In the Mind of Nate

Hello all, I had yet again another unexpected hiatus. I am trying to move this blog over to our main website (which you maybe reading this from for all I know) and after the unexpected low number of reader for my last entry I was a bot taken aback. It may have been the fact that some people are not a fan of the late David Crosby or the genre of music he created. I assure you that whatever your muscial taste, it is something that you will benefit from by reading it. Yes it was about an artist that was prominent in another time period, but much of what he said is extremely relevant today. Especially with everything that is working so hard to divide us againsst on another. I must admit I am NOT a fan of these cold months and I literally found myself of dreaming of being back in California. The irony goes beyond that fact that there is a song about it, but also that I have only spent a few days of my life there so far (go figure). I can...

Hello all, Well, I can say for sure that if there’s one thing consistent about this is blog is inconsistency. Or the consistency of not being consistent. Or perhaps being consistently sporadic. No matter which way you look at it, I should try to give you more to read more often. There’s the word I was looking for. I really don’t know what to make of this latest absence. We always find readily used excuses that seem to be given effortlessly such as “I was so busy”, or “I just can’t”. These are so overused and accessible that they make us feel no guilt of wasting energy better spent finding a solution than coming up with reasons why we can’t do something. A tool I often find readily available once I smell the unfortunately familiar scent of bullshit being served to me by someone incapable of getting passed their own thoughts. Ok, enough of that (for now). This is an indirect admission of guilt on my part. Bes...

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, if you read my last post you'd know that I am in the middle doing our radio campaign. Debuting at #36 on the National Metal charts was very encouraging. However, these days it seems like for every one step forward you make, things either fall back or stay still. I know most people don't know or don't want to know the day in day out struggles that most musicians have these days in order to survive. On top of having a job outside the music industry, we have to write,rehearse and promote our music. But it is rewarding being stuck in the middle if these two worlds when things pan out. But when they don't and you are left with unsold merchandise,playing to an empty room or another band's audience asking yourself is this even worth it? Ironically,one time we played in the middle of a bill with two other local acts in Astoria,NY (I'd mention them by name but the douchebag hipsters don't deserve any publicity), I watched the first band and the headliner...

Hello everyone, at this point it wouldn't even be redundant to say I'm sorry that I haven't blogged in a while. It's nearly downright embarrassing that I haven't. Especially since this is the longest I have gone without making a new post. Ironically enough, I was planning on doing this post almost a year ago. So obviously a lot has gone on between now and then. We recently released a new album called "the Sorrows" and we've already done three out of town trips to perform. In the interim, we have parted ways with some bandmembers and gain new ones. One of which literally risked life and limb on one of the tours. The actions of our new drummer, Kenn Holley who came in literally one week before we were going to go out on the road are the complete opposite of the title of this post. I'm sure many of you recognize the title as a line from a song by The late great Tom Petty . He was certainly onto something, and that's not the only re...

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 ...

If you have read the past few posts I have made you may start to realize that being a musical artist isn't always about writing and performing music. Especially if you are a DIY or an independent artist. You have to be your own booking agent, manager, tour manager, publicist and sometimes even your own record label. These dual roles or "wearing many hats" is not easy and sometimes your performance can suffer as a result of it. Many managers also have law degrees, but do not practice. However their education in law helps them read and write contracts for their clients in order to be more effective as representation to their clients. If you would like more information on this topic, I suggest reading this book on Music Law . Here is a musical fact you may not know: Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis & the News actually managed the band he created. Dual roles in music are so common that nobody even gives them a second thought. How bands do you know engineer their own...

Hello again everybody, this entry I will be focusing on running a smarter campaign to avoid the backlash overdoing your promotions or (worse case scenario) being labeled a "Spammer". Yes, people do throw that and many other terms around too loosely, we all do. And I admit I have been guilty of overdoing posts in the past. But instead of defending myself and starting arguments I decided to evaluate how I was going about spreading the word about my music and this blog while sharing what I learned with you. Your goal when being on social media is not just to get people into your music music but also, entertaining them or engaging them with an interesting post, like a picture you took or asking them a question about a music related topic. Make it interactive and not just about you, people will respond more and, to quote Bill Cosby but you may even learn thing or two (Hey Hey Hey). Yes it can be nerve racking to think that so many bands are out their posting their music an...

Now that the Holiday consumerism fest is over, those of us that have their sights set on accomplishing projects can finally get down to it. Although, it may be a bit harder the first weeks with all that extra Holiday weight you maybe carrying around. For myself, it is a very difficult part of the Holidays having to drop everything and trying to celebrate with not even one major task out of the way. Although the New Year does bring us hope that we can make things better for ourselves and many believe how you enter the New Year is how you shape the rest of it. As I'm sure you noticed by now, this a downtime for the entertainment industry as a whole. Show attendance and club events usually don't have as many numbers as they do in the months prior to the Holidays. The music industry actually shuts down and all business starts up again in the New Year, as there are many behind the scenes things happening and many trade shows in January, such as the NAMM show. So what is th...

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 ...

Hello again, I'm sure most of you that live in places the have seasons are already braving the cold or may have come down with one already. This time of year just sneaks up on us. Not to mention having the Holidays and the pressure to spend being forced on you. And of course all those Christmas songs, which I'm sure you have heard so many times that you may have created your own parodies of. After all " its the most annoying time of the year " lol. It is nice to spend time with family and friends during this time and celebrate after working all year. But the cold weather does make us more run down, unmotivated and more prone to over eat. A few things that are poison to anybody that is trying to focus on being successful in any field, especially in music. I decided to post this entry since this time of year is an easy one for us to lose focus on working towards our goals. Many work overtime if they are stuck in retail, and not to mention the music industry does...

After that last entry and all I put into it and the previous entries that include tips on the music Business, I needed to take a breather(which is needed from time to time). Well that and I have been having computer issues. Anyway, I really hope my last few entries gave you some serious insight into what is put into a career as a professional musician. What I really mean is an original band that plays professionally. All the Orchestras you may have heard(think Star Wars ) in movies, Tv, or in plays or operas are all classically trained musicians, some of which have been playing since early in their childhood that have spent some much time learning their instrument that can not only play many complex pieces of music, but can also play them as soon as a piece is given them. Which is also known as "Sight Reading". That is in itself is something many artists(including myself)can barely do if at all.Luckily these musicians usually are well compensated and receive medical an...