Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Can You Go Even ONE Day Without It?

Earlier today, on Facebook, I shared a post that a friend had shared from another site. It was called "An Open Letter To Venues That Exploit Their Musicians", and it sparked a rather heated discussion on his post. I want to say thank you to Justin Stevens for sharing the link. I had read this post before, but lost the link before I was able to respond to it. Now, if you'll humor me, I'm gonna climb up on my soapbox for just a little bit.

One of the comments went like this:
"Live music is not in demand like it used to be and as a result club owners are underpaying musicians because the live acts aren't bringing enough revenue to the bar to justify paying them very much. And while the club owners don't need the bands, it's the opposite for the musicians. They still need the club owners. As a result, bands get paid next to nothing, don't get paid at all, or even have pay to play. It is what it is."
 I have highlighted the part that I'm most troubled with. Yes, in and of itself, this statement is fairly true. Club owners don't need the bands, but they do need the music, which requires a band to create and play, be it live or in the studio. You just can't snap your fingers and create good music. Trust me, I've been trying for years. Just as a doctor must train and practice for years to save lives, a musician must work, and work hard, to get to the level of competency needed to create a good melody or write a catchy hook, and the person doing the work should be properly compensated. Period.

As a working musician, I am lucky in the fact that am able to do what I do on a daily basis, but let me tell you, when you see me on the stage "having fun and doing what I love to do," know that I have worked for decades to get to that level, tried (and failed) numerous numerous "shortcuts," and have finally found my niche in music. Most people turn their noses when I say we're a blues band, but everyone that comes out has a great time, and most come up at the end of the night just to say, "I thought you were a blues band. I didn't hear any blues." Yes, you did. All night long.

Which brings me to the title of this blog post: can you go even one day without music? I'm in the mood to try a social experiment. I challenge each and every one of you to try to go just one day with no music. Don't turn on the radio, don't watch TV (because it's saturated with music), don't sit on hold on the telephone. No music whatsoever. Then, after your day is over, come back here and leave a comment describing your day without. Tell me how it worked out for you, and don't hold back! If you want to cuss me for asking you to do this, go right ahead. I know what I'm asking and am prepared for the consequences. :-) Myself, I have tried this already, so I know what to expect.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Happy Birfday To Me!

I don't mean to keep harping on it, but I just want to thank everyone again for coming out to the Album Release/Birthday Bash at Woody's this past weekend. Y'all sure know how to make a boy feel special! We had an amazing time playing the new songs for you all. We also had a some very special guests show to jam with us, like Skip Oliver, Ashly "Crawdaddy" Crawford, Tim "Big World" Floyd, Tom Sewell, Chad Nolan, Elton Ray, Rick Moreland, and Pam Montgomery, just to name a few. Thank you all for coming out and jammin' with us! Also, to Joe from New York, sounded great, man. We would love to have you on stage with us again!

I also want to say thank you to Feather and the staff at Woody's for giving us the opportunity to have our party there. Krista and Stephanie behind the bar kept everyone "hydrated" and the party just rolled on without a hitch. Even though the CD's didn't arrive in time for the party, no one seemed to let it bother them. I'll let everyone know as soon as they come in. Lesson learned for next time.

So far, 41 has been pretty good. Someone asked me how 41 felt, and the only response I could come up with was, "Well, I'm old enough to know better AND old enough to care, but I still don't!" Life is all about finding ways to have fun, isn't it, and I (and my friends) have always had a knack for finding fun. I want to LIVE my life, not just go through the motions.

We have a few new shows on the schedule, if you haven't noticed. The Prairie Arts Festival is August 31, in West Point, MS, and should be a blast. We will be around close in the coming months, and would love to get together with everyone again. Make plans now. :-)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Just when things are looking up, the other shoe drops!

We had a great show at the 2013 Hog Roast. We got some stellar files to use for the album. Foosh and I mixed and mastered it to the point we were happy with it. We booked the Release Party on the best day (my birthday!). Everything was moving right along at a nice pace. I should have known it wouldn't be this easy!

I got a call early yesterday morning. It was a call from the company printing the CD's. Seems there were some Internet hiccups during my upload, and more than half of the files were corrupt, meaning the CD's will NOT be in by the Release Party. :-( I was certain I had ordered them in plenty of time to have them in hand, but apparently, I needed a little more. So, unfortunately, we will NOT have them by Friday. I'm looking for a work-around, as it could be as late as the end of the month before we get them in now. >:-(

The party will go on as planned, and you can still get the album digitally from all of the outlets. You can also order the CD from the website and it will be printed and shipped straight to your door, but it will take about 2 weeks to get it in, which means you can get yours by the time we get our shipment. I'm more than a little bummed out about it. I guess it's true; you gotta live 'em to play 'em. Sure does suck, though.

If anyone needs me, I'll be out back hanging myself with my shoelaces.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

I'm sitting here anxiously awaiting the release of our new album "Booze, Bluez, & BBQ: Live In Tupelo" tomorrow morning, and I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve! I'm excited about this release, as I feel it more accurately represents the Project and what we do in a live situation. Foosh and I took our time during the mixing and mastering stages trying to get the best sound we could, and I think we've hit it pretty close.

Doing an album is a pretty big undertaking. The equipment alone can be problematic (computers crashing, cables going bad, etc.) and getting everyone together at the same time is a lesson in patience. But, with a live album, you've only got "one shot" at getting it right. You don't have the luxury of going back and "fixing the mistakes," and some mistakes can kill the entire project. Luckily, we had a more than competent Recording Engineer (Jim Staten with Q-Now Audio and Mobile Recording) and received pristine files to work with. The showmanship of the guys was spot-on for the evening, and the only hurdle in front of us was the mix/master.

We took our time mixing to make sure we had everything "just right," mixing it down and listening on every possible system we could find (home surround systems, band mates' vehicle systems, etc.). We finally came up with a mix we were happy with and moved to mastering, using the same techniques to check the final product.

So, tomorrow morning, you'll be able to hear for yourself the fruits of our labors. Stream the album on Spotify, purchase it from iTunes, Google Play, BandCamp, or get it direct from the website (both digital AND physical form at www.kevinwaide.com). Give it a spin (or 12) and let us know what you think, your likes and dislikes, so we can better entertain you. Just leave us a comment on this post. You are the reason we do this in the first place, and we want to make you (and keep you) happy.

See y'all Friday night at Woody's in Tupelo, MS. Show starts at 8:30, though I'll be there before then celebrating my 41st birthday.

Kevin

Friday, August 2, 2013

Win A Copy Of "Booze, Bluez, & BBQ: Live In Tupelo"

We have one more free download of the album to give away before it's release date, Tuesday, August 13, and we want to give EVERYONE a chance to win.

To qualify to win, we want to know what the blues mean to you. Take a picture, tell a story, post a video, whatever you want to do to get the point across. Post to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or as a comment to this blog post. Be sure to use the hash tag #BluesToMe or #KevinWaide so we can see it. This contest will run through the end of next week (Friday, August 9) and one winner will be chosen at random for a free download of "Booze, Bluez, & BBQ" and two free passes to the CD Release Party/Birthday Bash at Woody's Tupelo Steakhouse Friday, August 16. The winner will be announced Monday, August 12.

Good Luck.