I'm behind on my bloggery, mostly due to the loss of my sweet kitty. That pushed other matters out of the way for while. I still cry sometimes when I think I see her out of the corner of my eye or when I miss some part of our life together, but overall I'm feeling better. I can catch up on writing about something that rarely happens—a New Year's resolution fulfilled!
I wrote that this year I was going to go to open mic nights. Well, I have. Twice so far. The guy who books the club where Lisa's Hotcakes played last Saturday night also runs an open mic night on Tuesdays, and he had been encouraging me to show up. Which I finally did. I hadn't done a solo performance in public since the 1970s. I kid you not! As soon as I started playing in bands, I stopped being a singer-songwriter, which I was never very good at anyway. And then during my long alleged retirement, I never went back to it, preferring instead to make home recordings. So this was a pretty big thing for me to do.
Despite the extended hiatus, I wasn't really nervous even on the first Tuesday. I had fun and got a good response. I played a couple of Hotcakes songs, a song I'd written before Hotcakes existed, and a very new Hotcakes song that the band has not yet worked on. I'm sure I won't go every Tuesday, but it will be a good opportunity to play songs that are not for the band as well as new (and old) Hotcakes songs. There is another open mic at a different club on Wednesdays. Our drummer, who also plays bass, wants to get out and play more, so perhaps we can work out some duo songs (that setup includes a bass amp).
I have done one more thing that is indirectly part of the resolution. Last Wednesday, I attended a monthly meeting of a regional songwriters group. This meeting turned out to be untypical, featuring a couple of people who own a publishing company who passed along information about the music business for writers. I spoke with the moderator afterward, though, and he said that at most meetings people get together, play new songs, and get feedback from the others. Not that different than the open mic, really, except these are people who are specifically songwriters. What I really want to do is to find one or more people with whom to collaborate, but that's something that can't be forced. So I will bide my time and get to know people and maybe find someone with whom to work.
I certainly haven't left the band behind! Our show on Saturday went well. Little by little, we connect with people who aren't friends but might become fans. A real fan base is key to any band's success. And on Wednesday, I am planning to attend a grant writing workshop. Sometimes it's possible to get a grant to help fund a particular project, such as a video. I know nothing about grant writing. After Wednesday, hopefully I will know at least something.
I'm not doing as well with all my resolutions, of course. I have not been exercising. I really need to find a form of exercise that I will want to do, and that's not easy. But I've been reading about a program called Pound that seems to be aerobics and strength training with air drumming. Now that's something I might be able to get behind!
I wrote that this year I was going to go to open mic nights. Well, I have. Twice so far. The guy who books the club where Lisa's Hotcakes played last Saturday night also runs an open mic night on Tuesdays, and he had been encouraging me to show up. Which I finally did. I hadn't done a solo performance in public since the 1970s. I kid you not! As soon as I started playing in bands, I stopped being a singer-songwriter, which I was never very good at anyway. And then during my long alleged retirement, I never went back to it, preferring instead to make home recordings. So this was a pretty big thing for me to do.
Despite the extended hiatus, I wasn't really nervous even on the first Tuesday. I had fun and got a good response. I played a couple of Hotcakes songs, a song I'd written before Hotcakes existed, and a very new Hotcakes song that the band has not yet worked on. I'm sure I won't go every Tuesday, but it will be a good opportunity to play songs that are not for the band as well as new (and old) Hotcakes songs. There is another open mic at a different club on Wednesdays. Our drummer, who also plays bass, wants to get out and play more, so perhaps we can work out some duo songs (that setup includes a bass amp).
I have done one more thing that is indirectly part of the resolution. Last Wednesday, I attended a monthly meeting of a regional songwriters group. This meeting turned out to be untypical, featuring a couple of people who own a publishing company who passed along information about the music business for writers. I spoke with the moderator afterward, though, and he said that at most meetings people get together, play new songs, and get feedback from the others. Not that different than the open mic, really, except these are people who are specifically songwriters. What I really want to do is to find one or more people with whom to collaborate, but that's something that can't be forced. So I will bide my time and get to know people and maybe find someone with whom to work.
I certainly haven't left the band behind! Our show on Saturday went well. Little by little, we connect with people who aren't friends but might become fans. A real fan base is key to any band's success. And on Wednesday, I am planning to attend a grant writing workshop. Sometimes it's possible to get a grant to help fund a particular project, such as a video. I know nothing about grant writing. After Wednesday, hopefully I will know at least something.
I'm not doing as well with all my resolutions, of course. I have not been exercising. I really need to find a form of exercise that I will want to do, and that's not easy. But I've been reading about a program called Pound that seems to be aerobics and strength training with air drumming. Now that's something I might be able to get behind!
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