32 | Steel Notes Magazine www . steelnotesmagazine . com | May 2014
Fourth and finally the pro ’ s : doing covers just like the record , and I mean perfectly . Big gear and stage lighting . Work every weekend , at the shore , up and down the coast . Living the dream by creating the illusion . They ’ re Pink Floyd ( not the cool old stuff ) AND they ’ re Kanye West . And they are paid well for providing this entertainment . Yet a friend of mine in a similar agency-represented cover band quit after two years because creatively it was driving him to hate music . It no longer mattered how much he got paid .
I have wrestled with this decision from day one . I work in music stores full of employees in cover bands that have work every weekend . Meanwhile I don ’ t know where my next gig is coming from . Me and my stupid original music and arrangements . These guys are getting paid GREAT and some readily admit they can ’ t play well . I ’ m playing for ... whatever . Well actually these days are so tough even the cover bands are getting what I get ... but ... What am I doing wrong !?
First scenario : I ’ m doing what I love and what I believe in . I put my heart and soul in it . It ’ s sincere , and the people know when you ’ re sincere . It shows . I have some great musicians that will play with me for very little pay because I offer them the chance to be themselves and have fun , not copy a record efficiently . Getting people up and dancing is not my priority , but a by-product of what I feel good doing to begin with . I ’ m not selling you booze , I ’ m presenting you my soul . Buy booze if you want to , but it ’ s not why I ’ m there . Besides , people will buy booze when I ’ m making them feel good .
Remember that second scenario , where I sucked and was still told “ You ’ re GREAT ?”
The next day I was at a jazz jam in Philadelphia , the former great Ortlieb ’ s , where there were jazz students half my age running circles around me , not to mention experienced cats older than me making you drop your jaw in awe . Well I got my turn , went up there after waiting for hours , and got in one song with a few minutes of soloing . An older and highly respected and recorded pro whom EVERYBODY knew came up to me afterwords , patted me on the shoulder , and sincerely whispered “ you ’ re getting better .”
I ’ ll never forget that EVER . That meant more to me that all the drunken “ You ’ re GREAT ’ s ” I ’ ll ever hear in my lifetime . That told me then and there which path to take .
I don ’ t make a lot of money . But when I come off a good set I feel good inside instead of feeling like I fooled someone . I feel really honest , like it was a good day ’ s hard work . I did well and gave people my best effort and it was appreciated .
I didn ’ t get asked by any cover bands recently to play the Jersey shore during the summer season Margarita nights . I also haven ’ t gone looking for that . But I was asked to play England three times . And Germany and Italy ( I said YES !) I didn ’ t get paid a lot but traipsed around England and Europe for pennies a day , playing music I liked and wrote , to people who really did think we were “ GREAT !” I was even asked by Columbia Records to send them material because they were seeing our name so much they couldn ’ t help but notice . Now we didn ’ t get in for various reasons , but they weren ’ t interested in covers . They ’ re looking for the next ORIGINAL song that EVERYONE WILL WANT TO COVER .
I ’ m staying true to what I feel in my heart , and you should too , hey man , even if it ’ s covers ... but I make a living playing music doing it MY way . It is WAY HARDER but can you believe I haven ’ t ever had to play “ Wanted Dead Or Alive ” or “ Sweet Child Of Mine ”?
Sorry all you masses ! I guess if you want to hear a popular favorite that sounds just like the record ... I ’ m not your man ! Music is not what I do , it ’ s who I am . ♫
32 | Steel Notes Magazine www . steelnotesmagazine . com | May 2014