Elephant in the room

 

Mugs here. Before we move on, let’s discuss the elephant in the room real quick.. I’d just like to make all intentions on my (and our) part very clear. I, like you, am also quite annoyed and fed up with everyone on social media thinking they’re an expert on things, and speaking with conviction on subjects they’re not fully knowledgeable in. It creates an environment where we stop listening to anyone, we don’t know who to trust, and a lot of the information can even be dangerous. Anyone who says their way or their product is the “only” way, is probably full of sh*t. A person who learned one thing and now thinks they’re enlightened is often just egotistical. 

So here’s what is actually going on here:

We have been doing this accountability group for a while, and it’s been helping a lot. And we just thought, why not share some of our process to see if other artists might benefit. We knew a lot of people would roll their eyes, but that it would also really help others.

If you followed a guitar player on social media and they talked about what strings they use, how to tune their instrument, how they take care of it so that it lasts, what travel cases they use so it doesn’t get damaged, it would make perfect sense. But I think we forget we are our instrument. Not just our vocal cords. All of the questions of “how do you guys work so fast, how are you so connected, how are these people doing these favors for you” start here. With a balanced body and mind and character; if we show up to a gig and something goes wrong, there is less of a chance we’ll lose our sh*t and affect everyone around us. If we are in control of ourselves there’s a better chance we’ll look for solutions instead. 

I’m only an expert on myself, but I have been doing this for 25 years, and so I am simply introducing ideas for artists to research on their own and try, because I think I have a knack for simplifying abstract, overwhelming ideas and am pretty good with common sense. And because, let’s be honest, we are witnessing a lot of music OGs and mentors who are passing away at the age of 50. All this is to just stop and look at our decisions for what they are : decisions. We make them and they affect us. And our art. So it’s ok to have conversations with people around you, your community, and learn from each other. Try things together. It doesn’t automatically mean you’re fake, or a wanna-be expert. Maybe we’re practicing how to talk without arguing. Maybe every conversation is not about who’s right. Maybe you’re just introducing much needed ideas into your community.  Maybe just don’t be an a-hole about it.

Also, we’re working on a Halloween EP so don’t get it twisted, the music is always first over here, just filling in the in between time 😜