Well, it's been something like five years since I last posted anything here. I was just watching a really good TV show (which is very rare these days), the girl was blogging about her work. Reminded me I have this blog. I guess I was using it for somewhat of a journal or diary, and for venting. I'm pretty sure there are some posts that showed my depression and anxiety, my extreme lows, my disgust, among other less than pleasant things.
Anyway, I guess I've always been one of those people who cannot stomach things like corruption, fraud, lying, exploiting, manipulating, bullying, and such. These things are rampant in today's world, and I guess I'm not handling it so well. My depression comes and goes, my anxiety is pretty much always present, and my disgust meter is constantly pegging.
As of today, I've been in the music business for 45 years. There have been a few times where I thought I was done, gotten out from a few months to a couple of years, then falling right back into it. I guess it's who I am, who I'll always be.
I'm now in Reno, Nevada, been here about eight months. I spent a couple years in Prineville, Oregon, before this. I played music fairly regularly while I was in Prineville, and same here, working fairly regularly.
I'm seeing changes in the business. There was of course, the whole Covid fiasco, which put a lot of people out of business. I delivered food, it was the best I could do during that time, and amazingly, I survived it all. Anyway, changes in the music business.
Way back in the 80s, when I was first starting out, all the musicians were better than I was. They could do things I thought I would never be able to do. Fast forward to 2025, and I guess I progressed to some degree :D . I may have mentioned before, but just in case not, I play nine instruments. And I'm not talking about dabbling, I can actually play nine instruments. Over the past year or so, I've put together around a hundred music videos. In these videos, I play all the instruments (all real instruments), then put the video parts together. I digress. What I've seen over the past few years is, the calibre of musicians seems to have deteriorated. I'm not saying there were unlimited numbers of great players and singers back in the day, but the calibre was noticeably better. I was lucky in the way that there were some old timers in Hawaii at that time, who taught me things - valuable things. Ettiquette, guitar stuff (most of which I use to this day), Sears And Roebuck turnarounds, and, what Country Music actually is. There were, of course the ones who weren't so helpful or supportive - taking every opportunity to put me down. That's not a complaint, it's just life. Believe it or not, they actually helped me in ways that they probably never thought about.
These days, there are guys who will do ANYTHING to get onto a stage. A lot of them are downloading karaoke tracks off the internet, put them onto a tablet, go onto a stage and sing karaoke. They don't really play, most of them can't hit a note, and they're intensely reading lyrics off the tablet. Then there's the computer generated "Content" - where instead of playing real instruments, they get the computer to generate sounds that resemble real instruments. I see all of this as fraud, and I've made quite a few people very angry by saying that, but well, it's the way I see it. It's been a rough road trying to work, with all the corruption, the fraud, the envy and jealousy, and the silly prejudices. Many who are in positions of booking live music are, or were, musicians. They see a guy who can do things that they couldn't, who gets too much attention, and he's toast (as they say). I have had that happen more times than I can count. Then, there's Facebook, which I see as a great tool to point out corruption and other bad behavior. Many of these people in positions will see something they don't like, and as a matter of punishment, will lock me out of their place of business - restaurant, bar, etc.
I did land a good place to play up in Virginia City, just outside of Reno. It's called "Bonanza Mexican Cantina". The owners are the exception to the rule. They are honest, decent people who want the best for their customers, and who want their business to do well. I have yet to see their ego be any part of what they do. Before that, I worked at a place, Delta Saloon, whole different story. So, I play at the Bonanza Saturdays and Sundays, and more during the warmer months. I also play a few places around Reno when weather permits - they are patio jobs. The Wild River Grille - the manager - same as Bonanza, does his best to do for his customers, as well as for the business. I'm in their rotation, I play there 3 days a month. Then there's Legends Bar And Grille - another one where the owner and manager are straight up - what's best for the customers, and for the business. I do well is places where that's the case. There are a whole lot less of those than the other, but I guess that's just life in the music business in 2025.
So, that's where I am at the moment. Things got a little tight over this winter, with snow cancelling me a few times, and the endless barrage of corporations stealing money - another of the perils of life in 2025 - well, I guess all along :D .
I'll be here posting for a while. I have a lot to say about the music business in general - a lot about the horrible corruption in Nashville and the major Country Music record labels. Maybe some about everyday life. And who knows what else.
So, hopefully you'll check back to see what other crazy stuff you might find here :D . I guess I'll try adding a video to each of my posts. Keep in mind, in my videos, all production, and all instruments and vocals by me.
YouTube Video here: Dixieland Delight
Till next time.
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