I wonder sometimes why I like making music. Heck, sometimes I wonder if I really like making music at all. There are just things that I really hate about music like recording sessions working on scratch tracks or meetings about business, money, or industry. Those things simply bore me to tears. And as I was leaving a session the other day I begin wondering what I really like about music, recording, and owning a label. Then today I had a conversation with a close friend whom I record with often and discovered the two things I like about making music. Really why I love music. So here they are...
1.) I like unpredictability. I get bored extremely fast making records that are predictable. I have worked on a few records this year in the pop and pop/country genre's and I must say they bore me. Completely. I am working on some projects right now that are rejuvenating me like an ambient project which I've never done before and a highly collaborative project that I've never done before. I even get bored with Carolinas stuff from time to time just because I know exactly what's going to happen. So we work really hard as a band to try new things. Thankfully unpredictability is not the only thing I enjoy about music.
2.) I like people. I like working with people. Even on the pop and country records that are like creating products I love working with fun people and thankfully almost all of my sessions involve cool people. That's what I love most about The Carolinas. The guys are literally my best friends and at the end of the day if you just spend time with people that you love it rarely feels like work. Even if you're doing something a little less enjoyable it's always more enjoyable with people that you like and love. I love creating with other people, I love hearing other people's visions for their projects, and I love seeing other people succeed at things.
So my true answers are that I LOVE unpredictability and I LOVE people. I do love making music. I love expressing things in different ways and being creative, but at the end of the day it's about realizing my limitations and that life is unpredictable. It's about realizing that life and especially creativity is more fun in community.
July 9, 2010