Articles in DR View
The story is simple. Five teens get stranded while on a road trip to nowhere. There’s no gas station for miles and even worse, no cell phone reception! With no “Angry Birds” to help kill time, the group decides to try their luck on foot. While in search for the nearest signs of life, they stumble upon an old western gun town, owned and operated by the Bailey family.
Remember this: as an artist or a songwriter you are still ultimately an entrepreneur. You are starting a business and you or your work is the product. Entrepreneurs need to be self-motivated, driven, and focused: focused on the big goals (eyes on the prize!) AND on the day-to-day details. Recognize this, and organize your work accordingly.
I can’t claim to know how inspiration happens. It arrives at unlikely moments, so we carry notebooks and scribble on napkins or sing a few bars of a melody into a cell phone. Sometimes when I play it’s as if my hands and ears are being led. The ideas seem to be coming from somewhere else, and we’re always looking for a way to tap into their source.
No matter what type of venues you and/or your band generally play, odds are you are using some kind of sound reinforcement. Perhaps you mostly play showcase rooms or festivals that have a pro running sound, or perhaps you have a PA system of your own that you primarily use. Either way, some basic knowledge of live sound is a great asset to a performing artist or group.
This article is aimed solo artists…singers and singer/songwriters who want to play with a band, or at least another musician or two. If you’re part of a band, some of these ideas will be relevant to you as well, but the always complex topic of band dynamics is something I’ll address in a future article.
Tori Sparks shares her insight about the South by Southwest Music Conference and other music conferences and festivals.
Established in 1946, the Idle Hour originally served as a watering hole for the local factory workers and engineers around present day Music Row. Although the bar closed temporarily in 2004, its reopening was met with jubilation from its loyal community of patrons. A rumored haunt of John Rich, the Idle Hour can’t match the opulence of the surrounding recording studios, but boasts an undeniably unique charm, one epitomized by Thursday nights, songwriter’s night.
Dave Isaacs discusses the importance of having good mentors in the music business and their importance in the success of aspiring musicians.
Dream Row called it Rock Over Broadway and that is what happened. Kris Bell, Snow Black Sunday & Lunge helps brand Nashville as Rock City. Hold on that name is taken.
