What’s it like to be a freelance musician?

Some might think it’s an endless parade of glory, with a side of easy living.

I would love that, but that’s not how it is- at least not for the typical freelancer…

As anybody who has spent time with them can attest, creative people tend to be a little different.  They often see and do things differently than others, which makes sense because, according to Google, creatives and artists make up a…

Some people think that when a musician releases music, nothing but glory and treasure await. But most often, nothing could be further from the truth. 

Let me tell you what happens to the typical small time recording artist. 

First, you…

Ego and self-consciousness are tough things to deal with sometimes.

Bear with me through this story and I’ll try to explain.

In Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 1, George Weasley suffers a serious wound to the head; specifically…

So many times as musicians, we show up to the gig, chat briefly with the other players, play the music, and then go home.  We don't always get a chance to really talk with or our fellow musicians, even though…

Before I answer, let's take a moment to recognize the fact that too often, musicians actually do not get paid so much.  And part of the reason for that may be a lack of understanding about what's really involved in…

Often times, the hardest part about being a musician is just getting a gig.  On top of that, some people make it even harder on themselves by not knowing how to act when they do get a gig.  There's a…

January is traditionally a slow month for me musically.  But it's ok.  In a way I prefer it.  December is usually busy to the point of being barely sustainable.  The income is nice, but so is the time off in…

If you took a look at my gig calendar, you'd see something similar to the EKG of a dead person- until April.  This month, the gigs have come in like an avalanche! 

But why?  How did we go from near…

For obvious reasons, this was without a doubt, the strangest year of my career.  But despite my calendar being a scribbled mess of cancelled gigs (I really should've used a pencil), there were some exciting and fun things that…

The first bad sign was that the wedding was on Halloween.  But on other hand, I thought something like that could turn out to be pretty cool.  I love Halloween! 

It started with an unknown guy texting me, looking for…

Can you still call yourself a musician if you don’t have any gigs? My vocalist daughter wondered this out loud during a recent conversation, in which I informed her that yet another one our gigs together had been cancelled due…

Musicians are experiencing a new kind of whiplash this spring as robust gig calendars have been completely annihilated by coronavirus social restrictions.  Some, like Todd Fulginiti Music (TFM) artist Bailey Fulginiti & bassist Tom Herr, are using the time to…

I’ve only touched a trumpet once since my last gig on March 15.  And I'm ok with it.  I don’t feel guilty about it and I don’t care that I don’t feel guilty. 

Since that weekend in mid March when…

Cancelled.  Cancelled.  Postponed.  Cancelled.  Last week was like that too.  Tomorrow too.  Next month, who knows?  Welcome to Covid-19. 

Like all my fellow musicians and countless others, my calendar is now basically blank.  It would actually be blank except for…

If there were leaves on the trees right now, 2 of them would have been turned over for me this past week.  And despite the usual bumps and bruises of trying something new, it was a good week of growth…

Trains have long been associated with Christmas.  And although I'm not a model train collector, I do get plenty of "train time" during the holidays by working as a brass caroler at the Strasburg Railroad.  Each weekend I post similar…

Everybody has a story.  One of the things I like best about playing music is meeting people and hearing some of their stories.  Even better than that, is when the music we play invokes a story so meaningful to the…

Everybody has energy that washes all over us every time we’re around them.  We can’t help it.  Some people bring us up, others bring us down- whether we’re doing it consciously or not.  Gary Miller was one of those people…

It’s 9:30am on a Thursday morning in September.  I’m sitting at home, at my dining room table, writing and giving my dog too many treats.  It feels great but not quite normal.  Normal for me at this time of day…

Is it ok to be jealous of your kids? I hope so. This summer my daughter Ally spent 6 weeks studying in Spain. After classes, my wife flew over to meet her and they spent the next 2 weeks traveling…

Young people have a phrase.  “It sucks to suck.”  And it’s true.  It really does suck to suck.  Whether it’s playing music or sports, working your job, or whatever else.  It just doesn’t feel good to not perform well. 

As…

As humans, we're all born with a few "not-so-adorable" traits that really get on other people’s nerves.  It's ok though.  Hopefully we've all learned to tolerate each other and to get along well for the most part.  But despite our…

Me time.  A phrase a we hear often.  True, everybody needs a little “me time”.  But the problem for many of us, and for our culture in general, is that our whole existence is about me time.  It’s always 5…