You Never Know It All

I'm just returning from playing a Jazz festival in Umea, Sweden with guitar legend Jody Williams. Before doing the show, I knew a little about Mr. Williams but once I got a chance to spend some time with him and talk, I discovered that he was one of the main session musicians at Chess Records. He worked with Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf. Mr. Williams and Bo Diddley grew up together. I learned so much from just sitting and listening to him talk about his history and of course you know I had a bunch of questions. The whole experience just served to remind me that you never know it all. The show we played was a mixture of Jazz and Blues. I wrote my charts but once we had rehearsal we were able to personalize the groove a bit. It meant a lot to me to be able to talk to him and find out a bit about his thought process and history. It is important as musicians and people that we ALWAYS remain open to allow room for things to come in. No matter how smart we think we are or how good we think we can play, we must remain humble and open to serve the music. We must also never forsake how important it is to sit at the feet of our elders and just listen to their stories. There are so many lessons to be learned. From each of my tours I learn so much about personalities, business, music, etiquette and life. It is my goal to stay grounded and understand that I can never know it all. Everyday we have an opportunity to teach and be taught something new. It is truly ALL about the journey. As you continue to build your career, never take anything for granted and be sure to cherish and pass on all you learn. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

You Are Always On Stage

One of the things that has gone lacking in the current industry is artist development. There was a time when every label had some kind of artist development team. Motown Records was the most successful at developing the whole artists. The thing I think a lot of new artists miss is that being on stage is an honor, privilege and responsibility. It doesn't just end when your performance is over. When you choose a career in show business you have to understand that you are always on stage. We are blessed to get to make a living by sharing our musical gifts with people and we can never forsake how our actions can affect and influence our fans. I don't mean that you have to try to be who others want you to be but it is important to set a standard for yourself. An artist should always carry him/herself like a star at all times. This doesn't mean that you walk around with an ego but you have to understand that you are always marketing or selling who you are. It may not seem fair but people buy into our images and they don't want to see us walking around the grocery store looking crusty. Just always be aware of your appearance and how you speak and carry yourself in public. Another issue I have with some artists in public drinking, especially when you are on stage. Now I know we are adults but the stage should be treated with respect. It's OK to take a sip here and there but to turn the stage into a bar area makes you too common. The stage is suppose to create a fantasy for people. That's why we dress like stars and act like stars on stage as oppose to just looking and acting like everybody else. Most people don't have the courage to get on stage and do what we do so we must maintain a level of quality in our presentations. It is also important that we know how to carry ourselves in interviews, restaurants, parties, galas, award shows . . . etc. We should be well read and able to have intelligent conversation about a number of topics. Don't allow people to relegate you to just being THE TALENT. Since we are performers people will sometimes take for granted that we are ignorant to anything other than what we do. This why it is critical that we carry ourselves in the best way possible when off the performance stage. As I stated earlier we are always on stage. So always dress to impress with class and style. Speak to everyone with respect and humility. Be the best artist and person you can be AT ALL TIMES. The stage lights NEVER dim. Someone is ALWAYS watching. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved by Airtight Productions 2011

Just Keep Working

The biggest think you need to have in this industry is faith. The only way to not succeed is to give up. Everyone seems to think that one day they will get their big break and once it shows up they can start to really work. Well here's a news flash. There is no BIG break. When preparation meets opportunity then you have success. You have to just keep working and preparing ALL the time knowing that you are prepared for every opportunity that comes your way. If you stay ready then you never have to get ready. Success is all about small consistent pieces coming together to make a whole. You have to know that by working , getting better and more knowledgeable about what you do makes you a success. When the door opens for you it's to late to get prepared. I've heard so many stories of how producers and writers got a hit and offers started pouring in so fast that they spent most of their time doing business and not making music. They were able to survive because for years before that hit they were always working so they had a catalogue of material that was already done. They were ready! That is exactly what you have to do. Don't be too concerned about when or where your opportunity will come. Just know that it WILL come and your job is to be prepared to take advantage of it. Stay encouraged and focused on continuing to develop your craft. They say opportunity only knocks once. I disagree . . . it knocks everyday. You just have to answer buy doing the work. Enjoy the journey.

The Truth

All Rights Reserved By Airtight Productions 2011