Rock and Roll 101

I need to go back to school. There's about 30 subjects that I - apparently - should have taken if I wanted to be in a rock and roll band. And here I thought you just needed three chords and the truth (ok, and some booze from time to time). But, the more I talk to people in the music industry who have been doing it for quite some time now, the more I realize you have to be a lawyer/salesman/stock-broker/great white shark/business owner to really get a band off the ground and levelled out. The illusion of 'they'll just dig us for the music' has long since been wiped away and now I realize just how much damned work it is to be successful.

Don't get me wrong. I'm up for the challenge. I'll put in the work. I just didn't realize how many hats I needed to wear in order to do the work. Thank God I'm surrounded by talented and generous people who are just as keen for us to succeed as I am. I think they're partly keen for us to succeed so we'll shut up about 'the band this and the band that'. And they're partly keen for us to succeed just because they're good human beings and you always like to see other good human beings go the distance.

I had lunch with one of these friends yesterday. His name is Wes Williams. Some of you may know him as Maestro Fresh Wes. He's one of the nicest people I've come across in my life. Funny, generous and compassionate and really, really talented. He's a person who had a great deal of success when he was pretty young (You know, some Gold records, a few Juno's - no big thang), but has had a more difficult time as he's grown older. Really, where do you go after hoisting a Juno at the age of 21? I think I'd be happy to plateau there for a while. Anyway, he's still doing exactly what he wants to be doing, but it's always tougher to do things on your own terms. He's learned some tough lessons. And - unlike a lot of people - he's willing to share his mistakes with other people who want to walk a similar road to the one that he's walked. He was so great to talk to; giving affirmation to some of the things we're doing (chasing down radio stations, booking our own shows, working on our video) and opened my eyes to things I hadn't considered (sending our cds to record companies in Germany, Japan, Australia, England & Italy because often bands succeed internationally before they succeed in their own country - we're so self-centered in North America). But beyond the really good music advice he gave me, it was just good to talk with him because he loves music. I guess you'd have to if you're still slugging it out after 15 years of making records. He's got this great tune out now that's a redux of Gowan's 'Criminal Mind' (it's on his greatest hits album that's out August 23rd - if you like rap/hip hop/r&b/rock, get it - it's really fucking good) and Gowan's in the video, which just shows you the kind of respect and appreciation he has for rock, for rap, for any kind of music (well, I'm not sure he likes country - I'll have to ask). Anyway. Despite all the ups and downs music has given him, he still loves it and he still loves to help other people chase that same dream. Why else would he sit down with me for a few hours yesterday and school me on the good, bad and ugly of the music business?

So, what's the lesson here? The lesson is - seriously - be cool, kids. Stay in school. These days even rock stars need multiple University Degrees, 'cause the times they are a changin...