Designed to help educate musicians and venue onwers and to unravel the creativity behind each project. Good conversation creates lasting memories.
Show notes : The five C's to help you organize and develop your story. Circumstances, Curiosity, Characters, Conversations and Conflict. Links and resource for developing your story: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/12/05/business-storytelling Quote from Joshua Reilly "People are seeking art and music to enrich their lives, to surround themselves with something more interesting than they can provide through their own mind. As an artist, telling your story allows fans to identify with you on a more human level. Folks are more likely to spread the word about your art when they have something interesting to say about where it came from. We as artist, need to provide that content."
In this episode my good friend Jamie Salvatore explains the benefits about getting out of town. I also include two ways to help book out of town gigs. The first is by doing a dry run in the city you are looking to play in. This can be easily accomplished by networking with other musicians at open-mics. The second is by cold-calling venues. Quotes : " The real voyage of discovery consist not in seeing new landscapes but inn having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
In this Episode we go over some ideas on how to monetize exposure gigs. Want to share your input send a message on Twitter at @Holdthat77
In this episode we rapped about teaching, comfort zones, reinventing yourself, being in the moment, self talk, Neal Peart and Jacob Blazer. Quotes "The Kids need me at my best." " That was hard to figure out, because I don't come from that school of thought." " If you can be in the moment that's when I think audiences pay attention." In regards to playing cover shows. " I try to embody that on the stage and in the classroom." In regards to being in the moment. " Be open to something else happening." " Never write a setlist, be open to the possibilities of what each show could be." " This is your 5th year, you have the routine down." " For me, it's teaching the kids. Making my community, my state, a more compassionate artistic place. A place where kids feel comfortable in their own skin." Lyrics from "Light of Day." " I know I can't say just how many days you've got, but I know you've still got today.... So be thankful for the light of the day. Favorite saying Dumpster Fire Kevin Brawley Teacher Talk: Reinvent Your Routine https://youtu.be/amHZ2D8egNo Twenty Three Over Four http://twentythreeoverfour.com Social https://www.facebook.com/twentythreeoverfour/ https://www.facebook.com/kevbrawley
In this episode we discuss " The Idea Book" by Fredrik Haren. Inside this amazing book is a story of how the Police of Chief was able top solve a crucial problem by doing the exact opposite. I have utilized this exercise to generate ideas for my music production company. Feel free to reach out to us on Twitter @Holdthat77 - https://twitter.com The Idea Book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2898877-the-idea-book?ac=1&from_search=true
In this episode with Forrest we rapped about his latest album, which is titled " The Temporary Nature of Things." Visually appealing album artwork, comparing and contrasting Tampa/Nashville's music scene, touring, venue owners and the marriage of music and art. Quotes from Forrest "Now I can do what I like, I work 20 hours a week." "I don't believe you have to move to Nashville if you want to make it." "Freedom is really making it in my world." "You are either building yourself up or beating yourself up." Album Artwork : Palmer Holmes and Sammie Yun http://www.knowyourrivals.com Forrest Hoffar website - http://www.forresthoffar.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/forresthoffar/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt_097Cr_P8&feature=youtu.be
In this Episode we rapped about Dj’ing, live performances , mental health, social media , brand ambassadors, adding your own creative touch to classic songs, overcoming the typical request, where to find new mixes and music for musicians. Cutty Jones https://www.facebook.com/cuttyjonesband/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ZC3kLManTuGn7p-opI3Og https://www.instagram.com/cutty.jones/ Quotes from Cutty Jones -"It seems like a giant mountain to climb. " In regards to learning a new field. - "I have always had a hands on approach to it." On performing - "I definitely hit some road blocks." - " You would learn something new, and from learning something new you would be discouraged." - "The bay-area has some fire players." - "You have every tool in the world to reach your crowd." -" Girls like hooks and words." DJ Tools Dj City DJ Pool Music Industry Blog https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/free-report-lyrics-take-centre-stage-in-streaming-music/ I love this quote because it is so true. In regards to social media marketing. " It's ironic that one dj can stay up on top if marketing but a four piece band can't. Here is my tip: Take two week shifts. Each band member must maintain the social feeds for 2 weeks. That breaks down to every 6 weeks your dreadful service will appear. Follow us on Twitter at @holdthat77 Drop us a line at cjsevents1@gmail.com
In 2017 David Brimer played a total of 103 gigs. This included a tour from Connecticut to Georgia. Four of these shows included successful tributes to the Stones, Hendrix, Petty and the Beatles. He released his first all Jazz album ( Mulberry ) 2 ep's and a single. He wrote a screen play that finished as a finalist in 13 horror screen play contest, wrote a novel and managed to get married all in one year. In this episode we rapped about all of that and more. Quotes from David Brimer " It's what you choose to do with time." "The creative urge in me is always very strong." "I would work on 3 or 4 different projects a day by segmenting my day out." "I am always working on something that pushing me forward." "Finding gigs involves creativity." "I started as a flowery writer." "If I am going to do something, I have to excel at it." " Once it becomes physical than it becomes real to me." Notes Idea book ( highly recommend ) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2898877-the-idea-book?ac=1&from_search=true Marcel the Drunkard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zop5fXyODU&t=44 David Brimer https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClE2BrEW0jqmJw1JZOSlgpQ Ladymoon Beam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8emeCwFuRSM Book Recommendation Love is a Mix Tape https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46190.Love_Is_a_Mix_Tape?ac=1&from_search=true
In this episode I went over three life hacks that I use to accomplish my New Years Resolutions. Meditation/Mindfulness, Gratitude journal and working out. All three have helped play a major part in my growth and development as a Father, husband, small business owner and paddle board racer. Notes: My podcast on mediation with Kevin Stamper of Restoration Church. https://restoretrinity.sermon.net/listen/main/21038165#.WkwmaBep8fw.facebook My next guest : David Brimer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU28m_t_KI8&list=PLCgKlryrWv6eInTLzvg8BKCl8ooYjMBnn Twitter @holdthat77
Welcome everybody to "Hold That Thought " Educational Moment. In this episode we discuss tips that will help you improve as a cover musician. The insight in the podcast has been shared with me from musicians, talent buyers and venue owners. If you have any further insight please feel free to leave us a message. 1- Challenge yourself to get better 2- Diversify 3- Check the ego 4- Keep your setlist on shuffle 5- Have a kick ass demo 6- Bring the energy 7- Keep your business updated 8- Learn how to network 9- Learn how to market 10- Stay up to date on the music business 11- Learn business strategies 12- Find your desired audience 13- Learn how to price your services 14- Create different demos for different clients 15- Get out of town 16- Stay organized Recommended reading - Bob Lefsetz http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ Business resources - SBA https://www.sba.gov SCORE - https://www.score.org
Brett Wilkins is a cover musician from Largo, Florida. He plays in a Pink Floyd Tribute Band as well, called FREQ. In this episode we rapped about instant gratification, trying new things, occupational stereotypes, getting to know the staff at each venue, diversifying your setlist, having a confident mentor and banned cover songs. Quotes from Brett " I was told that I wasn't destined to do that!" - On playing music full time. "That's not a real job, but someone writes a check out in your name, that's a job." "I am a working family man." " Darkside of the Moon by Pink Floyd, It's the perfect album." Links Wilkins Music - https://www.facebook.com/WilkinsMusicFL/ FREQ- https://www.facebook.com/FREQ.Tampa/
In this episode we discussed music therapy, Alzheimer’s, getting record players into assistant living facilities, playing music at T.E.D X conferences and collaborating and networking with other artist. Quotes : from John C. O'Leary III "I just wanted to see if I could make a living from music and find away to combine my passion for music and science together in someway." "Music is my platform." "I want to help the families of Alzheimers's patients." "Emotion is a high component of memory." "We are Jazz musicians at heart." "Just like scientist don't take the time to develop stories around their science, artist often forget to take the time to develop stories of their work." "Nobody cares what you are doing, they cate why you are doing it." Links Ted X Tampa Bay Talk - https://youtu.be/txaqe-YKLv4 Ted X USF Talk - https://youtu.be/mKOGZ_SmvGI CRISPR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OltIYd6FCDE Webiste - https://johncolearyiii.com Social - https://www.facebook.com/jcoiii https://www.instagram.com/johncolearyiii/ https://twitter.com/johncolearyiii
We rapped about: Lyres made from turtle shells, water organs, hymns, primates making music, metaphysics within music and the connection between music and nature. Quotes : On music theory- "It's bigger than us, I can't fully explain it." "The enlightened changed how we understood nature." Notes First mention of music is found in the Bible, as Jubal was said to be the father of all who play the lyre and pipe. ( Genesis 4:20-21 ) A lyre is a small U shaped heart with strings fixed to a cross bar. The Water Organ is the oldest known keyboard to man or ape. The pipe- organ style are powered by blown air. Written records of water organs ( hydraulics ) are found in texts dating back as far as the 3rd century BCE. The most famous water organ was created by Lucha Clericho from Tivoli ( what is now Italy ) in 1569-72 This organ stood over 20 feet high and was built under a massive arch and situated next to a water fall the fed the organ. Links http://sandyhistorical.org/2015/02/03/the-water-organ-og-keyboard-instrument/ http://www.classicalworks.com/his.pages/early.his.htm Kevin Stamper Links http://restoretrinity.com https://www.facebook.com/kevinstamper @KevinStamper
Jon Ditty is a rapper/songwriter/artist/activist from Dunedin, FL, practicing hip-hop for just over a decade. He has released two full-length studio albums, in addition to several recorded collaborations with bands in the Tampa Bay Area. Known for his verbose, zany, acrobatic, & witty lyricism, Jon has become a mainstay personality at Dunedin Brewery, sitting in with bands of varying genres. Having opened up for artists like Sage Francis, Slum Village, The Heavy Pets, and many more, his stage show pushes the boundaries of a typical hip-hop performance, incorporating theatrics and controllerism He is also the founder of the Dunedin Lyricist Society, a freestyle hip-hop open mic, operating since July of 2012. In this episode we rapped about Millenals, age entitlement, hip-hop, rapping lyrics while running, daily habits, writing, learning to say no, regrouping by creating and collaborating and networking. Quotes from the show - "I wrote it from an outside perspective. " On creating "Ode to Mr. Bungle" - I attribute a number of positive habits from hip-hop." - Some of my best ideas come when I am driving in the shower or literally about to fall asleep." - On implementing graphic design and bottle art for the Dunedin Brewery " There is a facet of my job that has this creative outlet." - "The music has to exist for the lyrics to come out of me." - " It was something I got into gradually." In regards to hip-hop - " I have found all the weird rap." - "It's ok to do something off the beaten path or not something that's straight forward." Links Jon Ditty videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rdvpk3BQQA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W92Oac1ShKs website - https://jonditty.com Seinfeld Strategy - http://jamesclear.com/stop-procrastinating-seinfeld-strategy Corrections - I had mentioned Clear Track Studios when I meant to mention Custom Tracks. I receive emails from both so I got a little confused.
Creating A Successful Music Program These tips have been collected over the years from venue owners, musicians, sound techs, talent buyers and fans. The more of these you can implement into your game plan for your music program the better off your program will be. If you have any questions regarding any of these tips. Drop us a line at cjsevents1@gmail.com or go old school and ring the bell at 813-482-5646
In this Episode we rapped about touring the country, touring Europe, labels being a funny thing, reaching out to your audience, the difference between playing abroad and in the states and how to adapt to technology and the social cycle. Quotes from Joel Kachel - " I like listening to silence. " - about being on the road. - " My mediation is when I am on the road." - "Labels are a funny thing. " - " Every night. If I am not playing shows I am playing open mics." - about touring - "You're not something that is readily available to everybody." - On getting our of town - " Trying to reach your audience, that's one of the hardest things to do." - "It's the world we live in, you have to adapt." - about social media and technology. Show notes. The little one is in the background for the first 15 min, sorry but this episode was to good to discard. Correction : The science jargon I badly messed up on, goes like this. “The Equal Odds Rule says that the average publication of any particular scientist does not haveany statistically different chance of having more of an impact than any other scientist’s average publication.” [4] In other words, any given scientist is equally likely to create a gamechangingpiece of work as they are to create something average that is quickly forgotten. Here is the version I re-wrote for the music business : A comparable rule in the industry would be: the average release of an album from a musician does not have a statistically different chance of having more of an impact than any other average album release. In other words, any given musician is equally likely to create a gamechanging piece of work as they are to create something average that is quickly forgotten. If you want to create a masterpiece then you have to be willing to create a Links Joel Kachel- http://joelkachel.com The video we filmed afterwards - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcQQbaiCCYs Blueberry Patch - http://blueberrypatch.org
In this episode we rapped about plagiarism versus Influence, copyright, copyleft , originality in the eyes of the supreme court, intellectual property, contracts, shady booking agents and venue owners, integration clauses and setting standards for musicians. Quotes from the show On the topic of plagiarism - “ On the copyright law there has to be some originality to what you create in order for it to be subject to protection.” “ The Supreme Court has given the definition of “original” very broad broad implications.” “Copyright applies to the phone book the same was it would apply to the lyrics of a song.” “Good Musicians borrow, great musicians steal.” This quote has been believed to be derived by Miles Davis, T.S Elliot, Pablo Picaso and Stravinsky And my favorite quote of the show. This was Jerrod’s reply to a question about musicians having to pay to play. “ Pay to Play - Ouch!” Notes and what I learned on this amazing episode. -Copyright act was established in 1976 -Copyright clause is part of the constitution -Copyleft - when you create something you want to share for the simplicity of having your music or art be seen or heard. -My thoughts on copy left were for original bands trying to get their music out to the masses and was not geared towards songs created for the intention of commercial monetization such as synchronized licensing. -You can measure show outcomes but the inconsistency between venues makes this task much more difficult than a normal business because of all the variables that take place. -A simple text message serves as a contract -Artist can be held responsible for ditching a gig, if the contracted was breached the owner can sue for consequential damages -Contracts fail to properly discuss expectations - how do we bridge the gap and fix this problem ? -Integration clause - is a clause in a written contract that declares that contract to be the complete and final agreement between the parties. -Setting standards for musicians Links Ari’s Take http://aristake.com How to Make it in the New Music Business by Ari Herstand Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulations - http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/ They oversee Talent Buyers Jerrod Simpson - http://jerrodsimpson.com Between Bluffs - http://www.betweenbluffs.com Oak Hay - https://www.facebook.com/oakhay/
In our first educational moment we discuss how to not overwhelm the talent buyer, appropriate amount of time before replying, reading the band submission page before hand, knowing what to include in your email, getting used to being rejected, tracking your data, reviewing your content before hitting send and realizing that their are different courses for different horses. Tip Jar http://cjslivemusic.com/communicating-talent-buyers-venue-owners/
We rapped about life on the road from PA to FL, we also conversed about unplugging & detaching from the social cycle, out to lunch with the industry, headspace and hotel rooms, learning from your competition, opening up to new ideas, Jacob & The Good People, It's a sonic thing - one man bands, The Mudd Shark Story at Edgewater Hotel and the best small music town on the east coast Columbia, S.C Links - Jamie Salvatore http://www.jamiesalvatore.com The Mudshark incident - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_episode One Man Band - Ben Prestage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxNOMJT5MJk Quotes - "It's a sonic thing." in regards to original bands versus solo projects. On meditation and clearing the head. "Put myself in a headspace, where I don't allow anything in. I look at it like closing doors, like in a hotel room. Where you can kind of walk by all the problems you store in the hotel room and not allowing them in." "Find out one thing from your competition." " If you want to grow you have to make time." "Is Nirvana and Nirvana unplugged the same thing?"
We rapped about Community Radio, Musicians Wanted, The Mix Tape Series, Working on the News, Getting your Start in Radio and The Godless Petition by Lorenzo Milam. Musicians Wanted - http://www.wmnf.org/events/musicians-wanted/ https://www.facebook.com/localmusicradio/?rc=p Quotes from the Show RJ: “Everyone can come together on music” RJ : In regards to the news “And thats why I love doing my type of show because you get to step outside that.” RJ’s & Wife about The Mix Tape Series : “I explained it to my wife, Man that’s the most hipster idea I have ever heard in my life.” Me : In regards to WMNF 88.5 “Tune in so you can get legit news.” Notes RJ did not want to pay an astronomical about of money to attend Full Sail so he started volunteering at WMNF 88.5 which abled him to learn how to run sound, produce, engineer and host. Lesson learned, if you want it bad enough you will find the resource. Links Lorenzo Milam - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Milam The Godless Petition - petitionhttp://www.ralphmag.org/orderpetition.html The Mix Tape Series - https://www.facebook.com/The-Mix-Tape-Series-1739406982978710/
We rapped about Creating, Pablo Picasso, Pricing ones Art, Digital versus physical CD's and getting Super Nerdy with the Setlist. Stick Martin - https://stickmartin.com Here is a video we shot before hand. " Women, Cigarettes and Booze " by Stick Martin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TIS1reXAIQ
We rapped about networking, creating, "Heartache Regret and Whiskey," and Hunter S. Thompson. I also challenged Eric Thompson to create 5 songs over the next year. Each song was given a creative stipulation. Correction : I said Mint 500 when the actual race is the Mint 400. Eric Thompson http://themorningowls.com/THE_MORNING_OWLS/HOME.html https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heartache-regret-and-whiskey/id1153178113
We rapped about the market being oversaturated, zen drums,trains & planes & automobiles, rum and new music. I have a tremendous amount to learn about this podcast game but the experience should be fun. Here is the video we shot beforehand. https://www.youtube.com/embed/vRanMWgDgfw?rel=0 Notes: Harmonium- referred to as a pump organ, reed organ or a melodeon is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Topics to discuss? Is there too much going on at a typical bar gig? If a venue is showcasing music and they have t.v's, sporting events, video games will the music be lost in translation?
We rapped about session players, low frequency information, guerrilla marketing, music & memory and being alive inside. Links - Whole Hearted Productions - http://www.wholeheartedprod.com Custom Tracks - https://custom-tracks.com Alive Inside - http://www.aliveinside.us Quotes by Dane Myers " Educating musicians is the second half to making art." "Streaming is stripping away a lot of the rights of songwriters." " Knowing the people in your life that you have relations with, write a song that is going to relieve somebody in your life of something that they are going through. Something deeply meaningful." View point on the cover scene " I understand that's a challenging environment." "You feel like your inherently not interesting to people." Notes/Tips To break into the market as a session player you need to be really good, play with a wide variety of players and know the right people. Practice and Networking are the key. When playing a new venue communicate with the agent and venue owner so you know exactly whats expected of your performance. This simple gesture will clarify up and grey area either party may have.