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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:46 pm
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msvolpe wrote:
awesome input everyone. its cool to hear from those who've done it.

i love music with such a burning passion...i believe in chasing your dream, but i think i'm too practical to step out on a limb and go for it amongst the large risks involved. plus the family is never easy to convince.

not sure if any of you can react to all of this.


You don't have to be a touring musician to live a satisfying life as a professional. I know a guy who plays in pit bands and works as marketing director for an orchestra, one who makes a good living gigging jazz and teaching saxophone, another who writes jingles and scores videos.

Making a living as a musician doesn't have to mean chucking your whole life and risking it all. And, as noted, that touring life is vastly over-romanticized.


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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:08 pm
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Location: Martinsburg, WV
msvolpe wrote:
i care most about music than anything else, but i dont want to regret any big choices later and be left in the cold.
.


If you're single...do it. Family complicates things a little more. As a looking-at-40 guy with a wife & three kids, I try very hard not to think about the things I wish I had done. Your degree doesn't have an expiration date on it. Go....be young....let us old farts live vicariously through you. If you do it, you might regret it later. If you don't do it....I guarantee you'll regret it. You'll tell yourself you don't. You'll pat yourself on the back for being 'responsible'....but every time you see a band in concert....part of you will wither and die. In the wee small hours of the morning.....you'll know.

Do it.

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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:55 pm
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And another $0.02 - I disagree that if you leave your day job there's no going back. There'd better be going back! for all the people getting laid off and downsized and etc. right now. If you are good at what you do and have credentials and experience, I would think that you could find another job in your industry if the music dream doesn't work out. I know from having hired a few people that good workers are always in demand, you might have to return at a more junior level but I'll bet you could work your way back up.

And then also +1 that there are many ways to make a living as a musician, the touring rock band lifestyle is only one of those ways.

Your comments reminded me of a friend of mine who once said, "Yeah, guys when they're 23 or 24, they're thinking about a lot of things..."

Good luck in whatever path you choose, and let us know what you decide!

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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:15 am
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Good advice from staredge. I'm 41, but a very young 41 and I'm the happiest, and in best shape of my life.

Still, looking back, at this age, you rarely regret the things you did, but MAN do you regret the things you didn't do. The gigs you didn't take, the risks you didn't take, the girls you didn't ask out, the jobs you didn't try - all that. You don't want to look back on your life and think you should have done more. DO more.


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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:25 am
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Can't wait till im eighteen.
Me any 3 of my other friends wanna tour the state.
But from what I heard doesn't sound too great. :(
So I will find out soon enough. 8)
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Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:46 am
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wow, its like the typical "angel and devil on my shoulder" routine haha. shouldve seen that coming.

appreciate the thoughts so far. yea, its obvious that im TORN to the max., and very indecisive. man, i BLEED music. its just part of me.

to clear the confusion, i think what i want most is just playing live shows. i think the coolest feeling would be playing outdoor festivals in the summer. playing bars and parties is one thing, but i dream of taking it to the next level. i dont necessarily want to be couped up on an 8-track writing jingles. i get a rush mainly from live performance. and maybe there are loop-holes then to allow me to live some sort of compromise. i could probably just play summer festivals (as well as bars and parties on weekends year-round), and be happy as a lark. (those festivals typically occur on weekends, right?)
anyway, my heart really yearns to do it, and some of you are right. i probably WILL regret never living that life. i ALREADY wither when i watch a concert on TV or something, saying "damn, i gotta catch that train"

well, one problem does still remain. I HAVE NO BAND haha. they come and go, as Dell Paxton says on the movie "That Thing You Do". its something i'm actively trying to establish though, i even made a thread advertising myself. been contacting people in my area so i am working on it. when i do succeed though, i'll have many options and choices needing to be made.

i've listened to every post and i think i will try and find some sort of medium between both worlds. it must be possible. i'll get a band together (or join one), and seek out a resolution with full dedication.

i appreciate all the caring. i will never just stop playing if nothing else.


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