Winter hit hard and fast this year. No matter how many of them we go through we never really expect it to surprise us the way it does when the weather cools off. I was just down in LA and met some really cool people and had some eye opening experiences. It changed my world perspective a bit and opened my mind to parts of the music industry that I really didn’t even know existed. Getting back into the swing of “real life” has been challenging, but I’m managing.
I bought a Neumann Microphone in preparation for a slew of acoustic recordings that I’ll be sending your way in the coming months. I’ve started recording a new version of my album Bellow which will go by the working title Bellow Revisited. It’s just me, and my guitar… A few layers.. That’s it. If it’s going to be cold out and I’m gonna be spending time hunkered down I might as well be productive.
A couple years of lockdown gave me a lot of time to play guitar. I have played tons of covers in my life and I’m feeling the itch to really really push my original music. I’ve been tired of bar gigs and the same old same old. The goal here is to get to a place where the studio is more of a factor in my day to day life and I want to deliver less gigs that are higher quality. This has required me to streamline my workload and “let a few people down” by quitting a project here or there or opting out of certain gigs.
I’ve come to realize that in this complicated industry, our most valuable commodity is how we spend our time. I spent a lot of time with my guitar but I’ve become aware that I wasn’t paying as close attention as I should have been to important things like web design and photo shoots and all the things relating to the business side of music. I’m trying to change that a bit and start taking this more seriously. These new releases coincide with that vision. I want you as listeners and fans to be more connected with me regularly. This blog will be updated as often as I can with any musings or interesting happenings that come my way.
I have released a version of my song Hometown Hero on SoundCloud. https://soundcloud.com/jaybowcott2/hometown-hero <—– GO CHECK IT OUT! It is the first of a number of songs that will be in the new collection of recordings. I’m looking forward to sharing them with you all!
On top of all my acoustic recordings, I have big plans for a full band album that I will release hopefully in the fall or late into next year. At this point that’s all prospective but some of the cards are falling into place to make that happen.
That being said. I love making acoustic recordings and that’s really where my heart is. It makes sense for me to lock myself in a room and pour my heart out on my HD28, it’s what I do at shows and that’s always worked for me, so why shouldn’t I make some recordings with the same treatment?
My life has been in a bit of a limbo for a long time. I’ve had amazing moments at shows and have had some brilliant times. Lived a LOT of life for a 35 year old man. Been through some serious lows as well, but we are the sum of ALL of our parts. I am using those lemons to make lemonade. Expect to hear a lot from me in the coming months. As a kid I always said 35 was my year. I don’t know exactly what I meant by that when I used to say it, but here we are, now is the time to take the bull by the horns. Let’s make some music!
Thanks for listening!
JayB
Hey Jay,…I like your updated thought-patterns !
I’m twice your age, and going through similar thoughts on how to make (create) better music.🎶
I’ve written over 300 tunes, done 2 studio CD’s of original material, and still striving to get better !
Never really looked at myself as being in the music industry, but it’s in my blood !
I find it rather ironic that god didn’t want me to starve, as a musician, so most of my working life, I was in professional sales with major corporations.
Now I find myself coming back and using those sales skills to get more music events and “bookings”.
I am realizing I have only scratched the surface on self-promotion, including proper photos, and how to leverage and take advantage of the various social media platforms.
This is where I have to begin, asking for additional help !
I have a number of “un-finished” tunes, and would like you to give a listen to, and perhaps they could become co- writes ?
Just keep on doing what yer doing Jay.
Robb in Calgary. 😎🎸🎶🎹🎤✅🇨🇦