A Farmer, A Peace Lily & Hank Williams, Sr.

The Farmer & Hank

One month ago today on May 21, I lost my Dad to a sudden heart attack.  He was 79 years old.  My parents married in 1953 as teenagers.  I was born a few months later.  They eventually had five more kids.  Music was always in the house whether singing while my Mother played guitar, or the records were blasting—Mother’s Elvis records or Dad’s country music, or my Beatle albums.  Dad would often dance my Mom around the kitchen floor.  Two months ago, we threw a big 60^th wedding anniversary party for them.  Yes, they were together for 60 years!

My Father was a dairy farmer.   The farm did not bring in enough income for his growing family, so he worked a day job as well while my Mom stayed home raising the kids while working on a college diploma.  The hard work and perseverance paid off financially.  My Father retired from farming 15 years ago but continued to help other farmers and was active in many organizations around town.  He had heart issues through the years, but remained active up until the morning of his death.  He was washing the breakfast dishes. 

My siblings and I did not totally realize what an impact he had on the town until the calling hours.  For two hours there was a steady stream of family, friends, and neighbors who shook our hands and paid their respect.  Grown men were in tears.  The following day at the funeral, my sisters and I sang a hymn together.  My son, his grandson, sang an original entitled “Goodbye”.  And my Mom insisted on playing the CD track of Hank William’s song “Beyond the Sunset”.  My Dad was a fan of Hank Williams’ music. 

The White Peace Lily

Almost five years ago, my husband’s Mom passed away and a lovely plant was delivered from his employer.  The blossoms died off but the greens flourished as they were faithfully watered.  In 4 ½ years nothing ever bloomed again until the morning of my Dad’s passing.  Suddenly a white peace lily bloomed.  I don’t believe in “woo-woo” things, but I have to think twice on this one.  My Dad and I had many an argument and were on opposite ends of many issues.   I’d like to think that the lily is a peace offering from beyond.  I guess it gives me comfort.  So when I pass by the lily, I say hello to my Dad.  As you can imagine, it has been a difficult time for my family.  My work came to a standstill.  But I am healing and slowly getting back in the groove.

Stay tuned for news from Bluebird Promotions and Malletts Bay Records.  In the meantime, let the music play.

Happy First Day of Summer.

Glory

My New Favorite Artist

After reading this article by Gregory Douglass, I heard a song by Alice Smith on the radio.  Alice Smith is a new name to me, and the DJ gave some interesting background on her that included a 6-year wait after her record label decided she didn’t have a single and therefore, didn’t release her record.  So I went to her website and read her bio which affirmed what the DJ had said.  Her new self-released record “She” is now available.  Bottom line—her story is a good example of what Gregory Douglass talks about in his article.  Unless you are lucky enough to sign to an awesome record label that does not take creative control and does not mold you into an artist you are not, then the DIY route is your only option.  But don’t dismay--read Gregory’s article.  By the way, Alice is married to Citizen Cope.

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20130421/ARTS/304210011/Heart-Art-Tips-musicians-era-digital-downloads?odyssey=mod&nclick_check=1

http://www.alicesmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=220&Itemid=47

Happy Spring!

G

THE FIFTH WALL—August 2011

If you are an artist/performer, you know about the fourth wall—the wall that separates the performer and their audience. But there is a fifth wall that artists should break. Breaking through the fifth wall means the personal connection the artist/performer makes with their audience AFTER the performance and between gigs. Today it’s easier due to the digital age, but harder as it requires more time and effort. Yes, an artist can ‘meet and greet’ after each gig—very important to do. (Just bring your hand sanitizer and use it after they’ve all gone home.) But what are you doing between gigs? Consistent contact is so important between gigs. Don’t have time? Hire someone to do it for you. Or get a high school or college kid to do it for credit in a class or for community service hours. And no matter what you do, whether at your ‘meet and greets’, or through your social networking, newsletters, etc., appear like you are your fans BFF. In fact, throughout all of your encounters, whether fans, colleagues, or industry people, be genuine, friendly, optimistic, and professional. And never say anything negative about anyone in the industry as it may come back to haunt you.

Tribute To Sidney Harman (1918-2011)

If you asked the average Joe on the street who Sidney Harman was, they probably wouldn’t know. It’s a surprise that I know. But I read the book “A Whole New Mind” (Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future) by Daniel Pink, who referred to another book—“Mind Your Own Business”. The latter book is an autobiography about a remarkable man—Sidney Harman. Pink’s book is more for art’s educators. But as I read through the books that Pink listed as references to his own book, that title caught my eye—“Mind Your Own Business”. And so I ordered it. It was timely that I should stumble onto this book. After all, I was contemplating retiring from music education and becoming an entrepreneur. I was going to create a new business—a business that would help promote independent musicians. This book proved to be full of insights as to how to succeed in business and in life. So who was Sidney Harman?

He was the executive chairman and CEO of the world’s premier manufacturer of Harman high-end audio equipment. His long career also encompassed education, the arts, politics, and more recently the Chairman of Newsweek. His success as an entrepreneur was based on his knack for putting together an ideal team and taking a bottom-up approach to business. He likened his top management team to a “jazz quartet that listens to and improvises with one another to create harmony.” He stressed that the most valuable asset a company has is its’ employees. In fact, he gave his employees opportunities to further their education on his dime. He treated his employees fairly, ethically, and with respect. He believed that happy employees were productive employees. Unlike high-profile leaders with big personalities, Sidney Harman was a gentleman. And that gentleman lived to the ripe old age of 92.

Every businessman and leader, no matter what the profession, should be required to read this book. And for the rest of us? Well we can be inspired by it. He truly was remarkable.

Ariel Blog Challenge--Week 6

Not long ago I started building a mailing list. I started with a few friends, a few industry contacts, and a few artists. I now have 300+. I have categorized them so that I can send an e-mail to all or by category. My next mission is to contact my FaceBook and Twitter friends to see if I can add them to my list (if they are not already on my list). I would like to ask some of my FaceBook friends and a group of teens that I have access to, to fill out a survey monkey and give their e-mail address to me (if I don’t already have it) in exchange for a free song. I hope to be able to give them a song by one of the artists I work with on my dime as I view their input on the survey and their e-mail of value. I have been sending out a newsletter to those people once per month, but I think I should probably send at least two out per month. I like the ideas that Ariel gives in chapter six concerning building the e-mail list. Thanks!

"I want your music; but I don't want to pay for it."

The debate seems to continue over illegal downloading and fans expecting free music. I admit that not too long ago, I thought it was a sin to illegally download music or burn a friend’s CD. That is, until I realized I had committed that sin. I have asked teens over the past few years if they engage in such actions and often they would respond with, “If the artist is independent, I buy the music. If they are on a label, I don’t. I burn a friend’s CD or illegally download.” They have no remorse for the latter. They seem to think the artist and label are making enough money and won’t miss a few dollars. I have felt the pain of illegal downloading on behalf of the independent artists I work with. Having read the pros and cons and numerous artist reactions—some belligerent and some feeling like it has boosted their career—I now have another thought to ponder.

I am currently reading “Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From The American Indie Underground 1981-1991” by Michael Azerrad. Each chapter is a story about a particular band including Black Flag, Husker Du, Minor Threat, Fugazi, and Sonic Youth. Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat/Fugazi) states, “It was all about documentation.” So let’s ponder that statement. Consider a visual artist who puts their artwork on display at a gallery. You pay to go in the gallery and view the artwork. That artist might make an occasional sale or have smaller prints made as well as postcards or gift cards to sell. The performing artist displays their work through shows making money through ticket sales. And, another type of display for their music is licensing a song for a TV show or film. That artist might sell t-shirts, posters, or-----yes, CDs and digital downloads. We call that merchandise. Artists must rethink their income sources. Those sources from top to bottom would be: touring, licensing, and then merchandise. A thrilling live show is what fans want and what they’ll pay for. The CDs are merely documentation and merchandise.

Ariel's Blog Challenge Week 5

I have been thinking about a surveymonkey for some time. In fact, I started a list of questions that I should ask. Because of the nature of my business—Creative Liaison for a few indie artists—I would like to know more about their fans. Right now I work with mostly local Indies who are in the folk or folk/pop genre. Down the road, if my business expands, then I might be interested in picking up more artists that are not so local. But, for the time being, in working with a small roster, I want to know more about their fans, hence the surveymonkey. I also want to survey my peeps to see what their habits are—where they buy music, who they are listening to, etc. This is a project on my “list of things to do” by end of year. As far as newsletters and e-mails go, Gregory Douglass helped me set up a newsletter through my website. I have created an e-mail list with keywords so that if I want to send a newsletter to my peeps in Vermont, as opposed to other industry contacts, I can call up the VT peeps. If I want to send a more formal newsletter to industry peeps, I can call up keyword “industry”. So far I have a total of almost 400 contacts. My goal is to add in other industry contacts—radio and a few new industry FaceBook friends (with their permission of course) as well as new VT FaceBook friends. My target date for this project is by the end of August. As far as the look of the newsletter—I try to incorporate photos on occasion and upcoming gig dates for the artists as well as what I am up to. Sometimes I incorporate a quote or what I’m reading or “song of the month”. I like Ariel’s idea of “telling a story”. And, her suggestions to keep building the e-mail list and communicate often. I shall go forth and do good work! By the way--I love her subtitle--3 G's: Greeting, Guts & Getting. I always called my family the 3 G family--Glory, Gregory, & Gwendolyn!