In the Mind of Nate

Hello again everybody. When I first came up with the idea for this particular entry, it was back in early July. And even those it’s the last day of September (and most likely your reading this in October) I. Didn't want another month to go by. I was on the way to the charity show I had mentioned previously Bravo Fest . Obviously a lot has happened between now and then. But oh, I still think that the basic idea is still relevant. At the time, I found myself driving on I-95 up to the show in Connecticut thinking about all of the pitfalls I had encountered trying to put this together. From cancellations, things getting lost in the mail and in general things not coming together the way I had hoped they would. Plus sitting in traffic never put anyone in a good mood. Especially me. Of course this was different than most of the events said I had performed at. Because not only was it a charity, but it was for raising money for our veterans. Whi...

Hello everyone, my apologies for my absence this past week. Sometimes a much-needed pause is necessary. More accurately, reflecting back and being that my birthday is coming up this Monday it's naturally the time to do so. Even though I have referenced this film and the main character's perspective before, this look into this great piece of work (and each form of media it's represented in) is not redundant. I am in no way looking to lose the momentum I have gained this year with consistent entries. I just needed a short breather, it happens. After all, we are human and if the events of this past year-and-a-half haven't taught us that then I don't think anything will. But then again, who am I to ponder what is or isn't or what may or may not happen. All I can really speak of accurately are the things I have seen, experienced and felt. And if there's one thing that the story that inspired the entry taught me, is that our words weaken ...

Hello everyone. After last week I don't think there's any way I could top that, so I'm not going to try. But I'm also not going to allow the the shift in my schedule or the fact that this it's a holiday weekend to put things to a screeching halt. For many this is the time of Lent in which people are supposed to give up something they enjoy for a short of time. With everything that's going on in the world right now most people, regardless of religious beliefs or lack thereof are already giving something up they enjoy. And not just one thing, in most cases several things. For many it's almost as if our lives our assembly being put on hold until further notice. Anyone who read my last entry, knows that I decided to not let my life be on hold and took a trip out of the country. I think the airlines and the place I was staying did a very good job of keeping everybody safe. Despite not requiring a vaccination (as if they h...

Hello everybody, Last year I did an end of the summer post and I didn't want to create a carbon copy of that. And yes I know it is October. However, after looking back at the Summer of 2014 this entry will be not be a mere Summer recap post. I don't even know where to begin to describe what I expected to happen, what did happen and how it changed me forever. For a very long time I have been suffering from many personal demons including anger,depression,hopelessness and abandonment. Topped with the pressures of everyday life and trying to keep a band moving it can be quite taxing. Luckily, I allowed myself to loosen the grip on how I felt things should be and learned to "go with the flow" a bit. With the help of a few great friends that I had made recently I learned that I need to put these bad traits behind me and I can't thank them enough for helping me change for the better. Yet I know that I still have much to learn and that my personal evolution has just ...

Hello everyone. I know it's been nearly a month since my last entry. I have finally finished the Imbolg album. It is a great weight off my shoulders. Now I have plenty of work to do to promote the album and get the band back out performing shows. This has also meant that I am no longer working with the band Of beauty and Madness . As many of you know our lives have many turning points and things sometimes "run there course". However, it always best to see this early on and try to settle matters civilly as I had attempted to. Unfortunately, we have no control over the actions of others and my former partner at Forever Autumn Records and band mate grew to resent me due to his lack of time and inability to accomplish the things we had set forth to do together. I found myself taking on more responsibilities than I had bargained for and my efforts were unappreciated by all who are in the band, simply because they have never been in a band where two members are seasoned ...

Greetings people. With the warm-er weather now here(finally) it is harder to sit down and write on a Saturday, which is usually when I do it. However, I had plenty of work to do with the upcoming re-release of the Imbolg album and the release from Of Beauty and Madness , titled Litany . For a long time I have been focusing on my own band and felt that I would not be able to devote the proper attention to another musical project, however this has taught me a lot about the dynamics of being a part of a band, as a member and not being the leader. I must say in some ways it is a relief to not have that burden on my shoulders. Even with the process of getting this album ready, I saw how much of a well oiled machine a band can be. We had a friend create the album artwork,we designed the rest,with the exception of a photo taken by another friend. We placed the order for the cds and distribution, and fortunately one band member lives close enough to Discmakers and was able to pick the ...

Some of you that are linked up with me on Facebook probably know why I chose this title. I have been posting a video for a song with the same named from a band called the 69 Eyes around lately for various reasons. I felt the message of the song is good and I have been listening to this group a lot recently. Also, I just felt this was a fitting message to send people into 2014 with. A few weeks ago I warned everyone about the dangers of being sidetracked during the Holidays. Which I'm sure may have gone wayside, and justifiably so. I have found myself practically in panic mode not being able to get even the simple of tasks done(actually I'm lying I did come up with a few new riffs and lyrics) forgetting that this is a well earned break from all the pressure and stress that comes along with being a D.I.Y. musician/owner of a soon to be launched independent record label. I found myself very anxious too when thinking about spending time with the people that will accept ...

I took the name of a Facebook group that I joined for the title of this post. I believe the group deals with ranting, but I realized that ranting takes away from the time needed to become successful. However, we all do it from time to time so here is the link to that group if you feel the need to do so. The one good thing about a rant is that many people can relate to do it. For those of you that are linked to my Facebook and Twitter accounts, you may noticed that I created my catchphrase for the most dreaded day of the week, Monday. I figured, we have "Feel good Friday" and "Throwback Thursday" why not "Bitch and Moan Monday"? Come on you know we all do it, so feel free to post it but make sure you include these hashtags: #BMM #ihatemondays #mondayssuck. The Vicious Circle I am referring to is that which as artists we must be a part of. My last few posts focused on learning how the music business operates,putting out and promoting a professiona...

    I wanted to copy an old blog I had made years ago on myspace with some tips, reference materials and links to help people learn more about promotions and the music business. However, the new myspace has deleted all the blogs created on their page. Instead of getting mad, sulking and feeling stuck yet again here I am taking a more progmatic approach to this, while knowing it could be worse. I still have most of the books I have read and I remember most of the links. However, many of them probably are outdated. Ironically enough, I thought I had saved this blog years ago but all I saved was a blog with links for pages that Imbolg has profiles on (and lets face it who wants to see that). Lesson learned (yet again) Always have a back up. If did not have most of these books, or a good enough memory to remember most of what I was trying to enter I would have lost most of this information for good. I hate to put this off yet again, but I will have to create another blo...

   This title may suggest that this post is about the feeling a guy or girl has when they approach someone that they are attracted to for the first time hoping to strike up a conversation. But, I'm afraid it is not about that for the most part. I am speaking mainly about trying to learn a new song that someone else has written. This can also help those that are thinking of picking up an instrument for the first time. One of the hardest things I have noticed with my students was that they are not used to having guitar playing as part of their everyday routine and hence they don't practice as much.Or they become frustrated early on that they don't know many songs. But the more you pratice, the better you become and the easier it will become to learn songs(sometimes,it happens by accident just from fiddling around,the start of learning a song by ear-no sheet music or instruction needed)Many people sometimes hear a song on the radio & are so intimidated by the artist...