one of my favorite musicians-turned-good-friend*, gavin castleton, has a blog that he updates semi-regularly, something i really look forward to. he has different categories of updates which include micropoems (Bangor, Maine: Is there a punchline to this town?) or "I SAW U," as follows:

I SAW U: Express Lane Checkout Check Out

You: voice of lion, gut of elephant, obnoxious Boost phone
Me: straining to hear the cashier explain how to swipe my credit card
I'm sorry my transaction disrupted your life story.
Let's reenact it, but this time, you with more discretion and I with cash.
When: Monday, September 22, 2008
Where: Albertsons in Gresham

today, i received an email update from gavin's blog with advice on how to thrive in the music industry in a post titled "the keys to failure" (encouraging.). i won't post it all here because it's quite long, but here are some of the highlights:

under "touring":

Don’t tour until you have a CD to sell.

The objective in touring is to secure listeners every night so that when you return, they return. Aside from having a really good live show, the album sale/giveaway is the only way to do this. Your footprint will be twice as heavy if you have some product to leave behind.

When a club demands a percentage of your merch, do not play at that club.

Do you get a percentage of their liquor sales for the night? Did they contribute to the manufacturing cost of the merch? The idea that a venue deserves a portion of your merchandise income when you are providing them the majority of their patrons is offensive and ludicrous. No.

under "labels":

PAY THOSE WORKING FOR YOU.

Always pay those working for you. That way you can fire them. Do not let them subscribe to the same “lottery” mentality that you do. Part of being an artist is being an idealist, but when it comes to your money, you want it in the hands of a realist. Do not let your employees “invest” in you – it only leads to grief. When they start feeling like payday is never coming, they will slack. Chances are they will not be up front enough to call off the relationship, and it will be very awkward for you to fire them if you haven’t been paying them for the hard work they’ve done in the past. If you can’t pay them their percentage or their flat fee (even if only in trade), then don’t work with them until you can.

Understand that no matter how artist-friendly they may appear, ultimately the label sees you as an investment.

Understand this fact and accept it, or do not work with a label. Try to be objective. Would you invest a huge chunk of money in yourself? Don't waste their money.

No matter how small you are, remember this: The industry wouldn't exist without you. You would still exist without the industry.

This oft forgotten truth is the sole reason artists are unable to own the industry that so easily exploits them.

under "marketing":

People enjoy your music more if they can see that you enjoy it.

Listeners’ first impression of your band is mainly intuition. Your stage presence is infectious. If you’re angry, they’re angry. If you’re antagonizing, they are. If you want them to feel good about the show they saw, make sure you do.

under "why bands break up":

Romance (i.e. The Yoko Ono syndrome)
People who are attracted to musicians often underestimate the time dedication, emotional investment, poverty, and poor hygiene that accompany a career in music. Unfortunately, most musicians have such fragile egos that they cannot contend with the idea of dating their equal. And so it is fairly standard for musicians to be attracted to someone who will fawn over them, dote on them, and remain available at ungodly hours, re-enforcing their self-centeredness and providing the stability that many musicians are unable to provide for themselves. This is a volatile combination, and usually results in an ultimatum (either from the band or the significant other). The solution? Make sure the both of you are truly happy not because of the relationship, but in addition to it. Find someone who can match your ambitiousness.

Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Not much to say about this one. Pretty trite at this point, but still happens regularly.

the last section is "the only thing i did right," which i almost didn't post here (i was going to just say "read the damn blog") but i really like what he said so i figured i'd throw you a bone:

Protect your creative process and the evolution of it at all costs.

1. Be aware of your creative needs and make sure they are being met. If you are a healthy open-minded artist, chances are that you won't be able to find total fulfillment in one project. If someone in the band is unhappy about your desire to do additional things, then chances are they themselves are not being fulfilled and/or are feeling inadequate. Discuss this insecurity and squash it. Remember that bands are like marriages, but with three to ten people. So if you want to have an "open" relationship, the trick is to encourage them to have lots of extramarital sex as well. Ultimately your band will benefit as you bring the things you’ve learned from outside back to the band, and are able to abandon some interests that defocus your band's music in favor of exploring them elsewhere.

2. Don't play music with someone that doesn't love playing music as much as you do.

3. Listen to everyone when they’re making their music, listen to no one when they’re telling you how to make yours.

4. Always try to play with people who are better than you.

5. Remember that good song writing is the foundation for everything. When your focus drifts from that, you’re making every other step harder for yourself.

gavin has been playing music for just about his entire life and is, in my opinion, a creative genius with a great story and incredible drive. he believes in what he does more than anybody i've ever met or heard of, which is the best way i can think to compliment him. it's possible you've never heard of him, but that doesn't mean that his advice, if you are a musician, is anything but invaluable. in short, this kid knows his stuff and everybody should listen to him. some of the lessons discussed in this particular post are just good things to keep in mind to make your life successful, whichever career path you should choose, and he's a great writer, so give his blog a look-see if you get a chance. also his music is great, just check out his myspace page.

anyway, sorry this was such a long post. i just like to support my friends.




*by which i mean, he's been one of my favorite musicians for a long time, and turned into a good friend in recent years. not trying to brag about having a lot of musicians turned friends or something.

anyway.