The message, Jeeves!

Hellooooooo, Comrades!

And what a beautiful spring morning it is here in Maryland. I read on the news last night that Maryland is the 10th least-relaxing state in the US. Cool! Just wait till I get that new amp...

As I journey farther along in my music career, I'm getting to meet more and more people. Wow, there's some uptight musicians around here! Holy smokes, they certainly take themselves seriously. And their music, too. It feels like a high school of old people trying to keep a club exclusive.

Now, comrades, here's a news flash for you. Nobody really cares about you.

Say whaaaaat? Let me elaborate.

As I see it, there's three elements to a musician: Themselves (personality), their sound, and the song's message.

All three are essential, and the last part seems to get forgotten a lot. To use an automotive analogy, think of the musician as a car, the sound as the skill in driving, and the message as the contents of the vehicle.

If we have a beautiful piece of pottery that we would like to bring to a friend, we need a vehicle with which to transport it, and, of course, we need to be able to drive.

I'm seeing a lot of people, including myself, getting stuck on how fancy the car is (recognition as a musician) or how fast we can drive (the sound.) But all of that is more than irrelevant if there's no point to the trip, and no gift in the car. I say "more than" because after a very short while, it's downright annoying, not to mention pretentious.

I was talking to my mom about this recently. She's an artist, and her work helps people all over the world find real. She said "Josh, I take my work seriously, but not myself so much."

It just could be that a song you wrote will save someone's life. So promote it, shout it from the rooftops, and tell people it's the greatest, because it just might be.

But lighten up a bit when it comes to yourself. We're all in this together.

Vive la Revolution!

- Josh

PS. Hey all you snobby DC music scene old people...Consider yourself overthrown! "I have here a list!"

Put the club down, sir

Heya!

Got my potato salad from the store across the street, and a student is due in shortly...TRAIN!

Now I'm back. (I love trains.)

I was at the gym last night, and doing more listening to the house music than lifting. I noticed - wow, does everyone become rock stars to make their ex feel bad? It's all "look at me, look at me!"

Don't we have anything better to talk about than ourselves?

Ironic, as I say this on my blog.

So maybe try putting down that sonic club, and just beat the world about the ears with some good ideas instead!

Why don't you sit right back, and I....I may tell you a tale......

- Josh

The daily news

Hey hey!

OK, comrades, I was just reading a neat article on the Dotted Music blog, and they said that it's important to blog every day. (Hey, at LEAST more than once every few weeks!)

So, I will be trying some new writing stuff out on you loyal readers and comrades of the Revolution to overthrow bad music!

First off - Train hard, comrades! I just played first gig of the "summer" season, and it was COLD! It's hard to play guitar when your hands are chilly. But hey, I played anyway, and was warmed by the power of rock. Remember, the Revolution won't always be fought in balmy weather.

Second - anyone got tumblr? I'm joshurban.tumblr.com

Be my friend! I just posted a way cool video of the German army band playing "smoke on the water.

Third - I'm getting into radioooooo! More details soon! I did an interview for Richmond VA's WDCE 90.1, and had a blast! I've gotta chop up the audio, 'cause it's an hour and a half long. I'll put it on YouTube soon.

And lastly, here's a cool thought for the day: "How you do anything is how you do everything."

Vive la Revolution!

- Josh

"Hi, this is Josh"

'Sup, Comrades?

I've been a quiet revolutionary over here...Well, that's not true, I've just been yelling in person more than blogging. My apologies. A thank you to my buddy Coben across the pond for mentioning that I've been...how do the brits put it...Mum? (Quiet.)

I've been thinking about the business of music lately. Here's a few thoughts - I hope they help you.

I went to an open mic recently, and had a great time. What a bunch of talented folks, and supportive audience. A thought popped into my mind that made me sit up straight (I usually slouch when listen to music) and blink a few times. "Most of these people will never leave this room" (metaphorically speaking.)

Hardly an original thought, mind you, but still, it surprised me. "Why not?" I asked myself.

"Promotion!" was the answer echoed back through that strange place called Josh's brain.

People will buy a sweaty shirt for five grand if they're convinced that it's worth having - like if a famous football player wore it at a big game. Call me insecure about my music, but I think that selling is so so so important. Fortunately, I think my tunes happen to be good, and that people will genuinely enjoy listening to them and seeing them played live, so it makes the selling easier, but still...Until that label offers me a million bucks, nobody else is going to do it for me. Ever hear that quote that says "Mind your own business"? And business is in a literal sense, here, as in your company.

I'm going to be investing in some books on salesmanship, and really learn about marketing. I bet this can apply to your art as well. I'm starting to see that the promotion aspect of the industry can be just as expressive, creative, artistic, and clever as music itself.

Did you hear about this?: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/22/were-like-a-cult-with-better-kool-aid-billboard-yanked-in-sou/

Brilliant. Free national press coverage. It's like a swept-diminished arpeggio run at ten billion beats per minute.

Here's a few things that I've been doing when booking shows and promoting my music:

Be polite

Always be respectful on the phone, call when you say you will, remember names, and keep notes of who you talked to.

Be persistent

You're not their #1 priority, so stay on the radar screen - keeping the first point in mind, of course. And don't be annoying! A follow up call is a great way to stay in touch. "Hey, this is Josh, and I was just making sure that my press kit arrived in one piece." If the person who you're talking to can't help you, figure out who can. "Disarm the gatekeepers" (charm the secretaries) and talk to the right folks.

Realize your place

At first, I took promoter indifference very personally, and thought "oh man, they must think my music is lousy." Sometimes, yes, this has been the case. But I've found that, often, the person handling the bookings for a venue, festival, city, or especially college, is just way too busy to remember you. Do the remembering for them, and call them back. Again, you're not the #1 priority - yet. Change that! (But be polite, and non-annoying.)

Be Creative

Have cool stickers, a fun facebook page, weird gimmicks, whatever. Have people remember you and seriously, don't take yourself too seriously! This is music that we're playing!

Lastly, read this article. It rocks! And it's got me thinking so hard there's smoke coming out of my ears.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703727804576017592259031536.html

Pick up that phone, comrades! And not just you musical folks - anyone who's in business for themselves!

- Josh

The great teacher - take two

Comrades!

Whew, it's been a little crazy lately. Sorry for the silence. But hectic is good, and good it's been. Just a quick shout out: I'm working on booking gigs for the spring and summer, especially festivals and colleges. If anyone has any ideas, please send 'em along!

I saw a person onstage the other day, and they kept time with their eyebrows. It was the strangest thing. After I got over being disconcerted, I said to myself "gee, I hope I don't do that!"

I don't know what took me so long to think of it, but I decided to start videoing myself during my rehearsals. I've got this snazzy new laptop with a webcam (my other laptop was severely outdated), and it's the perfect solution!

I've ranted in the past about how recording is like a mirror for our skill. It takes a lotta brainpower to play guitar and listen, so by recording our songs, we can sit back and critique what we just played.

Video offers a whole new dimension. Give it a shot - I think it'll help your show!

I've made two important conclusions so far: 1. Don't chew gum onstage. 2. I've gotta hit the gym - are my shoulders really that small? Geeze!

Vive la Revolution!

- Josh

Yet

Hey hey!

Ahhh, the life of a blogger. I'm sitting in front of my crackling fire, waiting for the water to boil for the potato pasta. Snazzy! However, it IS the 50th anniversary of JFK's inaugural address, so the pressure's on!

Hey, I've noticed something this week....The ground isn't the only thing that's been frozen lately. People's perceptions of their potential they are seem to be at a standstill, too. My clients have been grumbling "hey man, I can't play that", and I've been grumbling about finances, logistics...you name it!

It's funny how powerful language can be. I expounded on my views of external language in the las t post - that is, how we need to watch what we say to others, but how about internal language? What we say to, or about, ourselves?

My mom has taught me some things about what she calls "the victim mode." She'll ask "are you being a victim, Josh?" if I start acting like life is happening to me, and there's nothing I can do.

I've been stuck squarely in the victim mode this week, and let me tell you, life has been bugging me, and it's no way to get things done.

I really got frustrated today, and then I happened to listen to myself teaching a lesson, and at least one person in the room was helped - probably just me.

If we put the word "yet" after a seemingly pessimistic assessment of a given situation, it changes it around in a dramatic way.

"I can't play that scale at that speed - yet."

"I can't afford that MiG-15 - yet."

"I'm not good at alternate picking - yet."

It's cool! It turns a statement of failure, frustration, and lack into one of hope, potential, and resolution.

I'm less grouchy now, and personally, I'm working towards that MiG 15. I can't wait to ask my yacht-owning buddies "oh, you're still boating?

Ask not what your country can do for you...yet,

- Josh

P.S. Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country? Two words, JFK. "Sup, COMRADE?" Haha!

There's no font for sarcasm, and no tone for a megaphone

'Sup, Comrades?

I was lazing around on Saturday, heckling my dad by showing him videos of Stephen Colbert and generally having a good time...When I heard about the massacre in Tuscon.

Holy smokes, what a shame. I immediately went political, thinking of all the overheated jabber that's been choking the airwaves. Having had a few days to reflect, and some of the news stories to emerge, it looks like the shooter wasn't politically motivated, just way gone mentally. (Perhaps new evidence will appear, as this is a developing story.)

But - regardless of this maniac's motivation, the murder of so many innocent people has made me think of a few things lately:

1. The responsibility of entertainers

We spend so much time, effort, and money to reach a platform from which the world can hear us. This includes not only musicians, but also politicians, pundits, writers, and anyone else who has the people's ear. It seems we then forget that there's a real audience behind those TV cameras and stage lights, and we say whatever we please. From "surveyors symbols" over congressional districts to violent lyrics, we often act like we're still obscure, and nobody is listening. We stamp our feet when people are not, and feign astonishment when people actually take our word and run with it. Sure, you can't know how a maniac will interpret something, but come on, we should be able to figure out when singing about shooting cops, or suggesting a second amendment solution might be in order if the ballot box doesn't win might blur that line between words and actions just a bit too much. People say it's just lyrics, or figures of speech, but I think it does affect us. Maybe I'm just impressionable - OK, that's a given, but hey, some tunes have made me think hitmen were glamorous. I've seen people close to me warped by video games. What we put in our head matters.

And, I think, those of us with the stage have a grave responsibility to realize that.

There's no font for sarcasm, and there's no tone on that megaphone to say "oh man, I was just kiddin'!"

Of course, one of my students made the point that metal musicians really don't have anything to worry about, because nobody can understand the words to the songs anyway.

Hey, I'm certainly not for censorship - only personal responsibility. I'm using this opportunity to make sure that I assume full responsibility of what I put out into the world, as an entertainer, and general bigmouth, which brings me to...

2. Shades of Gray It's rare to find an issue that doesn't have another valid point of view. I had the privilege of seeing Tom Chapin in concert a few days ago, and he had a song that made a point by telling kids to "forget rational discourse, because it's not on the test." In this charged political climate, I often mask my ignorance of an issue by literally skimming the information, and latching on to a sound-bite for my position in debate. I have a pretty good guess that the other side will be doing the same. It's a lot easier to call someone a loon than say "well, I understand your concern with the deficit, but still, how do you think we should get out of the recession? And where did you get that hat?"

Complex problems usually don't have simple answers. But man, I'm telling you, I've been training myself to streamline my words (believe it or not), and perfect my elevator pitch when I'm booking my show. Well, while all the world's a stage, it's not my show. So, I'm gonna be giving up the sound-bites, and going to go subtle in the hopes of getting to the truth of the moment.

Two things to honor the victims, and do my part to make the world a little better: Be very aware of what I put into the world, and a dedication to the truth over winning a battle of...I guess you'd have to say phrases, because it's certainly not wit.

Won't you join me?

Peace,

-Josh