed to me that he didn't really like playing blues music and that he was only playing blues gigs until he could get a pop or r&b gig. I found this amusing because like so many musicians he is so confused. My advice to him was that if he learned to truly respect the blues and fully embrace it, he would be a better musician all around. Simply put, "Play the blues." Most of us run from the blues because of the perception that is a music for old people and it doesn't pay well. I beg to differ on both accounts. First of all, the blues is the tie that binds ALL forms of American popular music. It all stems from the blues. Yes there is more commercial success in other forms but for a working musician, knowing how to play the blues will keep you working all the time. There are hundreds of festivals and venues world wide that cater to the blues and all forms of the blues. It's best if you have a record but you don't have to be number one on the charts or have a hit video. I play all kinds of music but my knowledge of and respect for the blues have been the key to my continued growth and ability to sustain myself as a working musician. Having a basic understanding of the blues in the key to playing jazz, country, funk, soul, r&b and even hip hop. The blues is about groove and free creative expression and it is not just and old music. It is still growing and it can grow even more when ALL musicians understand it's importance to our growth. The blues also challenges our intellect and emotional maturity. It's all about taking what life gives you and making something beautiful out of it and you will ALWAYS be able to make money no matter what the trend is. The blues is respected world wide and there will always be an audience for it. Also, the next time you are watching T.V., take notice of how many movies and commercials use blues or blues influenced music and concepts. Don't be afraid to play the blues. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Is It True?

In order to be successful in any industry the first thing we must do is face the truth about ourselves. We must know our strengths and weaknesses. As musicians we sometimes get a bad reputation for how we do things. People say that we are not time conscious, they say we drink on the job and so forth and so on. Now a lot of us complain about not being respected and we blame our lack of opportunity on everyone else. The bean counters that run the music industry don't respect us and they don't think we deserve to make more than a meager wage and they base this largely on how WE do business. The thing we have to do is analyze where we are and instead of playing the victim, we must ask ourselves,"Is it true?" The music industry is one of the only industries in which you can work with people that make millions, attain a lot of notoriety, travel the world and still walk away from the situation living check to check. This has gone on forever because as musicians we don't put OUR business first. We don't look at our craft and skill as a valuable commodity so we develop habits that simply taint our brand and allow people to use us but we are never really able to benefit from our talent. I suggest that we stop blaming others and face the truth about who we are and what we do. In order to succeed at anything, it takes consistent work, doubly so for us because we most times have to work late playing shows but we must still rise early enough to handle our business. I mean proper business hours are basically 9 to 5 and most musicians sleep these hours away instead of using them to do business that will push their career forward. We must also understand that we have to be in the business of breaking the myths that exist about musicians being lazy ego maniacs. Well I say myths. LOL We have to know that you can never get something for nothing and if you are not willing to carry yourself in a business like manner at ALL times on and off the stage, then you will never attain the respect and success you seek. I'm not trying to be harsh. I'm simply tired of seeing so many of us self destruct and blame someone else. As I've stated before, WE HAVE THE POWER! No one else in this industry or any other should be allowed to define us. It's time for us to upgrade the reputation of musicians and artists alike by taking responsibility for our own actions. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

You Create Your Own Future

For too long we have relinquished our power and control to others. So many artists and musicians are broke and bitter because they simply trusted the wrong people and were too caught up to be interested in doing the work for themselves. It's important to know that the whole game of the big wigs is to break our spirit. The key is to become enlightened. It's better to do so on early on in your career but it's never too late. What you have realize is that YOU create your own future. The people who run this game have always known that we have the power but I liken it to American slavery. It was all about brain washing, destroying one's self esteem and knowledge of self because if you don't know who you are, you are constantly looking for someone else to validate you or even define you. This is what the music industry has done. It's made slaves of the artists and musicians and because of our lack of self belief and we dare not challenge them. Instead we become bitter and stressed as a result of ill treatment without realizing that we have the power. The key is to know that you deserve to be successful and you don't have to be treated with disrespect. Now you have to commit every aspect of your being to positive action. Only participate in things that add to your success and don't even entertain BS and the standard people that bring it your way. If you've had some bad experiences, don't allow them to crush your spirit and your future. Free yourself and enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Strength

As we continue to live and grow in this industry and life, we realize that it is just not easy. We are all learning something new about ourselves everyday yet we have to always put on our best for the public. As artists we live a highly conflicted existence. It's often hard to explain our actions and reasoning to others. Most people will judge us, sometimes even those closest to us but it takes a true strength to survive and really be a success. The one thing that is constant with us is change. We are constantly growing and trying to better ourselves and the world around us and YES we make mistakes mostly because we truly live out loud. We take chances and we are not afraid to move on when we know it's time. This seems like it should be the natural inclination for anyone but it's not. Most people stay in situations that they know are not good for them just because it's what they are used to but it takes strength and courage to know better and do better. This most times requires letting go of certain things and relationships. We live in a creative zone so we are more in touch with our feelings and this is why we can take what may seem to be a bad situation and write the most beautiful and poignant songs about it. Here in lies the lessons and essence of who and what we are. Creative beings. Never let anyone take your zeal and drive for your craft or life. Stay strong! They may not understand now, but they will one day. Your success will shine as a light to show them the way. Be blessed, stay encouraged and enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Do We Really Know

I've been talking a lot about self empowerment in this industry and I think as we try to educate each other and share ideas we forget that not all of us are aware of certain things. A large segment of musicians still feel as if they need to be handled by a manager or agent. Now there is a point in our career that we need these people but most of those people are not interested in helping us build anything from the ground. They usually only want to deal with you when you are worth something and that is just good business, I guess. We spend a lot of time dealing with the new digital age but I wonder if we REALLY know how to take control. Let me give you some simple info. Most people are aware of this already but I keep finding that there are tons of musicians that are not. What I'm speaking of is getting your music set up to sell on the Internet via itunes and many other download sites. I've found that CD Baby offers the best deal all around. You can release a digital single or album with a bar code and your own Cd Baby page for less than $50. They also service ALL of the major and minor download sites and they only take a 9% commission. Every musician making music and playing shows should be aware of this site and be able to set up and operate YOUR OWN SITE. We no longer have to spend tons of money on pressing or trying to get a distribution deal. Now once the page is up you have to spend your time letting people know that it is there. You can make sure to have email lists at all of your shows to help build your fan data base to increase your market as well as using social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. Cd Baby also offers download cards at great prices and a full accounting page which gives your info on who bought your music, there email, where they are from and how they found you. This is priceless marketing data and all it takes is some time spent to process it and follow up. I advise that even if you have someone helping with this piece, you should be able to set it up and run it yourself if need be. Knowledge is power and it is the only way we will empower ourselves moving forward in this new industry. It has never been more attainable than it is now. It just requires a bit of dedication and time. This is just an overview of the Cd Baby deal. I invite you to visit their site at www.cdbaby.com and check it out for yourself. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Don't Drink The Cool Aid

As musicians we have to always keep ourselves grounded in reality. We are in the business of creating fantasies and magical experiences for our audience. People admire us for having the courage to get on stage and share our gifts so they lavish us with compliments and adulation. This is all fine and good until we start to actually believe in our own "so called" greatness. Don't drink the cool aid. All of us understand what being a great musician is about and even though our supporters love us and mean well, they are not always giving you the truth. I mean they dig it because of the moment and the emotion that was created but only you know the real. I've done shows that I knew I had some kinks or the band wasn't as tight yet we still created something beautiful so when the people come up and say, "You are the best I've ever heard" and so on and so on, this is humbling and well received but you can not internalize it. We must approach ever situation with the same level of professionalism and humility. The idea is to be so consistent that even your bad nights are great but to be humble enough to know that it is really not about YOU. I've played with a lot of great musicians and some of them have had some great egos as well. I've seen guys get so caught up in what people tell them that I actually heard one guy ask a band leader, "Do you know who I am and who I've played with?", he was asking this question after being chastised for not knowing and executing the music correctly. I guess he figured because he had played a couple of "BIG" gigs that he was immune to criticism. He was drinking the cool aid (LOL). The bottom line is that EVERY gig is a BIG gig and it doesn't matter if you've played with Michael Jackson or who ever. All that matters is you competently doing the job at hand without ego or a sense of entitlement. People will always compliment us but it's up to us to take those compliments with a grain of salt and keep our feet on the ground while focusing on playing a good pocket with energy, feel, space and melodic respect for the people we are sharing the stage with. Big resumes are cool but not as cool as a big humble heart. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Stay Informed

In this high speed digital age, one of the hardest things to do is to keep up with changes and advancements in any field. Information has always been and will always be POWER. In the music industry musicians and artists are usually at the bottom of the business pack because we simply focus on the creative. Don't get me wrong, that IS our primary job but we must also know that we have to spend time learning and operating at other levels in this business. We must simply stay informed. If we expend all of our time and energy in only playing clubs or booking party gigs, then that is all we will ever see. What about the music industry outside of all of that. I mean everyday I read something new about advancements in how people are consuming music digitally and how this new landscape enables us as artists to have new business freedoms. Now the problem is that most of us don't REALLY want to work too hard doing anything other than our music and keeping up with the industry and guiding your own career is a LOT of work. But it has to be done. Even when you have a manager, agent and attorney, you still have to guide them because they work for you. You have to give them the vision not the other way around. Staying informed also let's you know what's missing in the industry and that can allow you to be an innovator. We are living in a great time for pioneers. The music industry is still in flux and the old rules no longer apply. Always know what's going on not only with the popular side of what you do but research movie scoring, T.V. and movie sound tracks, YouTube T.V. . . etc. Use your imagination and this technology to help push your career to the next level. There are no limits. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Take A Look At Yourself

I've often heard people say, "same thing different day", to refer to some kind of negative pattern in there musical lives. Some of us seem to have the same experiences no matter where we go or who we work with. Well I think it's time to look at the common denominator. Take a look at yourself. We always want to blame everyone for our downfalls or bad experiences without analyzing how WE contribute to those things. The truth is that you get out of something what you put in and if you don't approach every situation with a positive attitude and expecting great things then you won't get anything great from it. Let's face it, this is all about developing and maintaining relationships and none of us is always right or always wrong. A successful relationship requires respect and give and take. We must also never bring baggage into a new situation. When you have a bad experience, try to figure out what caused it and learn from it before moving on. If you move on without really resolving those kind of issues, they just seem to keep rearing their ugly head over and over. Most of the time we will find that the change has to start with us. Remember perception is reality but you have to be honest in your perception because everyone else is not ALWAYS wrong. So let's take sometime to truly analyze the pros and cons of our personalities and emotional maturity. This will make all the difference in the world. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012

Possibilities

I recently watched a documentary on Herbie Hancock that I've seen several times before but something stood out to me in this viewing. He was talking about his time with Miles Davis and and the advice had been given. Miles told Herbie to always be in the moment when playing on stage. He said that he shouldn't be judgemental of his environment. If a player is not at his/her best that night or if you just don't dig what's being played, toss your opinions aside and just make music with what you are being given. Always be open to the possibilities that are in front of you. I thought this was so profound because this is what playing music and living life is all about. Most of us spend so much time criticizing and trying to bend things to our will, instead of just experiencing life and making something beautiful out of every situation. I often hear musicians complain about how this music sucks or how that cat can't play and it really tends to bring the vibe down. I get to play with a lot of different people, some better technically than others but what I've learned to do is to listen and pick up on the tendencies of the people I'm playing with. Once I know what they prefer or what their tendencies are, whether they rush, drag or what have you, I can then play with them to help create something beautiful in THAT moment and I find that I always walk away having learned something new about myself and my own playing. It is a must to divorce yourself from any kind of negative speak or energy when it comes to playing music. Man just show up prepared to always contribute to exploring the possibilities. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

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We CAN Make A Difference

Last week I blogged about a gross mistreatment of musicians by a festival retail vendor. After posting the blog I was contacted by a fellow musician friend and we, along with several other friends, began to get the word out to any one that would listen. As a result, the retailer ended up backing away from his 45% commission and settled on 20%, which is 5% better than the previous retail deal. This was proof that we CAN make a difference. So many of us spend time complaining about how we get treated but we don't feel like we can really do anything about it. We must understand that we DO have power. Now we must respect the fact that we have to do business with people and everybody wants to make money. It's never possible for us to own 100% of everything because retailers, agents and festivals need to have an interest in order to help us get promoted and make money. We simply want to treated fairly and with respect but we must first operate with honor and respect in how we handle our own business. When people know that we will not stand for disrespect and mistreatment, they will think twice about messing with us. This doesn't mean that we won't have to deal with drama, but we have to always be prepared to stand against any injustice and mistreatment. This retailer backing down from this deal do to pressure from musicians and consumers should serve as a small example of what we can do if we simply stand for what we believe. Stay ever vigilant and enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2012