All We Need Is Love

Here it is, peeps: the unvarnished truth about the life of a gigging musician.

Sometimes it is rough… discouraging… and physically draining.

At other times, it is transcendent… exhilarating… and rewarding on the deepest emotional level.

Gotta be honest; there are definitely times when I shake my head and say “why am I doing this?” And that usually is when I am busy with (as I like to say) “hustling for gigs”.

Gig bookings generally do not fall into a performer’s lap. Unless you work with a booking agent, you spend a considerable portion of your time politely asking venues - wineries, listening rooms, pubs, festivals - if they would please, PLEASE let you perform for their patrons. And, like they say in the field of acting, get used to the rejection. ‘Cause that’s what you encounter most of the time.

Which is why, whenever I do score a booking - however humble it might be - I am incredibly grateful. Once the gig is done, I get on Facebook and make sure my followers know where I had played and how thankful I am to that venue for allowing me to sing. I do this every single time, without fail.

I think a lot of folks out there - who maybe visit a local winery, watch me set up, and stay to listen to me sing - are probably blissfully unaware of how much effort it takes just to get to that point where you can see me perform. And I’m not alone in this; it’s pretty much the experience of most musicians you’d see in these settings.

On the other hand… once I’ve set up my gear, done my sound check and have my instruments perfectly tuned, I go into “performance” mode. But lest you think this is something of an “act”, I’d instead say this is when I feel the most real. There is nothing more humbling and evocative of one’s vulnerability than getting up in front of strangers to perform. 

And believe it or not, even if only one person claps or otherwise expresses appreciation for my singing, I am ecstatic, especially if it’s for a song I wrote! Folks, there is nothing more uplifting to a songwriter’s soul than simple appreciation. Please keep this in mind the next time you are at a pub, and some musician in the corner plucks out a tune. Just getting to the point where she/he can do that is a big deal, and your applause is like a warm blanket for one’s soul.

And I try to pay that appreciation forward. Whenever I have the honor of being in the audience and watching someone else perform, I make sure I clap for every number, and I hoot and holler, too. I want that musician to know unconditional love. 

It’s what we musicians live for.