My Art is Communication

I’ve been playing gigs at bars since before I was old enough to drink in them, and one thing has always amazed me:  I don’t get sick of playing the same cover songs night after night.  As I’m playing The Joker for the thousandth time on a stage in a bar somewhere I never think “oh here we go again…”, I’m still excited to hear people’s reaction and to make them want to sing a long.

 

The most beautiful thing about art is that it’s never boring.  It’s spontaneous, exciting and always changing.  It may seem that on the surface I play the same songs night after night but the music is not my art, my art is communication.  My art is how I interact with every single person that steps into the bar.  My art is how I call out to the girls walking by, telling them they should join us inside.  My art is the interaction with the listeners, and that is always changing, always exciting.

 

To me, music is and has always been about communication and interaction.  What I’m not saying is “music should always be about communication and interaction”, that’s not true.  For me, it’s what brings it home.  It’s the reason I started playing guitar in the first place… I saw how people reacted to a performance (I saw how girls reacted too).

 

Next time you see me play, keep that in the back of your mind.  If you want proof of all the things I just wrote here there is an easy way to do it.  Get a few friends together and start reacting to what I’m doing.  You can cheer, chant my name, dance, whatever, just get a little crazy and watch what happens. I’ll get even more excited, sing with more passion and feed that energy right back to you, it happens every time and nothing makes me happier.

 

How could I get sick of that?

 

You’re on your own

Here I go again on my own,

Goin down the only road I’ve ever known

Like a drifter I was born to walk alone.

I’ve made up my mind,

I ain’t wastin no more time,

Here I go again.


The past two weeks I had the pleasure of training at Septien Entertainment Group in Dallas, TX. SEG brings in the most talented and driven musicians from around the country and trains them to be stars in the music business.

Aside from the amazing coaching going on and the talent level of the artists, I was surprised by how many young kids were there. When I learned more I found out that they have a masters program where you can audition and be selected for a 9 month or longer program that gives students a comprehensive training package to get them ready for bigger opportunities in the music business. Many of these masters students were 15 or 16 years old and although a few of them were local to the Dallas area, many of them had packed up and moved to Dallas and are now living on their own, working on a career in music. After hearing a few of their stories I was really inspired by their sense of independence at such a young age. It’s always been something I’ve felt. One girl named Jordana left South Africa at age 16 to come to the US and pursue a music career (she’s now 19 and a masters student at SEG). When I asked her how that was she said it was tough, because her parents were very involved in her life, so much so that she hadn’t really learned many of the skills she needed to survive on her own. With a smile, she said “I didn’t even know how to boil water, I had to learn everything.”

From what I’ve learned, there are two types of people when it comes to personal independence. The first kind of person reads that last statement and thinks, “gosh, that must have been terrible having to learn everything on your own”, the second reads that and thinks, “that’s amazing, what an incredible and exciting opportunity”.

I’m lucky. For whatever reason, I’m the second person. Maybe my parents tied my shoes for me one too many times or maybe they did just enough to give me a taste of what it’s like to figure things out for yourself, who knows. All I know is I LOVE that feeling. I’m sure you recognized the song I quoted above.

Here I go again on my own, going down the only road I’ve ever known.

What a powerful line. For most of us who can identify with Jordana and myself, independence feels more like destiny than just an option in the game of life. Like Frodo carrying the ring to Mordor, we may be supported by others, but the burden is ours, and that’s the only way we’d ever want it.

You’re on your own. Go get em.

New Song – Walls

I really don’t do the “new song lyrics” post all that often, but I’m excited about this one, and I think the lyrics make for a good read. Really excited to play this for you soon!

walls.

you put up all these walls
to keep people out
but I want in
there’s something about us
I want you to trust
I want us both to win

(chorus)
let it be known, that this is the beginning
we won’t stop til we find the end of the line
I would rather crash and burn, than wonder what we’re missing
I would rather scream out loud, than just “feel fine”

let’s just be ourselves
there’s nothing left to do
there’s nothing left to hide
breakdown all these walls
so we can go in deeper
build a love inside

(chorus)
let it be known, that this is the beginning
we won’t stop til we find the end of the line
I would rather crash and burn, than wonder what we’re missing
I would rather scream out loud, than just “feel fine”

Stay on the train.

Stay on the train.

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”
– William Feather

Everyone that has ever picked up a guitar and thought “I want to be a star” has gotten on the train.  This train eventually takes you to the destination you’ve always wanted – the place where you can live a sustainable life with exactly the amount of things you want, all while doing what you love every single day.  Unlike conventional trains, this train doesn’t operate on one way tickets, it charges per day.  The price per day is low so in the beginning, thousands and thousands of people decide to get on board.  On the train they find all sorts of room, great food, free drinks and lots of beautiful people to hang out with.  It seems almost too good to be true.  The train leaves the station and everyone stops to listen to the conductor as he addresses the passengers.

“Welcome the Dream Express, we’re on a very long journey but when we reach the end, you’ll have found and accomplished exactly what you’ve been dreaming about.”

Everyone cheers because chasing your dreams is exciting, and it makes you feel full of life and energy.  It seems everywhere on the train there are aspiring artists talking about how great it will be when they become rich and famous.  The train’s first stop is at a small town in the countryside.  The conductor tells everyone they can get off if they’d like but to be back on the train in the morning.  The town is quiet with not much to offer, but it has an old time charm and the next day when the train starts up again the passengers notice that there are a few people missing.  Surprised, many of the people say “I guess they weren’t dedicated enough to stay on board”.  Before the train pulls out they see some former passengers standing at the train stop.  One passenger shouts “why aren’t you getting back on the train?”  To that, one of the men responds “we like this town, it’s nice here and we’ve decided to stay”.  The train rolls on and they wave good bye.

The next stop is a bigger town and as the train comes to a stop one girl on the train shouts out, “They have a casino!  let’s go have some fun.”  All the passengers get off the train and head into the casino, and some lose too much money gambling.  When the morning comes a few realize they don’t have enough money for the train, so they stay behind.

As the train rolls on, the passengers realize the food isn’t as good anymore and a few of them start to get aggravated because life on the train isn’t as nice as when they first got on board.  The train rides for several more days and now some of the passengers are very restless.  The next stop is at a town that is known for it’s amazing food and relaxed life-style.  The train stops and the passengers get off, but this time there is a different feeling than before.  Many of the passengers see what the town has to offer and begin to say to the others “this town has everything we need, and the food isn’t like what we’re getting on the train, let’s stay here”.  On top of that, a local business man offers jobs to anyone who would like to stay.  The next day, less than half of the people return to the train.  As the train takes off for the next station the passengers who decided to stay now see a large group of people waving good bye to the train, most with food in hand and big smiles on their faces.  They hear things shouted like “you should have stayed with us, this town is great!” and “you’re passing up a great opportunity!”  The train rolls on.

As the train begins to cross the plains the conductor informs the passengers that the air conditioning has broken, a long moan is heard from the cabin as the passengers that are left start to say things like “we should have gotten off at the last stop”.  The train that was once buzzing with people talking about becoming famous and reaching their dreams was now quiet and many passengers began doubting whether they would have enough money to ride the train much further.

The next stop is at an affluent town and as the train comes to a stop the first thing the passengers notice is that this town is full of prosperity.  The men are well dressed and the women are beautiful.  The passengers head out and many of them meet members of the opposite sex.  Tired of the train and excited by the idea of spending time with the locals many of them have trouble deciding whether to go back to the train at all.  The next morning the train boards yet again with less people than before, and again there are people waiting at the train stop when the train pulls out.  The passengers that decided to stay see the men and women with their companions and wave as the station slowly fades into the distance.

Life on the train is getting worse and worse.  Not only is the food scarce and the air conditioning broken but the train engine has begun breaking down, leaving many people to believe that it may not be able to reach it’s destination.  Even with all the problems, there is still a group of passengers that have stayed.  They aren’t the most talented, although they certainly work hard at their craft, and they aren’t the best funded, although they spend their money wisely.  What they all seem to have in common is their desire.  They want their dream more than anything and no amount of short term happiness will move them away from realizing their dream.

The passengers sense they are nearing the end of the journey, but still see no true end in sight.  The train pulls into the next station and the passengers are overcome with awe.  They see bright lights, a vibrant city and the conductor tells them of the lavish parties that are held here.  After getting off the train they quickly realize this is the best stop out of all and they could certainly make an excellent life here, one that many people would be jealous of.  They ask the conductor if this is the last stop and he says no.  The passengers go out into the town at night and many get offered work that is very close to the life they desire.  They see that if they decide to get off the train and accept any of the offers they are given they would certainly be happy.

The next morning there are only a few passengers left.  As the few passengers that decided to stay board the train they are shouted at by the people who stayed in the city.  “You’re crazy!”  “Where do you think you’re going?”  The passengers board the train and once again continue on their journey.

The train pulls out of the station and many of the passengers fall asleep from exhaustion.  As they wake up they see the sight they have been dreaming about every single night.  They’ve reached their destination, and the few remaining passengers debarked the train, fulfilled and proud to have made it this far.  Years later they would look back and when asked how they achieved such a high level of success, they would all say, “just stay on the train”.

—-

This is a post for anyone who strives to make money & eventually a career off their creative output.  I’m framing it from the perspective of a singer/guitarist but I believe it applies to all creative types.  All feedback is welcome, everything is a work in progress.

Stay on the train.

I am TRYING to be famous

I was talking to a few musicians the other day and it came to my attention that a lot of us who say “yeah I want to be famous and play on big stages” don’t really believe they can do it. That is to say they shy away from saying stuff like “HELL yeah I’m trying to get famous and be HUGE”. They’ll say stuff like “Yeah of course I want to be famous” or “I’m pretty happy where I am” or “If I could just do ______ that would be enough”. Don’t get me wrong, that’s fine if they are really being honest with themselves and what they want. I don’t think that’s always the case.

SO… Since you are one of the thousand of beautiful people who have decided to support me by signing up for my email list, I’ll say this for you, as clear and LOUD as I can.

I AM TRYING TO BE A FAMOUS SINGER.

I AM DOING ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING I CAN, EVERY DAY, TO MAKE THIS A REALITY.

Some people may think “is Dave afraid of failure?” It’s true that by making a bold statement like “I am trying to be a famous singer” one could consider me NOT becoming a famous singer and failure (and there is certainly a chance of that). My take on this is a bit unique. I don’t think failure exists. We’re always scared to use the word “try” because that is associated with failure. Failure is what happens when a computer program has a wrong line of code and doesn’t work properly. There is NO failure in our lives as humans. Think of the last time you “failed” at something. Ask yourselves what you risked and really think about what you gained through the experience. I think you’ll always find that the deal you got was a bargain.

Abe Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” The last 4 years, I’ve been sharpening my axe. I will continue to sharpen it for the next few years until I feel I have a product that’s truly amazing. It’s going to take some time, but that’s my plan, and that’s what I’m doing.

Thanks for being with me on this journey. You know that big venue in your town? The one that holds a thousand people? I’m holding on to a pair of backstage passes just for you, so start thinking about who you’re going to invite

(This is an email from my monthly email to all my fans and friends around the world, to join it and to make sure you know when I play in your town, click here)

Music Is Not My Passion

So this may seem odd, right? I love playing music, I love writing songs and I definitely love performing, but music isn’t my passion, it’s not my purpose, and I think that’s an important distinction.  It took me a while to figure it out but after many years of reflection, I realized that what I really love is the chance to inspire people.  I guess music found me because it’s a pretty awesome way to inspire people, right?  Music is the vehicle through which I am able to inspire people.  If I have something to say, I could give a speech, write a book or write a song, and for me music is always the best way to truly reach people.

As I grow as a performer, singer and songwriter I’ll always have one thing on my mind – inspiration.  It’s simple.  The bigger (and more powerful) my sphere of influence is, the more I will be living out my purpose, and to do that I see no better way than by making music that reaches millions.

So that’s the plan.

I can’t wait to hire my parents

In my eternal search for self-awareness, I often examine my strengths & weaknesses, not just to identify them, but to see where they came from.  One of my strengths is following through on promises, but I can’t take any credit for it.  Ever since I was old enough to remember, my parents have followed through on literally every promise they’ve made to me.  I don’t mean most of the time, and I don’t mean when they remember, I mean EVERY time.  I don’t even think they have any sort of “to do lists” or planners to assist them, they just remember, and take care of it.  It’s amazing.

If I said to them, “Hey parents, I know this is a strange request, but I need you to ship me the pair of shoes I wore in 8th grade, I have no idea where they are and I need you to wait 2 months to ship them…” in exactly 2 months, they’d be shipped to my door step, no reminding, no forgetting.  It’s given me quite a standard to live up to, and all I can say is I do my best.

Back in 2001 while I was a freshman at the Naval Academy, one of the upper class that I reported to asked me to find out who said a quote that was loosely paraphrased as “the more I screw up, the more people seem to like me”.  The fact that he didn’t recite the quote exactly really made it tough to look up, so it wasn’t as simple as whipping out my iPhone and googling it (can you imagine iPhones in 2001…?!?).  I talked to my parents that night and casually asked them, they didn’t know, but they said they’d find out.  3 months later I get a call from my Mom who said she figured out it was JFK, and he was responding to the Bay of Pigs fiasco.  I was pretty shocked to hear that she even remembered our conversation.  Since then I’ve actually been careful to not ask my parents anything that I don’t really think is that important, because whether it’s important or not, they will spend the time and effort to get it done for me (don’t worry… I still ask them for plenty).

Since I plan on building the business of my music to extend far beyond what I can do myself, I’m always thinking about who I’m going to involve when the time comes that I can pay others to help me.  I’ve got a lot of loyal friends, some of the best fans, but I’ll need some one who’s extremely dependable and consistent as a rock.

Who do you think will be on the top of my list?

Be A Caleb

Recently I had the pleasure of working with a singer/songwriter named Caleb McGinn, whom I met in Kansas while I was on tour a few months ago.  He heard I was coming to town and contacted me, so we met up, had a few beers and played some music together.  I enjoyed hearing his story, he played a few of his songs and I played him a few of mine.  After listening I had a few suggestions on how he could improve his performance, mostly based on advice that people have given me.  I love giving people honest, genuine feedback and I could tell Caleb was excited about learning.  When I saw that he was really open to feedback I discussed the possibility of him visiting me in San Diego, staying at my house and working with myself and my roommates, something I thought would be a great way for us to share with him what we’ve learned in the time we’ve spent writing and performing music.  I told him I would happily block off a few days and develop a lesson plan, as well as pool the strengths of my roommates to give him some extra perspective.  He sounded excited and I was too.

That’s where this story usually ends.

(Before I continue, I want to say that I’m no expert.  Although I do my best to be a good “coach”, it’s not something I have a ton of experience in.  That being said, I think I have a lot of offer.  I’m the lucky recipient of a lot of good coaching.  Everything I have I’ve had to earn and learn from the ground up, so I’m often good at teaching it.)

The story usually ends there because that’s the last I hear from that person.

In the past 10 years or so I’ve had hundreds of people ask me to teach them skills that they see me demonstrate (mostly how to play guitar) and every time I say the same thing.  I’D LOVE TO!!!  And I really would.  I love teaching enthusiastic learners and I believe we should all pass on the knowledge we have been so graciously given by others.  The thing is, up until I met Caleb, guess how many people have actually followed through on my offer?  NONE.  It doesn’t matter if I offered my services for free (almost always) or at a reasonable price, I never saw anyone truly follow through.

Caleb not only followed through with my offer, but he DROVE FROM KANSAS TO SAN DIEGO.  He showed up ready to work and after 3 days at my house, he soaked up a lot of great skills that will benefit him for the rest of his career.  After he left I reflected on what just happened.  At first, it didn’t seem odd that Caleb followed up with me and accepted my offer, but then I realized that people like Caleb are rare.

I’ve met a lot of singer/songwriters that have impressed me, and although Caleb had some solid skills, I would put my money and day of the week on Caleb over many other more “talented” artists (talent is a facade… but that’s for another blog post).

If you want something, don’t let anything stop you.  If someone out there offers you help and it can benefit you, follow through!  Drive across the country if you want it bad enough!!!  You’ll be surprised at how few people actually do this, it will say a lot about you and your goals.

Send that email.

Pick up your phone.

Get in your car.

Be a Caleb.

Little Red Corvette

What?  It’s not about a car?

Honestly, I used to be the last guy to catch on to hidden meanings in song lyrics, but in the last couple years I’ve been playing a lot of catch-up.  Prince has got to be my all-time favorite and arguably the best at getting away with some of the dirtiest songs ever to be listened to by kids and teenagers who had no idea what they were singing along to.  Sometimes I feel that artists today aren’t creative enough with the way they deliver their message.  Country music for example, has always underwhelmed me with the creativity of their songs.  Songwriting is supposed to be an art!  Anyway, here are the lyrics to Little Red Corvette, you should read them again because Prince is truly a genius.

I guess I should have known
by the way you parked your car sideways
That I wouldn’t last. See you’re the kinda person
That believes in makin’ out once
love ‘em and leave ‘em fast.

I guess I must be dumb ‘cos had a pocket full of horses
Trojan and some of them used
but it was Saturday night
I guess that makes it all right
and you say what have I got to lose”.

And honey I say:
Little red corvette
baby you’re much too fast.
Little red corvette
you need a love that’s gonna last.

Guess I should have closed my eyes
when you drove me to the place
Where your horses run free
’cause I felt a little ill
When I saw all the pictures of the jockeys
that were there before me.

Believe it or not I started to worry
I wondered if I had enough class.
But it was Saturday night
I guess that makes it all right
And you say
baby have you get enough gas?” oh yeah.

Little red corvette
baby you’re much too fast.
Little red corvette
you need to find a love that’s gonna last. – oh no -

A body like yours ought to be in jail
‘Cause it’s on the verge of bein’ obscene.

Move over baby
give me the keys.
I’m gonna try to tame your little red love machine.

Little red corvette
baby you’re much to fast. . .
Little red corvette
honey you gotta slow down.
Little red corvette
‘cos if you don’t you’re gonna run into the ground.

What I’ve Learned About Happiness

Happiness is THE hardest thing in life to achieve.  It’s not a big house you can buy and it’s not an amount of money you can make.  It’s not a sleek car, or an attractive spouse.  It’s intangible, and once you find it you don’t necessarily get to keep it. 

How do we find it?  The answer is different for everyone.  We all have our own desires, needs and dreams.  Happiness for some can mean becoming a master chief in the Navy, for others it can mean having the freedom to surf twice a day.  It may be raising children and being a devoted parent, or successfully opening your own business.  Whatever the result, happiness will always be the progressive realization of a worthy and personally fulfilling ideal.  I’ll say that again because it’s important.

Happiness is the progressive realization of a worthy and personally fulfilling ideal.

Pick something you want to do then work towards achieving it.  Sounds easy enough, right?  The problem is, when we take a look around, we find that 95% of people don’t do it.  Sure there are moments when things are going great, but most people are either living by someone else’s standards or not measuring up to their own.

So how do we achieve happiness?  Unfortunately that’s not easy either.  However, realizing that it’s difficult is the first step.  If it were easy, everyone would do it.  There is one term that stands out in my mind above all else.  HUSTLE.  Hustle is the difference between people who want it and people who get it.

How can hustle help us achieve our goals and lead us to happiness? While I was in the Navy it became clear to me that I wanted to pursue a career in music, so in 2006 I decided to hustle. I used to joke that my day began when I got off work, because in my mind, I was focused and dedicated to not just thinking about building a music career, but DOING it. Sometimes I would leave during lunch to go to voice lessons, other times I would just use the down time, underway and in port to read and study about my future career. There was a lot of work to be done, and I wanted it bad. When I moved from San Diego to New Orleans in the summer of 2008 instead of driving straight to my destination I booked a tour. I played in Phoenix, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Kansas City and Austin. In the 6 months I lived in New Orleans I played in Austin twice, San Antonio, Dallas, Mobile twice, Monroe twice, Jacksonville 3 times and Key West. One story that I’m always hesitant to tell is about a gig in Austin on a Sunday night. I had the chance to play a showcase that I knew was going to be a great way to connect with a lot of the talented musicians that lived there but I couldn’t take Monday off from work. I knew I could do it, but I’d have to drive through the night to make it back to New Orleans, which was 8 hours away. Three red bulls, 2 snickers bars and a quick nap later I drove into work Monday morning after playing at the club in Austin Sunday night. Why did I do it? Simple. I WANTED it. It wasn’t pretty but the gig was amazing and I still keep in touch with the musicians I met that night. (Note: this was a LAST resort and I slept almost the whole day prior to that night, I don’t EVER recommend driving while fatigued or tired)

In the four years since I decided to truly make music my focus, I’ve taken my free time and directed it toward playing gigs, writing songs and contributing as much as I can to the music community I’ve become a part of in San Diego and Los Angeles.  In 5 years active duty I played gigs in over 20 different states, met and connected with hundreds of musicians across the country and got signed to an artist development deal with a management company, not to mention being a part of two deployments with the Navy.  Towards the end of my time in the service I was playing an average of 10 gigs per month, some months as many as 15, all with 6 day duty rotation and a busy ship’s schedule.  I can now make $2,000-$3,000 a month just playing music.  Hustle.  If I can do it, anyone can.

There is a quote from Henry David Thoreau that resonates with me.  He said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  I think about that EVERY DAY.  What does that mean to us?  It means if we take only what is given and become like the silent majority, we will be left wanting more.  This is a scary idea, because chances are what you want to do is not the norm, and achieving that will take you well outside your comfort zone.  You must be prepared for discomfort, and embrace uncertainty.  You MUST be different.

My biggest fear in life is REGRET.  Regret that I never took enough chances, regret that I felt the need to feel “safe”, regret that I didn’t do everything I possibly could to be whom I was meant to be.  Think about that for a second.  Be whom you are meant to be.  You know it when you look in the mirror, you dream about it at night.  Everyone thinks about being the man or woman they were meant to be, but most people can’t overcome the fear and BECOME it.  Your time is now, because soon you’ll be gone.

Not everyone will die happy.  This is the sad truth that you don’t see in movies or read about in magazines.  As you lay on your deathbed years and years from now you won’t look back and wish you had spent more time at the office, and you won’t have the chance to go back and spend more time doing what you love and with people you care about.  If you go through life as a victim, taking what comes to you and adjusting your standard of happiness to whatever is easiest at the time, your legacy will be someone who settled, someone who always played things safe, someone who never pushed themselves to be extraordinary.  You only get one shot at life, and then you die.  It’s as simple as that.

How do you want to be remembered?