Uncertainty or The Art of Not Oversharing

AN UPDATE YOU SAY?

I’m sitting at the dinner table, surveying the room for the slightest inkling on how to begin this post, and all I see are toys strewn about the floor. Sophie has been walking a bunch lately, back-and-forth between human and couch, working on her endurance. We recently finished reading and watching the Harry Potter series with Anna, which has been a wild ride I must say (I never thought I’d be into it as much as I am). And Krissy & I are basically holding on for dear life.

Since our last post we had a bunch of great musical moments as well. First of all, our cover of The City Picker’s “My Name Is New York” was featured on WFUV (90.7FM) for ‘NY Slice’, a segment hosted by Alisa Ali. It was incredible to say the least. Then, our cover of Bob Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street” came out on the Paradiddle Records compilation, “Uncovering Dylan, Vol. 4”. Krissy & I played at the release show and even had Anna join us on tambourine for “One More Cup of Coffee” (I really wish I had a photo of that).

Towards the end of May I played another Rainbow Rodeo showcase, this time in Brooklyn at Branded Saloon. It was another fun night with a bill featuring Mylo Choy, Jackfruit (Taylor Chilton), and the iconic Tami Hart. I was joined by Sam Werbalowsky on pedal steel, and he was even gracious enough to don an embroidered jacket I brought for him. Thank you, Sam.

Finally, this past weekend was the 11th Annual Porch Stomp Festival, which I look forward to every year. I played the Cowgirl Seahorse Stage and was reunited with Christian and Cole. Ah, what joy!

Christian, Cole, and I on the Cowgirl Seahorse Stage at Porch Stomp

Photo by Shane Walton

SO NOW WHAT?

Well, I’m honestly not sure. I hit a bit of a wall after Porch Stomp. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still writing and feeling the creative pull as well as having a bunch of regular cover gigs lined up, but this business does not stop. I also have a bit of quality control that requires attention on the personal end of things (See? I didn’t overshare there). But in talking with friends, it’s also clear that making records feels like such a money pit (if you want to do it right), and that a lot of people really don’t buy music anymore (not in this country anyway). That’s such a disappointment, especially for someone who hasn’t released any original material since 2019.

I guess the long and short of it is the uncertainty. Not knowing how to proceed in an environment that doesn’t give as much as it takes. But I’m sure many artists & musicians are on similar journeys and find ways to make it work for themselves. I don’t know. I keep telling myself I’m going to write these so it won’t seem like I’m rambling, but here I go again. Will someone write back and let me know if any of this makes sense? Thanks.

I’ll leave you with this, the ramblings of one madman to another on the subject of art and uncertainty:

“If I cease searching, then, woe is me, I am lost. That is how I look at it - keep going, keep going come what may.” - Vincent Van Gogh

Sincerely,

Robert