St. Patrick’s Day holds a paradoxical place in my musical heart:
A. I love this day.
Live music is guaranteed to be booked; people are excited to be partying; stout beer is tasty!
B. I fear this day.
Loading in gear is a nightmare; some folks get intoxicated and belligerent; watered-down, green beer is gross!
Last year’s St Patrick’s Day, I performed nine hours of music at three different bars in three different cities. When I returned home at 1 AM, Natalie asked, “How was your day o’ gigs?”
I couldn’t answer her; my voice was shot from over singing.
I wanted to tell her how one drunk guy spit on me because I wouldn’t play “Whiskey in a Jar” again. (I had already sang it in my set; drunk guy forgot.) But hey, I made enough money to pay rent in one day!
This St. Patrick’s Day weekend has been great.
I’ve enjoyed this weekend of gigs, so far. Bar patrons have been nice, my tip jar has been full, and the sing-a-longs last night at mash reenergized me!
But I when I woke up and saw my friend Connor’s tweet about his dad getting hit by a drunk driver last night, I felt that bitter taste in my mouth, again. (Connor’s dad’s OK)
I want to throw out the common reminder–especially you musicians performing tomorrow–to be safe, especially when you are driving home from your gigs. Watch out for those patrons who are slurring their requests for “Freebird”; they will be the same ones swerving on the road.
And let’s do our best to prevent drunk driving.
People don’t make safe decisions when they’re intoxicated, which is why they need to plan their nights before-hand, when they are sober.
Have your designated drivers ready. Have that taxi cab number programmed in your phone. Have a planned limit to how much you will drink.
And don’t forget to tip your waitstaff and bartenders (and maybe musicians) extra well! Remember, they are most likely sober, exhausted, and trying to survive the night without getting spit on…
* * * St Patrick’s Day Gig * * *
Tomorrow, I’ll be performing from 10 AM to 1 PM at Claddagh Irish Pub in Lansing, accompanied by the talented Garret Schmittling!
Related show
OK, the short announcement is I’ve joined a just-formed, independent record label: Maisonneuve Music!
The longer, detailed story:
* * *
For those familiar with my music, you might know how I love to travel to Hamilton, Ontario to visit a beautiful recording facility called Catherine North Studios. I have worked with some amazingly talented, nice people at Catherine North.
In April of 2009, I started my first trips to Catherine North to work on Burning the Boats.
Catherine North, where making music becomes a spiritual experience!
The catalyst of this trip was hearing City and Colour’s Bring Me Your Love, and watching the behind the scenes videos, which was recorded there, with Dan Achen, producer and owner of the studio.
In December of 2008, I sent Dan a Myspace message–yes, Myspace!–about my interest in doing my second release at his studio. Would he write back?
Dan did! He asked to hear my songs. Then, we talked via Skype and he showed me the facility via web cam. I knew immediately this is where I would create my next project.
I was still teaching high school English in Holly then, and my struggle to find a balance in my personal, creative, and professional life had reached its height. There were many moments between 2007-2009 where I was depressed.
As ugly Xmas sweater day demonstrates, I did my best to hide being stressed by being a goofy teacher. I also grew my hair ridiculously long.
(I must emphasize that I loved the teaching part of education, but I often abandoned music to keep up with the work load of grading, planning, and instructing. That ate away at me. I never knew how to keep up, and it never ended. Teachers have the most difficult job on the planet.)
Visiting Catherine North Studios was a beacon of hope, inspiration, and healing for me.
While it was hard for me to find the time to get to Canada during my teaching schedule, we made it work. There was one Friday where I left from Holly High School’s parking lot and drove straight to Hamilton. We recorded all weekend. Monday morning, I showered at the studio, and drove four hours back right to the classroom.
Making a record takes a team, and Dan’s team was incredible. I spent my most time working with Dan and his engineer/producer Michael Chambers, tracking instruments and turning my acoustic songs into full band representations.
After I made a three visits of about three days each between 2009-2010, we had tracked most of the guitars and vocals; the record was half finished. The end was in sight!
The experience of working with Dan and Michael was not only leading to the best music I’d ever made, but also a better place in my life.
When my wife says own many guitars, I tell her about Dan Achen's collection.
* * *
In March of 2010, I went to work like it was a normal day.
While waiting for the first bell to ring and my students to arrive, I was rereading scenes of To Kill a Mockingbird, drinking insane amounts of coffee, and periodically checking Facebook on my iPhone.
I saw a Facebook post from Michael Chambers that said something like, “RIP Dan Achen. We will miss you forever…”
I didn’t believe what I read. Huh?
The bell rang, but I didn’t hear it.
Most of my students were already in their seats. A few tardy students were trying to sneak in without being noticed. I looked up and the room was spinning. I told the class I’d be back in a moment.
I went into the bathroom and threw up.
* * *
Dan was 51 when he suffered a heart attack while playing hockey. There are so many people who knew Dan better than me, but I think Dan had a gift of making everyone feel special, no matter if they were a famous member of the Ramones or a simple high school teacher.
Music brought us together at Catherine North; friendship brought us back.
* * *
So how does all this lead to me joining the label, Maisonneuve Music?
Power couple! Kathleen and Michael
OK, here’s where I get to reintroduce you to the best power couple on the planet: Kathleen Farley and Michael Chambers.
Michael Chambers and I finished Burning the Boats after Dan passed away. And we continued to work on more music projects together at Catherine North over the years.
Michael is incredible.
And incredible people find incredible partners!
Kathleen Farley, Michael’s wife, is a teacher at Harris Institute, a musician, a technology wiz, entrepreneur and inspiration.
We’ve spent quite a few nights in the basement apartment of Catherine North Studios, drinking some Canadian beer, talking about creativity, dog-ownership, writing, teaching, and life!
My wife Natalie finally got to meet Kathleen and Michael, in person, sans Skype, last summer when I recorded, “Love Birds.”
I am really lucky to be able to call these talented Canadians my friends.
* * *
So Kathleen sent me an email in January, titled “Happy New Year — and new label.” Kathleen was starting an independent record label; she asked if I’d join it.
So I have! And the label’s official launch is today! Along with its website, Maisonneuve Music is on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud.
We aren’t sure where this will go, but I get to spend more time with these inspiring people in Canada. So it’s already a win/win for me!
* * *
Michael and label-mate, Paul Federici, working at Catherine North. Recording can be tiring!
In terms of new music, I’m using 2014 to write. I’ve been writing a song a week all year. I haven’t been sharing many of the new songs yet. Currently, “Burning Bright” is my favorite new song demo.
In January of next year, I plan to reexamine all of the new songs, and some of my favorites from previous years.
Currently, I have about 45-50 songs I wrote during my teaching years that haven’t seen the light of day. I could release new music now, but I want to take time to write new material that resonates with my current life.
I also want my next release of music to capture my spirit when I perform live.
In 2015, I plan to release more music, but I’m not sure what form it will take. Will it be a set of EPs? Singles? My first full-length? I might do something crazy and release a 52 songs project. Or a multi-media poetry/music book. I have half of a book of poetry finished, and I hope to have my first book of poems completed by the end of this year.
Anyways, I’m allowing 2014 to be a year of a lot of writing. Thanks for reading the fun news! More to come. Right now, Lois has news, and she wants to go for a walk.
Lois has news. It's walk time. Please excuse typos.
Last week, my wife Natalie and I were invited to guest lecture at WMU’s Direct Encounter with the Arts. During the Q & A section, one student asked, “Does rejection still hurt? I’m scared of my art being rejected.”
I admitted, “Yes! Absolutely!”
Steven King talks about rejection in his book, On Writing. He used to put a nail in the wall, and he would fill it up with his rejection letters. When the nail would hold no more, he would pound in another nail.
After filling his office wall with nails, Steven King finally had a big break: Carrie was accepted to be published.
I’ve let King’s anecdote guide me when I’m dealing with rejection, and I’m thinking about it, again, today. Today I found out I wasn’t accepted into a writing program I desired to pursue. Rejection still stings.
But here’s a positive point about rejection: We still have our work that we submitted!
Usually, the rejection simply marks a period of where we were driven to work really hard, meet a deadline, and then wait. The important step was the “working” period, right?
Even though I didn’t get accepted into a program, I have half of a book of poetry finished! During late October to the end of December, I was a writing machine! The deadline simply got me working.
Embracing rejection allows us to embrace deadlines; and most importantly, when we embrace our work, we are “picking ourselves.”
When we embrace our work, we forget to fear rejection, and forget to eat lunch.
The Artist’s Gift of Seeing Potential
If I lost my iPhone, the person who found it could listen to dozens, maybe hundreds, of voice memos of my new song ideas. They would probably think, “This guy is the worst singer I’ve ever heard!”
Why? Because new song ideas, like the one linked above, are often sung out of key. New demos are full of mistakes.
But when I hear a new song demo, I don’t listen for the mistakes; I hear the potential.
During my start as a songwriter, I assumed everyone shared this ability to “hear potential.” I quickly learned this is not the case.
I used to share early drafts of songs with friends and family. “I don’t know, Mike. I like your other songs better,” some many would say.
I would feel dismayed; I assumed my new songs weren’t very good.
I now realize it’s not the song that’s being judged, but the performance; and my mind is hearing something different than current reality. It’s like my brain has an Autotune program engaged!
The ability to visualize the future potential of our creations is an essential skill to learn.
Sure, this skill can have negative consequences if we don’t learn to edit and polish our pieces later on; but during the brainstorming stage, this skill is essential as an artist. Maybe in life, too.
We must learn to hear–and see–the potential.
* * *
In the spirit of the blog, here’s a new song demo from my 52 Song Project. (Some friends and I are writing a song a week this year!) “Winter Shows the Worst of My Ways”
When I was in seventh grade, I was the least popular kid school; that year I decided to run for student council.
* * * Good Idea/Bad Idea * * *
I don’t have any recollection to why I decided to run for class representative. It’s possible someone signed me up as a joke. I do remember I had to give a speech in front of my homeroom class, and I was terrified.
The night before my big speech, I decided to put my best skill forward: I drew a giant poster. Specifically, it was a giant picture of a tiger that said something like “Vote for Vial.”
It was a pretty sweet tiger, if I do say so myself, and it had nothing to do with my school (our mascot was a falcon) and nothing to do with student council. I spent all afternoon and night on that poster, way more time than on my speech.
The next day, I stood up in front of the class, put my giant poster on the blackboard, and stuttered my way through my speech in front of 20-30 peers. I have no recollection of what I said. All I remember is the Q and A segment.
“Did you draw that poster yourself, or did your parents do it?”
“I drew it,” I answered.
I won the vote by a landslide.
* * * Consequences * * *
I could go on to share how I was the worst student council representative to ever hold the position, but instead, I will share the consequence to accidentally winning.
You see, no one told me one giant responsibility of all student council members was to dance with another member from stu-co in front of the whole middle school.
Student council had to introduce “slow dancing is cool” and break the ice at the first junior high dance.
Makes sense, right? Student council is a popularity contest, so have the cool kids lead the first dance. But I wasn’t cool. I was the dork who drew a poster of a tiger.
Poor, Megan Andrus.
Megan was the girl who had to dance with me in front of the entire middle school.
I almost didn’t go out there.
A group of boys grabbed me, pushed me out into the center of the gymnasium, and then pointed and laughed as Megan and I danced to Bryan Adam’s “Everything I Do” along with the rest of student council in pairs.
I regretted drawing that damn poster for 4 minutes and 17.
(Fun fact: Megan went on to become a model in California.)
* * * Dancing with Music Decisions * * *
Shortly after this cripplingly embarrassing experience, I decided to play guitar. And many years later, I decided to perform songs in front of people.
Throughout my music career, many people have told me try out for American Idol or the Voice. I’ve always struggled to come up with an answer why I won’t do this.
One reason is I feel like I’m a limited singer who simply loves to write songs.
Thinking back to seventh grade, I think I’ve found another answer: What if I actually fooled the judges and had to go on TV?
There are always consequences to accidentally winning, and I’d rather not be pushed into the center of the gymnasium, again.
* * *
(I was inspired to share this after reading Seth Godin’s blog today, and Amy Petty’s blog last year.)
