An Introvert's Guide to Live Local Music

Playing and attending live music is part of the job of being a musician, but going to live shows as an introvert presents many social interactions that I normally try to avoid. Almost nothing will make me more uncomfortable than an impromptu conversation with a stranger in the checkout line at Publix. Its nothing personal, Bud Light & Mayonnaise Guy - I'm sure you're great – I would just rather buy my black beans and get back to making tacos. Being a hermit, while sometimes an attractive option, isn't one that I want to pursue. I've met some really great people at venues like New Brookland Tavern; I have family, friends, and relationships that I really care about; and shows present the opportunity to hang out with some people that I only get to see a couple of times a year. With so many people in the world, awkward social interactions are unavoidable, but if you know the lay of the land, you can get by with minimal damage.

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Drum Recording Rundown

As of the moment that I'm writing this, I am working on an EP with Tweito that is due for release in March 2016. We finished tracking drums a few weeks ago and wanted to share the gear we used to do it. There a many ways to do this - this may not be the system or gear for your particular situation - but we have found a system that works for us. Three years from now, this will probably look totally different, and that’s okay. Find the system that works for you and run with it. While we are far from experts, we want to show you where we’re at.

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Trenches

Like many people, I'm often asked what my favorite type of music is. More often than not I respond with a dismissive "a little bit of everything." While that answer isn't wrong, it is terribly incomplete. I listen to a wide variety of music, but I'm pretty picky about the music that I listen to and play.

At the center of it, I like music that is honest; music that comes from the core of who someone is. So much of the music that I come across is watered down and lifeless. I'm not naïve enough to think that the Christian music industry has escaped this affliction, either. Some of the most out-of-touch songs I've ever heard had a CCM label on them, while some of the most real, down-to-earth music comes from places of utter darkness.

A few months ago I discovered David Ramirez, a singer-song writer from Austin, Texas. His lyrics aren't clean, and most of the time his songs aren't uplifting, but they weave a beautiful disclosure of his personal struggles and heartbreak. More of music needs this mask-less approach.
Not every song needs to be depressing in order to be honest, nor is there honesty in every depressing song. I'm just tired of music that that is so polarizingly happy or materialistic. I want songs of value that meet us in the trenches of life - in the grey areas that we all wade through.