I know I don’t have many friends in local music with other musicians. I only have very few that are buddies of mine, that I actually get along with more than anyone. I won’t name them. Those few musicians that are buddies of mine, are pretty much loyal fans of my music too. They stuck with me and supported me no matter what anybody else thought and no matter what happened. Those few musicians, are not best friends, just “buddies”, that’s it. I just talk to them online all the time mostly. If I wanted to hang out with them in person, I’d go see a show of theirs, or they would go see one of my gigs.

A lot of people mistakenly believe that you should make friends with other musicians as much as possible. It seems to be a big thing going on with local music. Musicians becoming friends with other musicians. They start hanging out with them outside of music and becoming more close.

A lot of people mistakenly believe that local music is all love-able, wonderful, and kind. Well, it’s not. Not all of it, anyway.

There are plenty of musicians out there you can’t trust. You can’t trust anybody in the music scene. I’ve made friends with musicians in the past, that I thought that was my friend but finding out they weren’t after all this time. I’ve made friends with the wrong musicians in the past over the years, that I shouldn’t have been friends with. Musicians are crazy, they will do anything to make you look bad publicly out of ego & jealousy. That’s it, really. A lot of musicians will drag you into this drama and negativity ’cause they will find it entertaining to their other friends and amuse themselves.

Things like this is why I wouldn’t be in a romantic relationship with another woman who is a musician. Having a musician girlfriend is much more dangerous than being friends with other musicians. I would much rather date a woman who is not a musician.

Do I regret being friends with the wrong musicians in the past? No. Not at all. It was good publicity for my music,  for the most part and I got some gigs out of them. So I don’t feel guilty about it at all.

If you want to be friends with musicians, you must make friends with the right people. You don’t need to be friendly with all musicians that you lay eyes upon ’cause there’s too many douchebags out there, trust me. You would  know that a musician is a true friend of yours, when he/she keeps in touch with you all the time.

Don’t get me wrong. I am nice and polite to all musicians, of course, I am approachable to talk to, but I don’t make friends with every musician I see. A friendship with another musician, just happens.

With that being said, I’m not worried about making too many friends around here. I’m all about living my own life and playing my own music. There are quite several musicians around here that will try to be friends with me. I appreciate that but truthfully I don’t do music to make friends with other musicians even though it’s a nice thing and well appreciated. I’m all about playing guitar and writing the songs, that’s it. That’s pretty much what I mostly care about.

If other musicians want to live in their own fantasy world being friends with other musicians as much as possible, be it. Not all musicians have to be that way and that’s my point.

Kev

A lot of people mistakenly think it’s wrong to be an egomaniac and a bit of an asshole in music. I’ve been called both by a lot of people over the years. I’ll have to admit, that yes, I can be a bit of an egomaniac and an asshole. Do I feel bad for being that way? No, not at all.

Sometimes you need to be that way in music if you want to get success in music or get yourself heard. You need to be that way, to get yourself noticed. Do whatever it takes.

For example, in Johnny Ramone’s book, “Commando”, he had to be an egomaniac and an asshole if he wanted the Ramones to be at their best ever. Look where they are now? They’re legends. Having an ego and a bad attitude doesn’t always end a career for a musician. It can help make them bigger and more successful if you want to be a perfectionist with your music.

I have to be that way in this blog, to keep my readers interested, ’cause if I was all nice, lovable and kind, then nobody would care what I would have to say on here.

You have to be brutally honest and real about things, if you want to make it somewhere. This is why I am what I am, in this blog. While some people will find the way you are offensive and may think you shouldn’t be like that, there will be others who will admire the way you are ’cause of your honesty. Some people will respect you because you have the balls to say what you want.

While I still go on negative and harsh rants to this day, I learned in the past to leave names out of things. I won’t change who I am. If you meet me in person, you’ll still see me being an honest and real person ’cause that’s who I am.

Whatever your dreams and goals are in life, sometimes you have to be a bit of a prick to get there. It might piss some people off, but it’s worth it sometimes going through all that negativity and drama.

Whether it’s recording in the studio, at live gigs, whatever it is in your career dreams, don’t be afraid to be a prick sometimes, if you want to become a successful musician. Sometimes it takes anger and frustration, to get what you want. Sometimes you need to act like you’re better than everyone else, to make your dreams come true.

You shouldn’t have to change your personality if other people don’t like the way you act. Just be yourself in music and be human. It’s better that way.

Kev

A lot of bands & musicians mistakenly think it’s cool to be hard party’ers. Some mistakenly think getting drunk or really high will make you play better music or better live show performances. Sorry to say this but being a hard party’er is not cool in the world of music. Some bands would get drunk, wasted or high or both before the shows or after. They would even get drunk or stoned or both at band practices as well. This too can be a big career destroyer.

A lot of famous bands over the years have gotten into a lot of trouble with the drinking and the drugs. Many careers have ended because of it, and many musicians have died of it too. There are famous bands & musicians today that don’t even drink or do drugs anymore. Like James Hetfield of Metallica and Zakk Wylde, those guys were alcoholics and they sobered up.

In my opinion, drinking and doing drugs doesn’t make you a good musician. If you clean yourself up with the drugs & get sobered up with the alcohol, you could be a more focused musician. Cutting out the hard partying completely, will make you an even better player.

Bands mistakenly think you need to have fun by drinking and doing drugs just to put on a good time with music. Not true. You can still have a blast of a time by not doing that shit at all. I gave up the drinking. I used to be an occasional drinker. When I did go out drinking, I used to get drunk until I got myself puking. I don’t do it anymore though.

It maybe a free country but think how this could make you a better person and better musician if you give up the hard partying. People spend too much money on drugs and alcohol, it’s crazy.

I don’t party as much as I used to anymore. It’s stupid. I can still have a fun time playing music or listening to other bands without drinking or smoking weed. I get easily bored of partying ’cause other people want to act all stupid and weird when they’re fucked up. I would rather stay home, playing my guitar, watching movies, reading books or playing video games. Doing that stuff is way better than messing up the inside of your body.

I’m sick of the posts in facebook by bands and music fans, saying they’re gonna go to this show to get themselves wasted. Music does not always have to revolve around alcohol. Oh that reminds me, when I get a band someday, I’ll make sure the other musicians don’t do drugs or alcohol either. Maybe a few drinks is okay but as long as they won’t be alcoholics.

People need to grow up when it comes to partying ’cause they act like high school teenagers. I don’t drink at all anymore and proud of it too! Had to give it up because it’s not good for bodybuilding.

Kev