Friday, March 21, 2008

The Local Musician



Yesterday I went out to Jammin' Java to see Celeste Starchild play.

I got there just as she was playing Apple Of My Eye - a great song we just introduced this past week on our show.

I walk into Jammin' Java and there's Justin Trawick - right there.

He was funny - I was so happy to see him I gave him a hug.

He says - hey john! - Ok - we're hugging. Ok.

hhaahahahahaahahahahahahahah.

I was excited to see him and off his right shoulder was Jean - his bass playing, stage sharing, and good friend.

Celeste - was great. And, she had this great dress on. Stunning is a word that comes to mind.

One thing about Celeste is that well - I think red is an awesome color on her so her red and white dress, red lipstick fair complexion and brown hair, just really added to the whole experience of seeing her live.

A chick.
In a dress.
Playing guitar.

It was cool.

And I got to talk with her near the end of the entire showcase of bands.

She's great to talk with and fun - and she's got a full time job outside of music too.

And that leads me to a little discussion here:

Local bands/musicians

Where does your money go when you pay for the show?

- The bands/musicians get paid but usually there are things that come out of their payment:
- Food
- Drinks (so if a musician asks you to buy him/her a beer or one for the band, this is why)

To get the gig that you're paying for, they've typically:
- Driven to countless open mic nights and driven all over creation to play and introduce themselves to other bands
- Paid for their gear - out of their own pockets (That's Guitars, Strings, Amplifiers, cables, mic's
- If they have a CD, they've paid for that cost all up front and, their handing out free CDs to people at radio stations, people in the industry, etc... so they can be heard (hopefully)
- Taken a job they use as a means to an end.
- May not have health benefits - and we all know how much a doctor's visit is.
That's right - the musician's hope is to be seen/heard and become successful.
JUST LIKE WE DO IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORK FORCE FOLKS.
We have jobs where we want to be seen and heard and move up the ladder and get raises, etc...
But, the musician is taking it on the chin for the love of their craft.

Think about it.

The person scanning your food at the grocery store. The person taking some babysitting gigs. The person you see with their guitar case open in the street somewhere. And, in some places, they PAY for the use of that spot and have to hope that they recoup that money by 'busking.'

And, in other cases, the musician is sitting across from you in a meeting discussing strategy for the company to get $1 Billion in Sales Revenues.

You really never know.

So, I'm rambling here, but, to wrap all of this up:

1. Thanks Celeste and Audrey for the CD for our show

2. Chris from Leaving TX - thanks for the CDs - we'll get your music on the show for sure. Please note this photo is taken from their website at www.leavingtx.com



And, if anyone reads this.

Please support your local musician.

If you want processed cheese-whiz music, just listen to your ho-hum radio station.

But, if you want something different.
Something that pushes the envelope.
A musician or band to get committed to....I ask that you seek out and support the musicians in your local music scene.

Ok - I think I said what I wanted to here, but if I didn't I'll come back.

Oh yeh - and don't do drugs. "just say no"

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