Do I see myself as a professional musician??? Some people mistakenly accuse me that I think of myself as a “professional” musician, but I know I’m not one. When you want to play an instrument whether it would be a guitar or whatever, it’s your choice whether you want to play as a hobby or professionally. I choose to do it as a hobby. Just something fun. That is it. Yes, I could forward my career to a bigger level if I wanted. I could try and get signed to an independent label, and have the label do all the work for me, get good opportunities, play bigger stages, and bigger venues. All the good stuff other bands are getting, but I don’t care to get all that as I repeatedly said.

The same goes for playing live gigs. I consider that as a hobby and for something fun to do as well. I think a lot of musicians and bands take themselves waaayyyy too seriously when it comes to gigging. A lot of musicians and bands would gig for other reasons. For example, a lot of musicians like to perform live for their own ego, to be at the center of everyone’s attention. They want to try and get many fans as possible. Some of them gig just for the money alone. There’s a lot of musicians that aren’t passionate enough about gigging even if they look like it.

Well, I am passionate about gigging, 100%. I love performing live in front of people. Can you see it in the live videos of mine? I love sharing my songs with other people. I love interacting with the audience and getting a reaction from people toward my songs either good or bad. I just love that feeling of getting up there and rocking out. Yes, I know I haven’t played a gig in a long while, but I’m trying to get back out there. I don’t really need to gig, but I do because it’s an awesome thing to do. I see too many musicians at live gigs that look bored to death playing on stage and they don’t look like they’re having fun. Playing live for me is like going to Disney World or Universal Studios. You may like going to amusement parks and going out to have some fun, but playing live is what I call fun, more than anything.

If I ever get myself a rock band, I would treat gigging the same way, treat it as a hobby and something for fun. You see? Music is just fun for me. I don’t do it to become the most popular musician in the world. If you’re that kind of musicians that wants to shove your music into everyone’s faces, that’s fine. That’s not me, ya know?

Yes, I do like getting new fans and supporters who truly do like my music, I appreciate that. I don’t take music so seriously, and just want to write, write, write. I just like putting it out there and getting responses from it. I like the mixed reactions, good or bad.

I do want to get back out there playing live and trying my best. Need to write a new batch of songs which is what I’m trying to do ’cause I want to forget most of my old songs and focus on mostly new ones. I’m still getting requests that I should bring back my old ones, which I will but only a few of them. I need to move forward and focus on new material. Go different directions and evolve. I don’t want to be playing the same songs, and the same styles of music, all the time, ya know? I want to get better and improve my talent some.

Music is a beautiful thing in life. No need to take it seriously. You don’t even need to play live at all if you don’t want to. Just play at home just for yourself. Music is in my blood and always will be.

Kev

I love how they stopped the anonymous attacks at the CRUMBS blog. For some reason, a lot of trolls like to go to the Times Union blogs to attack me anonymously, which is one of the reasons, I hate the Times Union blogs ’cause most bloggers over there are horrible moderators that a lot of them shouldn’t even be blogging to begin with. I thought the Times Union was supposed to be a family friendly paper? Yet, they continue to let anonymity attack other people, except the CRUMBS blog were kind enough to stop it.

Now you see why I have to review comments before posting here? It’s because I have a lot of anonymous trolls on the internet. They attack at other places ’cause they know they are not allowed to do it here. Wish those trolls would get a life. The Times Union blogs are crap, except for CRUMBS which is the only one that I read.

Kev

Before people get mad at the title of this topic, let me explain. Hell, some of you out there may even agree with me! A lot of musicians and music fans mistakenly believe that musicians playing in bands or acoustic solo, they make music to please as many people as possible, when in reality, that’s what music shouldn’t be about. There are reasons that someone wants to become a musician or singer or whatever. Many personal reasons. Not just for the enjoyment and fun, but playing music helps make them become a better person. Playing music is a good stress reliever for people. Playing music makes people stronger and happier. Can help people have better things in life. Making music helps people go through good and bad times in life. Helps people keep going and stay alive. Those are the reasons why I play music.

If I don’t get popularity or don’t get recognized with my music, I’m okay with that. If I get other people hating my music and think I suck, I’m okay with that. You should be okay with it too. As long as you’re creating music for yourself, creating art, making yourself happy, that’s the only thing that should matter. I feel good being what I am. A musician and songwriter. It’s pretty much all I have in life, you know? I don’t know what else I do if I didn’t do this.

You can play whatever genre of music makes you happy. Write songs however you want to write them, and not caring what anyone else thinks. Sometimes there are people that tell me how to write songs how they want to, and sometimes people tell me to play what genre of music I shouldn’t be playing. For example, people told me I should be a country & folk songwriter, but that’s not me. I’m a rock n’ roller and quite proud of it, thank you.

Metallica is a perfect example that fits this topic. That bands just plays whatever music pleases them, not caring what other people think. If they want to move away from the speed metal genre and try other things, they can feel free to do that. That’s the power of music. The freedom to do whatever you want to do.

I like people supporting my music, don’t get me wrong, but music should be about making yourself happy, that’s it. You don’t have to stop because other people want you to and you can’t let those haters/doubters bring you down ’cause people want to see you fail in music, that’s why they are what they are, trolls and haters. You don’t have to be music perfectionists. You don’t have to take yourself seriously. Just play to make yourself happy. That’s what music is here for.

Kev