battle between orginality and contrivance

Many artists want to create something original.....Many artists also want to create from a pure, honest place rather than entertaining thoughts like, "hmmmmmm what could I create that would garner me the most money and/or the most worldly recognition?"....At the same time, many artists are not worried about integrity and would rather find the quickest route to either the most money or the most coveted type of recognition, depending on what their primary motivator is....I would say that the majority of us are driven by a sliding scale of these factors and money often plays a part in artists' ultimate decisions if they are ever fortunate enough to begin monetizing their art. My goal is create from a pure place that reaches deep and speaks honestly....I do strive for commercial success, but I pray that the art and expression in and of themselves continue to be the main reasons that I create...I find that when I'm searching for approval, I begin to lose my connection with the creative process......For me, the art of writing songs and performing them awakens energy, infuses emotion, and shares human human experience by creating an emotional and poignant dialogue within me and with my audience.....

My goal as an artist is to, first and foremost, create from a pure place.. When I refer to a "pure" place, I'm referring to a place where beauty of meaningful thought and emotion is free to come through an open vessel whose main goal is to be the instrument that brings beauty into the world...TBC

a musician's life - get out of your head!!

being a musician is one of the most gratifying experiences that one could experience...you convey your emotions and hope that something you sing/play resonates with your audience.....from what I've experienced, the most important thing you can remember as a musician is to get out of your head and play from your heart....this sounds VERY cliche I know.....but people long for the connection with another human being who both plays a well put together piece of music AND, EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT, means it completely....a musician can't "mean" what they are playing when they are connected in large part to their head and not in tune with the part of themselves that "feels"....Tonite I couldn't get out of my head.....I drank before hand etc but I never fully entered into that place of musical abandon....It is that place that musicians long to be...It is a place of COMPLETE feeling and connection with one's self and with the world around them...It is a place of no Ego...It is like everyone there is playing the song and singing the song with you....Perhaps it was because I was playing new songs I'd never played out before or because I was experimenting with a new effects board or maybe because the sound person was new and had no clue about what they were doing......perhaps it was a combination of all of those factors.....all I know is that my goal is to enter every performance with the clearest of intentions.....to make meaningful sounds regardless of who gets the kudos or who is watching...whether I'm playing for an Atlanta bar crowd of 200 or homeless folks off of Ponce after a nite of drinking at the Local........I aim for my intentions to be pure and for my music to be sincere...If that lands me playing homeless under a bridge somewhere or in Phillips Arena so be it....so be it. so be it

Random Thoughts About the Atlanta Music Scene

People talk about the lack of an Atlanta music scene pointing to a "lack of community" in Atlanta....This may be true, but It doesn’t have to remain that way…..It’s up to us to create community….People in general wait for leaders to make things happen….Musicians need to understand at a gut level how collaborating on and off stage and supporting each other benefits THEM… People like us(Leaders) can demonstrate that ; ) I believe that individual musicians & music business folks remain isolated, and thus the music scene as a whole stays fragmented, due to an evil trinity of factors:

1) Pride(they sincerely believe they are too good for most others or aren’t into collaborating with other genres)
2) Insecurity(they don’t wont others to outshine them or learn their “trade secrets”), and
3) Indifference(they are apathetic and don’t care that much)

We as music business leaders have the fascinating Opportunity of working together to meld the Atlanta music community into a cohesive whole that benefits all of us. I find being part of something on the rise to be quite a thrill…

McNary's Music Biz Musings - January 16, 2010

Recent Rundown>>>>
Lately I’ve been focusing on songwriting, prepping for my upcoming EP recording sessions, and working on collaborating with a new musical friend I made in August ’09. The work we are doing together is compelling and we are beginning to gel musically. The first show we worked on together was “McNary & Friends” in Nov. ’09. The thing I like most about her aside from her vocal talent and compelling songwriting, is her work ethic and her willingness to be a team player in all aspects of the business. Her name is Anne Harper and we’ll be playing a full set together for the first time on Friday, February 26th @ TNS Sushi in East Atlanta. The show will be sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon and it looks to be a well attended event. Josh Carples of Montgomery, AL will be opening for us. We’ll each be playing some new songs getting their first public run. ’10 is getting booked. I’ve booked in-town shows through July and am now looking to fill up my out of town schedule with shows in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, out of Atlanta metro GA, South Carolina, and North Carolina…..Holler if you have any leads for me. I’m down to play anywhere form living rooms to 400 seat rock clubs….

Jamming anyone?
It’s very rare to find a professional musician who wants to jam…..Most professional musicians(musicians whose only job is music or musicians whose main focus is making a career out of music) are so involved in their own musical goals that they don’t take the time to play music for music’s sake…….I’m looking for more of those people…..Making music for making music sake is one of the best things about being blessed with musical talent……so holler if you want to grab a few drinks and make of night of making music just because it feels good.

The Atlanta Music Scene
I get the feeling that the indie rock/acoustic/even country music scene in Atlanta is growing more quickly than in many other cities. I’ve actually met a couple of non hip-hop/R&B musicians who have moved to Atlanta just to get involved in music. Whether they are completely clueless and should’ve moved to Nashville, Austin, New York, or LA…..I don’t know……But based on some of the national/international acts like Manchester Orchestra, Snowden, Black Lips, Deerhunter(by way of Athens), Zack Brown Band, Corey Smith….and if you want to look further back, Shawn Mullins, Indigo Girls, Collective Soul, and John Mayer….. just tot name a few bands from different genres/niches……I get the feeling Atlanta is not such a bad place to get a music career off the ground…..The biggest obstacle I see at this point is lack of work ethic in the musicians in Atlanta AND a little disguised reticence to collaborate/work with other artists. I believe that widespread collaboration and hardcore work ethic is what makes towns like Nashville such fertile ground for new music and new successful bands…among other things like incredible infrastructure, music culture, etc, etc, etc…….At the same time, a city like Atlanta has the potential to bring a fresh look on music and music culture. …….hmmmmm…just ramblings……I only have two subscribers at this point, so my musings are about as likely to be read by the masses as my persona journal is : )