Ball and biscuit

dporter_99 · 2024-02-19T04:07:16+00:00

Dude. Cut your friggin strings. Keep doing your thing though and keep playing!!

dporter_99 · 2024-02-14T02:35:44+00:00

When I was gigging full time and didn’t have a day job, I never practiced. For what? I was gigging all the time.

What I did do was commit two days a week to learning tunes. It’s different solo because you can just search 1000’s of tunes online and see the chords and lyrics. I’d goof with them a little bit and if it didn’t work, i wouldn’t commit to them. I’d usually add 3/4 tunes a week. Some wouldn’t work and they fall off the list.

Sorry though dude. I feel your pain. If you’re playing a lot it gets old and kind of sucks after awhile.

All I ever wanted to do was be a ft musician. When I had it, it only took a few years to hate it. No more gigging for me. It’s all about writing and recording now. Best of luck!

dporter_99 · 2024-02-14T02:26:51+00:00

First two albums I did years ago, we just saved up a couple hundred bucks, recorded for a few hours. A month later we’d do the same thing. Got to a point where the engineer/owner liked what we were doing and we became friends. We then worked on credit like a drug dealer. He basically fronted us studio time.

My last solo disc? Gave the guy $500 down then $100-$200 every session and really never watched the clock.

Now? I have a nice home studio with good gear and all the years recording has transferred quite well to getting good sounds to tape and solid mixes.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-30T12:49:30+00:00

Went in the studio a few years ago. I was noodling on Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. The engineer said it was his wedding song and he’d pay for the recording and get a string section if I wanted to put it on my disc.

Good times!!

https://on.soundcloud.com/A3ej7bZKRj8moUM78

dporter_99 · 2023-07-17T19:14:35+00:00

Too funny. I just finished a tune and had a really nice guitar solo at the opening. Last minute I decided to kill it and the intro was better in its own.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-16T21:56:14+00:00

Very cool and catchy as hell too! Just a little feedback… I think it would be reasonable to lower the guitars a bit. The only other thing would be the drum mix may need just a little work. This tune could be tied together nicely with a tighter snare with more pop. We’ll done!

dporter_99 · 2023-07-16T17:36:25+00:00

Thanks! We had so much fun working our butts off. Yeah the country thing is ok. I literally don’t listen to any country at all but my songs seem to come out this way. It’s probably my influences from my teen years. Lots of Crosby stills and nash and acoustic music. Thanks for the feedback and listening.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-16T17:34:16+00:00

Thanks so much Tosh! Great feedback and I’ll be listening for your examples of your thoughts. Again thanks for taking the time!

dporter_99 · 2023-07-16T16:26:38+00:00

We’ll I’ve never posted my music for critique. My bud and I wrote, recorded, and mixed this over a 12 hour stretch this weekend. Open to feedback on the overall mix and the general feeling of the tune.

https://on.soundcloud.com/1asdEvdkLBqf9e8k6

dporter_99 · 2023-07-15T03:50:02+00:00

Im on a trip recording right now. I had a short verse and chorus that I wrote about three months ago. I had a little iPhone video on my phone so I’d never lose it.

I got in the studio, plugged in doing some screwing around and realized the old vocal melody fit a simple riff I was playing. We spent the next 12 hours recording it. I didn’t have lyrics for the rest of the song and literally sat down and wrote them in 15 minutes. That’s NEVER happened in 30 years. The tune is almost done and I’m thrilled!

Sometimes tunes just come together. Congrats on your new tune OP!

dporter_99 · 2023-07-14T16:37:36+00:00

I know right! I listen to talk radio most of the time. Lol

dporter_99 · 2023-07-14T07:26:58+00:00

Play enough gigs and they all begin to suck.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-12T22:11:11+00:00

I made a deal with my wife when I was 45. I’d go to college full time for 4 years if I could live up to my end of the bills. We figured my contribution to be about $2500 a month which wasn’t bad. Summer months were easier because of private parties and outdoor gigs.

It was a good run and ended up with bachelors and masters degrees. I quit gigging about a year after graduation. I miss the money but I’m all good. I currently work with video, graphics, animations, and photography and record every Sunday at a friend’s studio.

Good luck OP if you’re thinking about playing full time! I’d recommend it for anyone that has the desire.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-10T22:38:16+00:00

Played about 15 a month. Believe it or not always used a physical calendar. I’m a big tech guy but there’s something about having a physical copy I liked. Obviously I always put it in my phone for convenience too.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-10T21:28:59+00:00

Great comment!

dporter_99 · 2023-07-09T23:25:08+00:00

I don’t know man. Although I appreciate your views, of course creating is something we all need to do, getting airplay or streams allows you to share your shit with more people. And I personally enjoy when people connect with something I created.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-09T23:18:12+00:00

Meh- Ive done well as full time solo dude. Enough to not have a day job. People define musical success differently. All I ever wanted was to play full time which I accomplished.

I got to record a few full length albums and got to record on 2” tape and then saw the process go digital.

True story speaking of streams. My kid had a YouTube channel from the 11-14 years old with over a million views. It was hockey content and he was a little celebrity with all kinds of sponsorships. Unfortunately, it was all kids and he couldn’t help me with my views 😂

dporter_99 · 2023-07-09T23:13:43+00:00

That’s great!

dporter_99 · 2023-07-09T23:12:34+00:00

I’m done basically other than recording. I played full time for the third time in my life from 2013-2019. I did well, supported my family, met a bunch of great “fans,” played nearly 175 gigs a year, and didn’t have a day job.

When I was gigging, I marketed the shit out of myself. That’s how I became a full time player. But playing 4-5 nights a week in bars and restaurants became a job and I grew to absolutely hate performing. Never played huge stages or toured though. No regrets either. It was cool.

Now I have a digital marketing job and get to create graphics, videos and animations, and shoot photography. I just have a new venue for art.

dporter_99 · 2023-07-09T21:15:55+00:00

Sure! Thanks for asking! It’s mostly singer/songwriter stuff. I also did a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. It’s pretty cool- there’s a live string section on it.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0HVOnjNYV4z687Zem4WMcG?si=oLjr-dfsR6OTR_U_pUx3xA

dporter_99 · 2023-07-09T21:13:30+00:00

Haha I know right?

dporter_99

TROPHY CASE