It's a new year and there's plenty to reflect upon from last year and plenty more to look forward to in 2018.
I've been in Nashville for exactly 2 years now and I feel like I've made a lot of progress in that relatively short amount of time. In the past year, I created and started my own Miles Davis tribute group called MILEStones, I joined up with 2 very different and separate wedding bands, both of which are working quite steady, and I teamed up with Nashville session aces Dave Roe & Kenny Vaughan completing their vision for a retro rock/soul/pop trio. I played on a number of recordings for various artists including Angela Easley, Justin Mather, Joshua Jones, producers Bill Warner and Dalton Gray, and a number of remote recordings over the internet from home. I also signed a new endorsement deal with the amazing Japanese drum company Canopus Drums representing their snare drums and snare wires (Best in the biz!). In the last few months I have been able to start teaching drum lessons again at a local music store, and I was a guest on a podcast (my first time). Last but not least, I'm proud to have joined up with the Nashville local musician's union.
These are just some of the things I've accomplished in the MUSIC world. On a PERSONAL note, we can add buying a house!!! Paying off 1 of two school loans I had, successfully teaching my 1st grade son to read (with the help of Mommy and school teachers), joining a gym and keeping my health in check.
In the coming year, I hope to continue this forward progress towards meeting my goal of becoming a first call, session ace here in Music City, Nashville, TN. In 2018, you can see me continuing to perform regularly twice per week with Laura Mayo at Skull's Rainbow Room, expanding my drum lessons roster both at the music store location and privately, and deepening my relationship with all of the artists and clients I work with, including the drum companies I endorse. I'm also very excited to have already been asked to start work on a new full length record with guitar shredder Scott Van Zen for which I've already begun. In the coming months I plan on recording more often and for more artists. I want to make this a recording YEAR! I plan on upgrading my studio from 8 channels to 16 input channels which would give me TONS of new options for mic's and placement. As well, I plan on finding time to write more songs with the ultimate goal of releasing a record/EP of my own.
I also plan on keeping this blog going as steady and regularly as possible. It's great to have an outlet to write about ideas, goals, expressing myself in an eloquent way (hopefully), and to talk online about things that are happening in my life and in my mind.