Day job vs gigs

It's interesting that musicians all seem to need a day job to make ends meet while pursuing their craft. Well I say all, but there are exceptions...well not really exceptions rather musicians who make a decision NOT to have a day job. There are many classic stories about musicians living in their cars or borrowing money for food. These musicians are the exception and are often the ones who make it big. However, there is a fine line between confidence in your talent and insanity. Confidence in your talent allows you to make sometimes extreme sacrifices for your art. But when extreme confidence in your talent isn't backed up by the actual talent then we have a problem. You've all seen the misfits from American Idol who truly believe that they are the next big thing while the rest of the world is laughing at them. So how do we know? How do we know when our friends' and families' encouragement is genuine? Who's opinion do you trust? When do you make the decision for music to be a hobby or a job? No easy answer. I wonder if Bob Dylan was ever told that he was a great singer before he made it. Why didn't Ben Heppner give up opera when the University of Victoria music department told hin that he showed no promise. How does a band get back on stage after being booed off?


Hmmm. So that's where I am. Asking all these questions. I'm fairly sure that I have something to offer, but for now I have a day job. A good one mind you and one that I enjoy despite the long hours. I've gone back to taking piano lessons to finally learn to play. I'm studying with the great Bob Murphy. (He's played with Sarah Vaughn....holy crap!)

I'll record this year and release a CD online so watch for it.

Thanks for the cathartic rant.