I Gave It Up To Do Something I Love
Years ago I used to get a lot of crap from people about my wanting to play music. Not that I was discouraged by anyone, but when a young kid wants to play the guitar, folks don’t ever expect them to do anything professionally with music. I guess it is pretty common for kids to want to try and then lose interest or realize its too much time practicing or whatever. All I know is that the first time I picked up a guitar it seemed like it was a natural fit, and I could play it. Not that I was a prodigy or savant, but I could just hear notes and my fingers knew how to find them.
From that time that I picked up my first guitar when I was 9 or 10, I think it was a plastic, sears special for little kids that didn’t last very long. I played it so hard I basically started melting parts of it and it couldn’t hold up to bending and stretching strings. Thankfully my parents also realized this was more than a phase for me so they surprised me with an acoustic guitar, which I still play 24 years later.
As the years went on, obviously I wanted to have a band and write songs and perform them. This is where music gets really hard. The worst part is trying to find other motivated people around your same age to show up to a practice, or even know how to play an instrument. Its even harder when you aren’t old enough to drive yet. I played with whoever was willing to play music, had some very bad bands that had some even worse songs, but playing music and writing songs are two different things, both need their own practice time.
By the time I was in jr. high school I started to realize that I couldn’t rely on anyone to be in a “band” with me or to write songs with me, which at that age I guess young boys are supposed to be playing sports and chasing girls. So I played less and concentrated on my school and work. I didn’t stop playing music, it just took a back seat for a while, but instead of sports I went to work, instead of girls I chased classic cars.
I had always been able to fix things. Another skill that came naturally for some reason. I used to get out of school and get on my bike and ride a couple miles to a campground that I worked at seven days a week. If I had a day off I would spend it in the garage with my old man learning how to turn wrenches. I swapped my first engine when I was thirteen. Realizing that I could do work like this also I was torn about what to do when it was time to graduate high school.
I had been working as a mechanic since I was sixteen, had a full time job since thirteen, and was losing time for doing what I loved, playing music, and had to decide what to do with my life now that I was eighteen and leaving high school. One night I had a silly idea to apply to the Berklee School of Music. I thought, that’s what I want to do, so spur of the moment I did and then just went about my day. This was the day at school where it was my turn to talk to my Guidance Counselor about my future plans. My Guidance Counselor asked what my plans were so I told her I applied to Berklee. “Why? You need to be really talented to go there. They wont accept you I’m sure. You shouldn’t try for things like that when obviously you have no chance at a school like that. I can’t see you being much of anything. You’re not going to amount to anything. Why didn’t you take the Automotive program here? You should just go to a local school.” Notice the quotes? I remember every word she said, Mrs. Callahan you bitch. I never gave, or give, a shit what anyone thinks of me but it was strange to hear it from someone who was supposed to give “guidance”. These days if she said that to someone they would cry and blame that for failing in life. If I did that I would have done just what she said, not amount to anything.
My parents worked hard, they still work hard. We weren’t the poorest family but we didn’t have any extra for many years. Anyway money was the main reason for me turning down the acceptance to Berklee. Yes I did get accepted, and I brought the letter to “Guidance Bitch” to show her. Because I had worked as a mechanic for so long, that’s what I settled on for a career. It came naturally to me, I was good at it and I had lots of tools. I quickly got tired of cars and after a few years I became a Master Harley-Davidson Technician, which technically I still am, and do a few jobs per week to pay the bills, but that’s it. That’s where I settled.
Working in a local dealership for eleven years, same routine everyday, playing music on my free time just wasn’t enough but I definitely had enough of motorcycles for a while. It took some planning and organizing and thankfully I got a good ol’ lady who supported my ideas, but I decided, I’m leaving. I’m giving up my job to do what Ive been dreaming of. I gave up the job that I had been at for eleven years to start a Label and run my recording studio (NPStudio) full time. Don’t take this the wrong way, it didn’t happen in one day. I had been recording, collecting gear, and practicing every chance I had, but now it was time to focus on it and invest my time in what I love.