As Artists, Are We Deluding Ourselves?

I had a sobering and interesting experience last night.   Drove down the coast to play a songwriter night showcase.    Three songwriters, each with a thirty minute slot, and a host who preceeded us with some very original and interesting music and a few rearranged cover songs.   She was fun.

It was a noisy room, a bar with a pool table in the back.   The patrons , many of whom were facing the stage, were a little talkative; the bar and the bartender more so, and the yahoos in the back pool room were desperately  trying to get noticed, even by people in the next building,  so it seemed that, on the whole, it was not going to be a listening crowd.

I began my set and in no time, you could hear a pin drop.   They seemed to be genuinely enjoying my music, so much so that they put their own social needs on hold.   I was thrilled and sort of honored.

I played a thirty minute set I was almost proud of,  and received a resounding ovation (having muffed one of my favorite guitar parts on my favorite song was unforgiveable to me and that put a damper on the set for me).

Afterwards people came up to me and told me how fantastic I was, but not one person bought a CD—no one.   Not to sound arrogant, but I was surprized and a little stunned as this has never happened to me before.   

There was about a ten minute change over and a lovely woman came up with an extra guitar player and began to sing her songs.   While her voice was wonderful, I found her songs were derivative of songs you already knew and she played only rudimentary guitar.   I think I would have enjoyed it more if just the accompanist was the only player.    

The melodies were so familiar and reminiscent of other songs that I found that I was trying to name the song that she had gotten her song from.   That distracted me and made me a little uncomfortable.

All the songs were about heartache, heartbreak and betrayal, every single one of them.   I tend to want to hear a variety of topics.    She tried to make some jokes about it, but unfortunately they weren't very amusing.  Very lovely voice though.

She came off stage and people flocked around her and bought CD’s.   Amazing, I thought.   

The next ten minute change over took thirty five minutes.   

I believe that when you participate in these things, you come early, you watch all the acts and you leave when the show is over.  So I was committed to the evening.  This third songwriter didn’t show up until it was almost time for him to go on and then took his time setting up.  

We’re talking a single player with two guitars sitting in a chair.   Thirty five minutes to set up.

This is where my agenda began to kick in.   I had a 90 minute drive ahead of me and I was hoping to leave by 11 as I had gotten up extremely early that morning.   Consequently I did want this show to run like a German train schedule.    That clearly wasn’t happening, so I ‘ll cop to the idea that I was getting less receptive to this Johnny come lately.

However he was a very evocative though simple player and his guitar sounded great.   His songs were all in the country blues or blues vein and were either covers of songs you knew or songs he had written in that traditional blues genre that for me tend to be repetitive of each other.

I enjoyed the first couple of tunes.   One was very provocative.   Something about Lincoln and how the truth brings you John Wilkes Booth.   It didn’t really say anything to me, but it seemed like it did.

That being said, I  was entertained by the first twenty minutes of his thirty minute set.   He set up an ambiance that I sincerely admired and enjoyed.    When he extended the set for another thirty five minutes; that’s when I began to feel put upon.  

We were all observing the time we were allotted, but somehow he felt that didn’t apply to him?  I also knew that his indulgence was infringing on my desire and ability to leave.   So my agenda was kicking in. I hadn’t been paid and my equipment was still up there by the stage.   I couldn’t get my things and leave without it being observed as a judgment on his set or just plain rude.

Here is what you must remember when you are doing these sorts of sets.   A schedule has been set up that accommodates and considers everyone.  When you abandon that you may cause problems for the other folks on the showcase.    This isn't a concert, it is a showcase.  Be considerate.

The audience kept getting smaller and smaller, though when he finished, the people who did stay flocked around him and bought CD’s.   Amazing, I thought.

After waiting another twenty minutes, I finally received my stipend and with no CD sales of my own, pocketed a modest fist full of dollars and drove home.

Adding to my irritation and discouragement, the freeway was closed and I had to do a ten mile detour through city streets before wending our way back to the freeway, which added another thirty minutes to my drive home.

And all the while I’m thinking, “Why did I sell NO  cd’s, while the other two acts sold three or four each?   What should I have done or changed to reach that audience?”  

It has been my experience that on most nights I can sell half the room a CD, but last night zilch.    And according to the folks who came up to me, I was extremely good.   The bartender would not let me pay for anything, shook my hand repeatedly and several times asked if I was coming back.

Thinking about how I didn’t reach that audience and how the other acts did, I was so temporarily discouraged by the whole evening that I thought about not doing this anymore.

You start questioning yourself when you  think that you sing your buns off, play your buns off  and chose material that has consistently been well received only last week and still have no impact on the new audience.

You start to wonder why you are practicing and trying your damnedest to write something  that matters, that resonates, that is art and that is original if, in fact, it is not having that effect.   At least it didn’t last night.   

If all the crowd wants is what it has already heard then how do you explain the Beatles?   And if the crowd only wants what it has already heard then, what?-- I guess you just do it for yourself?

If it is all just for yourself, I suppose that is okay, but I didn’t need to drive two hours in rush hour yesterday to present myself to strangers.  I could just stay home and do it for me.  Why did I do it?

So the question becomes do you hone your craft, work to elevate your art just for yourself?   Or do you need that outside validation?  

Truthfully speaking, I know that I do need that validation.   Somewhere in me there must be a desperate need for approval that never goes away.   Where did that caca come from and why won’t it go away?  Perhaps that is what drives all performers.    Maybe all artists, I don’t know.

Those other two singer/songwriters thought they were really good and the audience last night did as well.    Not to be unkind but I thought they were all sort of deluding themselves.   Is that what I am doing?   Am I deluding myself?  Maybe they all thought I was?  Who’s to say?

Very fun questions at two o’clock in the morning.  They make it really easy to fall asleep.   NOT!

You As Fertile Soil - the Joy of Learning

I was talking to my pal, Derek Sutton, about my guitar playing and how much I love playing.  He mentioned that few people are lucky enough to have a passion that sustains them for their entire life.

I told him that it was up and down with how much I loved it but that when I took lessons the summer before last how it completely fired me up for the instrument all over again, just like in the beginning.

Just my point he said.   You care about getting better and many folks are not blessed with that kind of passion.

As I thought about it, I realized that,  yes I do care, and that I really do want to get better even though no matter how good you get, you always hear someone who makes you realize you’ve got a ways to go.

The point being you will never be satisfied.  That is the musician, probably the artist’s curse.

Everytime you think you are on top of it all, they move it.

But here’s the cool thing that also came to mind, how much I loved going to the guitar lessons.     Think about how you regarded any kind of lessons as a kid.   You hated it, right?

But it is entirely different when you take lessons as an adult.  Particularly if you already have some expertise on the instrument.

Trying to teach a child who is not all that interested is a joyless job at best.    But  you are not a disinterested child.   You already have an interest and a desire.

Consequently the lessons fall on you like seeds on fertile soil.    You soak it lessons and you do it faster than you ever thought was possible when you were a kid.

You are prepared soil.   You are ready to receive and ready to germinate the seeds of knowledge that you do receive.

Go take some lessons.  You will be utterly amazed at how much enthusiasm you bring to it and further how much joy it is take the lesson and to apply what you’ve learned.

I’m telling you, I’m in love with the guitar all over again.  And you know what?

Now I want more lessons.  I need to take from  some other folks.   I hunger for more.  You will too.

It is so very cool.

A House Concert Presenter Responds

This is just in from my pal, Dan Senie, a Boston singer/songwriter in a duo with his partner Faith, in response to my house concert post of a few days ago.  I thought it was informative and well thought out and wanted to share it with you.   You can contact dan@danandfaith.com       

Here you go in Dan's own words:

We've run quite a few house concerts. We ran 7 or 8 per fall-spring season for 3 or 4 years, but only did 2 this year, as we are out performing ourselves quite a bit now and there are only so many hours in a day.

Over the course of the time we've been doing shows, we've had sell-outs, and we've had sparsely-attended shows.

Since we are in the greater Boston area, there are a lot of other venues and sometimes conflicts are inevitable.

Our most recent concert was on the same night that a big name touring artist was in the next town over (if we hadn't been hosting, we'd likely have been at that other show too). We do try to coordinate with other presenters in the area, but it doesn't always work out.

There is a limit to what you can expect a house concert promoter to do. It is a lot of work, as you know. It's also a lot of stress.

Having only 5 reservations for someone who tours nationally (and tends to draw really well) a week before a show is stressful. While we're not keeping any of the funds and our deal is "no guarantee, but you get all the proceeds" we still want to fill the room.

That particular artist did have a full room by the time the night arrived, and he told us he's seeing this all over the country.  People just don't want to commit until very late.

One of the other problems we have is many of our friends who come to the shows are, like us, local musicians. We all have our own gigs to play, and so the conflicts multiply.

This year we only booked performers who are well known to our friends from the local music scene and were able to get reasonable audiences for both shows that way.

The audiences were a mix of music camp friends, neighbors and folks we'd never met before. The conversations between neighbors, strangers and the local music folks during intermission are always interesting.

Many neighbors and others who come aren't even aware there is a local music scene (in reality, it's quite vibrant). They wind up learning about locals they might enjoy hearing and other venues to attend.

The only real criticism of your blog entry is that it could discourage folks who've had some lightly-attended shows from hosting in the future.

Certainly I was discouraged when we got only 7 people for one of our favorite songwriters. He cheered me up, and said it was one of the most enjoyable nights in a long time (all 7 who came are excellent local songwriters who love his work).

But booking bigger names sometimes has a down side too. For one artist a few years ago, I never even got to advertise before the local musicians mobbed us with reservations - not a great way to build a following with neighbors.

It's good to encourage house concert promoters to be realistic, but also encourage them and thank them for their work so they will continue to develop their series. That's far better than having them give up.

House Concerts - Suggestions For Presenters

I just returned from a weekend of house concerts a thousand or so miles from here.   I had a wonderful time at all the homes and the people were very gracious, warm and accommodating to me.  

My heartfelt thanks to these presenters who, put themselves out there and opened their homes, to allow me to play my music.  It’s enormously generous and kind.

That being said there was a problem, and the problem was attendance.   At two of the venues the attendance was under twenty people.  Even with the artist getting all the donations that doesn’t come up to enough money to cover the expense of getting there.

One of the two lesser attended shows had been booked for almost a year;  should be plenty of time to build some interest in an upcoming act.   And the promoter also told me that his last show was SRO.

Made me feel great.

At the third venue, it was the host’s first house concert and they hustled and filled the room to standing room only.

None of her friends had heard of me (well, most had not), but she took it upon herself to contact me, take responsibility for putting a situation together and she made certain that it was filled with people who, incidentally, bought a lot of CD’s.

It was not my name, fame or talent that filled that room.  It was that presenter putting the show together.   In a house concert situation, that is what is required.    The act cannot invite a bunch of strangers into the homes of the presenters…it must be the presenters friends and acquaintances.

The idea being, the presenter is so fond of this particular artist that they decide to introduce the music to all their friends and acquaintances and also get to spend some quality time with the artist after the show.

Now, for all three shows, I did roughly the same first set, followed by a completely extemporaneous second set.   What I like to do is have the first set usually based upon one CD, while in the second set I tend to draw from all 26 CD’s that I have released.

I heard from several people who attended all three shows that the shows were some of the best of mine they had ever seen.  I just want to establish that no matter the size of the audience, I do the very best show  I can.

To my amazement, and for the first time in my career, at the two smaller shows, no one purchased a CD.   

No one.  That has never happened to me in my life.   For the last eight years, I have seen half the room no matter what the size, go home with my music.  

But no one?

I even had one fellow tell me that he was taking guitar lessons and that my playing was so good he was discouraged.  I told him that I am also taking lessons and encouraged him as much as I knew how.   Then he told me how great my songs were.

We walked over to the CD table and I said, “All of the songs I sang in the first set are on this CD”.    He replied, “I don’t listen to CD’s”.   And walked away. 

I suspect his playing will be a long time developing. 

I listened and still listen to everything.   That’s how you learn, grow and become inspired.

But I digress.

Here are my suggestions to all presenters:

Make certain that the room is filled with people who actually pay for the concert.   You do that by having a very large mailing list and expecting only five percent of them to come to any show.   And you don’t do so very many shows a year that you fatigue your audience.

Also try to be consistent as to when during the week or month and hour you do the shows.  That way your patrons can support you more easily.

As this is not a business, you cannot demand funds from people, but you can say that the capacity is limited and that you suggest that they get their donation in ahead of time to insure a seat.

This serves two purposes.  It ascertains that, as they have already paid, they will probably come and two, that if they don’t come, the artist is not hurt by their bailing on the show and thereby impacting the income of the artist who came all that way…

One more thing, be sure and communicate to the artist you are bringing in, which night or nights you usually have concerts.

One of the presenters of the lesser attended shows told me that he never does shows on Saturday night (the night of our show), that he has only done them on Sunday’s or Thursday’s.

Not once during our conversations leading up to the booking did he mention that and all he suggested to me during that time were Saturday nights.  

From now on, one of the first questions I will ask is, “which night do you usually have the best attendance for your house concerts?”

You live and you learn.

When A Hit Song Sucks

This morning I woke up and decided to turn on the TV while I made the bed, folded the laundry, etc.   The Graham Norton Show was on.   He’s my favorite talk show host and always provides a provocative and fun performance.

One of his guests was Jennifer Hudson.   She looked great and when she sang her song, she absolutely sang her buns off and truly sold the song.

Which was as remarkable as it was amazing was how truly bad the song was.   I haven’t slammed something in particular before, as a matter of fact, I have never done this before, but when a song is as poorly written as that one, I feel the need to object.

Not that it would hurt the sales any, but still, I have to say something.

This song is a perfect example of everything that an amateur with no gifts would do to a song.   Outside of the chorus (which I can only remember as being not so bad musically), the melody literally has no momentum, no ark, no destination and no arrival.

It is a tribute to Ms. Hudson that she could make it seem musical at all.

What melody there was suggested a rhyme scheme that was not only ignored but bludgeoned with bad choices, i.e. “I look in the mirror and see the same eyes, see the same feet.”  WHAT?

I assumed there was some good reason that the feet were mentioned.  I figured that they needed a rhyme so badly that they made that choice.   Or else there was going to be a simile or reference to feet, standing on my own two feet, feet planted firmly…something.  

Otherwise what were the feet doing there in the mirror where she was looking at her eyes?   A contortionist comes to mind.   Otherwise, it led no where.   Nothing led anywhere.   Mindless drivel!

But the payoff seemed to me to be incomprehensible (surprise, surprise).

She and the back up singers all singing “I remember me” with as much gusto as they could.

As if folks don’t already think about themselves too much  as it is.

This was the message.  

“I remember me”

I remember when the bar was somewhat higher than this.   Please don’t be influenced by such crap.  

Seek out the great songs, the great songwriters, and if you must listen to this stuff, use it as a template of what NOT to do when writing a song.

Okay, now back to something more creative.   Sorry for the rant.  I was just so stunned by the fact that someone actually wrote this thing, pitched it, SOLD it to someone, and it actually became a HIT?

As Randy Newman ( a truly great songwriter) once said, “where are we?  On the moon?”