song of the wha?

Today my song Around My Thoughts is Garageband.com's acoustic Song of the Day and what that means for my career I haven't yet figured out. It does make me want to write about what my career is though. Maybe this Garageband thing is a small milestone that gives me a chance to look back down the path I've been blazing over the last year. A singer songwriter in a city of singer songwriters with a couple jobs to piece together a living.

Since putting out the "Bay to Maples" I spend more time on the computer trying to get the music in the ears of bloggers than I expected to. I read music blogs to learn about new artists, why not see if the writers feel mine? Since the music industry has ripped apart its own foundation, bloggers give music fans better access to new independent music than anyone else. So far a handful of writers have reviewed my record, you can read the reviews here. It's an admirable hobby, writing about music you dig.

CD sales are climbing slowly, not as quickly as the downloads, rips and burns I'm sure. I sell them out of my apartment in Brooklyn (though there is a stack at CD Baby as well) and on iTunes. Otherwise I play for kids a few hours a week in Tribeca at a slick little joint called Minimasters. We write catchy tunes and butcher classics like Hound Dog to suit our childish purposes (you sound just like a hound dog/howling all the time). They say it's healthy to smile, this job keeps me healthy.

For the last few years I've worked for Bard College up in the Hudson Valley. I've done a number of things there, from coaching the volleyball teams to working in admissions and teaching a rap songwriting class. Not so much teaching as facilitating freestyle sessions. Now I'm working for the admissions office from my apartment in Brooklyn. I talk to kids in public high schools around NYC about opportunities to study at Bard and what they might expect when they're there. To think, write, create, innovate...what better way to spend some formative years?

I'm a singer songwriter in a city of singer songwriters paving my path and paying my bills. Small or large as today's milestone may be it gives me the chance to reorient myself on this indie road I've chosen.