ORIGINAL: kennywtelejazz


against my better judgement

ding ding

Round 12 over here at Twelve Tones
.....The O P has left the building ......

Wow ...why does it have to be all black or all white..?
I suffered from the old it dont count unless I'm a Rock Star Syndrome when I was the O P's age...
time marched on
the music bizznez changed
peoples tastes have changed
things that were impossible for the unknown guy/gal became possible
like having a full fledged DAW without the million dollar price tag
a long time ago I sat down with Vernon Reid and jammed bop
also sat down with Edd Cherry ( Dizzys guitarist ) and played Hendrics...
even studied with a guitarist that had been with the NBC orchestra under Arturo Toscanini along side Johnny Smith and learned to play all kinds of *hit from classical to Jazz
back then ,
that and 50 cents would get me a ride home on the A Train ....

The world is full of guys playing one thing on stage to make a buck and playing something else to stay sharp...and to feed the creative musical soul

over time a touch of wisdom has come to comfort my soul
......................ONE SIZE OF MUSIC DON'T FIT ALL........................
it took the sting away
from the prospect of chasing a dream that was harder to catch than air

I never thought I would ever see the day
when A Musical Genre would become the new form of Racisim /Character Assination of sorts
times sure have changed .....
this tune I'm gonna sit out...

Kenny

Hmmm....lot's of interesting thoughts and advice so far. I agree with Kenny on looking for shades of gray. A couple of thoughts/questions that cross my mind as I read your initial question and others' responses.

• Does it have to be an "album"? Can you sell music through publishers or other channels? Have you done an podcasts? Have you promoted yourself in any way???
  
• You say that it is difficult to get a job in your area...and that you don't have education beyond high school...are you grateful for the work that you have??? Why do you see it as dull??? What would happen to your end of the day energy levels if you started to think of your work as "what can I do for others today" instead of "What is my job doing for me?", and if you took stops during the day to feel grateful for what you are experiencing, and what your job does for you (allowing you to buy SONAR, for example so that you can even record anything), you might have a LOT more energy at the end of the day.
  
• Do YOU believe that you are really good? What are your other beliefs around your self-value, money, the music business, work, your overall competency in the world??? I am not joking when I tell you that some serious examination around your beliefs and attitudes in these areas is perhaps the MOST important thing that you can do before making a decision regarding a choice that you are creating for yourself.
  
• I have noticed some limiting/cliche beliefs about work, the music business, etc., revealed in your initial communication...and in others' notes as well. For every one of those generalized beliefs, I can give you an exception that shows that these beliefs are true only for those that believe them, but if you examined the life of that exception you would also find in the center of it a person of exceptional focus, resilience, and extraordinary ability to hold beliefs and personal vision in the face of even overwhelming influence to the contrary of their chosen direction. Do you count yourself as a person such as this??? I believe that EVERYONE has the potential to become one, but are you that person now??? I would never make a major life leap without ensuring that all my beliefs and attitudes in complete alignment with my direction.
  
• If you were the type of person above...or if you were currently having music success...what would the feel like? Where would you live? How would you walk and talk and carry yourself? What choices would you make? Can you generate that kind of feeling...I mean in your BODY, not your head. If you can't feel that...if you can't FEEL close to that now, then it might be too big a leap to just leave your job and find success, and perhaps a more incremental approach is best....what CAN you "feel" like? What does it feel like to have your own place or sell two of your songs to a Disney or MTV or a syndicated reality show or something...or to win a songwriting contest???
  

Maybe a little heavy for some, but for those who have questioned in this way, they can perhaps relate???

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck!

Mark

Round 12 over here at Twelve Tones
.....The O P has left the building ......

Wow ...why does it have to be all black or all white..?
I suffered from the old it dont count unless I'm a Rock Star Syndrome when I was the O P's age...
time marched on
the music bizznez changed
peoples tastes have changed
things that were impossible for the unknown guy/gal became possible
like having a full fledged DAW without the million dollar price tag
a long time ago I sat down with Vernon Reid and jammed bop
also sat down with Edd Cherry ( Dizzys guitarist ) and played Hendrics...
even studied with a guitarist that had been with the NBC orchestra under Arturo Toscanini along side Johnny Smith and learned to play all kinds of *hit from classical to Jazz
back then ,
that and 50 cents would get me a ride home on the A Train ....

The world is full of guys playing one thing on stage to make a buck and playing something else to stay sharp...and to feed the creative musical soul

over time a touch of wisdom has come to comfort my soul
......................ONE SIZE OF MUSIC DON'T FIT ALL........................
it took the sting away
from the prospect of chasing a dream that was harder to catch than air

I never thought I would ever see the day
when A Musical Genre would become the new form of Racisim /Character Assination of sorts
times sure have changed .....
this tune I'm gonna sit out...

Kenny

Amen!!! I love extreme metal, i love classical music, with my mate i write sorta poppy rock stuff...does it matter? if you wanna pay the bills, you gotta do what brings in money. unless you're 18 and single and have no responsibilities and can afford to chase the dream. doesn't mean ur a bad person. sure, we all hated it when metallica 'sold out' but y'now what, in their position not a single one of us would have done anything different. as we grow up our tastes mature, come back when ur 40 and let us know...

ORIGINAL: Roflcopter

just don't end up looking like this dood.

I guess that's why they used a frog in the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oADfmYQWmW8

Ha... that was pretty good... after I found that pic I ended up on youtube watching old RJD clips. Man, that guy can sing some rock and roll (and not just in the studio)! Dood's 65 and he's still out there doing shows. It's crazy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnBecj2NFbo (he's old here, I think from last year)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ_FgL5l1og
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL1RguQL4jQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGj6Cj392Cc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwX8yF8k0ls

You can have your speed metal, and thrash metal, and post-industrial-suburban-goth-metal.... I'll take the old geezer that can still belt out a tune... oh, and some good ol' fashioned dragons and demons help too.

Dio is probably the most amazing metal vocalist ever. From Rainbow, to sabbath, to Dream Evil (Sunset Superman, anyone?)

How anyone that little can have such a huge presence onstage is just a gift.

How anyone that little can have such a huge presence onstage is just a gift.

Having a Himalaya-class ego, and a voice to match usually does the trick - old, skinny, ugly, foreign accent - nothing stops them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzBncolQjP0

the french do love singers who can't really sing....hmmm. maybe i have a chance!!!!!
all together:
"Non, je ne regrette rien...."

ORIGINAL: opaque slogan

ORIGINAL: jamesg1213

Interesting thread, and a lively discussion.....but where's the OP??

I imagine this thread started it's life on the Sonar forum. Since they no longer leave a link to the new location, in the place where it used to reside, i imagine the original poster assume's their thread was killed.

Why does stuff like this belong on the song forum and not the Sonar forum?
Sonar's a music program right?

I'm back! Yes, that's exactly what happend- after I posted my thread, I checked back a few hours later and didn't see it anywhere and figured they got rid of it and I didn't realize that it still existed until I received a PM today from a forum member regarding my thread. And I would like to thank all of you for your thoughts and advice- I asked for it and I definitely got a wide range of responses- from "Go for it- you'll look back when you're older and regret not trying wondering 'what if'" to "It's like winning the lottery- it's not likely so don't quit your day job" and everything in between. You all gave me a lot to think about.

But after reading what everyone had to say and the points people brought up, I have to say that posts #'s 6, 13, 14, 15 and 20 are the ones that really hit me and have helped me make my decision- they all come down to saying if you give it everything you've possibly got, then you can't go too wrong because there's nothing worse than the thought someday looking back wondering "what if". It made me realize that I would rather try and fail than not try at all.

That said, I've decided that in November, I am going to ask for a leave of absence from work so that I can focus completely on my music for a while (I have to wait till November because you can't request a leave of absence until you've been there for a year). That way I can "test the waters" so to speak- I can experience what it will be like to work on music day in, day out and find out if quitting work really is the answer. If I realize that the creativity is just great and I'm cranking out great stuff, then I'll have no problem making the decision to quit. But if I realize that not working really doesn't help me in terms of getting more done, then I'll still have a job waiting for me after my leave of absence. I think that sounds like a good plan myself! And as boring as my job is, I've also written some great songs at work because my job doesn't exactly require much thinking, so I can look at it this way- from now until November, I'm sure I'll come up with some more good lyrics while working, so that's one plus about that.

As far as being a risk taker, I pretty much always have been, but only after considering all of the possible consquences- which is why I wanted some opinions from all of you.

I've decided that no matter how slim my chances are, this is just something that I must do. It's a gut feeling that is with me almost every minute, telling me to follow my dream no matter what, and that is what I'm going to do...because anything is possible.

Thank you all again.

you have the best opportunity you could ever ask for, a "leave of absence" is actually more than you could ask for and really means your valued to at least someone at your current position, take advantage of this, try as hard as you can and hey what's the worst that could happen, you fall flat on your face, but at least you can say you tried, and you'll always be able to make music, maybe not day in and day out, but it'll always be there for you. I wish you the best of luck, and am glad you found where you left off, even though it's went awry. Your going to be surprised at the opportunities that lie ahead of you, remember that there are so many aspects in the music industry that you'd be crazy not to try, especially considering the fact that you can always fall back on something, sounds like your peers/employer may even be rooting for you too. It takes a lot of courage, guts, and strength to do this, and you can.

As the author of #15, I just want to jump in here and wish you good luck. The great thing about your decision is, it can't be wrong. Just make sure you give it everything you have. No half-assed effort. As a few people have mentioned, it would be nice to hear some of your stuff on this forum. It might be good for you too.

Randy

p.s. If you make it on tour, and your in N.Y. and need a place to stay, DON'T call me. I have found musicians to be of questionable character and low moral values. Best wishes.