Time

I don't like running out of things.  I don't like running out of toothpaste and face wash and gas, and I especially don't like running out things like youth and time.  But, c'est la vie.  That's how the universe works I suppose.

Sometimes, more so in the past but still to a certain extent, I feel like I'm running out of time.  The music industry, like most entertainment industries, is based on beauty and youth and there isn't too much time before you're too old and too ugly.  For years I've stressed about this.   At 24, I thought I was too old to get signed.  I assumed that if I turned 30 and I hadn't already had contracts and international tours and albums and a mansion, I was done for.  What I didn't assume in my early 20's is that as I creep closer to 30, I'd care about less and less about all that stuff.

Lately, I've been writing better music and I've been much less angsty than I used to be.  I've been caring less about the industry and more about putting on good shows.  I've paid less attention to gimmicks and more attention to singing well and writing good music.

While I still stress about things, I've learned that running out of bullshit thoughts isn't really a bad thing.  I've resigned myself to the fact that I won't be the next McCartney or Lennon or Cobain or whoever.  I'm happy with my life, because really, how could I not be?  I may not have a record deal by the time I'm 30 (and really who wants one of those these days?) and I may not have all the things a 20 year old wants, but I'm not 20 years old anymore.  I'm older and I have everything I need.

That is except toothpaste and face wash.



  

Web Presence

So, I'm sorry I haven't written an update in a while.  There's actually two reason for that.  The first is I think my mom is the only one who reads this (Hi Mom!).   The second is I'm not good at creating a "Web Presence."  I don't really like it, to tell the truth.  I don't post much on Facebook and obviously I'm having trouble keeping up this blog.  Maybe it's because I don't think my life is interesting enough for me to shove it down other people's computer monitors, but that just sounds too prideful.  Maybe I'm lazy.  Maybe I'm afraid that blogging and posting about every detail of my life will make me a hypocrite (I hate those people, don't you?), or maybe I'm just nervous people won't like what I have to say.  I don't know. 

This is my own Catch 22, I guess, because that's the exact opposite of how I feel about my music.  I want everyone to hear it and I think it's great.  Really great.  It probably isn't really that great, but to me (and my mom, I hope) it is.  That is where I've put all my psychological eggs.  I may be apathetic, lazy, short and have bad skin, but I sure can write a song -- wanna hear it?  You'll like me better afterward.

Blogging and posting on Facebook is just an extension of my already mundane, regular 9-5 life.  Music is my fantasy life, full of money, talent and good skin.

Everyone always comments on how different I am on stage, and I always nod and say something simple like, "Yup" or "You never can trust the quite ones."  But the simple fact is I don't know what makes me different up there or behind a desk at my job.  I think the same on stage.  I move the same as I do when I listen to a CD by myself.  Which one is the "real me"?  I don't know.  Both I suppose.  I am an only child -- maybe that explains all of it.  Shy, but constantly needing approval and attention.  I'm sure my psychology student fiancee would have a field day with all of this. 

Anyway, too much deep thought for now.  I could go on and on about this subject (ME!) for ages.  Good things have happened music-wise since my last post, and good things are coming down the pike, so I'll get back to this blog on a regular-ish basis.  Until then, goodnight Allie.  Goodnight Kevin.  (Good night mom).

Songwriting

Enough of the business already.  I can get caught up in "building a career" pretty easily, which always sends me on a downward spiral mentally.

Writing and performing music is what I do all this for, and I think it's important now to talk about how I do it.

Every song is different, but I've always thought of writing a song more along the lines of building a cabinet than waiting for something to fall out of the sky ready to go.  While I've had those moments, they're very few and far between.

Songwriting is a craft.  It's more a skill that needs to be honed than a talent that can be picked up naturally.  I'm not saying natural talent doesn't play a role, but it's much less than people think.

Booking

I feel like something has happened.  Booking a show has never been easy by any means, but lately it's been all but impossible.

Thankfully, we have something on the horizon.  I booked a show at the Soda Bar in December and I have to say Peter is one of the most friendly people I've worked with around town.  We're going back there this month to play a show on the 27th, and I hope I can keep the relationship going.

Everywhere else I've turned, though, has been a dead end which is surprising to me.  I don't think I've changed anything I do to try and get a show.  We have the same amount of average plays on Myspace and the same amount fans as my last band did.  Really, no one has a lot of plays on Myspace anymore and I don't think most promoters even looked at that.  Something is off, though.

Is it hard to book a two piece?  This band doesn't have 4 people to help increase the draw, but we still do pretty well, relatively.  I feel like we brought out more people out to the past couple shows than the other four or five piece bands did, but I suppose a promoter wouldn't know that.

Most venues in San Diego have live music 6 or 7 nights a week.  That's a lot of talent a promoter needs to book, so it's hard to think that they could have any sort of discrimination.  It most be something else.  Something, something, something...

Let's think.  I'm leaning towards the fact we're a two piece, but isn't that in now?  Aren't two pieces the hip new thing?  Maybe it's the way I word my emails, but I really haven't changed that in years.  I try and be friendly and cordial, and I can't believe friendly is bad.  Maybe it is. 

Am I worried?  Not yet -- not really.  I have a show booked and promoting for that usually takes up most of my effort and worry.  But, I would really like to have something set up for the end of April, at least.  Can I ask Soda Bar to set up a show before we even play the one we have scheduled?  Mmmm, I don't think that would be a good idea.

So what should a guy do?  The scientist in me says figure out what the issue is and fix it, and the right brain side of me says, SEND MORE EMAILS.  TALK TO PEOPLE!  That last one interests me the most and the least at the same time.  I need to go to the Ruby Room soon and see what I can find out.  Or maybe the 710 club.  Or the Ken Club.  Or Winstons.  I've never been one to like striking up conversations with strangers, but since I do like playing live, I suppose that's what I need to do. 

At least all of these places serve alcohol.

Merchandise

I think I've always over looked merch in all of my last bands.  It's either been too expensive or too hard to coordinate.  Thankfully, I've never perused making a billion Jupiter Sound Clash T Shirts.  That band lasted a whole five months and while it would have been fun to try and sling pink tank tops to the drunk girls who would take up the whole space in front of the stage, it really would have been a waste.  And, there were really no drunk girls that I remember.  There was a drunk guy once, he was funny.  He wouldn't have bought a shirt though.

I always wanted stickers, but again I'm happy I never bought into the various sticker promotions online.  $100 for 100 stickers?  No way would I pay for that!  And my inner Banksy would probably disappear as soon as I went to put them on the dumpsters and street posts in my neighborhood.  I could see myself posting two and then getting caught and jailed for vandalism. 

But that was the old me!  The new me is embarrassing merchandise like I never have before, and I'm finding out that I won't need to remortgage my apartment to afford any of these things.  Well, sort of.

I recently bought a T Shirt Screen printing press.  The idea in theory was great.  I could get a new hobby, print my own shirts for friends and at least start selling merch without too much of an investment.  I thought it would either be a wild success or a miserable failure, and I would be happy with either.  If it failed, I could tell myself, "at least I tried."

That was 3 months and probably about $500.00 ago.  I have to say, I like this hobby.  This expensive, expensive hobby.  I'm not sure if it will pan out completely as a way to make money, but it's fun.  I personally have about 10 Get Down Automatic shirts, some better than others, one or two I can actually feel good about wearing in public.  These things take time.

I've also learned how to make stickers on the cheap using laser printable waterproof vinyl.  We have a homeless lady that listens to us practice at our studio.  She's always wanted to help us, so I gave her a handful and asked her to put them up where ever she could.  And I put one up too.  Take that Banksy.  A whole sticker.  On a lamp post.

Beginnings

So, I'm blogging now.  Facebook, Twitter, Myspace (eww), sonicbids, foursquare, LastFM, bandcamp.  What else is there?  Too much.

Although this blog is titled The Get Down Automatic (I'm already thinking that was a bad idea), it'll will be a little bit different from other band blogs.  I'm not here to promote anything.  I'm not here to talk about how cool my music is or how awesome the show was last night, or post promotions on merchandise.  I want to get a little more intimate.

The mission: write about the trials and tribulations of becoming an established band. 

I worded that pretty carefully.  I don't know where or how far this band will go and I don't know exactly how this will work.  I think it's mostly a place I can vent frustrations and expand on ideas without bugging my fiancee too much.  I really want to document what it takes to make and promote music in this era.

Since this is my first entry, I'll give a little background about where I am.  I've been playing guitar and piano for 17 years, and I never wanted to start a band.  I just wanted to write music for myself.  Seriously.  I was peer pressured into a less than mediocre group in college and that started an addiction I haven't been able to kick for 7 odd years.  I'm now 27 and this is my 4th band.  Every single one was amazing and would have eventually let to arena shows and pictures in front of our own private jet a la Led Zeppelin.  It would have happened.

My current band has been playing shows around San Diego for a few months.  We've released a EP that we're giving away and I'm currently trying to fill up our schedule for March and April.  I'm on a mission to become a bar rat at the Casbah and my goal is to play 12 shows by the end of the year.  It doesn't sound like much, but that's a lot for a new band.  I think.

Anyway, it's late and while this is probably a horribly written first entry, I'll have to leave it at that.  To everyone who is not reading this, goodnight.  Goodnight Kevin Bacon and goodnight Allie.