I recently celebrated another trip around the sun, another year, and another day. Celebrating in Spain and feeling a little older oddly reminds me that rock & roll didn’t die young. My favorite band ever is still going and I’m happy making music in the genre that first inspired me.
It’s good to be alive. I feel lucky to see a musical horizon that includes gigging as a front-man, recording a cover song of lifelong inspiration, and working on new original music. Although I recently paused the Unstarving Musician podcast, I’m considering new episodes. Stay tuned. I’m also thinking about trying something new musically.
We visited a Picasso exhibit in Barcelona that showcased some of his earliest works, where I learned he went through many stylistic and medium changes. This got me thinking about the many musicians who have experiment with different styles and genres. But I’ve not intentionally explored new areas as deeply as I should. Then again, I suppose that fronting an ensemble is a dramatic change.
It’s easy to look back on my life and imagine it was uninteresting or unvaried. Deep down I know this isn’t true. But could I push harder on the boundaries of my experience? Should I push harder toward uncharted styles, genres, and interests? Perhaps I’ll begin by exploring Picasso’s journey in depth.
“It’s only rock & roll, but I like it.”
–Jagger/Richards“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.”
–Hunter S. Thompson