When I teach, it's all about you. I don't care if you are upside down and spinning in the chair. It's important for you to feel so comfortable with me that nothing is stopping your real voice from coming out.
That's Jack, by the way. He is completely comfortable in his own skin and I look forward to his view on, well, anything. Position is everything in life, and I like the way he sees things! So, when you come to your lesson, be yourself! Wear your pajamas, tell me a joke, ask me for a cup of tea, question everything I teach you. It's not about me. It's all about you! Peace out and rock on, Zuke
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This week I’ve been reading “Six Pixels of Separation” by Mitch Joel. (Thank you, Katie Hambor, for lending it to me!) Although the book was published in 2009, there are many things that resonate today - especially for the working musician.
In my Artist Roundtable group, we bitch and boast about the music business. One of our latest discussions was that there are too many social media sites and artists seem compelled to sign up on all of them. In Joel’s book, he uses the term “snackable” to describe what he calls “media saturation.” Do you find yourself bookmarking articles only to forget about them because you’ve bookmarked even more? I am all too guilty of browsing multiple sites and only reading the first paragraph, or even sometimes just the title! I also find myself listening to bits and pieces of music rather than a whole song. How sad since I used to love putting on my headphones to listen to my favorite albums from beginning to end, analyze the lyrics and just zone out. On the flip side, this is just the way we consume information now so what can you do to satisfy your snacking viewers? If you do feel it’s necessary to have yourself listed on a dozen different channels, are you at least offering different snacks on each site instead of franchising the same thing at each location? Maybe it’s a good idea to scale down so you can spend quality time updating your info. Find your niche audience and cater only to them. "When I went to public school, back in the sixties, a decade today’s rich pooh-pooh and want to eliminate from memory, every student had art and music classes every week. And I’m not saying everybody became an artist, but some were inspired and everybody was exposed." -Bob Lefsetz With the over glut of social media begging for everyone’s attention, artists have lost sight of playing, and I don’t mean your instrument.
Think back to when you were a kid. Did you play with dolls, Legos, have a Star Wars setup? Your imagination had no limits in your head or with your friends. From where I sit that’s what I see missing with artists. They spend far too much time worrying about what they should post on their multiple social channels when that valuable time could be spent engaging their creative imagination. Let’s play! Open up the nearest book to any page and let your eyes rest on a word in the middle of the page. Write it down. Grab another book and do the same. Grab one more and do it again. With these 3 words, write a verse or chorus to a song. Ok, I’ll do it. Luna (from my grocery flyer) Suitable (“Vocal Warm-ups” by Klaus Heizmann) Mind (Broadway For Teens) As I call out to Luna in the night sky I ask her to calm my mind What can I do with my life? What is suitable? What will I find? Cool, easy, and fun! What the heck…let me try to write a second verse. Weak (Kids’ Songbook) Organized (“We Are All Weird” by Seth Godin) Remove (“101 Healthy Vegan Burger Recipes) Oy…ok…let’s give it a shot. I feel uncomfortably strange and weak As I try to organize my thoughts My daily tasks pull me down to earth And remove me from the hell I’ve wrought Wanna play? Come up with a chorus and post it here! Guest blog by Casey O'Connell Hey Zukoids! ‘Practice makes perfect’ is more than some ancient proverb your parent’s have probably overused at this point, but it’s really very accurate. As a growing artist, you probably know how important practice is for improvement. You might know your instrument inside and out, and you might have a handle on singing and memorizing lyrics now, but what’s next? How about playing out to a crowd of strangers? That’s a scary thought. But you know what people say: sometimes the scariest things are the most fulfilling! I know I cannot get up in front of a crowd and act like a normal human being without sweating profusely and having my wobbly knees betray me. Fortunately, I know that stage fright is something that can go away, or at least get easier. It’s scary, but not impossible. Open Mic’s are a great place to start. Artists of different ages and experience levels come together under a very important commonality: they want to be heard. Showing up to an Open Mic will not only be a great way to push yourself to practice playing in front of a crowd, but you’ll also begin to gain confidence from that, as well as be able to network with musicians of all levels. It’s great to support and make connections with other musicians. You never know what you might be able to learn from or help someone else with. The music scene is a community, and you can strengthen your own self by getting involved in it. If you aren’t ready to play out just yet, check one out anyway. They’re usually at coffee shops or bars, so grab a drink and check out the local music scene. Talk to the artists and build relationships. Find out for yourself and then get up there! Even if you’re nervous, just go for it. You’ve got nothing to lose! I’ve compiled a short list for you about several Open Mic’s in the surrounding area. There are plenty more out there, Google is your friend. And, as I’ve said, the more musicians you meet at these might know of more places! Do you know of any other Open Mic’s you’d like to tell people about? Post them in the comment section and add them to the list! The Ridgewood Coffee Company90 East Ridgewood Avenue Ridgewood, NJ phone: (201) 493-1002 website: rcccoffeehouse.com info: Monday nights. Sign-up is at 6 PM, performances start around 6:30 PM. It’s a first come, first serve basis. An artist (depending on how many are signed up) will be able to perform 2-3 songs each. Mic & amp are provided. Cool Beans International Coffee & Teas304 Kinderkamack Rd Oradell, NJ phone: (201) 634-1400 website: coolbeansnj.com info: Every other Sunday. Sign-up is at 6/6:30 PM, performances start at 7 PM. There is a $3 cover for performers & audience members. An artist may perform 3 songs each. Piano, mic, & amp. are provided. Must call ahead of time to bring for approval to bring in a bigger instrument like a drum kit. The Fine Grind Coffee Bar101 Newark Pompton Turnpike Little Falls, NJ phone: (973) 837-0199 website: thefinegrindcoffeebar.com info: Sunday nights. Sign-up is at 7 PM, performances from 7:30-9:30 PM. It’s a first come, first serve basis with 10 available slots. An artist may perform for 10 minutes. Sound board, speakers, & mic provided. Trend411 Bloomfield Avenue Montclair, NJ phone: (973) 744-1333 website: trendcoffee.com info: Wednesday from 7 PM until 12 PM. Sign-up upon arrival. 2-3 songs per performer. Olive's 118A Main Street Nyack, NY phone: (845) 358-3120 info: Wednesday nights at 9:30 PM. They have a whole band set up but artists are welcomed to bring their own instruments. Artists may perform up to 3 or 4 songs. Caffé á la Mode1 Oakland Ave Warwick, NY phone: (845) 986-1223 website: caffealamode.com info: Friday nights. Sign-up is at 6 PM, performances start at 7:30 PM. It’s a first come, first serve basis. An artist will have 15 min. to perform. Mic & amp. provided. Tuscan Cafe 5 South Street Warwick, NY phone: (845) 987-2050 website: tuscancafe.net info: Thursday nights. Sign-up is at 6:30 PM, performances start at 7 PM. It’s a first come, first serve basis. An artist will be able to perform about 3-4 songs. PA system & mics provided. Rivara's6-18 Maple Avenue Fair Lawn, NJ phone: (201) 797-4878 website: rivaras.com info: Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM. It’s a first come/first serve basis. Mic & amp. provided. Tommy Fox's 32 S Washington Ave Bergenfield, NJ phone: (201) 384-0900 website: tommyfoxs.com info: Wednesday nights at 10. An open jam runs from 10-12. Featured artist starts at 9. Sign up starts at 9:30. Artists can perform 2 or more songs depending on length of sign up sheet. They have a whole band set up but artists are welcomed to bring their own instruments. Must be 21+. Do you guys know of any open mics in the area? Share the details in the comments and get your friends to come out!
Guest blog by Katie McCort Social media is pitiable. Arguably (and quite sadly) the most praised contribution of Generation Y, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and the like have developed from the best thing to ever happen to the Internet to another commonplace fixture in our lives. Consequently, it has devolved into a mindless void of excessive opinion, incessant hype, and trivial aspirations held up by meaningless “likes” and “favorites” instead of legitimate motivation. So, when I hear aspiring superstars being given the advice to upload all of their songs to YouTube, set up their main base of operations on a Facebook page, or—the most horrifying of all—beg potential fans to fund their future album via a Kickstarter campaign, I, for my sanity, have convinced myself that the people giving this advice simply do not understand the negative impact that social media has on new artists’ careers.
Musicians who wish to break into the industry using only social media to guide them must understand that social media, regardless of its ability to reach potential new audiences, is limited by the mentality of the marketplace that surrounds shared music on social media services. This mentality is one that views online music as a valueless instrument of entertainment that should be readily accessible and free of charge. The lack of respect for music has ultimately led to a market filled with a high volume of new works with limited potential for growth, profitability, and, as a result, sustainability. This issue stems from two drivers, both as instrumental in launching a successful music career on social media as they are with limiting its potential. The first driver consists of the consumers of online music and the users that share music via social media. The second driver is made up of the streaming services and social media services that host and share new content. First Driver: Mistaken Millennials
Second Driver: Google’s Greed One of the most important things for a new artist to understand about the deception of social media marketing is that when she exclusively invests her career in social media, she is cementing 100% of her potential to a platform that has historically been pleased with watching the music industry crash and burn for the sake of high quarterly earnings. This is because the devaluation of music in the virtual market can largely be blamed on the social media platforms and streaming services that dictate the market for online music. These sites are only concerned with the billions of plays of online music themselves, not the success and value that these plays could potentially pass on to the musician. One of the best examples of Silicon Valley's apathy for artists is YouTube, currently the most popular streaming service on the Internet and the service that is reportedly responsible for giving up-and-coming musicians the most opportunities to launch a successful career. We’ve all heard of the success stories surrounding the few musicians who have managed to squeeze their way into the mainstream via the power of YouTube views including Esmee Denters and Justin Bieber. Despite the hype (and, you know, the widely successful pop stars like Usher and Justin Timberlake who backed these “YouTube Stars”), YouTube, as one of the most profitable extensions of Google, works much harder to restrict artists’ careers than they do to give those careers a boost. In January, Zoe Keating, an independent musician who has often been vocal about the abuse online media sites have brought upon her career, reported that YouTube demanded rights to her entire catalogue and rights to set release times for her material if she wished to make her tunes available on YouTube’s upcoming subscription music service called YouTube Music Key. The streaming service threatened to block the artist’s channel if she refused to agree to the terms. This practice by YouTube exemplifies their inability to negotiate fair and reasonable agreements with unsigned and independent artists who do not have the support of big labels to help solidify their deals. This, of course, brings upon the bigger point that new artists should consider when they deliberate relying on social media as a primary launch pad for their all-star career. Services like YouTube are not looking to foster an artist’s potential or help an artist flourish. They are businesses. They are only seeking to increase profit margins while they drive the price of music closer and closer to $0.00 to appease their users. This business practice will ultimately harm new artists’ careers and cripple their potential to profit from the audiences these services may or may not give them. So How Should New Artists Launch Their Careers?
“Traditional methods” refers to earthshattering concepts such as communicating with local artists, managers, and venues to set up gigs and jam sessions instead of putting out a few Facebook messages and wall posts; spending hours booking performances and walking to crappy bars in the freezing cold with pounds of gear simply to play gig after tiring gig instead of posting a live recording of some new song onto yet another overlooked YouTube channel; and actually tracking down the important people that are going to offer up a good gig, a contact for a good producer, or, I don’t know, a record deal (yes, new artists still need one. No. They’re not going out of vogue) instead of spamming their inbox with mp3 files. Using these methods as a new artist not only sets apart these artists from the other aspiring pop stars whose heads are still stuck in virtual hell, but these methods also establish an artist’s career in marketplaces that have not been brought down by the access model of online music.
Where artists build their music catalogs may be going all digital, but how artists build their careers is still the same old game of luck and hard work. All of the hype surrounding social media put aside, any benefits gained through the vapid virtual voids in cyberspace will never be able to replace the value of using personal and physical connections as the launch pad for a career in the music industry. Kent is home sick today recovering from a cold and fever, so he asked me to make some type of broth to clear his sinuses. I thought it would be nice to share my recipe if you find yourself needing a vegan alternative to chicken-based broth soups. Zuke’s Kitchen: Kill That Cold! Vegan SoupIngredients 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 small onion chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 4-6 crimini mushrooms, sliced thin 1 large handful kale, sliced into strips 1 inch ginger piece, minced 2 cartons vegetable broth (or 8 cups homemade) 1 Tbsp dried lemon grass (in tea infuser) 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp lime juice 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (ground down in mortar & pestle) Fresh ground pepper to taste Directions In your favorite soup pot, heat oil and add onions, garlic, mushrooms, and kale. Sauté on medium heat until they sweat and are lightly browned. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, then simmer on a very low heat for an hour. Additional Tips Please use organic ingredients as much as possible! Optional: Add some shaved carrot or diced tofu to the broth before simmering. For extra sinus clearing, add crushed red pepper or Shiracha sauce to your liking. That’s it. Pretty easy, huh? If you want to make this at home and you find yourself saying, “Lemon grass? Where do I find that?” Don’t worry! I’m happy to give you a missing ingredient or two at your next lesson. Cut Lemon Grass: I bought mine from the Bulk Herb Store. Peace out and rock on in good health!
Zuke Week 1: Back in the Chair |