Author: Jaimee T

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Save the Drama for Your Mama!

Posted on by Jaimee T

I’m not one for conflict, I’ve never liked it. Mostly because I wish people would just get along.

One time, I was so mad at my friend, I made her listen to New Found Glory because I couldn’t talk to her because I literally just didn’t want to fight. And I told her ” this is how I feel about you, right now!”… I think it was ‘All Downhill From Here’. Lame I know!

So I started to write music because writing music about mean people is like writing about my ex-boyfriends… I’m going to stop right there, I’m started to sound like Taylor Swift.

Now that I think about it, I believe  90% is about about love or heartbreak, the other 2% is about being mad at someone. The other 8% is about sex and drugs. So I guess it makes sense.

My point: I’m getting much better at working with people that don’t like me.

Reasons: I don’t think I have that many “haters” in the first place, but also, if you kill someone with kindness, it really does make your life so much easier. So just be nice to people!

Or you can put your headphones in and pretend you are dating Ryan Reynolds…

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The Difference between Brew City and Music City

Posted on by Jaimee T

I have been in Nashville for five months and of course being a northern, I noticed the differences between the two cities.

Politics: I never really took into consideration the “democratic” and “republican” states idea… until I moved to Nashville. Milwaukee is very much a liberal city when it comes to relationships, jobs, drinking and every day life. Nashville is “liberal” for being a city in the south, but there are certain ideologies that make Nashville conservative… especially drinking. I still believe Milwaukee is the best town for that.

Weather: Enough said… I’m not freezing my butt off down  in Nashville.

Motivation: After the recession, I noticed the job market in Milwaukee struggled when I got out of college. To this day it still struggles, and there aren’t many jobs there. I just feel there ‘s not a lot of motivation in Milwaukee to fight what Milwaukee use to be. Nashville people are wanting change and are willing to make a change. I feel that fight has died in Milwaukee. I’m hoping that will change.

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To My Grandma

Posted on by Jaimee T

So what has happened to me in the past month.

I have gone home for a wedding, gone home for Thanksgiving, worked over 7o hours per week for the last two months, and now I’m going home for Christmas… and yet, I still haven’t landed the gig that I’ve been looking for.

But I guess that has been put on hold for bit because my grandmother passed away on my birthday. And I honestly don’t care that it was on my birthday, I’m more upset with myself that I didn’t give her the proper goodbye. Had I known,  the last time I was going to see her was in the hospital, I would have told her how special she is and how much she means to me. I probably wrote her a song had I known she wasn’t going to make it.

So this blog post is dedicated to my amazing grandmother.Who has taught me to be a strong, independent woman and to go after my dreams. Because of her passing, I’m going to to work as hard as I can to make sure I make her proud.

I love you grandma, always have always will.

Posted in Music

“Make It Work”

Posted on by Jaimee T

We’ve all heard the phrase “make it work”… mostly from Project Runway from Tim Gunn. But when you really think about it, it’s a very daunting thought. Because, how exactly do you “make it work”.

I can personally say working in the music and marketing industry, it starts with yourself, and I’m assuming it’s the same for other industries as well. Pretty much if you aren’t determined to do it, you will never get it done. It starts within you.

Next, it takes practice. Practice always makes perfect, and you can’t  be good at what you do unless you do it. Like playing guitar or working on your car, if you want to be the best at it, you have to do it all the time.

Lastly, after all the preparation of yourself, it’s about selling yourself. For a lot of people, this is probably the hardest part. Because if you don’t tell anyone that you are totally awesome, how is anyone going to know. You have to go out there and be awesome!

Facts of life if you want to make it.

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Live to Work or Work to Live

Posted on by Jaimee T

The one thing I always say in my interviews, “you’re not just applying to a place to make money, it’s a lifestyle, it’s the life you want to live and that’s why I want to work for (your company). I want my life to be about (this company).”… OK I say something along the lines of that, it’s not necessarily word for word, but when I say it I mean.

But how far do you have to go to get to what you want and how much do you have to sacrifice along the way? Long story short, I am missing a very important family event because I can’t get off of work. Needless to say, my mom was very upset with me. And I don’t blame her, because I want my life eventually to be work to live and not live to work.

My point: hopefully you’ll choose the places  you work for because you want to work there. If you’re not happy, you probably need to get out.

Posted in Music

Band Geek to Rockstar: Where’s the fine line?

Posted on by Jaimee T

One of the things I hated as a kid was juggling music and sports. It was very difficult and many times I had to choose one or the other. My varsity basketball coach told me if I missed a game for a concert that I would be benched for five games. Is that seriously necessary?

So I want you to think about this: Were you a band geek? Tell me, were you made of in high school? Or were you making fun of someone for being in music in high school or college? Or worst, did you quit music because it just wasn’t “cool” to be in anymore?

When I first started playing saxophone, my band teachers initially told me I couldn’t play because there were too many saxophone players. And my mom told my teachers, “I can guarantee she will be the only one playing by the time she is a senior.” 13 saxophone players and seven years later I was the only one still playing saxophone by my senior year in high school.  Because I never thought it was dumb or stupid, I didn’t care if people made fun of me and most importantly I thought it was cool to learn how to read/write/play music.

Now let’s fast forward five years, I have friends who call me and ask me how to get started playing instruments. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they are interested, but where’s the fine line between being a band geek and being a rockstar? When do people start to realize that music is a very, very cool thing. I’m not sure if anyone has the answer to this but my point, don’t make fun of the band geeks, they just might be the next concert you are going to.

Posted in Music

What’s Happening to the Music in Nashville

Posted on by Jaimee T

Being down in Nashville and seeing all the music going on… well let’s put it this way, the first thing everyone says to me is ” Oh you must like country music, that’s what Nashville is known for”.

My response is “No Sh**”… no I wish it was, but sometimes people  are really rude when they talk to me about it. Majority of the time I say yes it is but it’s rapidly changing.

And I’ll tell you how:

Everyday, a new artist from all genres of music are coming from LA to New York and are moving to Nashville. Why? It’s not as cut throat as the other cities are, people will actually listen to your story and give you advice. Also, it’s 10x cheaper to live here in Nashville then it is in any other big music city. The other big thing, it’s easy to travel from. To get to NY, you have to take a train, deal with traffic and worst deal with all those people. To get to LA, you have to go through the mountains if you are driving or flying for that matter, deal with traffic and worst deal with the people. Sure to get to Nashville from the east, you have the mountain range, but to get north or south piece of cake. Because it’s in the middle of the country, you don’t have to worry about all that traffic and most importantly you don’t have to deal with people being mean to you. Like really mean… you know what I mean.

Also, bands/artists such as Kesha, Kings of Leon, Jack White, Justin Timberlake are moving/ live in Nashville. Why? Because Nashville is the next up coming city. Just you watch world.

While country music will always exist in Nashville, and believe me, I feel it always will, Music Row is a historic  music part of town that is getting bought out by real estate corporate investors.  And due to this corporate money coming into Music Row, people are dipping out fast. RCA Studios was almost completely bought out, the houses are being bought out and being turned into God knows what. Why? Because Music Row is where country music “started” and now corporate wants to turn it into a tourist trap.

My point: Nashville is NOT just country music anymore. It’s more than that, Nashville is about the music and will hopefully always be about the music.

Posted in Music, Nashville

Everything Comes With a Price

Posted on by Jaimee T

First off, I would like to apologize, it’s been so long since I wrote on my blog. I think this is the longest I’ve gone without writing. So for those of you who truly like to read my blog, I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy trying to get myself together here in Nashville.

Now with that being said, here are some insights about the industry down in Nashville:

People want to help you, however sometimes it comes with a price. If they know they aren’t going to get anything in return, more than likely, they won’t put you on their priority list. Also, there’s a huge gender factor down here. If a girl passes my name off to another friend, I’m a good person. If a guy passes my name off to another friend… I’m sleeping with him. It’s a stupid double standard, but it exist.

While Nashville is a small town and everyone knows everyone, it’s still very hard and competitive to get into the work place here. Yes, people are moving here like it’s going out of style and businesses are booming, but again you need to know the right people. Also, I’m sick and tired of being told I’m over qualified, seriously, just pay my less and hire me already.

Most importantly, it’s not easy. Not at all. It’s hard being away from family, it’s hard being away from the things you know, it’s hard just to establish yourself in a new city. But at the end of the day, I know it will be worth it. It has to be worth it. I will make it worth it.

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Things I’ve Learned about Music City: Part 2

Posted on by Jaimee T

I’ve officially been in Nashville for 15 days. Yes 15 days and you wouldn’t believe the things I’ve observed and heard from people who have lived here for years and years and years. But if you read my blog, I’ve made a part one already about this, now I’m making a part 2… and probably 3 and 4.

It’s a small world: It is amazing, how many people know each other in this town. Which makes it easy to make friends and network. Thank goodness! But with that being said, remember how your mother always told you to never burn your bridges. Well that applies to Nashville, if you are going to be a jerk to people, don’t bother coming out of your room.

Weather: I’ve found out that Nashville is in a big bowl, literally. Which is why Nashville is known for their flash floods. And it’s also the worst place when it comes to having allergies. Thank god I don’t! But overall, it’s beautiful here!

If you’re bored, go out: I can’t believe how much stuff there is to do in this town. And it’s free! There’s always something to do, something to see, something to hear.

Glitz and Glam: I know I’m only eight hours away from home, but I can’t believe how much of difference there is in the way people dress. If you go out, they go out. Not so much guys, but the girls get dolled up. Not saying girls in the midwest don’t, I know people in Chi Town and Minneapolis do, but not Milwaukee. But I guess you never know who you are going to meet, so look your best!

People love to talk: Whether you are in the music industry or not, people will talk to you. They love giving advice and they like to hear your story. Which I guess goes to show why it’s the largest “small town” and has a friendly community.

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Things I’ve learned about Music City

Posted on by Jaimee T

I’ve only lived in Nashville for officially a week, and here’s what I learned so far:

1. I don’t know what it is about the driving around here, but they all suck. But because they all suck, there are abandon cars on the side of the road everywhere.

2. This is a transplant city, so everyone is from everywhere besides Nashville. I’ve met a total of two people from the Nashville area. Everyone else is from all over the states.

3. For being in the middle of the country, Nashville is beautiful. It’s green, there’s hills and it’s just beautiful landscape overall to look at. And the weather is just freakishly awesome!

4. There’s pretty much something to do every night. Until I make more money, I’ll be seeing shows (hopefully working them) once or twice a week and people are always down to go out.

5. People are so nice here, it’s just a great community.

6.Overall, there is opportunity to grow and make something of yourself here, which is awesome! And that is exactly what I plan on doing!