Being a performer I’m all too familiar with the idea of putting myself out there. There is a level of intimacy that happens when you stand up in front of a crowd of people to play a song. Being an introvert Its an almost out of body experience as the thoughts inside my head are suddenly exposed and broadcasted to my audience. The process is nerve wracking and exhilarating all at once and I can’t imagine a life without performing.

I’ve been writing and performing music for years. The guitar has always been my go-to instrument and my songs are written from my personal experiences and observations. They are uniquely personal thoughts that I choose to share with those around me, and because of that, performing in front of an audience is an act of vulnerability.

Being vulnerable can be a terrifying experience. Exposing my inner most thoughts open me up to the possibility of criticism and rejection, but on the other hand it can be a rewarding experience that opens the door for praise and new opportunities. While the downside can be rough, the positive potential outweighs the negative and is what keeps me performing as often as I can.
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After years of performing, I’ve learned a few things to help me face the music, of performing that is. The biggest component of confident performances is being confidant in my skill. Practice makes perfect and refining my skill is key to ensuring my best show possible. In addition to having the skill, self-care is also important. Now I know, I am not the best about self-care. Thankfully for me I have an awesome wife who takes care of me. Finally, visualization and reflection help me get in the zone and constructively consider areas for improvement. These three things help me tremendously when it comes to performing and keeps me sane while experiencing the highs and lows of performing professionally. 

Last week I talked about Cow Punk and it got me thinking, there are a lot of sub genres under the Rock and Roll moniker. Ranker.com has a pretty extensive list of sub genres ranked by top 100. On that list I see a lot of variety, but in an effort to keep things brief, let’s review the top 5 subgenres, alternative, blues, heavy metal, grunge, and punk rock.

Alternative Rock

Also known as alternative or alt rock, Alternative rock can trace its roots back to the 1960s, although the term itself was not coined until the 1979 by Rockpool Newsletter journalist Terry Tolin. He used the term “Alternative Music” to describe the music he wrote about, highlighting the post-punk musicians he wrote about. The subgenre eventually gained national attention as alternative bands such as R.E.M, and The Smashing Pumpkins began to sign with major record labels.

Blues Rock

A fusion of blues and rock and roll, Blues Rock is heavily influenced by hard, southern, and heavy metal rock. The subgenre began as rock musicians started to perform traditional blues songs, such as the Rolling Stones who put multiple blues songs on the pop charts. While Blues Rock is believed to have started sometime within the 1960s, it’s popularity drifted away until a resurgence in the 1990s thanks to the likes of popular artists like the White Stripes, John Mayer, and Blues Traveler.

Heavy Metal

Also developed during the 1960s, Heavy Metal shares roots with blues, psychedelic, and acid rock. It’s known for it’s heavy sound and frequent use of sound distortion, loud volume, and extended guitar solos. Despite the subgenre’s aggressive sound, the music is strongly linked to listeners with a strong sense of self and community. Infamous heavy metal artists include Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Metallica.

Grunge Rock

Sometimes referred to as the Seattle Sound, Grunge Rock began in the 1980s in the musical subculture of the Seattle area. Mixing punk rock and heavy metal, Grunge Rock is known for its association with angst, and common themes like trauma, social isolation, and self-doubt. While the subgenre was a marketing strategy of Seattle based independent record label Sub Pop, the music grew in popularity in the early 1990s thanks to the efforts of bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.

Punk Rock

Characterized by its fast-paced rhythms and anti-establishment sentiments, Punk Rock began in the 1970s in rejection of mainstream rock. The term itself was coined in the 1970s by American rock critics and was used to describe popular acts like MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges. The UK’s acceptance of the subgenre in the late 1970s birthed a punk subculture glorifying rebellion while setting new fashion trends. 

I recently released a Stanford Lee Show episode, “If Cowpunk Was a Thing” and I just wanted to follow up with a deeper explanation of the genre. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the video yet, you should because it’s a lot of fun. I also do a live performance and there is some banjo action in the mix. Check it out on YouTube or Rumble. I promise, you won’t regret it.

Now What is Cowpunk?
Also known as Country punk, Cowpunk is a punk subgenre that started in the UK during the 1970s and gained attraction in the United States in 1980. It is a mix of punk rock, country, folk, and blues with a noted attitude and style. Famous country punk artists include Social Distortion, Hank Williams III, Jason and the Scorchers, and The Beat Farmers.

The name “cowpunk” was first coined in 1989 as a mix of cowboy and punk. The New York Times later recognized the term in 1984 in an effort to label the country spiked punk and new wave music of the time. Many bands during the 80s helped form the style of cowpunk as the began to incorporate classic country songs into their lineups but with faster tempos.

Country music is no stranger to the rock and roll world. With the popularity of rockabilly music throughout the decades, and country’s grass root, home grown folk sounds infiltrating various music genres, it comes as no surprise that cowpunk would gain traction. And despite Nashville’s attempt to control the sound and purity of country music, rebellious artists and music cultures like Outlaw Country’s Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, helped pave the way for country music’s broad reach throughout the music industry.
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Because of the development of genres its clear to see that country music has a definite influence in the music industry and shows that genre fluidity is important for the development of new and great music. So rock on country folk, keep working for the music!

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m completely in love with the new piano at the studio. With the past two episodes being focused on the piano, I thought I would do a quick post about the amazing instrument and it’s origins.

The Piano

Everyone knows it. The iconic piano brings to mind images of black and white keys, phantom echoes of Fur Elise, and possibly even flashbacks of a stern teacher correcting your posture as you fumble through a round of phalangeal acrobatics, but what is the piano really and how did it come to be one of the most widely known instruments in the music world? Let’s discuss.

The birth of the piano is attributed to Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristifori in 1709, although it’s ancestors are believed to stretch as far back as prehistoric times. Because creates sound through the vibration of strings when struck by hammers triggered by the pressing of keys, the piano is categorized as a string instrument, thus claims kinship to it’s string ancestors.

Viewing the piano in the same family as primitive strings stretched over bows can be farfetched, it’s earliest ancestor can be traced back to the 14th century with the invention of a dulcimer. Following the invention of the dulcimer came the clavichord, and then finally the harpsichord. Yet despite the harpsichord’s popularity, the instrument failed to provide the large sound that musicians wanted.

Enter Cristifori. He first exhibited his new invention in Florence, then named the gravicembalo col piano e forte, meaning “soft and loud keyboard instrument” which was later renamed pianoforte, then shortened to piano. The earliest surviving piano is dated from 1720 and can be seen at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Despite the passing of hundreds of years, not much has changed from Cristifori’s pianoforte. Today pianos fall within three categories, grand, upright, and digital. Grand pianos are highly sought after by professional pianists who seek the best sound for performances. Upright pianos are perfect for home musicians. With the onset of digital pianos, musicians are offered new opportunities to learn, perform and compose thanks to new technologies and software.

I don’t care what anyone tells you, marketing is difficult. Personal promotion is no different. There are a plethora of videos and articles, and support groups that will tell you marketing is as easy as carefully designed posts and frequent and regular engagement, but no one ever talks about how hard it is to create an identity and not forget who you really are.

Branding is all about establishing who you are, what you are about, and what you are trying to sell. It sounds pretty simple, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty it can get a little personal. Sitting down and trying to figure out what kind of person you are, forces you to think about who you really are. Who am I? What do I stand for, and what do I have to offer?

Barring a potential existential identity crisis, once you manage to get past the details of what makes, you, your next task is to figure out how to show your potential fans who you are. You’ll suddenly find yourself spending hours of research on finding the perfect keywords to describe yourself. Sure I’m a country singer, but country singers are literally everywhere these days. What sets me apart? Atlanta Country Singer? Is my music more honky-tonk, Nashville, or outlaw country? What colors best reflect my message. Am I a blue or a yellow person? Would black be an accurate accent to my personality?

Hours, days, weeks, months pass and I have a hefty collection of trendy hashtags and keywords to describe myself and my music. I’m swamped with color swatches to represent my varying projects, and my collection of social posts read like a timeline of my marketing journey. Each image is carefully weighed and measured by engagement and analytical metrics and I find myself asking, is this all that I am?
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 Of course, the answer is no, but do my followers know this? How can I accurately portray myself without losing myself in the process? The quest for the perfect balance continues.