I dropped out of college to concentrate on playing music. I didn’t make a momentous decision to do so, but a gig came up that was at the same time as a final exam in one of my classes, and that fork in the road led me in the direction it did.
For the next 4 or 5 years, I lived solely to play. I had a day job, but I knew it was just a placekeeper until my record deal came down the pike. I lived in a house with my bandmates and we worked on songs and songwriting every waking moment. My day job paid the rent while I toiled towards my goal.
But the record deal didn’t come. I saw some friends get record deals along the way, but not me. I always thought I was next, but apparently, my level of talent, and the other intangibles that attracted record labels in those days, weren’t compelling. I told myself if I would hang in there until I turned 30 and then I would give up on the music dream.
All along, almost in spite of myself, I moved up at the company I was working. The work grew more interesting, and I very gradually gave more and more of myself to that “day job”. It did more than just pay the rent – I bought a house, a car, got married, and had kids.
On my 30th birthday, my parents threw me a surprise birthday party. I partied hearty, and my pals and I played music, but I knew what that milestone meant. My dream was dead. The job took more time and energy, and I devoted myself to being a good husband and father. My musical equipment was in the garage – some of it got stolen, and I didn’t even notice – for months. I went back to college. I did not suffer. My wife, and my kids, even my “day job” were part of a satisfying life.
But occasionally, my wife and I would go to a concert, and I yearned to reverse the view – viewing the audience from stage, NOT viewing the stage from the audience.
As the kids grew up and didn’t need so much of my time, I jonesed to play. So, I bought an acoustic guitar and began playing, every day. I had no desire to drag amps around, so I looked for a music that could be played acoustically, but still had some hot picking. Flamenco? Mariachi? Bluegrass!
I put some time in, learning the genre, and took up banjo, and took up bass. Things picked up, and I found myself playing with some very good musicians. My kids are all grown up now, and a remarkable thing has occurred – I’ve come full circle. Music has been restored as my passion, and my job is, once again, just a “day job”. You could plot this and it would be a perfect inverted bell curve. I imagine a lot of amateur performers have a similar story. It’s very satisfying, and I like how things are going. I’ll like it even better when I retire!
I think the record deal thing is long gone, though…
