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Where do you find the time?


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OK - I'm feeling kinda bummed, and this has been going on for a long time now, so I thought I'd see what y'all had to say about this... I have a 9-6 job in computers (it's audio-related, but loosely...really more of a computer job) and I have a family who I love a bunch. (Amazing when you can pull that one off in a biz where you can hardly get a date...) I have played guitar for over 20 years...studied it in college, lived it in bands, even slept with the damn thing a few times. :D Music is how I ended up in audio (like 99% of us) - I wanted to learn about the biz, & found that I liked mixing & was pretty good at it. Lack of music prompted me to stop doing live audio gigs for a living. (When I was in CA it was 99% music. In Atlanta, it's more like 90% corporate & other stuff. :( ) But I've always held onto music - from when i was 5 & had dreams of being a concert pianist through wanting to be a huge star to now, where I would like to just make a decent living at it & take the DIY path. The one thing I can't seem to find these days is time - time to play, time to write, time to just meet folks & screw around making noise. Do any of you guys see yourselves in this predicament? How do you handle it? and hey - thanks for letting me vent...
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Well... you really have to make time for it. That's all there is to it, no other way around it. Our drummer blows me away. He has a family and a full time job and still always makes time for the band. Our schedule as a band isn't too bad - we have a gig once or maybe twice a week, and a rehearsal or recording session once a week. So we usually get together an average of twice a week, sometimes more and sometimes less. Our bass player and I have to put in a lot more time because we write the songs, he does the booking, I do the recording and the web site, etc. The two of us get together a lot for songwriting sessions, band business or just hanging out and "networking" at clubs. But the thing is he doesn't work a day job, and I only work part time, and neither of us has kids or anything. So we have the time (although we've both been in situations where we were working full time AND being a full time band member, and yes it can be exhausting). So I guess the secret is to be like our drummer and find some people to work with who are really devoted and can take care of most of the organizational stuff, and then commit to a certain amount of time per week that you actually have to show up to play. That's if your goal is to play with other people. I definitely think you should commit to spending a certain block of time doing what you love to do, whether it's jamming with others, hanging out at studios or clubs to meet new music and audio people, or whatever. You may have to give up some other pastime to some degree. Our drummer pretty much does nothing but work, spend time with his family, and do band stuff. It's really a matter of deciding what's important and devoting yourself to those things to the fullest... and also making it really CLEAR to everyone concerned what you're doing. If your wife knows for a fact that you're spending X nights a week doing music, but then you agree to do something with HER on X other nights, it's a lot better than coming home from work and saying "Hi honey, I can't go out to dinner with you tonight cuz I'm going to jam with my buddies..." if you know what I mean. Or "I can't make the gig because my wife is mad at me for not spending enough time with her..." Talking about all this stuff BEFORE it happens is very, umm, key. --Lee
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[quote]Originally posted by franknputer: [b]The one thing I can't seem to find these days is time - time to play, time to write, time to just meet folks & screw around making noise. Do any of you guys see yourselves in this predicament? How do you handle it? [/b][/quote]I've handled it by taking the road less traveled. Am I better off? I don't know; I'm doing what I love which is music. On the other hand - no family, no significant other at the moment. Which is difficult, considering I just turned 35, teach guitar for a living, and fully intend on continuing to do music the rest of my life. No, I'm not going to "give up music for awhile and go back to school". No, I'm not going to brush up on programming, web design, repair, and try to get back into that. No, I'm not going to pursue photography inlieu temporarily of music. No, I'm not going to go back into graphic design/paste up. I'm doing alright. I'm not currently starving, I'm finally in a position where I can start saving money, my car (sort of...) works, and I have a house. Apparently, this isn't good enough for certain people, certain female people let's say, in the past... HOWEVER, what amazes me that people can't understand is the notion that *I'm doing what *I* want to do*. As far as *I'm* concerned that's what life is all about; I *want* to do music, I *have* to do music, so [i]I'm going to do it[/i]. I don't care if I die without the SUV, $150,000 house. I would care if I found myself at 85 thinking "man... I could really play music, why didn't I?". Can't have that. I don't have a life outside of music, but at the same time it scares the hell out of me hearing people go "if I only had time to play". I've taught brain surgeons, national trial lawyers, real estate barons, and they all complain "I don't have time to practice". DESPITE the fact they make more in a month than I make in 6. They don't HAVE to make THAT much more; they could spare an hour, leave work early. It's not going to be the ruin of their life, it's not going to close their business, it's not going to keep them from continuing to be upwardly mobile. Maybe they have to drive a Honda S2000 instead of a Z3, get a regular swimming pool instead of a heated one with a waterfall. What's more important?

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I simply don't have enough time...I do my best to make time. I had some major shit happen in my life that helped me to make some major decisions...I don't regret any of them. I do miss the days when I could lock myself away for a week or two and do absolutely nothing but music...that's just not possible these days. I'm pretty damn lucky compared to some though and I'm [b]there[/b] for my Son. So I guess I really don't have any answers for you...just that I understand what you're going through.
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[quote]Originally posted by Chip McDonald: [b]I don't care if I die without the SUV, $150,000 house. [/b][/quote]Where the hell can you get a house for a $150K? In the NY area, you MAY be able to get a 1 BR condo for that or in places like Westchester County, a 2 BR co-op...
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I just made a schedule and stuck to it. I am lucky that my wife is very understanding and encouraging about music. I also taught her how to play piano, so now we have another thing to do together. It can be really difficult to organize work, wife, music and writing times but it is worth it for myself in the long run. It keeps me sane, and besides I think that it works real well for a relationship to have outside activities (more to talk about). Now if I can just get my understanding wife to agree that I need an upright bass. :D I hope your quest for the time goes well Iaian

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I hear ya. I have a full time job and travels a lot. I have a family, two children who's 12 and 14. How to find time for music?? I scedule playing just like going to a weekly exercise or similar. Every Sunday from 5pm to 1am I'm playing/composing and my family now that and we plan for that also. Sometimes I can take time during weeks but that's rare. The problem is that you sometime get an idea and can't just go and play. But you have to make compromises... Both you and your family must be happy with the solution.
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[quote]Originally posted by kudyba: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Chip McDonald: [b]I don't care if I die without the SUV, $150,000 house. [/b][/quote]Where the hell can you get a house for a $150K? In the NY area, you MAY be able to get a 1 BR condo for that or in places like Westchester County, a 2 BR co-op...[/b][/quote]he probably just left a zero out... $1,500,000 house.

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[quote]Originally posted by kudyba: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Chip McDonald: [b]I don't care if I die without the SUV, $150,000 house. [/b][/quote]Where the hell can you get a house for a $150K? In the NY area, you MAY be able to get a 1 BR condo for that or in places like Westchester County, a 2 BR co-op...[/b][/quote]Riverside CA USA. Actually, our house is probably worth about $160K or a bit more now (not counting whatever the studio whould add to the apprasial for the right buyer), but 4.5 years ago when we bought it, we paid $112K. 1/3 acre, 1,600 Sq Ft, 3 bedroom 1.5 bath, seperate 1,200 Sq Ft barn (now the studio), county land, zoned for multi-use, including business and even horses and agriculture if I wanted to do that. We're about 1 hour east of Hollywood, 1 hour from the Orange County beaches, 45 minutes from the mountains, 1 hour from Palm Springs...
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Wow, this sounds like my life. I work full time (software engineer) and am married with 2 kids (10 months and 4 years). I've found the best time to play is after the kids go to bed, which is usually around 8:00. I usually can play for an hour or two, three or four nights a week. I spend a couple of nights trying to get some exercise, and a couple of nights hanging out with my wife. There's a couple of things I found to be helpful (and in no particular order): 1. Eliminate TV. There are a few shows I like to watch, but I tape them and watch them when I can fit them in (plus you can save time by skipping the commercials). 2. I use an amp modeler and wireless headphones so as to not wake the kids. On the weekends I try to play "loud" for an hour or so when the kids are awake. This usually ends when my 4 year old comes in and wants to play with the equipment. 3. Definitely let your significant other know how important this is to you. My wife is an angel. On the weekends she'll actually say, "Why don't you turn the amp on. I'd like to hear you play too." :thu: 4. Set some goals. This is VERY important. An hour flies by. I play because I love to play, but I also want to improve and record stuff. I have the next few weeks planned out in my head. That way my time is used more productively and I don't waste the little time I have. As for the price of houses: I paid $150,000 for my house (2000 sq ft, 3 bd rooms) in NH 6 years ago. It's worth $300,000 now. Prices in southern NH are out of control.

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[quote]Originally posted by kudyba: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Chip McDonald: [b]I don't care if I die without the SUV, $150,000 house. [/b][/quote]Where the hell can you get a house for a $150K? In the NY area, you MAY be able to get a 1 BR condo for that or in places like Westchester County, a 2 BR co-op...[/b][/quote]heh heh. Where I live $150,000 gets you a nice 3 or 4 bedroom house with a few acres of land. And yes, I have the same problem. After a day of studying and implementing computer policies and regulations I need a bit of time to wind down when I get home. Then there are days that I am just not ready to open another book and start studying the workings of a sequencer, VSTi, or new keyboard. I never had this problem when I was a drummer. It was nice to just play and let someone else worry about the mix, the software, or the archaic menus of digital equipment. I just at down an played, taking out the frustrations of the day on my drums rather than adding to them with a new piece of gear. The best thing I can say is when things are right and you get in a flow, make the most of that time. Learn how to shut things out and avoid people when you are in a good working mood. It helps you get a lot done. Robert

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[quote]Originally posted by Rabid: [b] [quote]Originally posted by kudyba: [b] [quote]Originally posted by Chip McDonald: [b]I don't care if I die without the SUV, $150,000 house. [/b][/quote]Where the hell can you get a house for a $150K? In the NY area, you MAY be able to get a 1 BR condo for that or in places like Westchester County, a 2 BR co-op...[/b][/quote]heh heh. Where I live $150,000 gets you a nice 3 or 4 bedroom house with a few acres of land. ...[/b][/quote]One of the reasons I moved south. The housing market is not crazy as the east or left coast. The midwest has places with good bargins too, if you can deal with the deep freeze and thaw (the other reason I moved). [b] [quote] The best thing I can say is when things are right and you get in a flow, make the most of that time. Learn how to shut things out and avoid people when you are in a good working mood. It helps you get a lot done. Robert[/b][/quote]You guys give some great advice. One thing I'd like to add is: 1) Make the most effective use of the time you do have. Set some goals and milestones. Don't make them to lofty. DO a gut check every 2-3 mos and examine your progress or lack of. Houses, wives, kids add to the mix but hey its a part of life. Gives us all something to inspire us. RobT

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[quote]Originally posted by franknputer: [b]The one thing I can't seem to find these days is time - time to play, time to write, time to just meet folks & screw around making noise. Do any of you guys see yourselves in this predicament? How do you handle it? [/b][/quote]I LIVE this predicament ... I'm 33, played cello since I was 4; but since high school I've always balanced a "straight life" with music. Spent time in college as a performance major, ended up with a history degree. Right now I'm finishing up professional school (worked while in school) ... and I'm playing bass in a R/R band and with a singer-songwriter; also playing cello with two other singer-songwriters; also producing a singer-songwriter. I just got married. Here's how I (try to) manage: 1. I try to be strict about time - both with music and work. I set goals and timelines for work. And of course, things come up, and so I adjust. I try to be clear to musicians that I don't like to screw around in rehearsals. So, if we're "running" a set to prep for a show, I'm always the one who keeps from futzing around in between songs. This way we have more time at the end of rehearsals to work on new stuff. 2. I try to be pro about music - this means really doing my homework before rehearsals and gigs, charting tunes and studying them ... I find it makes other band members much more serious about prepping themselves - and as a result, rehearsals take less time, cause we're not muddling through mistakes that could have been avoided by individual practice. 3. I charge money for side gigs (I'm a softy about rates - basically whatever you can pay). Sometimes I feel like a heel because I HAVE a job, and so I don't always need the cash, but charging $$ does three things: (1) It makes people take my time seriously, (2) It makes ME take their time seriously, (3) It cuts out the gigs with big talkers who aren't really going to do the work. My "band" is different - but there I expect songwriting input, etc. 4. I do a lot of my production work at night on electronic instruments with headphones, or with a POD for guitar, or running direct into the board. I'm not thrilled with sacrificing live sounds, but the cost of keeping my wife and neighbors awake far outweighs the benefits of that miked vintage Vox (well, maybe). Vocals and miked instruments happen on weekends or early on weeknights. 5. My wife is like me - by day, she's a consultant for non-profit organizations (= lots of work, no money); when she's not doing that she's a kick-ass theatre director. 6. I am constantly exhausted - but I try very hard not to allow that to be either a part of my conversations or my "personality." I know lots of busy people who can only talk about how busy they are - but I think this is really destructive ... if you can't do it with grace and style, you probably shouldn't do it. The drawbacks of this life are obvious. And one thing I'll admit is that I DON'T hang out and "screw around" very much. Like the post above, no TV, no "jam-sessions," not much vegging out on the couch ... "time off" is usually planned "vacation" where we leave town entirely. Other non-obvious drawbacks is that I've learned I can't be too public in either world about my "second" life - the "day world" looks down on musicians, and musicians are snobbish toward day-jobbers. And finally, I have this sense of temporariness about my life - I know that at any moment the balancing act could come crashing down ... What happens if my band gets HUGE? What happens if my job goes nuts and I can't make rehearsals/gigs? What happens when I have kids? I dunno. I'm just doing what feels right to me for now. And for now, I'm REALLY privileged to be able to meet and work with such a wide range of people - My life absorbs bankers, lawyers, metal rockers, and spike-haired singers. And the best part is to realize that they're mostly all good people who want really similar things. It's all about the ride ...
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[quote]Originally posted by Rabid: heh heh. Where I live $150,000 gets you a nice 3 or 4 bedroom house with a few acres of land. [/QB][/quote]heh heh heh indeed! that sounds wonderful. by contrast, come to jersey city folks. better yet, don't. in today's stupid housing market, $700,000 beans maybe buys you a 15 foot wide brick row house on a 15 foot x 50 foot lot with property taxes over 6000 bucks a year. and those taxes do nothing. there is NO school system to speak of (unless you consider metal detectors and reading the newspaper "schooling"), the city's bankrupt, there is NO parking, and your car has one of the highest chances of getting stolen in the country, which means your car insurance (if you can get it) is the highest in the nation as well. oh and did i mention there are no music clubs either? on the plus side, JC is located on the hudson in the shadows of the world trade center just a 1 minute subway ride away. OOOps. not any more. the towers are gone and so is the subway. all thanks in part to some bad religious fanatics who lived in jersey city. the papers see fit to call it "terrortown." i moved here many, many years ago when no one wanted to be here and it was dirt cheap to buy a house. now, no one really wants to be here, and it's super expensive, but cheap compared to manhattan. :( oh yeah, how do i find the time? no steady day job basically. freelance TV work here and there lets me pay some bills and have a very flexible schedule. and i have very low overhead. no car payments, no credit card debt, and my mortgage is a third of what it would cost to rent a 1 bedroom apartment here. oh, and did i mention that the wife has a 9-5? that helps more than you can possibly imagine! :) -d. gauss
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That was a good response MusicMan, I enjoyed reading that. Chris: The question is where do you find the time to find all those pictures you post? My reply to the topic is: I couldn't find the time, so I quit, and then something strange happened, I started just playing when and where I felt like it instead of making it a job, and I came up with this project I call Emerging From Chaos, and suddenly I was motivated and made the time to do it. Bottom line is if you really want to do something you will find the time but if you reach an impasse sometimes all you can do is walk away. Give it a rest. If that's what you are meant to do it WILL come back to you. Everything that you do, will come back to you. I'm trying to jam on the computer keyboard. bom bom ba bom bom bom ba bom-typing in rhythmn yeah I'm crazy. You got a problem with that?
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Wow - great responses. Thanks, guys - sometimes it helps to know that I'm not the only one feeling this way. We all make our choices in life, & when they conflict it can really get you down. But as I said, I love music & I love my wife & kids, so there has to be a way to have them all. :) BTW, Wewus - pics are easy to find, it doesn't take that much time when you know the Ancient Chinese Secret. :D Besides, you gotta do something to take your mind off of work... :bor:
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Time is a major problem. I'm amazed how little of it I find for practicing/writing. And I'm a MUSICIAN fer chrisakes. It's not like I'm a lawyer. My wife loves me and knew from the beginning I'm a musician through and through. She knows if I'm grumpy that I haven't been practicng. But she's also had to deal with my "I'm a musician so I have to be poor" syndrom and has fought me tooth and nail about it. I'm glad she has. Our kids go to a private school. She takes them, I pick them up. When they go in the morning my time is my own. I try to practice for 2-3 hours. Doesn't always happen. Sometimes it's rare. I will also try to get into the studio M-F 9-5 when it's available. My money comes from, in no particular order: 1) Teaching music: guitar, theory, band in Prisons 2) Live performance: a. My band (less and less these days) b. A repetory jazz, grant based band c. Freelance 3) Studio Engineering/producing 4) The odd CD sale/BMI check So I have to organize my life around those financial curves, but it's all music and set up for me to work harder in music to achieve. But my kids and wife come first, but part of them coming first is making an income as well as spending the time. It's all in priority and organization. If it's important enough one will be able to prioritize enough to make it happen. When I'm serious I organize my days on a chart. But these days I don't. Too many variables lately. In other words I'll set aside a time to make and return phones calls; specific time for music. I treat it like a job. I have to turn off distractions like TV and stop checking my email/Internet forums every 15-20 minutes. There are simply too many distractions in today's world. Fifty years ago a musician handled boredom and directed his goals and passion through his instrument, and there were more real avenues and justifications - read money, for REAL musicianship. A musician could justify spending 6-8 hours a day practicing his "horn". Today one must have a steel will and total single mindedness to avoid the internet pitfalls, the videos rentals, computer geekiness, TV; let alone all the old tried and true ones like drugs, women (men), partying, etc.. I'm not talking about not having fun, but it's just too easy to lose sight of what you want to do in the first place. Personally I NEVER got into music because I thought I could get girls. That was a pleasant aside; an added benefit. It was always about the music. So it amazes me the amount of time I WASTE on these forums, when there is so little time I actually have. Re houses: We are still moving into our new house. We really lucked out. 14,500 sq ft, twice the size of our old small one; 3 bdroom, very large space for my studio, incredible yard - $226,000. BUT! Comparable houses in the area were going for $320,000! I think the couple needed to move fast.

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This question could be better answered objectively by my wife!!!!!! I have a full time job, doing military contract jobs for an high falutin electronics company. It affords me the house in the burbs, two car payments, college tuition, medical bennies, and retirement funds. I would love the life of our bassist, which is no job, he golfs everyday, trades a few stocks, plays in two bands, and records demos for local bands. However, he doesn't have a family, no bennies, and sweats bullets when financial situations come up, above and beyond his normal payouts. Time? Who has that? I find that I spend less and less time in the money pit of a garage studio I built (that I swore up and down to my wife would pay for itself) because of all the committments I have. It seems that you have to MAKE that time otherwise that project you swore you were gonna do, will never get done. Prior to starting my current project, I procrastinated for several years. I'm 44, and I think its about time. If I were depending on the music end to pay bills, I'd probably be alot more proactive, but its just the gravy complimenting the drudge of making a living the traditional way. Its just fun, serious fun, but fun nonetheless. 2 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, a huge yard, a very demanding yet cool wife, and all kinds of folks wanting a piece of my time......it gets tough at times. But DAMN its fun. :) Somewhere in there is sleep......
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I try to look at the music like a second job and my own business. And as an independent contractor, part of that job is being out making contacts and finding work. It helps to have a flexible job and weekends off. Sly:cool:
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You folks have come up with some really great replies to a problem that so many of us share. I too have the wife-kids-job life as well. I work with computers and my job requires that I put in a lot of hours. Both my kids are into sports, and I don’t want to miss a single one of my kid’s baseball or soccer games. So I wind up getting up at 5 a.m. every day just to get in about an hour of practice/writing/arranging. At work, I occasionally have time while I’m waiting for a process to finish or a huge file copy, so I installed Band-in-a-box, which has this cool ear-training feature (guess the chord/guess the interval). I also try to visualize chords or melodies in my mind while on the train. I listen to music all the time. In other words, there is a lot one can do away from the instrument as well. Paul
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I decided early on that I wanted a "traditional" life, and went for it. For many years, that meant not picking up my bass at all for long stretches. That was when the kids were young, and we all needed to be supporting each other. I focused on my computer job, Susan focused on being home with the kids. Over the years things shifted, and now my youngest goes away to college next year, and I've got a different time schedule than before. But I don't regret the time that playing was "out", because the wife and kids came first. Hopefully they always will for me. Depending on what your goals are, you can get creative (I mean, we're supposed to [i]be[/i] creative, right?). One way I started to play was to join a church group. One rehearsal during the week, and I was in church every Sunday anyway. But I got to play, and if it didn't pay, it had "faith" benefits. That may not be an answer for you, but the point is that less than perfect opportunities come up if you want to compromise for a while. It's still hard to get time. Between my band, a Christian theatre troup I'm in at times, and other pursuits (keeping up with forums, gear, trying to see bands and meet people) it's been tough. I'm thinking about trying to spend all my weeknights in May at home, just so Susan doesn't forget what I look like (I've been out 4 nights in the last 7). That's my story - I don't have any better advice than that which has been given. Some can balance their family and music. For me, music comes after other things in my life. I waited it out, and now I can spend time in ways I couldn't before. You don't want to be 80 and realize you wanted to do music, but sometimes you can live with a longer plan than just this week. It's such an individual thing that you and your family have to work out. Clearly, many of us struggle with it. All the best, Tom

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Well Chris, I like JimK's response, combine that with what musicman said about being exhausted but not making that a part of your essence! Hell, were all exhausted cause were not normal people, we dont just come home from work pat the kid on the head and jump in front of the 32 inch and watch 7 straight hours of TV (unless its a Sunday during football season) :rolleyes: For us its more of a calling, and absolute knowledge that when you are away from your art--you're sick. If you go long periods you're sicker, and if you go years away from it, then you become someone else entirely....thats who we are! Outside of other artist's, few seem to understand that. Be what you are! To thine own self be true....Find the time for that, and dont worry about fame, fuck it, If you have good music and a great plan, then maybe you will be famous, but even with that it wont happen for most of us. Once you realise that your really not going to be a 'Star' for whatever reason, it's cool because you can still contribute to the world. Some of us here may mentor a young kid who just started to play, and thats our contribution to the world. A few more might blow out small clubs in there area on weekends and thats of MAJOR importance to your fans...you've contributed! You dont need to be huge and on VH1 to have fun or to have mattered, you can just be the baddest MF on the block! Thats cool too sometimes! Ok, Im rambling today... bottom line is Chris, when you do have a minute or 2, holla at me! We'll hook up something. Just bring your axe and I'll turn you onto some cool peeps on the the Stone Mountain side, they arent too far from City Cafe.
TROLL . . . ish.
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On the House topic...I bought my 3 bedroom 2 bath house for $235,000...yeah, it's expensive, we're not in Beverly Hills or anything but it's really going up in value every 3 months...not a bad investment considering I'm living in such a cool area. If I were to move to the south I could get a similar house a lot cheaper but I doubt it would increase in value anywhere near as fast. It's all relative to where you really want to live I suppose.
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[quote]Originally posted by meccajay: [b] For us its more of a calling, and absolute knowledge that when you are away from your art--you're sick. If you go long periods you're sicker, and if you go years away from it, then you become someone else entirely....thats who we are! Outside of other artist's, few seem to understand that. [/b][/quote]Boy you said that right. It's probably even worse for men because, like Chip said, a lot of women seem to judge men by the size of their wallets. This absolutely makes me sick. I mean if you want kids you don't want to be starving your whole life, but still... I've known a lot of guys who get married and the wife just looks at music as a sort of superfluous hobby the guy does, like watching football. Nags him to change, to go out and earn more money. And sometimes he DOES, and then she turns around a few years later and says, "You're not the man I married!" Well... DUH. But if someone doesn't understand how vital a thing music is to our well being, like you say, that we get sick without it, it's tough. That's why I stick to dating other musicians! And why we all need to be openly adamant about that to our families and friends and employers, and especially ourselves, and not give in to making it less important in our lives than it really is. Hey meccajay, why doncha come and see us at Anthony's tomorrow night! That's right in yer neck of the woods and it'd be nice to meet. And maybe franknputer will be there too. --Lee
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[quote]Originally posted by meccajay: [b] For us its more of a calling, and absolute knowledge that when you are away from your art--you're sick. If you go long periods you're sicker, and if you go years away from it, then you become someone else entirely....thats who we are! Outside of other artist's, few seem to understand that.[/b][/quote](Sigh) You have met my dad. :( He never understood 20 years ago when he offered my half of his trucking business if I would "only" quit playing music in bands. Though the business faded with the coal boom it left my dad and sister in very good financial shape. Seeing me invest in music equipment rather than a house has worried the family for ages. I think now they have come to accept things a bit more. I visit every Sunday. I don't fit the stereotypical musician-druggy-bum. I finished college. I hold a respectable job with lots of responsibility that my family is proud of. But I still take my pay check to the nearest music store, and spend my evenings surrounded by keyboards, computers and electronic drums. They cannot win them all, and I am as happy working with music as I would be sitting the porch of an expensive lake view home. Robert

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i dont find the time... i need about 8 more hours in a day. a couple weeks ago, i had to go on a 2 hours sleep a night to get everything done that had been backing up. i did get a lot done though i was nearly out of my mind for that week. i too moved to the south to buy for less and live a little cheaper. DC the house prices were absurd [still are] and i wouldnt count on any market that grows at such a quick rate to hold its value indefinately. it can just as easily drop and then you gotta just hope you like where you live [cause you aint movin]... of course that can happen anywhere at anytime. i do find the time every so often to work on my last bands album and get my tracks done so maybe by 2010 it will actually be done. and i find most of my joy from recording others music anyways... besides, there is no age limit i must do my music by. ultimately, my stuff finds its own time. my days are filled. i do still find time ot stare blankly at the wall, usually while i drink my morning coffee. i spent quite a bit of time with my wife and son during the day. some days when i record and my son is home, he hangs out in the studio with me... work all night most nights. take "smoke breaks" on the forums to clear my head. the bigger question is "where do you find the money?"

alphajerk

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"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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