Shinybass journal 1-03-11
Well happy, happy day, everyone! We made it to the 1’s (as I am calling it this morning – that will change to the ‘double ones’ or just ‘leven’ by the end of the day), and I hope that you all had a reveling, rocking, rebellious good time ringing out the last decade and gearing up for the next. In the spirit of the season, the fine folks here at wordpress have added the ‘snow’ feature on the page, which is fun for you folks sitting on Marathon Key, but not for you ‘Lake Effect’ snow gophers digging yourself out. If the snow offends or is distracting, then check back tomorrow. It’s only on the site today.
But enough about the weather, and more about you. Yes you. What? This is YOUR journal, Steve. Not mine! How can you possibly know what I am thinking or need, do you ask? well, I know things. I know that some of you are banking on this 300 million dollar powerball to save your lives and make you happy. Wrong. It ain’t gonna make you happy. I am not saying I don’t have the winning ticket pasted to my fridge, cause I do. See? 
But when you bank your life on a 180 million-to-one long shot, then it’s a tough loss when you don’t hit. How about you invest in yourself instead? You know all the things you tell yourself you would do if you won? How about making those happen on your own? Wait! It takes money to do _______. True. But there are always way to make it happen. That is the spirit of the new year.
I like to gamble, which may be why I chose to be a musician. This industry is laced with shady mf’s, people with shallow souls and hollow principles. There are 10 guys standing behind you waiting to stab your back to get your gig, and another 10 behind them. Then there’s the upside – catering. I love to eat, cause I do it all the time. But seriously – there are other upsides – the travel for one.
When some of you think of lottery winnings, you think ‘I’m gonna travel’, then you pick maybe Paris, London, or NYC. I haven’t been to Spain, but I’ve been to Oklahoma. I haven’t been to Paris, but I have been to National, Iowa (pop. 13). I haven’t been to London, but I have been to Macedonia. Very few of my ‘wish list trips’ have come true. I need to see Italy before I go crazy, but as I look at all that I haven’t seen, once again, I must look at all that I have. So Kosovo and Johnston Atoll are crossed off the list. The way I look at it, I got some of the hard ones out of the way.
So my point is this – I like to travel, so I have found a way to travel as part of my job. If you like horses, then figure out how to work them into your life. If you want to start a charity, start by volunteering somewhere to get the lay of the land. Anything you want is possible. Even that vintage Ferrari. All you have to do is make it happen.
So all this self-help bullshit, and Steve, what do you want? How are YOU making it happen in 2011? Well, as I am not a fan of referring to myself in the 3rd person, then I will say this. I am moving forward. Moving on, and moving up. There are so many hot irons working right now it’s silly. If one pops, then look out world. But this is all groundwork I laid out last year. One little step I took is that I submitted music to be up for sale on a site that sells stock music and video to production houses. I think this will be a great way to showcase other things I am capable of. If you want to check out something I’ve tracked, then here’s my profile. www.revostock.com/supercharger Mouse over the songs and give them a little listen. And if you need background music, then dammit – buy some. Daddy needs shoes. Actually my next purchase is a sailboat or a 1967 Datsun 2000 roadster. (anyone wanna help with that)
So back to what I do, and that’s tour. I get a call on the 30th of December from a buddy, Mr. Rich Redmond of Jason Aldean’s band, and he says ‘Hey, do you want to play a show New Year’s Eve with Frankie Ballard in Michigan?’ Well sure! The calendar is full of holes, so of course I want to work. We did a quick 3-hour rehearsal at Soundcheck on Thursday night, and at midnight I was on a bus headed North.
The bus landed in downtown Grand Rapids and parked for the duration next to the venue, which was set up on a great stage in the middle of downtown. Now, if you are thinking what I am thinking at this point, then you are a smart person – Outdoor show in Grand Rapids on NYE? Are you crazy? Well, we had two good things working for us : the weather was at about 45 at showtime, and the production company had heaters blasting on each side of the stage. No worries.
The headliner that night was We The Kings (I’ve no idea what band this is, but the kids seem to like them), and Good Charlotte, who I do know from Hot Topic T-shirt walls. Not that I frequent Hot Topic. Anyways, we had a rocking little 35-minute opening slot set, the first song you can see (and hear) from this you tube clip. Yes, this is the same damn shirt I wore in Bucky’s last video. I need a new one.
Frankie is a great guy, Eddie, his faithful sidekick is a badass player, and with Rich rounding out the band, it was solid as hell. We had a really fun set, and I think we set up the night pretty well. The Good Charlotte show was tight as well. I wanted to hate – I really did, but they kicked into ‘So Lonely’ by the Police, so they get a few more points from me. Sadly no one under 35 knew what song they were playing. Oh well. My night was made. The partying didn’t last terribly long – I think 2 AM or so, then bunk time and the short trip home. The cold I was fighting stayed away, which helped the night, and I was happy I could make the trip. Look at that – random travel! It’s like I hit the lottery!
Happy 2011, everyone. Ten years ago today, I was in Hawaii, basking on a nice beach watching sea turtles play. Fast forward ten years, I will be on a beach, watching sea turtles play. The past was a taste : the ‘learning’ part – the present is the set up: the steps to make it happen, and the future is the payoff. No ticket needed.
See you on the road!