Jesse Does Blog

Shout to the Lord

I met Darlene Zschech today. I sat in a room with her and the Integrity Music team and got to hear about her heart for worship. It didn’t hit me until the drive home what had just happened.

16 years ago I sat in a church “praise band” rehearsal in a small church in the Philippines. I was 12 years old, I didn’t know how to play an instrument very well, and honestly didn’t even know what a “praise…

Integrity Music // Empirical Labs

I know a lot of you who read my last post have been waiting for any news about my job so here it is!

I now work for Integrity Music! It allows my passions to intersect (faith, music, and business) and is such a fun work environment. It has been such a humbling experience to be a part of an organization that is international like this. On my first day I even had a conference over video with a…

Seahawks and Panthers Reaction

31-0 at halftime. That’s never a good feeling. With the entire season riding on this one game it had to be hard to walk into that locker room and look your teammates in the eye. But something that I absolutely LOVE about the Seattle Seahawks (in large part because of Russell Wilson) is that there is never a time when the game clock is running that they count themselves out. It would’ve been easy…

I read Tina Fey’s “Bossy Pants” the year I graduated college and it changed my life. No, really! Something that Tina presents in the book is the first rule of improv: Always agree. If you’re in a scene and someone starts it by saying “I’m tossing a pizza,” and you say “no you’re not,” then the scene pretty much ends there. But if they say “I’m tossing a pizza,” and you say “but you know Tommy is…

An interesting video about motivation in the workplace. I'd love to hear some thoughts on this!

2014 has been the best year of my life. Over 25,000 miles were traveled, 3 countries were visited, and I got to do it all with wonderful people by my side. Here are 10 highlights of 2014 that I will remember forever:

  1) I started dating Kendall Wong

2) The Seahawks won the Super Bowl

3) Toured the country for 2 months to play music with some of my best friends

4) My band released our first EP

5) I graduated with a Master’s Degree

6) I got to spend Thanksgiving with my Dad

7) I got to see Switchfoot in concert twice

8) I took Kendall to the Philippines and we hung out with my family for 2 weeks

9) 2 songs that I wrote were put on the radio

10) Watched the Seahawks play LIVE against the Redskins (with Bryce) AND Panthers (with Kendall)

Recording studios can be intimidating at first. It kind of feels like intruding on an exclusive club sometimes, but with a little bit of experience you’ll be able to get comfortable in that environment quickly. This post is geared towards the basics of studio life. It will cover 4 simple areas: Etiquette, Preparation, Attitude, and Hard Work.

Etiquette

There are a list of do’s and don’ts whenever you step into a recording studio. Some are common sense, but others may not have occurred to you. Here are some common etiquette bullet points that I’ve compiled in my time as a player and as a producer:

This is hardly a complete list. In fact, a lot of these things can be expanded on in their own posts later on. But for now, this is a good working guide. 

Preparation

Practice is essential to get better at your craft. However, practicing the right things for 3 hours a day can benefit you more than practicing the wrong things for 8 hours a day. If you want to be a country guitar player, don’t spend hours working on Yngwie Malmsteen runs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS_IYe5JTZ4).

Learn what the other players in that field are doing and try to emulate what they play. Learning extra techniques never hurts, but try to create a scope of what you want to be able to do and get really good at it.

Studio musicians are incredibly good at playing tastefully within each genre. They don’t always have to be shredders or have chops coming out of their ears. Start playing in a way that can showcase the song and not just yourself.

Attitude

Being in a studio for a 12-hour session is grueling. No matter how much you love playing your instrument, eventually you will get tired of playing the same song over and over again. An important thing is to maintain a flexible and positive attitude throughout the recording process. Producers, many times, prefer working with fun people even if it takes them a little longer to get the end result. Your attitude can be the difference in getting called back for another session.

It’s easier said than done, too. I’ve been frustrated many times while in the studio and have probably come across sharply to those around me. Those moments happen for everyone, but swallowing your pride and choosing to enjoy yourself are indispensable. 

Hard work

At the end of the day, studio playing is hard work. It is taxing on your ears, your brain, and even physically sometimes. Great players do not always make good studio musicians. It is a craft that is learned and built over time. Do not get discouraged if you are a good musician but don’t cut it the first time in the studio. I’ve seen dozens of musicians over the years beat themselves up over not being able to get things right the first time. “One take wonders” are not the norm, nor should they be. Producers that are good with one take from anyone probably aren’t listening close enough. There is always something to finesse and perfect. Do your best, be flexible, and maintain a positive attitude. These things will make the hard work become more bearable. 

Takeaway

Studio time can be a lot of fun when you’re ready for it. I would suggest that anyone that is looking to be in the studio as a musician should look for an opportunity to shadow a producer. This can be great practical experience, as well as great way to obtain knowledge to put into your tool belt as a musician. I was able to work with Kyle Cummings (http://kylecummingsmusic.com/) a little bit while I was in college and he helped me understand a lot about having a holistic view of music in the studio. And if you live in Lynchburg, don’t hesitate to contact me and to hang out during my next session!

-----

I wrote a post about 2 years ago for session and touring musicians. It was a post geared towards obtaining and maintaining gigs. If you’d like to read it for more context of this post, you can click here:  http://jessedeanrivero.tumblr.com/post/42556380775/for-the-session-touring-musician-part-one

In review of the last article:

- Auditions are a part of musician life. Be as prepared for each specific audition as much as you can.

- Rejection is also a part of musician life. Don’t become bitter, become better.

- Ability is not the only factor in hiring. If you’re obnoxious, you could play like Jimi Hendrix and not get some jobs.

Branding/Identity

A huge part of being a musician or a band is the understanding that you are a business. Any business that is successful has a product and some sort of identity that helps the customer know who the company is and what the company does. For a musician this can be tricky because YOU are your brand. Every post on Twitter and every picture tagged on Facebook is going to reflect your brand. (For more on this I wrote a blog about artist branding: http://jessedeanrivero.tumblr.com/post/37094673137/artist-branding) Be intentional about what you put out for the world to see.

Humility

There are so many encounters with artists that I wish I could change. I am not a haughty person by any means, but I do like to be right. I’ve had to learn the hard way over the years that being correct in a rehearsal or in the studio is not as important as being humble and being gracious. It is good to point out if a chord is wrong, but it is wrong to point out that you are right. Mistakes happen. Respond to others in a way that you would have them respond to you if the situation was reversed.

The “Hang”

There’s a principle that I learned while I was in Nashville that most of the successful musicians live by. It’s called “The Hang.” It’s sort of an unwritten system that says that if you’re someone that is fun to hangout with, you’ll be the one that gets a call for a gig first. In many ways that is true! No one is going to hire someone they hate to tour with when you have to see that person 24/7 in a small confined space for multiple weeks.

However, I’ve seen “The Hang” get the best of some people. It can get the best of you when you become disingenuous to the people around you. People can smell a fake a mile away. Don’t be “that guy” at every party and social gathering that causes people to cringe because they know you’ll hand out your business card to all of their friends. Be who you are and be real.

I’ve also seen “The Hang” get the best of people when they feel the pressure to blow money to meet people. You don’t need to go to Fido (my favorite Nashville coffee shop) every single day to meet people. Some of the best dudes I met while I was in Nashville came from grilling at homes and playing board games.

Throwing in the Towel

Lastly, I want to bring up the fact that “throwing in the towel” does not always mean giving up on music. I lived in Nashville for less than a year before moving back to Virginia. In a lot of ways it was a scary move because I wasn’t sure what people would think of me. I worried a lot about whether people would think I was a failure or that I couldn’t find any gigs or that I wasn’t good enough to play in Nashville. Truth be told, I’m doing better now in my music career than I ever have. I’ve produced 3 CD’s this year, gone on a 2 month summer tour, became an instrumental auditioner for the Department of Ministry Teams, and have played over 70 gigs as a touring musician. Location matters a good deal, but sometimes that location isn’t where you think it is.

Takeaway

At the end of the day, your success as a touring and session musician isn’t based on the accolades that other people give you or the amount of gigs you have in a year. It isn’t really based on your music at all. For me, success looks a lot more like being able to have a family and spend time investing in people than playing with an artist that everyone knows about. Success might be defined a little differently by everyone, but make sure you have a strong idea of what a “win” looks like for you. Otherwise you may wind up playing out every night of the week and still failing.

If you are an aspiring musician who is looking to balance family and work, this is a must read article. My buddy Kyle Cummings (http://kylecummingsmusic.com) sent this to me about a week ago and I finally finished it.

Some highlights from the article:

"I just know when I’m away for extended periods of time, Maggie doesn’t like it, and I don’t like it, and my kids don’t like it.  My oldest son doesn’t cope.  I’m not going to injure my sons, particularly my oldest, or my wife for the sake of my career.  I’d stack shelves before that.  It’s just not a negotiable situation.  It’s not something you entertain.  I would encourage musicians who are married to talk about it with their wives.  Those who are engaged or thinking about getting engaged? Talk about it.  Don’t let it just be, “Well, that’s just the way it is,” and don’t let the conversation be, “Well, I thought it was going to be different.”  Talk about what it is and go from there." - Paul M.

"I was like, “I’m a dad and I’m a husband, and I don’t want to be out on the road making money when I could be home making money.”  That was simple decision to make." - Paul M.

I think one of the coolest things about this article is that a successful musician doesn't have to be torn away from his family. I hope to start a family of my own some day and being intentional in a relationship can mean that success is had in both career and family.

Who They Are: Passport delivers more than just a band to listen to or watch. Every performance played and every song recorded comes from a desire to give the audience something to experience, belie...

Few nights in life are more action packed than tonight. I’m traveling this summer with a band from Liberty named Exodus and we’ve been in St. Louis for the last couple of days before heading out to Kansas City. This afternoon we found out that my favorite band (Switchfoot) was playing 20 minutes away this evening for FREE. Needless to say, it was a no-brainer that we’d make the trek to watch them.

After the first song they played, Jon Foreman stepped out onto a platform closer to the crowd and looked at me. I pointed at him and yelled, “You found it!” and he pointed right back and mouthed, “No, you did.” It was an awesome moment. When the sun started setting, fireworks complimented the show. It was truly fantastic getting to see such a crazy show with my friends.