It was horrible watching my friends in Texas deal with Midwest-style winter weather. Life ground to a halt and parts of the state were declared a national emergency site. I have friends in Austin who were without water, electricity, and heating gas for days. That takes the regular challenges sub-freezing temperatures and makes it even more brutal. Luckily, they were able to weather the crisis and get back on their feet. At the same time, the Chicago area was dealing with 3 feet of snow that had accumulated over three weeks of super-cold weather (it didn't go above freezing for a month). Nobody was excited about it, but life pretty … [Read more...]
This is What Happens When You Perform for the People that Show Up
Play for the people in front of you. And if there isn't anyone in front of you...play for yourself. It's a simple premise. But it's one of the best things I learned while playing in a band in Chicago. When you think of a music concert, it's easy to think of the last Lollapalooza or arena show you went to. Thousands and thousands of adoring fans packed in and singing along. Or maybe it was a street festival with the popular cover band that packs them in. But when you are starting out, it's hard to get anyone to pay attention to you, much less come to a show. It doesn't matter how good you are or how hard you practice. … [Read more...]