Great story. I think that is why I have gravitated toward groups of teaching artists in the last 7 years. They not only can perform or create art, but they enjoy discussing it. It is like they have both sides of their brain hooked up. I'm sure you have been around musicians with such an anti-intellectual bias it is uncomfortable to talk with them, even after performing with them. I guess jazz guys might be more intellectual, but for the most part blues guys are often suspicious of people who read too many books!
Being able to present to people is skill that opens up so many doors. I also had a public speaking course in high school and it was a game changer for my whole life, in and out of he movement. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <noozguru@...> wrote : For almost the same reason I had to play emcee for some of the groups I played in during the 1980s because the other musicians weren't good at it. But I was the first person to pass the intro lecture part of TTC. One of the course leaders asked how I got to such an advanced state and that was because (apparently like no one else there) had a public speaking class in high school. That class was great fun. I gave a talk on capital punishment and brought in one of my cymbals and hit it to open the talk as the class was gabbing amongst themselves. Then I opened with "if you think that was shocking" and went into descriptions of different methods of capital punishment including the popular Indian one of having an elephant stomp on the prisoner's head. On 10/28/2014 06:33 PM, curtisdeltablues@... mailto:curtisdeltablues@... [FairfieldLife] wrote: M: I feel lucky that I was able to make the jump into educational entertainment because, like you, I have musician friends still banging the club circuit and living off of girlfriends and wives. In many ways I should thank Maharishi because it was because of the presentation skills I developed as a TM teacher that made me confident to go into teaching performances. So many musicians would rather work at Starbucks than speak in front of a group in between songs. Yea, Mahesh! ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <noozguru@...> mailto:noozguru@... wrote : Thanks, I was curious to see how things were going in your venue. From what I've seen and heard you do that venue quite well. Yes there is software development outsourcing to the Philippines too. BTW, I've also read that is a good place to make your retirement fund stretch. Studio work came because the leader of the jazz trio I played in owned part interest in a recording studio so we got the sessions there. Then there was some other recording work that came from that. It was very political venue. I was surprised that my old friends didn't find some sidelines for themselves too. One does do graphic arts which keeps him out of bankruptcy. These guys really liked to perform though and I was more into writing and arranging. Another friend I worked with in the software industry who was a semi-pro musician took up banjo a few years ago and is now writing some banjo instruction methods for Hal Leonard. His gig in the software industry was technical writer. I played a few of those weird casuals. One was a wedding reception catered by one of the premier restaurateurs of Seattle, Victor Rosselini, who came over as we were playing and asked us to go through the food line because no one was eating! Another gig was in the high rent Broadmore district of Seattle where a neurotic trophy wife was trowing a Christmas party for the who's who of the city. She was upset because we were dressed too casually. But the keyboard player soon found her favorite tune and every time she passed by broke into it giving her all smiles. On our break her husband hung out with us because she was driving him nuts! On 10/28/2014 03:24 PM, curtisdeltablues@... mailto:curtisdeltablues@... [FairfieldLife] wrote: Probably depends on what ecological niche you occupy. You were much more diverse in your talents than I am musically, so your opportunities would be so different. My stubbornness to only play acoustic blues as a solo act kinda forced me into certain directions to make it work. I rely on a few agents in different states for the majority of my work. Since your day the tyranny of the record labels is replaced by the tyranny of social media which opens up the field on one hand and shuts out the money on another. There is always a phenom in the Philippines who is more amazing than whatever we do! And people know about that little F'er now and he will work practically for fee! (That sounds like the programming world too right!) But indie artists can now self produce their own shit, find a niche market and roll with it. That is kind of my world. I still play an eclectic array of gigs in any week which I find stimulating and challenging both. Same old formula as in your day probably, keep your overhead low, save when the money is pouring in and don't let the business end of the business crush your personal growth in areas less commercial. I know you toured but I think you were also a session guy right? That is a different world from what I do. I know so many great musicians who went into computers and found it very satisfying, playing gigs on the side. In many ways the day job is a huge boon for focusing on your personal musical development. I recently expanded my world by adding African musical instruments into my show so I can get paid to do what I love learning about. I am exploring the roots of blues in specific African countries and music style that came to the New World in the various waves of slave ships. Cuba is so much ore pivotal than I had realized. But here is a chuckle from your days gone by: Person calls you for a private party gig. Here is what they want, play classical during cocktails, soft rock and oldies during dinner, entertain the toddlers while the parents set up the dance floor, then play every song they ever heard JUST LIKE ON THE RECORD. And BTW, you can rap too right because Uncle Whoever wrote a cute rap for the birthday girl. And after a prolonged fist fight haggle over your pittance of a fee, you get to the gig and it is a freak'n mansion with the asshole who chiseled you out of your regular fee lighting his cigars with hundred dollar bills. On the plus side he hot 3rd wife corners you in the bathroom before you leave. Gotta keep our eye on the little positives right brother! ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <noozguru@...> mailto:noozguru@... wrote : So how is the music biz these days? I've been hearing that old musicians I know and used to work with in the Seattle area are having a tough time getting work and they're exceptional players (some played with famous folk). I'm glad that I stopped depending on music for a living back in the late 80s. Writing software to me was like writing music. Unfortunately there is not much work for old programmers these days either. On 10/28/2014 11:20 AM, curtisdeltablues@... mailto:curtisdeltablues@... [FairfieldLife] wrote: At least you can avoid purple to fit in. I've had booking agents tell me that my act is a harder sell because I am white! Skin melanin as artistic street cred, who knew? ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> mailto:no_re...@yahoogroups.com wrote : When I was trying to make a living doing "art," I met "real artists" who were so artistically superior that I was ashamed to present my stuff -- and yet most could not make a living selling their art. At one time I was in three galleries and never came close to selling enough to "cut it." I met one guy who had major works in many museums and still couldn't sell enough to quit his day job. And the gallery owners are all about the money. I had one tell me, as he looked at one of my canvases, "Oh, I couldn't sell this. Purple never sells." See? Try to use purple after that. The true artist is up against such a wall of ignorance. Each one is like a preacher on a stump in the public square -- speaking an unknown dialect.
