Give Peace a Chance, Embrace a Daring Message
This week, the Ark theater and Chris Buhalis hosted the 8th annual John Lennon Birthday show. All proceeds were donated to the Vets for Peace scholarship fund, and what a great night it was.
I sang, “In My Life” accompanied by my Michigan-made Heritage 555: “There are places I remember…though some have changed.”
One of the volunteers from Vets for Peace read a quote from Billy Corgan reflecting about John Lennon’s legacy, how he was one of the first pop stars to focus on a message of peace, how that might be his surviving legacy.
(I couldn’t find the exact quote, but check out this intense reflection about Lennon via Musicradar.)
It’s easy to think of a discussion of peace as flowery, naive, and unrealistic; but examining Lennon’s complex arc of his career, his challenge for us to imagine a different world was daring.
Everyone is going to leave a legacy, small or large, lasting for one generation or many. The people we meet, the communities we engage, the families we have–all of us leave footprint on this earth. We must accept the fact that there will be an arc to our lives, too.
During your arc, will you embrace a daring message? What will your message be?
American Songwriter Magazine – “Daily Discovery”
Big thanks to American Songwriter Magazine for featuring my song “Burning Bright”, a song inspired by David Plawecki; and the interview where I ramble about ridiculous dream gigs, Frances Luke Accord’s songs, Guy Clark’s kitchen table, and the time Alan Black and I met John Mayer at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor.
Read the write-up and listen to the song here:
http://www.americansongwriter.com/2015/10/daily-discovery-mike-vial-burning-bright/
Artwork for “Burning Bright” by Caitlin Kronk
Mentioned in the American Songwriter feature, “Burning Bright” was written as a dedication to David Plawecki. Here’s David speaking a the Lansing Capital:
Senator David Plawecki speaking on the Michigan Senate floor.
A lot has changed in five years, let alone 10.
When I decided to leave Holly High School to hit the road, the school was in it’s first year of using Macbooks as their main computers and Gmail as their email client. Justin Timberlake was trying to resurrect Myspace. Spotify had just arrived to the States, yet still wasn’t available in Canada. Gas prices were reaching $4 to $5 a gallon. (Terrible years to start touring!)
Years later, and everything looks different, again! Gas prices have lowered, but streaming payout rates might have too. Organic reach on Facebook is zero, are boasting posts worth it? Is anyone actually using Twitter anymore? Do I really need to start using Periscope? Should I order CDs for the next release? Blah, blah, blah…I know I’m not alone in saying it’s difficult to keep up with everything that’s changing, so let’s take comfort in fact that we are not alone in feeling overwhelmed.
However, while let’s also take comfort in the fact that the tools change, but the mistakes remain the same, don’t they?
Here’s a list of success killers we see everywhere, from a classroom, office, or backseat of the tour van:
A bad attitude, procrastination, disorganization, hesitation, poor financial management; losing sight of what makes you happy, chasing trends, changing yourself to fit into a crowd; being dishonest, taking people for granted; doing the same thing over-and-over again, yet expecting different results…
It’s easy to focus on the new tools; but nothing beats a positive mental attitude, a work-ethic, and an ability to make decisions that fit your vision. And contrary to popular belief, these abilities are learned, not genetically programed into our DNA.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by everything that’s changing, take comfort in the fact that the most important things that never change.
Ontario’s 402 in the heart of weather, a great metaphor for the road to success in music!
One of my favorite artists is David Zinn.
Zinn is a well known illustrator, often seen making imaginative street art with chalk in Ann Arbor.
Zinn said in an interview with Create Michigan, “I started doing it as an excuse to be outside on a nice day, but still be doing art so it wasn’t completely irresponsible…”
There are so many great quotes in that interview, and I encourage you to watch all eight minutes of it. My favorite topic is how Zinn embraces–enjoys!–the fact that weather will wash away his art in time: “It makes me comfortable, whatever I don’t like about my art, it doesn’t matter, because tomorrow I will draw something else!”
I think this is one reason I enjoy performing live more than recording. I get so nervous about the “foreverness” to recording a song, which is quite egotistical. (Is anything really forever?)
Imagine the endless possibilities if more of us embrace this freedom of the temporary nature of art.
One of David Zinn’s pieces that have lasted longer than others, in the Blue Tractor Brewery’s basement bar, mash!
[Blog] Writer’s Block: Oh no! I’m stuck! (How do we get unstuck?)
OK, the best way to beat writer’s block is to force ourselves to work every day, and ignore feeling bad when we create mediocre stuff for awhile; the great stuff will arrive.
However, the same ways we got initially inspired when we began learning our craft helps us get unstuck when we are masters.
If you haven’t written a song in weeks, months, years–go learn some songs! (The Beatles or Brian Wilson’s tunes always work for me.) Or as a guitarist, retune your guitar into an opening tuning and explore for hours. Feeling adventurous? try picking up a new instrument or medium you haven’t played or used before today! Walk through a museum; pick up a book; attend a play; take a cooking class. Or simply, go get coffee with other creators who inspire you.
The artistic process is a phoenix. When it burns out, it will regenerate itself, if we surround ourselves with art, and work.
Artwork for “Burning Bright” by Caitlin Kronk
