"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free". - Travis Marc

Images provided by Travis Marc

The Art Of Sticking Around

Recently, while sipping on some MATCHA tea and thinking back on some of the things that I've done thus far in my career, I was hit with the following little 'Thought bubble' (which I proceeded to then think), might make for a decent topic to write about and share with you all.

As I'm sure many of you reading this have - I have met (and gotten to know) countless musicians over my years as a working musician. Some have been moderately talented; some have been incredibly talented, and some have been well - somewhere in-between the two. This itself is not mind-blowing though, because if you gig enough (and for a long enough period), you eventually start to feel like maybe you've just - seen it all.

The part that does, however, blow my mind (personally at least) is the fact that a lot of the above-mentioned types of musicians (across all talent levels) seem to simply "disappear" without a trace sometimes and from what I've noticed, it is that they sadly (and usually) do so just as it seems like they were just about to really make their mark on this weird and wonderful business.

You may be wondering why this is (I know that I was). Well, while we could certainly entertain and even mention some obvious scenarios as to why we see so many good musicians get out of this crazy line of work, it would unfortunately lead us down a road of speculation and, well, life is simply too short to worry about the unknowns. Realistically, there are probably a million reasons as to why so many musicians come and go - and at such a quick rate.

When describing the musical landscape, I personally believe that Hunter S Thompson said it best when he said that 'the music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs - there's also a negative side' (Spot on if you ask me).

Life can be tough sometimes and if you're not paying attention, it can straight up slap you in the face (with a brick, or ten if it decides to do so). Sometimes it'll even piss in your cereal while you're pouring the above-mentioned matcha, ha ha.

We (ALL) get despondent/depressed and down, we (ALL) feel like giving up at different points along the way, no matter what our work title may be and by design, we are (ALL) riddled with flaws that will pull us down into the depths of the Louisiana bayous if we let them. And if we're honest, it's probably fair to say that sometimes it's much easier to stay in bed all day than to get up, put our feet on the floor and just do something. So please, let me share a little nugget of "old man wisdom" with you that not one older musician ever shared with me. (Or maybe I just didn't realize the obvious).

Sometimes, just sticking around long enough can be your winning lottery ticket.

It's a massive victory all on its own and can even open doors you may not have even realized were there, which in turn can sometimes put you in positions you didn't (or hadn't) considered that you'd ever be in - purely because (and here's the kicker) there was NO ONE else left to call.

Now please - Do not! Sell yourself short because of that last paragraph. Yes, it's important to be honest about your musical ability and, obviously, you'd never get the above-mentioned call/opportunity if you weren't ready - duh. I'm just saying that sometimes being someone's last (or only) available option can be an opportunity you might've never considered.

Patience is a brilliant characteristic in both music and life and practicing patience can do wonders for you in this business. I've seen it personally, many times. Put it with some perseverance, and you will find yourself with more work than you thought you'd ever have. Plus, longevity speaks volumes among your peers, so just being "present" after many have somehow disappeared over the years can really work in your favor - if you want it to. Hang in there - there's an art to sticking around.

Vera Black

A RECAP OF WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free". - Travis Marc

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• "John Squire and Jimmy Page were my first two major influences. Both are really melodic players." - Jack Hutchinson