Adventures in iTunes: Joel's '90s Playlist

Straight from my shuffled iPod to your computer screen, here's a taste of my recently-completed '90s playlist, taking me back to middle & high school, and the diorama of memories that come with it.

It's kind of funny looking back: I used to think that the radio predominately sucked when I was coming up, and maybe it did, predominately. But as I was going through & constructing this playlist, I was blown away by how many songs I absolutely loved from the flannel decade. It wasn't as bad as I thought while I was there, it seems, and it certainly blows away the majority of what's going on today.

Be careful: not everyone can handle this amount of awesome. You've been warned.

A Few Different Faces

I once remember having a discussion with a fellow musician whose band I was playing in. We were talking the finer points of musical philosophy as it applies to practice and learning. What he told me has stuck in my memory ever since:

"I know everything I need to know to make the music I want to make."

Huh. Arrogant air aside, it still seemed to me to be a rather artistically shallow perspective: specifically, that the only things worth knowing musically were the things that pertain to the particular genre you want to participate in. Now, to each his own. One of the great things about music is that it does, in fact, have room for everyone, no matter how droll, naive, or immature their musical worldviews may be.

Up & running at 232 Studios.

But, for me, there's always been an attraction to the styles and genres of music that didn't come naturally. I've always been fascinated and infatuated with jazz & classical & old rhythm & blues music that didn't quite sound exactly like the kind of music that awakened my passion to become a musician. But the infatuation certainly led to broadened horizons and a deeper understanding of music in general, and those things alone make the occasional ventures into unfamiliar territory well worth it. I'm grateful for music I don't fully understand and even more for the opportunity to perform it every once in awhile.

Remembering Jeffrey

20 years ago today the world lost one of the greatest drummers in history. Jeff will always be one of my most meaningful inspirations. Wish I could've seen him play just once.

 Jeff Porcaro

1954 - 1992

A Day In The Life

Yesterday began not like most days, but not especially unusually, either. I woke up feeling beat, tired, and generally unmotivated to do anything resembling productive. Nonetheless, I made sure that I at least started to get down to some business: I made it to the gym, returned a call or two, and probably managed to accomplish a handful of other less-than-exciting things.

The turn came in the afternoon, when I got on the phone with T-Ward to discuss some stuff totally unrelated to music, recording, touring, or anything else that you'd probably think would make this blog post interesting. Tyler, however, in his characteristically spontaneous way, ended up asking me if I could jet on over to Drew's studio in order to record a few new drum parts for the upcoming album.

And so I did.

After about an hour of working with the scratch track in order to come up with a competent idea, I made my way over to 232 Studios. Drew and I set up the kit, got the software working, and got to work. Four hours later, we sent a handful of different ideas back to Tyler for a couple of new songs entitled 'Someday' and 'Trench Coat Angel'.

Getting There - Part III

7. Be True To Yourself
There are going to be down times for you. Nothing worth having is easy to get, and most creative ventures are apt to be especially difficult. Part of what will keep you going in those rough spots is the knowledge that you're doing what God made you to do. Being convinced of that will get you through a lot. Part of being a good musician is being an honest one: don't pretend to be something you're not just to succeed or to do what you think other people want you to do. Find out what's in your heart, be honest with yourself about your own particular talents, and then get after it. There will be others who are better at certain things or who have a more varied or diverse skill set, but if you have something worth saying, then it's probably worth the battle to say it. Bring what you have to the party: let everyone else be everyone else.

8. Keep Going
And so we're back where we started. Once you've got all the pieces in place - you're working hard to develop your talents, surrounding yourself with the right people (both in your band and outside of it), committed to learning how to become a great performer, and being honest with yourself about who you are and what you're here on earth to do - get ready to get familiar with the ol' grindstone. Like I said when we started, nothing replaces hard work and concentrated, consistent effort. No amount of natural talent or luck will ever take the place of just getting down to work.

Getting There - Part II

4. Forget the Math
There are plenty of people who will tell you that you have to accomplish X by this certain time of your life and Z by another time. Forget them. Don't listen. The music world is full of the successes of people way beyond what most on the business side of things would call "too old": little-known names like Michael Buble and Sting. The simple truth is that there are no equations by which the game has to be played. Musicians of all shapes, sizes, colors, and yes, ages, both succeed and fail: let the words of the conformists fall by the wayside.

5. Surround Yourself With The Right People
Don't listen to the naysayers. There will be plenty of them. For some reason, this world is good at manifesting people who get their jollies by telling others what they'll never be able to accomplish. Whether this comes from a sense of insecurity or a simple pessimistic worldview or both, don't worry about it. Just let it slide: people's words will only have power if you allow them to. Conversely, don't surround yourself with yes-men. People that tell you that you're great no matter what are harming you just as much as those who tell you that you can never accomplish your dreams. Your real allies reside in the middle: those who will encourage you when you're down but also give you a good butt-kicking if you need it. Criticism and encouragement can come from the same person, and that's the person you want to be around.