Another Year Older, But Another Year Wiser Too

Wow! What a trip. I got pretty caught up in the whole turning 30 thing for the past few weeks. I started having a bit of an existential crisis. I'm not sure if it's like this for everyone, but for me, the milestone of 30 caused a big journey of introspection. With society telling me that by 30 I'm supposed to have everything figured out, and have a stable source of income, etc., I was feeling a little down on myself. One of the hardest things as a musician, and what I'm told makes or breaks an artist, is the ability to stick with it. I've made the commitment to see this through, but that little voice of self-doubt in my head was more overwhelming than ever. "You're too old to make it as a musician," it said. "You started too late in the game." "You're music just isn't catchy or poppy enough." "You'll never be able to support yourself doing music full time. You're just fooling yourself." Ouch! I am my own worst critic.

However, I've come to realize a few things. Staying positive is the main thing. When that voice tells you that you can't do it, don't ignore it. Accept it and use it to fuel your passion. If you give up, you'll never forgive yourself. I've learned to ask myself what really is important to me. Do I wish to give up my dream to take on a 9-5 job just so that I can be "stable"; so that society accepts me as "successful"? Heck no!

I've never been a materialistic person. In fact, more and more I've come to despise material possessions because to me, it's not an even trade. Work your life away so that you can afford "nice things"? I'd rather cherish that time than be a hoarder. I'd rather use my time to create something positive. The big question I've been asking myself is, "You're 30, what have you got to show for it?" Well, I don't have material possessions to validate my success, but I do have experiences and memories that I wouldn't trade for anything. I've come from being a shy kid who couldn't even get the guts to order food at a restaurant, to now performing, often solo, at least 3 times a week. Personally, I think that's a being accomplishment in itself. And the ability to follow my bliss is priceless.

Now that my birthday has finally come and gone, and my inner struggle has worked itself out, I'm feeling more optimistic than ever! I've had so much support from my family and friends. They all pitched in to get me a battery powered street amp for busking. That really meant a lot to me. And my husband hand made me a cajon (a box drum that you sit on and play). But I think what really put me in high spirits was seeing one of my favorite bands perform. Which after this experience, I've come to believe that I need to go see my favorite bands perform more often. I've been a bit out of touch doing my own thing that I haven't had time to enjoy other people's music.

Seeing The Wood Brothers live last night was amazing. Those guys are no spring chickens. They don't have any sort of gimmicks. They're not super attractive dudes. They just stay true to their music and use their talents well. They write honest songs, and people dig it! There were so many people singing along to their songs last night. It was truly inspiring.

I hope one day to be an inspiration to others also. I know the only way to do that is to press on, learn from my experience and keep a positive attitude, even when that little voice tries to put me down. I've got to remember that age has nothing to do with musical success. It's all about the time you put in, and being true to oneself. Some of my favorite artists have been around for a decade before they "made it." To me, "making it" would be the ability to play at any house concert or venue I desired, and to play at festivals around the U.S. I might be 40 by the time that happens, but it will be another 10 years well spent! Each year, I'm "another year older, but another year wiser too."

Social Net-WORKING

Over the past few weeks I've spent far more time online trying to book shows than I have actually spent playing shows. I'm trying to plan out a tour for October, as well as a tour for November. I've been putting all of my booking methods to work:  contacting venues that I find through local newspapers, urbanspoon.com, and through contacting my friends who have bands that play in the areas that I want to book shows. I also discovered the search tool on the Reverbnation website. I'm able to look up both venues and bands by city. I also broke down and got the entire Indie Venue Bible that includes all regions of the US and Canada. (For those of you who don't know, the Indie Venue Bible is a list of venues for unsigned artists, such as myself, with links to the venue websites).

I had recently thought that I had more luck scouring the internet by myself than relying on the Indie Venue Bible (IVB), but it's actually a really useful tool. When I did my pressing/packaging through Oasis, I was given 1 free region of the IVB, and after a bout of no responses from the venues I had already contacted through my other methods of booking, I decided to give it another shot. It actually is quite useful, as there were venues listed that I wouldn't have found otherwise. And the cool thing about IVB is that each venue is listed with the genres of music that each venue hosts. I went ahead and bought the full bundle, which is around $50. It not only includes the list of venues, but tips for touring and information on music business related topics. It also includes a list of promotional contacts for each city, such as newspapers, radio stations, etc. that will get the word about your upcoming shows. I haven't had time since I downloaded the entire IVB to put it to good use, but I'm about to today. We'll see how well it works!

In addition to all of this, I've also been trying to utilize my "social networks," both on and offline. I've started to post things on my Facebook wall like, "Does anybody know any bands in Nashville I could open for?" or "Does anybody know anybody in Memphis?" I've actually gotten a few gigs by doing this so far! I've also contacted my friends who live in the area I'm trying to go, to see if they know anyone who would host a house show, etc. I've gotten a few, "maybe next time"s on that. 

I would say for about every 20 venues that I contact, I actually get a reply back. Two thirds of those replies either say that they are booked already, no longer have music, or that my music doesn't fit the genre of music they're going for. I probably would be getting a lot more responses, and have had a lot more success in booking had I gotten to it sooner. A lot of venues book 5 to 6 months in advance. So my lesson here is to start early! 

When signing up for the "opportunities" on Reverbnation, such as contests for radio airplay or placement or write-ups in music blogs or magazines, I'm constantly reminded to make my press-kit look professional. A good press-kit should include a good bio, press write-ups, quality recordings, and quality, high-resolution photos. I had most of those things except for the photos, so the other day I had a photo shoot with the amazing Jeremy Scott, and the pictures turned out great! They definitely help to make me look more professional. Hopefully they will help in getting me more gigs. Unfortunately, it's not all about the music. Appearances, and connections seem to have a bigger role in getting gigs than actual talent.

I've also learned that I'm going to have to start from scratch in all of these new cities. I have a good credibility here in Arkansas, but few venues want to book a band that doesn't have a following in the area. What venues are mostly concerned about is the number of bodies you can get in the door. How many people can you get to pay a cover charge? How many people can you get drinking? That's the music business! I guess that's why it's important to try and pair up with local bands so that you can essentially "steal their fans." Always bring a mailing list and have anyone who tells you they enjoyed the music sign up! Then you can email and notify your new fans when you'll be in town again. The hope is that you gradually get those numbers up through touring in the same areas, and eventually build a big enough fan base that venues will book you!

I'm still in the learning process of all of this booking business. We'll see if I can get it in gear! Thanks for joining me as I spill out all of this nonsense. Keeping this blog helps me to make sense of it all ;)