How to save a starving musician

How to save a starving musician http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm Sun, 16 May 2010 18:45:00 GMT http://bandzoogle.com The Last Year of My Life http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm?feature=566357&postid=287852 Ominous title!! No, it’s not the last year of my life (I hope) but it’s a very interesting idea. How would you live each day, each hour if it was the last year of your life? I was listening to my favourite radio show <a target="_new" href="http://www.coasttocoastam.com ">Coast to Coast and the guest was a guy who runs a program called The Last Year of Your Life. Basically it sounds like you convince yourself that it IS the last year of your life and then you act accordingly. I loved the idea and had to write a song for it. I tried it for a couple of days and it really brings great moments into focus. I started to get all hippy and started to appreciate all the basics. A very nice place to be and a place that I go to often now. In fact after a tough day I’ll pretend that this is the last year and it really helps put things into a different focus. Hope you enjoy! Ominous title!! No, it’s not the last year of my life (I hope) but it’s a very interesting idea.

How would you live each day, each hour if it was the last year of your life?

I was listening to my favourite radio show Coast to Coast and the guest was a guy who runs a program called The Last Year of Your Life. Basically it sounds like you convince yourself that it IS the last year of your life and then you act accordingly. I loved the idea and had to write a song for it.

I tried it for a couple of days and it really brings great moments into focus. I started to get all hippy and started to appreciate all the basics. A very nice place to be and a place that I go to often now. In fact after a tough day I’ll pretend that this is the last year and it really helps put things into a different focus.

Hope you enjoy!

]]> Sun, 16 May 2010 18:45:00 GMT 5D48A1FDD97514C0C1D26B62B7441ADC How idiot sport parents saved the U.S. http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm?feature=566357&postid=48863 It’s amazing how the dots can be connected. It just hit me that idiot sports parents are responsible for the Obama administration. Let’s take a good look at this chain of events. First of all let me define the idiot sport parent. My son plays hockey and lacrosse at competitive levels but not at the level where any of the kids are expected to go on and possibly play professionally. None of the kids take it that seriously. Some parents on the other hand think that little "Willy Score" will land the big contract and said parents can then retire to Florida or wherever it is idiot sports parents retire to. These are the people who are constantly yelling, at the top of their lungs, instructions to the kids (who can’t hear them because they’re in an enclosed rink!! Idiots!), insults at the refs, coaches and at the opposing teams kids and occasionally getting into fights with the opposing teams parents. Two weeks ago one of these moron moms called another kid a piece of shit!! Unbelievable. Unbloodybelievable!! I stood there with my mouth open staring at her in disbelief when she looked at me with a triumphant smirk. She felt good about her comment and was damn proud of it. The other normal parents were just looking at each other in that self satisfied way that we have knowing that we are not idiots. It’s good to not be an idiot. It brings me a bit of peace. It’s also good to know that my son’s dad is not an idiot. When Sarah Plain came out as a rabid sport parent and said "You know, they say, the difference between a hockey Mom and a pitbull?... Lipstick!" it showed the more normal part of the US that she was not capable of running anything. And the fact that the republicans would want her on the ticket just showed that these were not the brightest of people. Thank you Sarah for being an idiot sport parent. You did your country a huge favour. GO LEAFS GO!! Now that’s just being an idiot hockey fan.
First of all let me define the idiot sport parent. My son plays hockey and lacrosse at competitive levels but not at the level where any of the kids are expected to go on and possibly play professionally. None of the kids take it that seriously. Some parents on the other hand think that little "Willy Score" will land the big contract and said parents can then retire to Florida or wherever it is idiot sports parents retire to.

These are the people who are constantly yelling, at the top of their lungs, instructions to the kids (who can’t hear them because they’re in an enclosed rink!! Idiots!), insults at the refs, coaches and at the opposing teams kids and occasionally getting into fights with the opposing teams parents. Two weeks ago one of these moron moms called another kid a piece of shit!! Unbelievable. Unbloodybelievable!! I stood there with my mouth open staring at her in disbelief when she looked at me with a triumphant smirk. She felt good about her comment and was damn proud of it. The other normal parents were just looking at each other in that self satisfied way that we have knowing that we are not idiots. It’s good to not be an idiot. It brings me a bit of peace. It’s also good to know that my son’s dad is not an idiot.

When Sarah Plain came out as a rabid sport parent and said "You know, they say, the difference between a hockey Mom and a pitbull?... Lipstick!" it showed the more normal part of the US that she was not capable of running anything. And the fact that the republicans would want her on the ticket just showed that these were not the brightest of people.

Thank you Sarah for being an idiot sport parent. You did your country a huge favour.
GO LEAFS GO!! Now that’s just being an idiot hockey fan.
]]> Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:35:00 GMT 5C987D60E9F01FB082D9E76D7CAF40AD Where are we? http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm?feature=566357&postid=43804 Well I've started on a remix of Rise and Fall. I know I can do a way better mix and I've learned some new techniques to improve the power of the song. First off the drums had to be reprogrammed and engineered. New guitars are next. The old guitar tracks were done with a Pod X3. Great unit, but nothing beats the sound of a guitar through an amp! I'll remix and that 'll be it! It's great to have your own studio! Carrie's got a song that we'll start on the weekend.We're having problems with the approach and this is the second stab at it. I wonder if people who listen to music realize how much work goes into song production. Carrie's worked up a new arrangement so were ready to go. I'll program some drums, add bass and maybe a little guitar, mix  and we should have it ready by the end of the week. Busy times at Village Works!
Carrie's got a song that we'll start on the weekend.We're having problems with the approach and this is the second stab at it. I wonder if people who listen to music realize how much work goes into song production. Carrie's worked up a new arrangement so were ready to go. I'll program some drums, add bass and maybe a little guitar, mix and we should have it ready by the end of the week.
Busy times at Village Works!
]]> Sat, 30 May 2009 03:59:34 GMT CBBD2499C454D8ACB38DA8E6A5C2C29A Micro economies http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm?feature=566357&postid=43597 First of all I have no idea what I'm talking about but I'm worried enough to try and offer solutions. We're in trouble people and something has to be done. The current economic system is horribly flawed and a lot of people have paid dear prices because of greed and corruption. Here's my idea, micro economies. Every country is responsible for their own manufacturing. In other word cars driven in Canada, for example, are made in Canada. The wood needed for houses in Germany is harvested in Germany etc. No exporting allowed except to supply countries without certain natural resources. For example Canada would supply Dubai with wood for houses. This idea would cut down transportation and the toll exporting takes on the environment. It would also keep people working. Cap profits on everything. Nothing wrong with having passion for the product you've invented or are selling. Just cap all profits at a certain level and the remaining profits go to environmental and medical technologies. Why do corporations have to constantly make more profit than the year before? Shareholders. Get rid of 'em. It's killing us and the planet. This cancer of unchecked profit will do us in. Change the system. Last and certainly the most important idea, no manufacturing or transportation technology can harm the environment. Period. The technology exists to do this already. Again the whole paradigm has to be changed.   Do I think any of this is possible, no. Unfortunately we love our stuff to much. But I have to offer up something.
Here's my idea, micro economies. Every country is responsible for their own manufacturing. In other word cars driven in Canada, for example, are made in Canada. The wood needed for houses in Germany is harvested in Germany etc. No exporting allowed except to supply countries without certain natural resources. For example Canada would supply Dubai with wood for houses. This idea would cut down transportation and the toll exporting takes on the environment. It would also keep people working.

Cap profits on everything. Nothing wrong with having passion for the product you've invented or are selling. Just cap all profits at a certain level and the remaining profits go to environmental and medical technologies. Why do corporations have to constantly make more profit than the year before? Shareholders. Get rid of 'em. It's killing us and the planet. This cancer of unchecked profit will do us in. Change the system.

Last and certainly the most important idea, no manufacturing or transportation technology can harm the environment. Period. The technology exists to do this already. Again the whole paradigm has to be changed.

Do I think any of this is possible, no. Unfortunately we love our stuff to much. But I have to offer up something.
]]> Wed, 27 May 2009 22:50:00 GMT A70FDF6509ED2CDA455F9C43970C414C Done !!! http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm?feature=566357&postid=43473 Well it’s done. All the good song ideas have been produced, recorded and mixed. It’s weird getting to the very end of a project. These songs are a snapshot of life at the time of their writing and it’s very strange listening back to them. It’s like a photo album. I’ve been busy producing Carrie’s latest songs so please go and have a listen at <a href="http://www.carriearmitage.com">http://www.carriearmitage.com Luckily there are a lot of ideas swirling around so it’s just a question of trusting the radar and laying them down. Anyway I’ll start posting regular blogs and you're more than welcome to comment and critique.
I’ve been busy producing Carrie’s latest songs so please go and have a listen at http://www.carriearmitage.com

Luckily there are a lot of ideas swirling around so it’s just a question of trusting the radar and laying them down.
Anyway I’ll start posting regular blogs and you're more than welcome to comment and critique.

]]> Tue, 26 May 2009 02:25:00 GMT A87630761044A124D2AD7969F460D008 My Dog's Butt http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm?feature=566357&postid=33780 Everybody should have my dog. Not a dog like my dog, but an identical dog because ideas fly out of her ass! Production is all about stong ideas to support the songs mood and message. Personally I find these ideas can't be thought up at will so I need help finding creative ideas. Enter my dog Poppy. Whenever I'm stuck I take Poppy out for a walk, but before I do I tell her that I need a good idea for whatever. She looks at me and nods. Poppy's been trained to walk in front of me and not pull on her leash which is a good thing because she's part Golden Retreiver, part Newfoundland, in other words a big dog. So we head out for our walk and at some point her tail will raise and tilt to the left and voila, I get a strong idea. Not necessarily the right idea but one that invariably leads to a good concept. The secret to finding a dog with intestinal ideas is, when choosing a dog, look deep into their eyes when you first meet them. If you feel a strong connection, then that's your idea dog. Ask your idea dog for help and then take them for a walk. Works everytime!
Not a dog like my dog, but an identical dog because ideas fly out of her ass!

Production is all about stong ideas to support the songs mood and message. Personally I find these ideas can't be thought up at will so I need help finding creative ideas.

Enter my dog Poppy.

Whenever I'm stuck I take Poppy out for a walk, but before I do I tell her that I need a good idea for whatever. She looks at me and nods. Poppy's been trained to walk in front of me and not pull on her leash which is a good thing because she's part Golden Retreiver, part Newfoundland, in other words a big dog.

So we head out for our walk and at some point her tail will raise and tilt to the left and voila, I get a strong idea. Not necessarily the right idea but one that invariably leads to a good concept.

The secret to finding a dog with intestinal ideas is, when choosing a dog, look deep into their eyes when you first meet them. If you feel a strong connection, then that's your idea dog. Ask your idea dog for help and then take them for a walk.

Works everytime!]]> Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:23:14 GMT 8904A1987667AD6C4E51313D591996F4 How to save a starving musician http://antonevans.com/blog.cfm?feature=566357&postid=33654 I got booted out of my last band and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Let me explain. Two decades of missing time with my son, driving 2 hours one way in snowstorms so the drunken lads could yell their requests for Old Time Rock And Roll (if I ever have to sing Brown Eyed Girl again, I shall kill ), decades of music business bullshit and living at the poverty line had taken it’s toll. I was past burnt out, I was fucked up! I let my playing and attitude slide. It was also unfair to the wonderful musicians that I was privileged to work with. Don’t get me wrong, I CHOSE to live that life and chase that dream. Without reservation.  I had a part time job at P&G but still needed income. My partner was waitering for catering companies and she got me on some functions. Catering was a life changing job for me. When you play in bars people always come up and tell you they enjoyed this or that and it’s very gratifying for the ego. When you cater you’re a hired servant. This is a glorious thing. Your ego gets squashed down to normal size and then everything starts to fit right. Let me tell you about two incidents that changed my life while working as a waiter. I was holding a plate of hors d’oeuvres at a function at the University Of Toronto when a friend from high school walked by. She had become an archaeologist and looked pretty happy. Her last memory of me would have been that of an eighteen year old in a band that had a deal with a major label (a pretty big deal in high school). I called her name and when she turned around she looked puzzled, then shocked and said “Anton!! You used to be so hot”. I said something about "ya gotta pay the bills" and she was gone. Then a funny thing happened. Instead of feeling bummed, I just felt amused at her remark. I realized that serving had given me a very powerful thing. Humility. The second incident happened when a friend of mine was playing at a catering function that I was waitering at. He had also tried to make it, and was good enough to, but never did. Same old story. He wisely became a lawyer and was very successful. He had found the formula to still be a musician and have a great life. I went up to say hello and we chatted for awhile until I got called to set up tables and bars for the function. I wondered what he must be thinking of the situation. Here he was, a successful guy, and here I was slugging tables and food. Ten years ago this situation would have left me pretty depressed, but after having the ego surgically reduced, I just hoped my friend didn’t feel bad for me. Service had given me perspective and a bit of wisdom. The dream was dead and the nightmare over. It’s like life kicked me in the balls and while I was writhing in pain, life whispered in my ear “if ya wanna write songs about life, ya better get one buddy!” Eventually things did turn around and I ended up getting a great job with P&G. My muse came roaring back to life as well. She just needed a couple of years off and readjustment. Soooo, if you or someone you know is a starving musician, may I suggest you quit for a while. You’ll always be a musician and maybe you’ll be happier!
Let me explain.

Two decades of missing time with my son, driving 2 hours one way in snowstorms so the drunken lads could yell their requests for Old Time Rock And Roll (if I ever have to sing Brown Eyed Girl again, I shall kill ), decades of music business bullshit and living at the poverty line had taken it’s toll.

I was past burnt out, I was fucked up! I let my playing and attitude slide. It was also unfair to the wonderful musicians that I was privileged to work with.

Don’t get me wrong, I CHOSE to live that life and chase that dream. Without reservation.

I had a part time job at P&G but still needed income. My partner was waitering for catering companies and she got me on some functions. Catering was a life changing job for me. When you play in bars people always come up and tell you they enjoyed this or that and it’s very gratifying for the ego. When you cater you’re a hired servant. This is a glorious thing. Your ego gets squashed down to normal size and then everything starts to fit right.

Let me tell you about two incidents that changed my life while working as a waiter.

I was holding a plate of hors d’oeuvres at a function at the University Of Toronto when a friend from high school walked by. She had become an archaeologist and looked pretty happy. Her last memory of me would have been that of an eighteen year old in a band that had a deal with a major label (a pretty big deal in high school). I called her name and when she turned around she looked puzzled, then shocked and said “Anton!! You used to be so hot”. I said something about "ya gotta pay the bills" and she was gone. Then a funny thing happened. Instead of feeling bummed, I just felt amused at her remark.

I realized that serving had given me a very powerful thing. Humility.

The second incident happened when a friend of mine was playing at a catering function that I was waitering at. He had also tried to make it, and was good enough to, but never did. Same old story. He wisely became a lawyer and was very successful. He had found the formula to still be a musician and have a great life. I went up to say hello and we chatted for awhile until I got called to set up tables and bars for the function. I wondered what he must be thinking of the situation. Here he was, a successful guy, and here I was slugging tables and food. Ten years ago this situation would have left me pretty depressed, but after having the ego surgically reduced, I just hoped my friend didn’t feel bad for me. Service had given me perspective and a bit of wisdom.

The dream was dead and the nightmare over.

It’s like life kicked me in the balls and while I was writhing in pain, life whispered in my ear “if ya wanna write songs about life, ya better get one buddy!”

Eventually things did turn around and I ended up getting a great job with P&G. My muse came roaring back to life as well. She just needed a couple of years off and readjustment.

Soooo, if you or someone you know is a starving musician, may I suggest you quit for a while. You’ll always be a musician and maybe you’ll be happier!

]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:20:00 GMT 1606E69210303775894594889C1A8BD0