I had a chat with Greg today about my stuff - he's a producer I'm considering working with. He just flat out told me our first album - the one I did with Flo - was crap. Ouch! But I'd rather have the truth than him lying to make me feel better.
Days to go: 305
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
The Julie/Julia Music Project - Day 1
Happy 2010!
50 new songs. 5 album releases. 100 gigs. 1000 CDs sold. 365 days. There will no doubt be spelling mistakes...
Okay, so I spent the holidays with my mom and sister as always, and we watched Julie & Julia. Loved it!
Inspired, I've decided to do my own version. It's obviously about music, not food, so instead of cooking 524 recipes in 365 days, I've decided to write 50 new songs, release 5 albums, perform 100 gigs, and sell 1000 CDs in a year. It's a huge challenge for me (I'm not Madonna yet), but I decided it would be good for my music career.
This is what I'll endeavour to do:
1. Blog each day (massive technological difficulties and EMPs notwithstanding) - if I'm unable I will make it up the next day...
2. Write 50 new songs, which basically means one a week - failing which I will have to do two or three in a week if I fall behind... (do I hear excuses from myself already?)
3. Release 5 albums - I have been reading about fellow musos like the Beatles, the Stones and Elton John and KISS - they sometimes released as many as four albums a YEAR! My plan is cheating a bit:
a. Some of my albums will be covers.
b. Some of my albums are co-writes (with already existing songs).
c. I'm not doing this through a major label - yet...
d. More about the various albums and songs in days to come...
4. Perform 100 gigs. Paid, free, charity, don't mind - as long as I reach my goal... But preferably paid!
5. Sell 1000 CDs - this feels like a challenge, but hey, my two major income streams at this point would be gigs and CD sales. Some people would say, "A thousand! Is that all? WIMP!"
It's not a new idea, of course - Jonathan Coulton did it back in 2006, writing a song a week for a year, very successfully, and there must be at least a million other bloggers out there doing the same thing, but what the hell, right?
All of this will be over and above my "day job," which I'm very happy to say is not as dreary as Julie Powell's was. While not blogging/composing/releasing/singing/selling, I will continue teaching music business courses at MBAC and Soul Candi, and continue teaching singing students. That alone is a great reason to get out of bed each morning!
So: 364 days to go.
Till tomorrow then...
50 new songs. 5 album releases. 100 gigs. 1000 CDs sold. 365 days. There will no doubt be spelling mistakes...
Okay, so I spent the holidays with my mom and sister as always, and we watched Julie & Julia. Loved it!
Inspired, I've decided to do my own version. It's obviously about music, not food, so instead of cooking 524 recipes in 365 days, I've decided to write 50 new songs, release 5 albums, perform 100 gigs, and sell 1000 CDs in a year. It's a huge challenge for me (I'm not Madonna yet), but I decided it would be good for my music career.
This is what I'll endeavour to do:
1. Blog each day (massive technological difficulties and EMPs notwithstanding) - if I'm unable I will make it up the next day...
2. Write 50 new songs, which basically means one a week - failing which I will have to do two or three in a week if I fall behind... (do I hear excuses from myself already?)
3. Release 5 albums - I have been reading about fellow musos like the Beatles, the Stones and Elton John and KISS - they sometimes released as many as four albums a YEAR! My plan is cheating a bit:
a. Some of my albums will be covers.
b. Some of my albums are co-writes (with already existing songs).
c. I'm not doing this through a major label - yet...
d. More about the various albums and songs in days to come...
4. Perform 100 gigs. Paid, free, charity, don't mind - as long as I reach my goal... But preferably paid!
5. Sell 1000 CDs - this feels like a challenge, but hey, my two major income streams at this point would be gigs and CD sales. Some people would say, "A thousand! Is that all? WIMP!"
It's not a new idea, of course - Jonathan Coulton did it back in 2006, writing a song a week for a year, very successfully, and there must be at least a million other bloggers out there doing the same thing, but what the hell, right?
All of this will be over and above my "day job," which I'm very happy to say is not as dreary as Julie Powell's was. While not blogging/composing/releasing/singing/selling, I will continue teaching music business courses at MBAC and Soul Candi, and continue teaching singing students. That alone is a great reason to get out of bed each morning!
So: 364 days to go.
Till tomorrow then...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
My Licentiate
Tomorrow I will be doing my licentiate in singing through Rockschool...
It's been amazing fun, it's been incredibly hard work. I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a great big precipice, overlooking all the treasures of the earth - kinda like God's Window, that awesomely beautiful spot in Mpumalanga where you can see for miles and miles.
Most of the people I work with, from my Mom to my colleague Ina Wiegand to my business partner Corinne Farber believe that I'll do a great job tomorrow. I just wanna go have some fun! Yeah, I guess I'm a little nervous and I really want to pass, but as Ina said to me, whatever the outcome, I cannot lose because I have learnt so much. She's right. In the last 4 months that we've been working together, sometimes three times a week (what a schlep to Pretoria!), I really have grown as an artist and a performer.
Of course, Cor is a huge fan. We've had so much fun doing The Purr Factory together, and I'm thrilled to be performing two songs tomorrow from my own musical. Narcissus, thy name be Rob!
Ah, my Mom! I love my Mom! I recently tried looking for a day job again so I changed my second cell number's message to a bland corporate message. My Mom phoned me to leave a message and said it sounded so sad, like I was unhappy... I have subsequently changed it back to something far more exciting and musical. I'm now doing music full-time. I have never been poorer. I have never been happier.
As Jayson, a colleague of mine at Soul Candi said, we do not choose music, it chooses us. I'm so glad music chose me. It is my life's work, my undying eternal purpose.
Musica, grata Deo.
It's been amazing fun, it's been incredibly hard work. I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a great big precipice, overlooking all the treasures of the earth - kinda like God's Window, that awesomely beautiful spot in Mpumalanga where you can see for miles and miles.
Most of the people I work with, from my Mom to my colleague Ina Wiegand to my business partner Corinne Farber believe that I'll do a great job tomorrow. I just wanna go have some fun! Yeah, I guess I'm a little nervous and I really want to pass, but as Ina said to me, whatever the outcome, I cannot lose because I have learnt so much. She's right. In the last 4 months that we've been working together, sometimes three times a week (what a schlep to Pretoria!), I really have grown as an artist and a performer.
Of course, Cor is a huge fan. We've had so much fun doing The Purr Factory together, and I'm thrilled to be performing two songs tomorrow from my own musical. Narcissus, thy name be Rob!
Ah, my Mom! I love my Mom! I recently tried looking for a day job again so I changed my second cell number's message to a bland corporate message. My Mom phoned me to leave a message and said it sounded so sad, like I was unhappy... I have subsequently changed it back to something far more exciting and musical. I'm now doing music full-time. I have never been poorer. I have never been happier.
As Jayson, a colleague of mine at Soul Candi said, we do not choose music, it chooses us. I'm so glad music chose me. It is my life's work, my undying eternal purpose.
Musica, grata Deo.
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