Off the Stage: The Cloers

What Is Indie? and Before The Music Dies

This week, we have been contemplating our music business future. We have always had plans about what we want to do, and how we want to do it. But, sometimes it takes a while to get there, and we have to figure out various ways to make our music goals a reality. We would like to be full-time touring artists within the next 3 years, and we weekly assess where we are now and how we are going to get to where we want to go. 

The following are some things that we have in the pipeline right now. John has been taking on studio work and web design work. I may begin doing some voice-over work. We said that we would NEVER do it, but we have been developing  a two hour cover tune set so that we can find more opportunities to play. We love doing charity events (especially if it benefits the arts), and are currently doing some of those. We are looking into attending a college programming conference to see what the interest is there for our music. We really love the idea of house concerts and are planning on getting some of those set up once the CD is in hand. We are getting ready to join our festival network here in North Carolina and hope to be able to showcase next year. We also are putting together a packet to send to our arts market for our state. They gather booking agents from the area to one central location to hear up and coming talent (and hopefully book them). We also love busking. As soon as our CD is finished, you will find us playing in unexpected places all around town. Surely, between all these things, plus a weekly venue show, and our CD sales and digital downloads, we should be on our way to full-time music within the next couple of years.

Someone asked me recently why we make it so hard on ourselves by doing all this work ourselves. "Why don't you just start shopping your CD to a label as soon as you finish it?". I didn't have the time to start a discussion on the state of the music industry at this point and time in history. So, I just said, "because I am an independent artist who wants to be able to control the work that I release and want to be able to have the say so in how I am represented as an artist". Of course, I got the same puzzled reaction I get from friends, family, as well as inquisitive strangers - that blank stare, head nod, and the "lets move on" uncomfortableness.

However, I must say that nothing gets me more jacked up than talking to someone who is in the business and understands EXACTLY what is going on right now. We are living in an amazing time for independent art. Daily, I am excited by some new artist or project that I hear about that without the internet or blogs, or digital distribution, I would never have heard of. Most people only know about the old music formula... the "act" gets shopped around, attorneys talk, the artist is signed, radio airplay takes place, and millions of dollars are made. Now, I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with this scenario, but it does have its price and it's not happening this way very often anymore. I don't want to have to get into the "dirty" side of the business with friends and family and explain just what is taking place behind the scenes. Sexual exchanges for career advancement, payola, no publishing money for the writer/artists, 360 record deals where ALL money that the artist makes is distributed around multiple directions, no control over which song are recorded or released, signed artists who record a CD, then the label decides not to release it at all (and the artist can't do anything with those songs either), rude booking agents who represent YOU to the public, sleazy managers, crooked accounting practices, shady publishers, and the list goes on and on. Now, I'm not saying that they are all this way. A few good examples of artist friendly labels are Compass Records, ATO Records, and Righteous Babe Records. They support their artists 100% and give them the freedom to do the music/art that they feel that they need to express. I know a few good managers. I know some really nice booking agents. And I even know a few honest, music loving, art appreciating attorneys. I'm not saying that we are opposed to some help somewhere down the line in the distant future, but as far as we can see, WE are the best people to represent ourselves. So, with close friends and family, we now hand them a couple of movies to watch that explain what in the world it is that we are trying to do with our music and why we aren't marching around to record labels begging them to give us a listen.

Now, I want to introduce you to these documentaries that have had a major influence on what we see our music future to be. The first one is called, "What is Indie" by Dave Cool. Dave is a complete amatuer movie maker, but you would never know it by watching this DVD. He is an amazing film maker, and addresses exactly what it means to be an Indie Artist. I highly recommend purchasing this DVD or downloading a copy.

The other movie I want to mention is called, "Before the Music Dies". This DVD discusses the current state of the music industry. Dave Matthews, Erykah Badu, Elvis Costello, My Morning Jacket, North Mississippi Allstars, Les Paul, Widespread Panic, Branford Marsalis, Bonnie Raitt, Questlove, and many other artist share their experiences in the music business and comment on how things are changing at this time. This is another one you will want to buy and share.

One last word of warning. Both of these DVD have "colorful" language. But, the content is so important that I think it is of value to look past that and hear what the artists, industry executives, journalists, and fans are trying to say.

Web Business Meeting and Storyteller Kali Ferguson

This year, we are working on other ventures so that eventually, we will be able to make music our full-time career. By the end of the year, John will graduate from Sessions School of Design, New York. He has been attending this online design school for a couple of years, and will soon earn his Master's Certificate in Web Design (with concentrations in Flash and Graphic Design). Those who know us well know that we are those crazy, do it yourself type of people. We were told that the website we wanted to build for "The Cloers" was going to cost us between $2000-$5000 for building it and maintaining it. Well, the insane control freaks that we are, we took the money it would cost us to pay someone to build our site, and we both signed up to go back to school so that we could do it all ourselves. Marketing our business is going to be an expensive prospect as well. So, I am working on my Master's Certificate from Sessions in Business Marketing Design.  

This brings me to today's post. John has already started working on a couple of web projects for some musicians and artists. This morning, we had a planning meeting with a multi-talented, singer-songwriter-musician, Angelo Melendez. We are very excited to be working with him. He is a great friend, and an emerging songwriter. He has been a musician for many years, has been writing seriously for about 5 years, and is in the beginning stages of getting material together for his first CD. We are glad to be affiliated with him, and hope that you will check out some of his music. We will let everyone know when his website is finished, so that you guys can get a good idea of what John has been doing in school for the past couple of years.

This afternoon, we had a spoken word artist come in and record some of her stories in the studio. Her name is Kali Ferguson, and she is a cultural educator and storyteller. I hope you guys will take some time and listen to her stories. She is really talented, and we are honored to be working on a project with her. Today was Kali's first time in a studio, and I'm glad she chose to work with us. John is a VERY easy engineer to work with. I know I sound biased, but I have NEVER had an enjoyable experience in a studio, even though I have been in and out of them since I was 15 years old. I get nervous, and I feel pressed for time. Sometimes, the producer/engineer is impatient, or rude, and makes you feel stupid for not getting something as quickly or "RIGHT" within the exact time frame that they have allotted. I get that time is money, but sometimes, creative moments take a little time and patience. This is why I am very happy that we will be working on our first CD project here at the home studio. That way, I can take as much time as I need, and I don't have to have anxiety about being rushed.

I will spend tonight typing and posting schedules all around the house to get ready for another busy week. And finally, this week will be about adding some sound effects to Kali's project, mastering it, and getting it ready to be given back to the artist by next weekend.  We will also be working on the re-write for one more of our songs for the CD. Did I mention that we need a vacation?  :-)

Playing Live and Lily Fest 2009

This past weekend was crazy and very busy!  We worked our day job all day on Saturday, then we came home, changed clothes, packed the music equipment, and headed out the door to a friends party. We got there very late, but several people were still in attendance.  We quickly set up, and played a 7 song set for those interested in a little late night musical entertainment. Now, we are not trying to book ourselves at this time, but these little opportunities keep presenting themselves, and every time we do them, we get a little more comfortable with playing live. We've performed in front of people for many years, but when it's all new music, it takes a little time to get back into the swing of things.

Then, we woke up early Sunday morning, after getting in bed WAY too late on Saturday night. We packed the music equipment back up, and got on the road down to Landsford Canal State Park in Catawba, SC. Although it rained most of the day, and we were swarmed by bugs, we still had a great time at Lily Fest, 2009. The day was filled with singer songwriters telling their stories, and folks walking down to Catawba River to see the largest collection of Spider Lilies in the United States of America. We shared the stage, in a songwriter "round", with our new friend, Jeff Luckadoo. Lilyfest 2009 will always be special to us, because it is the first festival we have played as, "The Cloers". Several more of our friends performed as well - Brad & Scott Brewer, Michael Avery, Paul Finnican, Bruce Johnson, Marie Cheek, Ellie Laveer Stager, Don Murray, Pj Brunson, Mark Hamrick, David Griffin, The Oneppo Brothers, Jason Switzer, Martin Putnam, and Joe Carlisle.  A big thanks to Butch Oneppo (Woody's Music) and Jimmy Gladden for setting up and running sound. Those guys were great. We look forward to next year, and hope it doesn't rain as much.

Here's our friend Bruce Johnson singing on the porch in the rain, and notice the snow (really swarms of bugs). I think every singer swallowed a bug or two on Sunday. 

Our Monthly NSAI Meeting - May

Every year, CMT (Country Music Television) and NSAI partner together to sponsor a song writing contest. The contest is held to find and develop promising songwriters and artists. Songwriters of all genres are encouraged to participate by submitting one or more songs. The winners and runners up are exposed to many industry folks and their songs are heard by the Nashville music community and far beyond. Getting into the finals allows one to exploit their song to thousands of people via the internet and contest news updates. Needless to say, this is a very well respected contest that can boost your credibility as a songwriter and open doors that would be a little harder to push through if you hadn't received mention as an up and coming writer.

Tuesday night was our monthly NSAI meeting, and our coordinators arranged for us to have 2 special guests visit our workshop via Skype. The grand prize winners of the 2008 CMT/NSAI contest, David Stewart and Mary Beth Stone, spoke to our group about how is feels to go from songwriter to contest winner. It was brought to our attention that the majority of the finalists songs for the CMT competition were co-written. Most songwriters feel that having a co-writer is a huge benefit and it's a fact that many songs would never be written without collaboration. It's always great to have someone to bounce ideas off of who may bring a different skill set, as well as someone who may be able to fill in the weak spots that you may have in your writing.

Another point that they made was that you have to be open with where you will let a song go. Mary Beth originally wrote a verse and part of the chorus about a dear friend that had passed away. She was thinking of him and thought about how much she missed him. She took that verse and idea to David, and he heard it more like a love/relationship song. Ultimately, the song was better served as a romantic, country-rock ballad, so that is how they ended up focusing the song. 

They also encouraged everyone in the group to continue working hard and not give up on finding a compatible co-writer. They have been co-writing for over 5 years, and meet together weekly. Individually, they have been working at songwriting for many years. Hit songs don't usually come out perfectly, overnight, and then go on to win a song contest. Sometimes it's years of dedication to your craft and the relentless seeking out of that other writer(s) that you click with that will eventually make you a better songwriter. David and Mary Beth had already been trying to get some interest in this song in the Nashville community via song pluggers that they know. They were getting a few "bites" on the song about the same time that they heard that they had won the 2008 CMT songwriting competition. Another interesting fact is that they submitted this same song last year and it got pretty far down the judging line. Then, all of a sudden, they found out that it had been rejected. They really believed in the song, and thought that they may have something worth fighting for. So, they re-submitted the exact same song, the same demo recording with absolutely no changes, and were the grand prize winners THIS year. Is that song any better this year than it was last year? No. Just different ears on the same song at a different time. Makes you wonder, huh?

On a more personal note, we had a great time tonight with all of our songwriting friends. We performed a song that we have been working on called, "I Want To Say". It went over well, and we were pleased that it was so well received. And on the subject of co-writing...I know I'm biased, but I REALLY love my co-writer. 

The winning song of the 2008 CMT/NSAI Sonwriting contest, "Damn, I Miss You"

A Whirlwind Week Ahead

I just wanted to do a quick entry about what is going on with "The Cloers". John's finger has FINALLY healed over, and we are so happy to be getting back to music. We have a lot of practice time to make up for, but we are ready. This weekend was spent hanging out with the Mothers and Grandmothers as well as doing lyric re-writes for song #8. We will be presenting that song at our monthly NSAI meeting on Tuesday.

We are excited about all of the musical opportunities we have going on this week. On Tuesday, we will attend and present a song at our monthly songwriter's meeting. On Saturday, we will perform our first real "set" at a private party we were asked to attend and play for. And, on Sunday, we will be performing at Lilyfest, a festival held in Catawba, South Carolina. What a way to get John's hands back in shape quickly!

We are thrilled about performing our music three times in one week, and we will update everyone on each of these events. Oh yeah, just wanted to let everybody know that the CD WILL NOT be out in June as was planned. Our accountant had to file an extension for us this year because she was too busy to do our taxes in April. We hope that we will eventually get a tax return check, and that the money received will pay for the first pressing of our CD. If not, then we will figure out another way to get the rest of the money we need. I GUARANTEE you guys that we will have a CD out in 2009. That is an OFFICIAL promise.

Sacrifice and Stay the Course

I've been going through a rough patch this week feeling sorry for myself thinking of all of the things that we could have had and done if we didn't devote our entire existence to our music. I don't allow myself to feel this way for very long or very often, but I would be lying if I said that it doesn't bother me every once in a while. This was triggered this week when I was reading a high school alumni newsletter, and was taunted by all of the "adult" accomplishments of my fellow classmates. Not a single one of them said anything like, "All I dream about every day is eating, breathing, and living rock 'n roll". Or, "My goal in life is to love, dream, write, travel, absorb culture, and photograph something beautiful everyday". Nope, every one of them had important jobs, children, expensive houses in "safe" neighborhoods, causes, job promotions, and some even had retirement plans. Never have I written to the alumni association and told them of MY future plans, because artists tend to look silly in this serious, planned out world. As hard as it is, I have accepted that I will never appear, "NORMAL".

John and I both graduated from college, but it was only because we wanted to be able to say that we did it. Even then, we talked about how we just wanted to be involved with music. We thought that the desire would pass, and that we would eventually "grow up". We thought that someday we would grow into other people; people who didn't want to live a creative life. All along, we have had to, and still do have a "day job". However, neither of us ever went into the actual field that we had studied for because we knew we would... make money, and like it, and buy things, and not be able to pick up and walk away from those jobs and devote our lives to art. So, we have an 800 square foot house, 1 vehicle - a twelve year old car, no retirement plan, no savings, no kids, no 401K, no days off from our day job since 2005 = no vacation :(, no big "back up plan", no secret investor who funds all of our projects. It's just us throwing every spare dollar we make and every spare minute we have into our music career. Freaking depressing? - yeah. Borderline irresponsible? -of course. Slightly insane? - you know it. But, IS it exciting and fulfilling to still have a dream, something worth waking up for and pursuing when everyone else around you seems to be content with having to "grow up"? You better believe it!

Today, I was reading a email from Bob Lefsetz that brought me back to my artist reality. An artistic life is about "due paying" and sacrifice.  It definitely is not for everyone. Here is an excerpt from the email...

Can you stay the course when times are tough?  Can you live in an apartment as opposed to a house?  Can you drive an old car?  Can you avoid applying to graduate school? Can you not get f**ked up at night so you can work clear-headed tomorrow?  Can you not have children so you can focus on your work? In other words, can you work hard and SACRIFICE?

Most people would say no to most, if not all of the above questions. When I realized that we could say yes to ALL of the above, it reminded me that what we are trying to do will never be easy, or mainstream, or something worth reporting to an alumni newsletter. But, it will be meaningful and an amazing adventure, and I am thankful that I can see that.

While reading this months alumni newsletter, I saw that two of my friends wives are already dead from breast cancer. We're still young. Nobody should die that young! So, I'm pleased to say that all of this dying and depression has snapped me back into the reality that life is too short not to do EXACTLY what you want to do. No compromises, no "plan B" - JUST MUSIC!  I refuse to care what anyone thinks of me. I have been and ALWAYS will be a dreamer, and I cannot live any other life than that of an artist. To me, a life lived without passion and dreams, is not worth living. Ok, I'm over the artist angst and wallowing and introspection, and tomorrow I'll be back to the business of writing, singing, song arrangements, social networking, music business reading, web marketing, etc...