As a musician in the 21st century, I have been marketed to – much in the fashion that wild animals have had bullets marketed to them – an unending barrage of “ways to get my music heard” that all say the same thing and appeal to the same part of my ego…
The part of my ego that believes that everyone walking the earth would benefit from having my music in their lives. That all I really need is the have the kind of exposure that Dave Grohl and Jack White can afford, and that the quality and integrity of my art will do the rest.
For starters… What a stupid thing to think.
Am I so brazen to believe that (a) the MAJORITY of people are actively looking for the exact thing I am making; and despite their tireless efforts, have not yet found what I am making that will end their search forever?
Not really. Not anymore, anyway.
I mean sure, I’d love to play to a stadium full of people – but the caveat would have to be that those people give a shit what I am doing and I think we need to be honest about how unlikely that is, given that IF I were given such an opportunity at this point in my life, it would be because I’d be opening for a band people care about, and that most of the people seeing me perform in this fictitious setting would primarily view me as an annoying thing preventing them from singing along to all their favorite songs that the headliner performs.
What would be of more value would be to play in a smaller room full of people who genuinely want to connect with me and what I’m doing.
So, a crowd that is 2% the size of the stadium crowd, but that is 100% into it.
In a lot of ways, it’s back to basics for me right now.
It’s new record-launch time, and although I am proud of the record me & the boys have made, I have to say that I couldn’t care less about how the “general public” feels about it. I’m certain that it will reach the ears it’s mean to reach, but in the meantime, as long as we do our best to let our ‘return-fans’ (we’ll call ’em) know that there’s a fresh, new, shiny way to support this lil’ rock & roll band from Edmonton, then we can count on moving some records.
It’ll also remind promoters that we exist and are actively doing things. That’s always a good thing to broadcast.
Some radio shows will talk to us on-air.
Some blogs will review it.
Local paper might do something to promote the release show whenever that happens.
Sure, it’ll find new ears, as records do.
Our last record will continue to do so as well.
So as an artist, I’m good – I’m good with these songs I wrote, I’m good with the recording and mastering, and the artwork is killer. I’m good with making them available to whoever stumbles across them. We’ll play some more shows with some more cool bands. We’ll spend a bunch of time on the highway with a trailer in-tow.
But as a businessman in a rock & roll band, I struggle… not only because this record isn’t the only thing going on in my life, but because I’m actually content to let this record find it’s people in a more organic way.
Sure, we’ll promote it. Of course we will.
We’re proud of it, and it rips super hard and we DO believe that peoples’ lives WILL BE MADE BETTER by having heard it.
Just… not everyone, everywhere.
This is a record made by people who have been misunderstood most (more like ALL) of their lives, and it’s dedicated TO the rest of the people out there who have been misunderstood for most of their lives.
This record will very likely be misunderstood.
It fits nowhere and it fits everywhere.
It’s too rock & roll for country & rockabilly and it’s too twangy for rock & roll.
It hits super hard and all the songs are about real things, and real feelings.
It’s awesome.
And it will find it’s crowd.
And I will help it do that.
The Conscious Pilgrim 