I watched Contact last night, a wicked movie about contacting an alien race. It’s really about Science vs. Faith or more accurately it’s about the underlying psychological motives for pursuing something with intent. Jodi Foster plays the main role of a woman who grew up with an aptitude for sciences and math. She has an [...]
You’ve heard of the Long Tail right? The very basic concept is that there is a market for almost anything. Some things are a huge hit and other things don’t sell very well at all. As an artist, if you transfer the concept to your creative output over time, you’ll notice some songs/albums/tours/tshirts do better [...]
I’ve been thinking on how people usually tend to lean to one side of their brain in term of how they think and function. I’m generalizing, but you’ll find very logical, rational people (left brainers) without much ambition for creativity and then you’ll find the polar opposite in other people (right brainers). Artists, I would [...]
Just the other day, I wanted to check up on some of the punk bands I loved when I was in high school. To my great surprise, I found some of them to be going strong. One of those bands was Strung Out. I loved this band. They were fast, heavy, poppy/melodic, and technical. Surburban [...]
So more vids from John Mayer at Berklee have gone up on YouTube since my last post. Thought I’d em lay out for you guys. These are student vids so the camera control and overall quality isn’t the greatest. There’s more music on youtube, but I think I have all of his talk. Part [...]
Fresh off his summer tour, John Mayer showed up at Berklee College of Music to play some tunes and give artists some advice. One student taped the whole thing for the world to see and I’m glad she did. Whether you like him or hate him, the dude is a smart guy. There were a [...]
John Brahney, author of “The Craft” and “The Business of Songwriting” was interviewed by TAXI regarding songwriting and the importance of re-writing. I won’t go on about it too much, but it’s definitely worth watching. Let us know what you think. Make Great Music, Hoover The New Rockstar Philosophy
John Mayer spoke to students at the University of Miami regarding his success and songwriting. One of the strongest points he makes is regarding having something to say. People aren’t stupid and can tell if you’re faking it. People want the real thing. Keep that in mind when you’re writing your new material. “You get [...]
A lot of artists get into a lot of conflict with the parental units due to their chosen path in life. Being a musician is definitely a risky career path. Nothing is guaranteed. Popularity is fickle. You’re doing it because you love it, maybe because you can’t see yourself doing anything else, maybe because you [...]
Musicians Become Scientists
A passionate scientist is all about seeking out knowledge. He/she will try to prove theories through experimentation. The final outcome may not be what was anticipated or hoped for, but knowledge was gained through the experimentation which will lead to new experimentation with the newly acquired info. The reason I bring this up is because [...]