A few numbers for you:
0 – email addresses in my mailing list. Previous account was deactivated. Thanks Obama
2 – successful latte art attempts (out of at least 75)
7 – number of original songs I’ve posted on Youtube
9 – days until I perform my original music live again!
15 – original song recordings completely lost to 1 harddrive crash
114 – performances I did last year
274 – unread emails in my inbox (I really gotta unsub from a lot of stuff)
404 – days since my last Blog post
2,097 – days since the last time I performed my original music live
7,000 – approximately the amount of dollars I have to pay to the IRS by April 15
34,834 – Miles driven to and from gigs last year
21,765 – words in my Lyrics word document
105,872 – things in my head fighting for my attention
Some of these numbers are more important than others, but as you can see I’ve got a lot to cover, and not much time to do it with. I’m playing my first show of original music in almost 6 years, and I feel woefully unprepared. Not musically though. Nay, I feel like I am perhaps too far removed from the world of self-promotion to even think about doing another show. You mean to tell me that I have to provide my own audience? I have to fill the seats? The concept of a man playing original songs on piano won’t sell itself? How am I supposed to do this? FB? what is this, 2012? Myspace? what is this, 2007? Posters? What is this, a society that actually goes outside and pays attention to advertising?
Could the secret be…
A NEW BLOG POST?!?
(ps can I get an interrobang in here?)
Obviously I’m hoping the blog will help. But I’ve also got a mailing list to repopulate from scratch, lyrics to organize, potential guests to call or harass online, event websites to which I must submit my gig info, recordings to make, and somehow amidst all that, I have to fit in the real reason I do this job – perfecting and performing the music. Everything else is just my fear or introversion keeping me from singing sweet nothings into your hearholes.
But its a poor excuse. I need to get back on stage and play the songs that *I* give a shit about. I need to stop second guessing their worth, and my worth. I need to actually talk with people and let them hear my music without trying to qualify it for them.
Hopefully this can be a turning point for me, and I can better integrate my own work with my real-world work. Wish me luck, or better yet,
come see me 7:00, Wednesday, April 3 at Uncommon Ground in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago!
Also, watch those 7 videos on Youtube…
and join my Mailing List…
and follow my Instagram…(I actually update this one. Shocker!)
…
…
NO?!?
Fine, be that way. But I’m telling you, you really shouldn’t (be that way). No one likes it when you’re that way. Your friends all say its toxic behavior, and they’re considering not inviting you to brunch next weekend. But that’s none of my business…
