So true, so very,very true!
Most Wonderful Time of Year…Festival Season!
I don’t know about you, but spring/summer time is my favorite time of year. Why? Because everyone is freakishly happy and… it’s festival season. Yes that’s right, all the festivals come out in time to play! I just started my third year at Summerfest on the production team (4th year total, but I worked in a different department).
I’m extremely excited to be working with my Summerfest family again. They are a great group of people and I couldn’t be more proud to work with them.
So with that being said, I hope you check us out online at http://www.summerfest.com and all of our social media sites! We have an awesome line up this year and if the weather cooperates this year (fingers crossed), it will be a great way to have a beer and listen to some good tunes!
If you haven’t already, check out Phantogram at Summerfest!
Harder Than It Seems
I hate it when people say to me ” Oh my God, you worked with this such and such bad, I’m so jealous of your life…”. Yeah, there’s perks to working in the entertainment industry, but in reality, you have to fight for it everyday because everyone wants to do it. You have to wake up every morning wanting it, because if you don’t, there’s jo shmo walking in taking the next gig.
My point is, if I continue this route in my life, I will not have a normal life. I will be working hours around the clock on top of the fact that it won’t be “just a job”, it will be my life.So think about that before you say ” Oh my God I’m jealous” to me.
Time and Dedication
First and for most. Thank you to all who follow and read my blog. I don’t have many followers,but it is nice to know someone cares about my writing. Eventually, in my career, I hope to one day write reviews or articles about music/musicians that actually matter.
With that being said, yes I have my passions and my ambitions in life, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to throw people under the bus just to get there. I’ll work hard every single day to prove to the world but most importantly to myself, that I am good enough.
*Side note* This little rant came from something that happened this past week, and I made a vow to myself to never become such a person.
I guess I won’t talk about a band this week, I’ll talk about one of the most inspiring artists, I feel, that has changed music forever. I grew up listening to Eric Clapton, and believe me, I was not a fan. But as I got older, and my parents made me listen to opera, classic rock music, church music, I started to realize the patterns in all genres. There’s passion behind their music. Which is why, I, to this day will say, Eric Clapton is in my top five favorite musicians of all time. Mainly because his artistic ability on the guitar is just phenomenal. Because true musicians know, they don’t have “natural” ability. Although, I hate those who practice way less than most and still kill it. But it takes a lot of time and dedication to become good at something. The way he plays guitar, you can tell, a lot of time and dedication was put into his playing.
I think that’s what life should be about. Dedication to something you’re passionate about. Whether it’s sports, accounting, science, research, music, you should want to wake up every morning doing what you love.
What’s Life Really About?
Have you ever thought and wondered about life?
Why do we act the way we do?
Why we choose to do the things that we do?
What’s the purpose of our life?
What’s the point?
I probably think about that every day, not just about me, but about everyone else. Does everyone have a different purpose to live life? Are some girls meant just to be awesome moms. What about guys, are they meant to be awesome dads or just straight up work blue collar jobs for the rest of their lives making sure they can put food on the table? Why do some of us end up as doctors and others a retail associates? Do we choose the life we want or is it just a matter of destiny?
I’m not quite sure I’ll ever find the answer to those questions, but what I do know, is I know the foundation, the purpose in my life right now. Music. I don’t know if it will take me far, I don’t know where I’ll end up, but I do know it’s the number one motivation in my life right now, and that’s all the matters. I can identify it, and I can roll with it.
Because at the end of the day, at least I tried.
“Two Sad Sparks Blinking in the Sun” Wild Cub
I once told a guy that 90% of music is based around break ups and liking someone. Pretty much,music is based around this emotion of love. And I’m the first person to admit, I don’t like that I love things or people for that matter. But when I write music or when I talk about anything that I care about, it’s all about love. I guess it’s just human nature for us to feel that way. Whether it’s just living life or listening to music.
Anyways, that was my rant for this blog. I’ve been trying to see this band Wild Cub forever. I missed them in Milwaukee, I missed them in Chicago and I finally saw them at SXSW. And let me tell you, they didn’t disappoint. They are amazing. These guys are from Nashville, and you can tell they have that music soul in them that lives in Nashville. And it doesn’t hurt that they are freakishly talented and are really cute. I think they are one of the up coming bands. Just you watch.
“Thunder Clatter”is all about love, take for example:
“Sad hopes I’d hidden under
Tangled inside of me
You spoke like broken thunder
Deep into the center of me.”
It’s a great song, it’s about love, and I love it. Take a listen.
The Thein Way to Live: Adventures of SXSW
I haven’t written in the past couple of weeks…because I went to SXSW!
That’s right, I accomplished one of the biggest goals of my life! I went to the world’s largest music conference. And even though it didn’t go according to plan, I’m still glad I did it. I learned a lot about myself and what I want for a job.
First off, let me explain South By South West: AKA SXSW.
A long time ago, it started as a showcase for local artists and artists around the country to come to Austin, and play anywhere and everywhere. Over the years, it became bigger and bigger, to the point where they had to give out “permits” so artists are allowed to play there. With that being said, now SXSW is the world’s largest film,interactive and music festival. That’s a big festival and it’s a beast to take on. I learned first hand.
Second, because SXSW is such a beast to take on, you need to have some sort of strategy going into it. My main strategy: looking at the website, asking Austinites and looking all over social media. Not to say that my strategy didn’t work, but I definitely would have done it differently for sure.
Third, I saw some amazing bands, I can’t express that enough. You don’t need a badge or a wristband, you don’t need to wait in line, all you need to do is walk around, walk in a venue and listen to some damn good music. Believe me, it still exists.
Here are some bands that really stood out to me:
Split Single
And the Kids
Silver Palms
Nicky Lang Music
Charli XCX
Chet Faker
Cymbals
“I will live this way till I’m dead” The Mowgli’s
If you read my blog on a weekly basis, congratulations, you have no life…
I’m just kidding, thank you for reading my blog!
If you read my blog, I talk about the importance of listening to music.
Music that is outside your normal genre, music that makes you learn something new or something you just never heard before.
I’m big in that philosophy, because I feel that when you listen to something new, you always learn something from it.However, it’s perfectly fine listening to whatever you feel is comfortable.
My comfort level right now is The Mowgli’s. I started listening to them when I started working in production at Summerfest the summer of 2012.I believe they were on the U.S. Cellular stage when I first heard them.
I’ve been listening to them so much on Spotify, I just finally bought the album “Waiting for the Dawn”. I’ve pretty much have it on repeat at this point. It’s a bit of uplifting indie music. To be completely honest, I’m surprised they aren’t bigger by now.I’m almost positive they have a strong following, but you get what I’m saying. Check them out!
Travel and Music
So I was very adventurous this past week.
I traveled from Denver to Nashville to Chicago to Milwaukee.
…I was everywhere in the middle of the country; it was pretty awesome let me tell you!
I didn’t really go see many shows in Nashville.
I went to go see my friend’s band play and he is amazing on the drums.I already knew that, I met him while he was on tour.
He’s also an awesome singer! I was pretty impressed!
I met Timothy Chance band in Milwaukee and I went to see them in Nashville.What I liked most about them, is YCR Records is all about finding good music, not sticking to a genre of music like “normal” record labels.And I couldn’t agree more!
In Chicago, I went to go see Cobalt and the Hired Guns.
I knew nothing about this band… and they totally killed it!
They are a jam band from Chicago; they had everything from a cello to a slide guitar.There must have been 10 different band members, and they all kicked butt!If you get to see them, do it!
Finally… I’m going to Nashville!
It is about time!
I’m finally headed back to Nashville! Words cannot explain my excitement! I don’t want to be in this polar vortex weather anymore! I just want to listen to amazing music and look for a job that I can fall in love with!
Because the last thing I want to happen in my life, is not live for my passions and become a spectator and watch my life pass me by.
I don’t want to watch life …. I want to live it.I want to smell every single flower that comes along my path!
The Thein Way to Live 