Higher Than a Bird in the Sky

I may not be playing huge festivals or going on long, extravagant tours yet, but sometimes being a musician brings about some pretty cool and unexpected opportunities. Aside from the normal radio and TV interviews, press, and regular gigging, some cool things have happened to me over the past year. The most memorable would be performing at a middle school, and performing at a wedding at a Fly In.

Playing for kids is always cool. They still have that "Sense of Wonder," where they are exploring and experiencing things for the first time. Life is exciting. Everything around them in nature seems to be magical, and music just gets them moving. They are able to dance without inhibition.

The kids I played for at the middle school are in the transitioning period from childhood to adulthood, where they are still excited about things, but are also beginning to develop critical thinking skills. A friend of mine is a middle school teacher, and he has an awesome way of tying things into his teaching curriculum, and making learning fun. He had me come play for his class. I played a few songs for them, one of which was "Wake Up." To me, this is one of my most deep and encoded songs lyrically. He asked them to listen and take down notes as to what they thought the song was about. In my head, I thought that this was a rather big challenge for middle school aged kids. But when it came time for them to read their thoughts, I was blown away! They were so introspective! They hit a lot of the main points of the song right on the head. A lot of times I wonder if people really listen to my lyrics, and if they "get" them. These kids totally did, and it completely made my day. It made me feel like what I'm doing as an artist is meaningful and does have the potential to make a positive change.

The second most memorable experience was far less enlightening, but oh so exciting! I recently played at a Fly In/wedding at Byrd's Adventure Center. The view there is breathtaking. I love the Mulberry. Usually when people ask you to play at weddings, your'e there for background music. You're there to look pretty, and make them look good too. But this was totally different. I entertained a welcoming, down-to-earth gathering of pilots. They listened, danced a bit, and bought CDs. But the best part was, the gyrocopter ride! I didn't know such a thing even existed. It's a small aviation vehicle with a spot for a pilot and a passenger. It resembles a helicopter, but maneuvers a bit differently. It's also open, so you can feel the wind on your skin, look over the side, and spread your arms out like wings, if you wish. When I first saw it in flight from the ground, I was pretty nervous to try it out myself. It went higher than a bird in the sky, and whipped and dipped around. I almost chickened out, but knew I would never forgive myself if I passed up the opportunity. It ended up being one of the most exhilarating sensations, and the view was just amazing. I've always imagined flying over the mountains, and have dreamed about it too. Never did I think my music would open me up to an opportunity like that! It makes me say what I envy people for saying on Facebook: #ilovemyjob

So, if you're a musician, be open to obscure opportunities to perform. You never know what kind of experience you'll end up having, who will be there, or what your performance could mean to someone in the audience. I guess this principle could apply to all facets of life. It stems from that old saying, "Say YES to life."If you do, you might just fly higher than a bird in the sky :P

Sweet Distractions

I wonder if the most "successful" people have any lives at all. How do they have time for everything? I've been feeling particularly distracted from music these past few weeks. I always have an on-going list of to-do's for songs I need to practice, people I need to contact, booking, and organizing and scheduling duties, etc., that seems a mile long. But this past week, I've been pre-occupied with everyday, real world, home life things.

Mr. Buddy and Boris

Brandon and I just rescued a dog from the shelter. His name is Bruno. We were looking for a playmate
for our dog, Boris, as our other dog, Mr. Buddy, is 12 years old, and doesn't do much playing, or much of anything these days. Boris is a sweet dog, but he has a LOT of energy. We were hoping that by getting a dog for him to play with in backyard, he would expend some of that energy and calm down. Our efforts seem to have work so far. Boris is much more calm, when he's not playing with Bruno. He seems really happy and well adjusted. He's learning to walk on the leash better, and has stopped chewing up the couch. Seems like we made the right choice, right? Well... Bruno is a handful in himself. He has MORE energy than Boris, and is pretty much wearing Brandon and me out. He has anxiety issues. He jumped the fence twice. He's terrible on the leash, and he even attacked Mr. Buddy during feeding time. Brandon and I were about to take him back to the shelter, but we made the decision to try and rehabilitate Bruno. We are worried this might be his last shot to find a family patient enough to train him up. So, we've spent some extra time and money extending the fence in the backyard, and we've been watching a slough of YouTube videos, and reading dog training books whenever we get a free minute. I've been trying to teach Bruno to at least make eye contact with me, and to walk on the leash without pulling me along. But all of this is taking sooo much time! I hope I can find the patience.

On top of that, we've been getting ready for the wedding; planning and prepping for a whole host of family members to come and stay in our house. We're very very excited about the wedding, but
planning a wedding is a lot of work!

Bruno, AKA the Spaz!

Today, Brandon and I spent time focused on those two things, but then we took some time for ourselves to cook and share a meal, and get caught up on our favorite TV show, Once Upon a Time. Though I know some people would think that watching a TV show is not a good way to spend time with someone, we enjoy it. We get to cuddle, and chill out. Our dogs chill out too. Everyone in the house is calm. We have fun trying to figure out the plot twists before they happen. We snap our fingers and hoot and holler when a character get's told off, or they get what's coming to them. It was nice to have a little time, even if it wasn't on my to-do list, or scheduled out. Even the dog training, and fence extending was a nice break from all of the things we "should have done" today, Brandon with his art, and me with my music.

What do I feel I should I have done today? Well, I've been planning on making a new YouTube video series called, "Song A Week," wherein I video record live solo performances of original and cover songs. The first song I need to cover is "Into the Mystic," by Van Morison. It was part of a Kickstarter reward package for me to cover and make a video of this song. Though I did make an audio version, I have yet to make a video. Partly because I lost my recording capabilities, and partly because I've been so dang busy. But, now that I have the ability, I need to get to it! It will probably take me a few hours, and it's been hard to get a few consecutive hours free to do that. I also should have done some organizing, and worked on another song I signed up to record on. "Shoulds" get so dang exhausting, though! So, I took a little time for myself. And, though I wanted to keep on relaxing, I finally mustered up the willpower to write another blog post.

It's hard to find balance between home life, work, and musical projects. Personal relationships are important in life, and so is taking time for oneself. Though I enjoy what I do as a musician, it can start to feel like work if I don't take a break. I've been a bit of a workaholic over the past few years, and haven't taken enough time to stop and smell the roses. While my friends were out floating or at a bonfire, I was in my room recording or booking. I need to find the balance between achieving and experiencing. I think overall, I just need to be easier on myself, and not get worked up when I don't accomplish everything right away. If I'm constantly living for some future time when all of my projects are done, how can I enjoy the good things in life that are right in front of me now? If you think about it, all we have is now. There has never been a time when it was not now. The future doesn't exist, except in our imaginations. We make up all of these possible scenarios, and get stressed when we imagine that things won't work out how we plan.

So here's an encouragement for myself and for anyone who reads this blog: make a conscious decision this week to be in the moment. Get your mind to shut up for a second! If you're out somewhere, and someone is playing music, listen. I mean really listen, like you used to in your room when you were a teenager. When the music moved you so much that you closed your eyes, and for a moment, got lost in the undulations of sound. When a loved one gives you a hug, hug them back, FOR REAL. Give them a good squeeze. Think about how much you love them, and appreciate them with your whole being. If you get the chance to be creative, get into it! Enjoy it. Don't think of it as work, but a privilege. If you get the opportunity to go outside, do it. Feel the sun on your skin, smell the air, watch the birds and squirrels in the trees, and realize what a blessing it is to be alive! If life offers you a sweet distraction from monotony, or stressful situations, take it. You'll be so glad you did. Hopefully I can take my own advice!

Don't Steal My Voice!

Well, if you have been following me on Facebook, you'll see that a lot of people have encouraged me to try out for The Voice. I had put it out there that I was contemplating auditioning, because I wanted to know what my friends and fans thought about the notion. I have been encouraged by my family for years to try out for American Idol and The Voice. The Voice seemed like the lesser of the two evils. It seemed like a pretty cool show; like they wanted you to be unique and be yourself, rather than be molded into a powerhouse singing icon like on Idol.

I was considering auditioning for The Voice, not only because my family had been urging me to, but because I LOVE singing. I've worked hard on my singing craft. And usually what people say to me at shows is, "Wow, I love your voice," not "Wow, you're a really great songwriter." Though I love writing songs, and I think those who really listen appreciate my lyrics and song forms, singing was my first love, waaaaay before songwriting. (Well, actually visual arts was, but we can get into that another time.) I used to practice singing Ariel's songs from The Little Mermaid. (I even had a Little Mermaid doll that I carried around with me everywhere, and made a bed for her out of a shoe box.) My mom brought me up on all kinds of musicals, not just the Disney ones. And yes, as an adolescent, I jammed out to Brandy and Christina Aguilera. I've got that soul in my voice because I was a singer first. So, having worked very hard on my craft over the years, it's natural that I wanted to show it off. I can actually do a lot more than I do in my songs, because I never wanted to diva it up in the music I write and take so seriously. I don't normally show off, but The Voice would give me the guilty pleasure of having the chance to.

I was hesitant about auditioning for The Voice because I do take my songwriting seriously. I didn't want my performances on The Voice to overshadow what I love to do: write and sing my original songs. I get peeved when people come up to me at shows and say, "Your voice reminds me of this person. Can you play a song of theirs for me?" Why can't they just enjoy the songs I'm already singing to them? Anyway, I want people to respect me for my songwriting abilities as well as my singing voice. I want to be known as a true artist, whether I'm famous or not. There's also the issue of distraction. I didn't want The Voice to distract me from writing or going on my own tours, etc.

Now that being said, I never wanted to be famous. I don't need to be rich. All I want is to be able to someday support myself by doing music only, and not have a full-time or even a side job. I want to be able to make music and share it with others constantly. I feel like my day job comes in the way of that a lot of times. I'm at work constantly thinking about what my next moves will be when I get home. I'm always thinking about a song I'm writing in my head, wishing I could just pull out my guitar and write. I'm thinking about recording, booking, etc. All the things I wish I had time for, but don't because I'm working. I got all starry eyed and thought The Voice could be my way out, or at least give me some exposure so I could start selling more of my records.

To be honest, even if I were to go on The Voice, I wouldn't want to win, because I wouldn't want for the corporate music business machine to own my soul. I'm NOT a competitive person by nature. (Even when I ran cross-country in high school, I hated the meets. I was mostly there for the camaraderie. Running with my friends in a pack after school was fun for me.) I would mainly have gone on The Voice for fun, to show people what I can do, and for exposure. And to tell all the people who keep telling me to audition that I already did.

After my Facebook post, I got a lot of positive feedback about going on The Voice, and some negative. In the negative responses, the word integrity was used. I get that! I definitely want to keep my integrity as an artist, but don't think I would have necessarily lost it just by participating in a game on TV.

So what was the final decision maker in all of this? I've found out through internet research that the contract they make you sign is not good. I don't want to get into it, but there's some shady stuff that goes within it. You can check it out here, if you're interested: http://www.afterld.com/forum/showthread.php?41165-The-Voice-contestant-contract-terms
It basically entails a 7 year "slave contract." They own you. You can't make anything on the side, or do any tours on the side. They want a piece of everything you do for SEVEN YEARS after you've been a contestant (not even the winner) on The Voice.

So, that's why I will NOT be auditioning. The Voice, will not take what is most precious to me, which is MY voice, and I don't just mean my singing voice, but also my speaking voice and freedom of speech that I exercise through the lyrics in my original songs.

Maybe I'll start having my own Candy Lee version of The Voice, in which I post videos on YouTube of me belting it out... maybe, or maybe not. Stay tuned!

Little Victories

Tonight, I played at Wasabi. I love that place. As far as restaurant gigs go, it's one of the best in town, as far as compensation and accommodations. I always get to eat some bomb-ass sushi afterward. The crowd there, however, usually doesn't pay much attention, as is the case with most restaurant crowds. At least, not when I play solo.

I've got a theory about dinner music, that the more people you have in your band, the more likely you are to attract peoples' attention, and the more likely they are to listen. It may have something to do with more energy in the music with more instruments, or more energy in the stage presence between the players. Either way, it seems that more members = more attention. BUT people aren't really there to see the music at restaurants anyway. Customers are there to eat and socialize. Musicians at restaurant gigs are mostly there to create an ambience, as background music. I always say, "I get paid to be ignored." But I'm not too bothered by it. I get it, though it is nice to have a few audience members pay attention, make eye contact with you every once in a while, and clap a little after a song- until they realize that no one else is clapping. When I first started playing restaurants I was really hurt that no one clapped after my songs. But you get used to it. It's kind of just an added bonus when people do.

At my gig tonight, that was pretty much how it went. There were a few couples who sat next to each other to face me, instead of sitting across from each other. I had a few people clap here and there. While I was on my break, a few staff members told me I sounded great. A few people tipped me a couple bucks, and one person bought a CD. I'm always surprised by who will and won't tip me or buy CDs. A lot of times the people clapping, who you are sure are digging it and must want to buy a CD, just give you a thumbs up on the way out. And then people who don't seem to be paying much attention at all will tip you and buy CDs. One time I was playing at a restaurant and I felt like this family was just talking over me the whole time. They came up to me after my set, told me they love live music, and bought CDs AND t-shirts! You just never know.

I was a bit uncomfortable at this gig. After the sun went down, it was quite chilly. I had to put on both jackets that I had in the car. I don't know if it's because I'm small, or because I'm from Florida, but I start shivering pretty easily. It messed with my singing for sure. And my fingertips were a little numb, so playing the guitar was challenging by the end of it. Not to mention, the music across the street at Jose's is always over powering, and sometimes makes it to where I can't hear myself, especially with the patio customers trying to talk over the Jose's music and me. But I stuck it out! Played until my time was up!

But even with all of the things that go into the awkwardness of restaurant gigging, I still ended up having a pretty awesome night. A gentleman maybe around my age, dressed in a nice shirt and slacks came up to the gate to listen. He clapped after the song I was playing was finished, and stuck around for another. I thought the whole thing was a little strange. I kept peering over my side bangs with my peripheral vision, trying to figure out the situation. He didn't look the part of a music lover (But I guess I'm not really sure I know what I think a music lover looks like. A hippy? That's a really bad stereotype). I thought he might have just been drunk and patronizing me. I looked over after playing the 2nd song he stuck around for, and he was gone... until, he came in through the front door and onto the patio to listen to one more song. When my song was finished, he bought BOTH of my CDs. He said he heard me from the street and had to come over, and that I had a distinct, and pleasant sound. It totally made my night! So much so, that I had to blog about it. One more little victory for Candy Lee!!! It's moments like that which remind me of why I'm doing music. It's not for everyone. It's for those who choose to listen :)