Drawing The Line

I was in Nashville this past weekend, which was an interesting experience.

My band played for record label executives at a band showcase, which was more fun that I thought it would be.

My band finally played the Metro this past Friday night, which was a great experience and exposure for us, but I digress.

I have spent probably 6 years of my life wondering where I as a musician and an individual fit into modern music. I have flirted with electronic music in the past, and have thought lately about either incorporating electronic drums and synths into my current band (which is now called No Exit) or starting an electronic side project. If a musician doesn't embrace technology that usually get left in the dust, and I have no intention on getting left behind in the musical landscape.

Along with wondering how I can survive as a modern musician, I've also felt the pressure of time on my available window to "succeed" as a musician trying to survive in the modern world. I'm 24 years old, and for most people that's a young age to be, but for a musician I'm an old man. So I feel I'm always working against the clock.

This past weekend playing both the Metro (biggest show of my career) and playing a showcase in Nashville, I've had all those thoughts about technology and age on my mind. Can I "make it" as a career musician before 24 and playing in a rock band?

All my opinions and assumptions are currently changing as I write. Over the past couple years I've become more and more of a fan of the band Porcupine Tree, which is kind of like England's answer to Tool and Radiohead and a return to album oriented experimental rock music. The new album by Porcupine Tree entitled "The Incident" is the freshest piece of music I've heard in years.

It is an empowering musical statement, and an artistic tool to show self-awareness. While there are some use of electronic music on the album, it is mainly just a well composed and arranged rock album full of progressive and experimental song elements. I think it's a beautiful album. To see such a fresh and creative album coming from a group of guys who are in their mid-40s who have a band have been around for 20 years, but only now getting commercial success makes me feel much better about my place and status in the music world.

The centerpiece of the 2 disc album is a 55 minute long song titled "The Incident" whcih is broken down into 14 parts and covers the entire first disc.

Steve Wilson who is the guitarist/lead vocalist/lead songwriter of Porcupine Tree wrote "The Incident" as a conceptual piece, and I really like the concept of the music. I wish more music had the depth and psychological awarenress as "The Incident."

"There was a sign saying ‘POLICE – INCIDENT’ and everyone was slowing down to rubber neck to see what had happened... Afterwards, it struck me that ‘incident’ is a very detached word for something so destructive and traumatic for the people involved.

And then I had the sensation that the spirit of someone that had died in the accident entered into my car and was sitting next to me. The irony of such a cold expression for such seismic events appealed to me, and I began to pick out other ‘incidents’ reported in the media and news,” continues Wilson.

“I wrote about the evacuation of teenage girls from a religious cult in Texas, a family terrorizing its neighbors, a body found floating in a river by some people on a fishing trip, and more. Each song is written in the first person and tries to humanize the detached media reportage.”

Good Morning Campers

"Discipline is not an end in itself, it's only a means to an end."

That is a quote on the back of one of my favorite if not my favorite album of all time being King Crimson's 1981 endeavour "Discipline."

I find the quote to be very finding and can easily be applied to many aspects of life. I've been on the road for much of the past couple months, which has given me time to see a lot of different places and people in America. I've been on a journey to find not only myself, but also try to find the essence of what America really is.

This journey I've summed up as The Drive To 2011, because I'm hoping to gain significant understanding of myself and also positively effect people by 2011.

The Drive To 2011 is doing much better now than it did a year ago when I first started it. I am very much enjoying my new house in Logan Square right off of Belmont, it's so spacious and a great find. I just grad school and after the first week I'm off to a pretty good start. I just received a scholarship from DePaul, which will make life a little bit easier financially. My band is doing well, and besides living together we are playing our biggest show this next Friday at The Metro, which is just a great opportunity for us as a band.

I'm making good progress, but nothing is good enough yet for me. Life is very much a ride, and I've just been sitting in my seat and enjoying as of late and I hope that continues.