Hey dude, have we met?

Oh hey…I didn’t see you there,

It seems you have stumbled upon this gem of a blog…I applaud your taste.  Some of you may recognize the posts below as a feeble attempt at blogging in my post-college confusion.  Most of you probably won’t, cause let’s face it…nobody really read those.  Now a good 2 years after graduating with the longest degree name ever, I am making a second, more dedicated effort at this blogging thing.  While I have never really considered myself a writer, I have always considered my opinions generally more important than everyone else’s, and I do enjoy the (usually misplaced) comma and those little dots that are a ruse to make me look more creative while actually just helping me avoid the misplaced commas (they are called ellipses…I had to google it).  You will get to enjoy more clever little bits of blog banter like this, as well as a healthy amount of passive voice and some pretty solid cliches from here on out, so no worries.  Let’s get down to business!

Over the past several years, it seems my experiences in the music industry have finally gotten me to a place where I feel pretty good about the jobs I have and the lessons I have learned at the ones I no longer have.  I have laughed; I have cried; and more importantly, I have cursed a great deal.  In this economy…haha, no just kidding.  Just had to get that out of the way.  Really though, I am enjoying being a self-employed private piano and voice teacher and am also getting my feet wet working for a non-profit.  Following the great pleasure of two-too-many wrist surgeries, I am re-learning how to practice piano in preparation for my theoretical audition for Grad School for my made-up masters in Piano Pedagogy in the Fall of 2011.  Beyond that, my big projects right now include teaching my dog how to sit at the corner and not hanging flyers for any bands. In my first 10 years working this industry, I have spent most of my time wondering what would be my ultimate goal.  Strangely enough, I learn that the goal is to start over.  The goal is to take everything in, enjoy the ride, and be able to reinvent yourself at the drop of a hat.  It seems it’s that time again for me, so thanks, music industry…for dropping the hat. (You saw that?….how I made that work?  Solid, right?)

Listening to: Cage the Elephant – “In One Ear”

Introduction and Welcome

Hello readers,

I feel that this blog requires a bit of explanation. I am a Music Industry Studies major at Loyola University in New Orleans, and I am graduating in a month. As I approach “the big day,” I am starting to realize that somewhere along the way, I have lost touch with the things that made me surround myself with music in the first place. I think that I’ve made college the excuse for neglecting the harder task that makes a good person and good career: self-analysis.

As I have spent an increasing amount of time working in the music industry both as a musician and an industry professional, I have started to notice more often than not that I focus on the negative aspects of the industry more than the positive. I have let other people’s lack of ethics affect me so much that I am scrambling to find a little something to hold on to. In the meantime, I have become jaded and am losing my love for the art and the industry.

As I embark on what I think is a long-overdue journey to find my way in this crazy industry, I thought I would share some of my thoughts along the way with whoever chooses to read them. In the end, an industry is only made up of people…and the people are the ones who can change it. I invite you to join me in a quest for self-change and, hopefully, an industry change.

Even as I sit here and listen to the lyrics of my friend John Michael Rouchell’s song entitled “I Wish I Were Someone Good,” I realize that even an attempt at selflessness (such as this), almost always has an alterior motive…this is my attempt at becoming someone good.

Fortune Cookie:

If you are a songwriter, try to write a song without the words “I” or “me.” Feel free to post your results in the comments.

For the non-songwriters, type an e-mail to a friend or business associate without the use of “I” or “me.”

Listening to:

“I Wish I Were Someone Good” – John Michael Rouchell