Turkey Day is coming

Sunday night

I've had the last 2 weekends off from playing and it's been pretty cool actually. I was looking forward to watching Millenial's Falcoln tear it up at the Wolven Wood Axe Bar but their singer Joe got sick so that sucked. Wanna know something?  I like putting out my fake magazine 'KyroMania'. I used to do Night Screamer Weekly and that was fun too. Here's some fun secret news: me and the guys from Mr. Cesar? We're going to be having a pretend beef re: who is the party king for my NYE show. Sshhhh! Don't tell anyone! But we are going to be hyping this thing up pretty good and I can't wait! Stay tuned, cool cats. 

More Club Night!

Plus NYE

I get so happy when I am able to not only play wiht the Super Suits at the Bonfire in Houghton, but also when I get to play the club night right after that. Those are hands down THE best shows to play and I love them. I'm working on my Don't Stop New Year's Eve'ing show too. I wanna hype the heck out of that show! I'm talking to the cool cats from the band Mr. Cesar and we are working on some fun stuff. Just think WWE type hype and you will have an idea of what our goals are hehe. 

Once again

Saturday

I don't know exactly how the dates have opened up as much as they have, but I'm loving the fact that I can play the club again this weekend. I have GOT to get better with being organized and being consistent with content. I know that that is the key to algorrhythms and getting my content out there to more eyeballs, but I slack. And! I've been eating like crap lately. Sometimes I just say eff it and I eat whatever I want lol. Hey! My son is gonna be turning 21 next week and that is a big deal for me. That means he can start coming to my shows!  :)  Will he want to? I don't know lol 

What else?

August 8/9. 2023

I went and saw Spun after my last show a week or so ago and even though I just got done playing my solo show (and not having to share that money with anyone, and having felt proud that I own my lights, trailer, and PA and the fact that I'm running my own sound is a big deal too!) I got instantly jealous when I saw Spun playing to a full house at Church in the Valley. I rank bands and players because that's just how it is! I know everyone has their own opinion, but I still can tell you who I think is the best this or that in the area, and for me? Spun is my 2nd favorite rock band up here. They have killer vocals, their 'new' (he's been there several years now) drummer is also a very good singer and they get down and dirty and play the good rock and roll that I love. This night they were just kicking into 'Say F*ck it' by Buckcherry and a former co-worker told me 'they just asked if anyone wanted to play the drums!' Dammit!! I had my stage gear on still and everything, and I would have loved to jam with them! I couldn't stay long becuase I was just there to pick up tix to give away on my radio show for the Great Alston Music Festival and I parked my trailer like a total dickhead so before anyone said anything I was outta there! But man, I had that jealous af feeling the whole way home. It makes me think about how I want to put a project together. And that's the rub. Who is there to play? And even if there are the players, are they gonna wanna do what I do, who can I get to play lead, do I want to start another Facebook page?! Then I remind myself that I have my own thing and I don't have to count on anyone else and that is very nice. However, I think I'm still going to look at doing something using a guitarist and a vocalist or two. I'll keep you posted. Oh! And my number one favorite rock band in the area? It would probably be 906 if they were playing out more because they're great, and their production is awesome, but it's OZ. Flipping phenomenal vocals, musicianship, playing and production. They blow me away every time. You already know who my favorite country band is and if you don't? I'll give you a hint; I get to jam with The Wildman myself. It's cheesy to say your own band is your favorite, but guess what?! I'm no longer an official member of the Collective since I moved away for a bit, so there! People of the world! You know I'm talking about Chad Borgen. Anyway, I got the rock and roll on my mind and I may have to do something about that. Oh! Buy my freaking shirts, they're cool and I'm proud of them!  :)  

Getting organized 

I have ideas in my head, just like you probably do. I think “this would be cool if I did this” . Sometimes I follow through with them and sometimes I don't actually do anything towards making it a reality. That's why I'm grateful for sites like Fiverr and Upworks where I can outsource my ideas. Even that takes organization though because I have to be very specific in what it is I want and that's easier said than done. I can be a very literal/concrete person and when you combine that with being impatient and fairly easily annoyed, it's not always a great combination. Here's an example; take this blog. What do I want from this blog exactly? My first thought is that this is more for me than anyone because I've always kept journals and this is basically me doing just that except now I share these thoughts with people. But what do I want from this? Do I want 100 people to read this? 1,000? 10,000? Would I even like it if I had that much of an audience or would I become all self-conscious about stuff and that would hinder my writing. OH! I'm also very sensitive to things. That's what I forgot to mention when I was talking about being impatient and concrete. Sensitive and impatient can be a really bad combo because let's say I'm coming up with an idea or having a convo with someone about something. If that convo gets a little tense? I am tempted to just scrap the whole thing and just start over somewhere. Not good. But back to this blog and my goals. I get annoyed because these words right here? I don't know if you'll see them. Why? Because ONE little thing changed in the way I used to post these things and now I'm like “I don't have the patience for this”. So I'm going to keep this one kinda short and see if I can figure out where it fits on my page and then I'll promote it on my Facebook page. That brings me back to outsourcing stuff on Fiverr and that; I can do that if I'm willing to pay people to keep up with my ideas for my Shopify page and even this blog. These are happy thoughts for me, so I'm going to be talking about them more down the line. Thank you for reading these by the way! I check several times a week to see how much traffic I get after I post a blog and it does go up when I announce that I have a new bloggy blog. 

Where do we go? 

What should the first sentence of my blog be?! Oh, well there it is. Ha! Hello, and thanks for being here. When I was younger I would fill up journals, and nowadays I'm filling up podcasts and now blogs, along with Facebook posts and YouTube videos. It's all about the content, right? So, here it is: 1:06 am on September 12, 2022. Currently I am working as a DJ on 97.7 the Wolf, doing their afternoon show from 3-6 and I love it. Never before have I had a job where so many people have told me "That job is perfect for you!" and I get a lot of accolades when I go in public which feels GREAT I won't even pretend it doesn't. Can you feel a 'but' coming? I can. Being in radio doesn't pay well at all. Ask any DJ and they'll tell you the same thing. So, I'm working on other ways to supplement (or completely overhaul) my income stream and still keep myself on the air somehow. Actually, this week will be a big week as far as hearing back from places (specifically one place in particular) where I've applied at. I'm kinda holding off on doing a podcast until I have some definite details. I'll tell ya this though! I'm liking how this blog stuff feels. I think I may make this at least a weekly thing. 

Summer's over

Pretty much

The first week of September had hot weather and I am grateful for it for sure. I don't mind the Fall, I just get bummed because it means snow is coming and that gets me thinking about New Year's Eve which is one of the biggest shows of the year. I have already booked myself at The Wolven Wood Axe and the only reason I haven't started advertising it yet (I will soon) is because I am trying to figure out what extras I'm going to have. Meaning, am I gonna do a photo booth, am I gonna get guest players, am I gonna see if I can do a foam party? Stuff like that. Maybe all of the above! I do know that it's going to be advertised once again as 'Don't Stop New Year's Eve'ing' because why stop a good thing, right?! It needs to be a freakin' event though, ya know? That's what I'm working on along with other things like a shopify store, tee shirt designs, and as always how can I make my show bigger and better?! 

Your crowd or my crowd?

July 10/11 2023

I woke up the morning of July 4th and I had to get ready kinda fast because the Super Suits played from 11am to 1pm in South Range. One of my first thoughts after that was "I'd be OK if they cancelled my show at The WolvenWood Axe Bar tonight". Which if you know me and how much I love to play, you know that that is RARE AF for me to not be excited about playing a show. I just knew this one wasn't be good. Meaning, I knew it was going to be dead. It's not my first show playing to less than 20 people. If you're in a band, that's just part of it. At least in that situation you can joke around with your bandmates and have a little laugh. If my solo show is dead like it was? It makes for a really long night where my insecurities fill my brain. My solo shows are loud, there's a lot of lights and a TV playing videos behind me. It's designed for a large party crowd, people who are there to dance, and have a good time. When it's dead like it was that night, the whole thing feels weird. I have to remind myself that "I am still entertaining. A dj will literally stand there and push buttons behind a table or booth. I'm playing the drums, I've got the lights, I've got the glow sticks, I've got the TV, *I* would be entertained watching me." That makes me feel a little better, but not much.  I had the bartendar come up and say it's so loud that people are leaving. Great. If I turn down the tracks, my drums drown everything out. I don't blame her for the information, but this is the kind of sh*t I'm trying to avoid by only playing for large crowds like at the Bonfire. That is some of my most uninhibetted drumming ever; it's loud, proud and no one complains because I'm leading the party parade. So, I get to thinking; how can I make it that every show is that way? Greenland was successful because I was outside and again, party crowd. Being outside is helpful because the sound has somewhere to go, but how do I pack the place? Side note: and this is important if you're a bar owner. Most do NOT get this point, but I'm here to tell you this very important distinction between us musicians and bands having a following vs your venue having a following. It is YOUR job to advertise and bring the people in. We are there to entertain your crowd. If the band happens to have a following, that's great, but guess what? You're going to be paying more for that band. It's just one of the questions you get asked- 'Do you have a following?' Do YOU?! We all want the same thing and that is a packed house, but just because you have a band and you put an ad on Facebook (did you put an ad on Facebook? Or did you just share my ad?), don't expect a crowd. Posting several videos the day of the show doesn't count because people have already made their plans. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm saying that should be a gentle reminder at that point. For my shows, I create the ads on Canva, share them Facebook, boost it (that's very important!), talk about it on my radio show on the Wolf and talk about it during my podcast. By the time I'm doing spending time creating the video, boosting it, buying glowstsicks and buying shirts to giveway I am basically breaking even. That's fine though, seriously as long as I have people to play for. Now, I had a very good 4th of July weekend playing with Chad, then Greenland, then SuperSuits, and it ended on a dud, but that's OK. I knew it was going to happen even thought I boosted the post, talked about it on the air, on my podcast and told people that I saw. I'm not ready to give up on the Wolven Wood because I think we could get something going there and we are already talking about other shows. Whether I'm playing in a band or doing my solo shows I take them seriously - seriously enough at least that I prepare for every show and I'm aware that you need to advertise THE HELL OUT OF yourself to just make a dent in people's minds. Then your show better be good too. It's all a big thing, ya know what I'm saying? Now, go buy a tee shirt! lol just follow that link at the top or bottom of the page and God Bless you for reading this! 

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Summer!

June19/20 2023

I was kind of in a bad mood before my shows Saturday. The only thing I can think of is that I was running a little low on sleep maybe? Because let's recap the day and the night before: I played with The Super Suits in the parade, right? Very fun for sure! Then I went to take pics of Chad Borgen and the Collective playing down at Kestner's Park and then I went home and crashed. I went to bed around 2 and got up at 8, then I had my radio show on 97.7 the Wolf which by the way was so fun and thank you for people who reached out to say they were happy that I'm back on the air. I am 10X as happy! Then I went to the Bonfure to see if I could set up early (2pm) but it was closed so I went home and crashed for an hour or so. When I did come back at 4:30 to set up it was open and I set up for about an hour before taking off again to get ready. It was when I got back that I noticed my mood was a little off. I was irritable and I don't normally get that way especially when things are going so good. I don't think anyone noticed and we had a good show with the SuperSuits, although it was quite dead. We did have some dancers though. Then it was time for my show and it started off show but started picking up after about 20-30 minutes. This show was great for a few reasons, but besides the good crowd and fun, I realized I need to make some changes to the show as far as where my drums are and where I put the mics. Oh! I threw out several shirts and I'm going to be doing that again in Greenland and probably the 4th of July. I'm so happy to have 2 shows on the 4th; one in the morning and one at 11:30 at night in Hancock at the WolvenWood. I'm gonna share something with you for following this link. Consider it a little reward I guess for taking the time to read my blog. OK, so you know how I'm on the radio on Saturdays again? There are certain songs I'll never play. Such as! True by Spandeau Ballet which comes up in rotation once in a while. I hate that song. Also, I stay away from Michael Jackson although he has a few songs that I grew up on that I like. I so badly wanna rip on certain tunes, not a lot but there a couple I could just be like THIS IS TERRIBLE! And of course I can't. But what I do instead is never ever play them! There, now you know. Don't tell anyone! lol Also? Click that link on top of the main page to buy a shirt! That would rock of you, and you're already pretty awesome in my book. 

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Getting organized 

I have ideas in my head, just like you probably do. I think “this would be cool if I did this” . Sometimes I follow through with them and sometimes I don't actually do anything towards making it a reality. That's why I'm grateful for sites like Fiverr and Upworks where I can outsource my ideas. Even that takes organization though because I have to be very specific in what it is I want and that's easier said than done. I can be a very literal/concrete person and when you combine that with being impatient and fairly easily annoyed, it's not always a great combination. Here's an example; take this blog. What do I want from this blog exactly? My first thought is that this is more for me than anyone because I've always kept journals and this is basically me doing just that except now I share these thoughts with people. But what do I want from this? Do I want 100 people to read this? 1,000? 10,000? Would I even like it if I had that much of an audience or would I become all self-conscious about stuff and that would hinder my writing. OH! I'm also very sensitive to things. That's what I forgot to mention when I was talking about being impatient and concrete. Sensitive and impatient can be a really bad combo because let's say I'm coming up with an idea or having a convo with someone about something. If that convo gets a little tense? I am tempted to just scrap the whole thing and just start over somewhere. Not good. But back to this blog and my goals. I get annoyed because these words right here? I don't know if you'll see them. Why? Because ONE little thing changed in the way I used to post these things and now I'm like “I don't have the patience for this”. So I'm going to keep this one kinda short and see if I can figure out where it fits on my page and then I'll promote it on my Facebook page. That brings me back to outsourcing stuff on Fiverr and that; I can do that if I'm willing to pay people to keep up with my ideas for my Shopify page and even this blog. These are happy thoughts for me, so I'm going to be talking about them more down the line. Thank you for reading these by the way! I check several times a week to see how much traffic I get after I post a blog and it does go up when I announce that I have a new bloggy blog. 

Where do we go? 

What should the first sentence of my blog be?! Oh, well there it is. Ha! Hello, and thanks for being here. When I was younger I would fill up journals, and nowadays I'm filling up podcasts and now blogs, along with Facebook posts and YouTube videos. It's all about the content, right? So, here it is: 1:06 am on September 12, 2022. Currently I am working as a DJ on 97.7 the Wolf, doing their afternoon show from 3-6 and I love it. Never before have I had a job where so many people have told me "That job is perfect for you!" and I get a lot of accolades when I go in public which feels GREAT I won't even pretend it doesn't. Can you feel a 'but' coming? I can. Being in radio doesn't pay well at all. Ask any DJ and they'll tell you the same thing. So, I'm working on other ways to supplement (or completely overhaul) my income stream and still keep myself on the air somehow. Actually, this week will be a big week as far as hearing back from places (specifically one place in particular) where I've applied at. I'm kinda holding off on doing a podcast until I have some definite details. I'll tell ya this though! I'm liking how this blog stuff feels. I think I may make this at least a weekly thing.