Where Pianos Roam

This past week was the three year anniversary of my moving to Nashville, TN and leaving Charlotte, NC.  That transition was a period of tumultuous change for me.  I was headed into a new geographic space and leaving a previous home behind.  Since I am all too sentimental, this was very difficult for me.

3 years ago with long hair!

And now with my buzz cut!

Needless to say, I’ve built a modest existence here Nashville, and so I thought I’d do a quick run-down of what I’ve accomplished since moving here.

–I’ve had the chance to spend lots and lots of time with my family.  I guess I’m making up for the 8 years I lived away and on my own.  With my Mom and her husband, sisters, brother-in-law, 3 cool nephews, and one darling niece, there is NEVER a dull, monotonous moment.  We’ve all shared numerous delicious meals and much laughter.  It’s all good.

–I’ve met and befriended several incredibly talented artists and musicians in this town.  There’s no shortage of folks who play music around here.  They are everywhere, and I’m proud to count quite a few of them as friends of mine.

–I recorded my first full-length album of music.  This was no easy task as it required skills and resources that I had never tapped into before.   Seriously, it was a GARGANTUAN undertaking–lining up all kinds of musicians, laying down different tracks and multiple vocals, recording in a real studio off of music row, arranging the music, mastering, cd artwork and photograhy, etc., etc .  .  .  .  This list was endless.  (I was fortunate to have found a very competent and kind producer to help me build this thing.) Then, I had to switch gears when it was done in order to sell and promote it–booking and promoting a CD Release Show (which went well by the way), delivering the music to multiple online vendors and record stores, creating promo material and photos, etc., etc. .  .  .  .  I’m still promoting the album now almost seven months later, and I’m thankful to have an actual album to sell at my shows.

–I’ve been blessed to do shows and perform at several venues here in Music City .  .  .

Cafe Coco
The Rutledge
3rd and Lindsley
The Basement
Caffeine
Richard’s Cafe
Edgehill Studios Cafe
Loudhouse Coffee
Nashville Palace
Douglas Corner

It’s been a fun ride, and I’ve enjoyed performing more and more every time.

–I made the transition from just performing solo to actually playing with a full band.  Last August, I enlisted a drummer and bassist for the first time ever to play shows with me.  This was nerve-wracking because when you play solo you can do whatever the heck you want with the music.  I’ve always been prone to making last minute changes, switching up the music even as I am playing it, and going off in little piano tangents when I’ve felt inclined.  Performing with other musicians transforms the music into a shared space.  This meant that I couldn’t just change a chorus or the tempo whenever.  I had to clue them all in to what I was doing– a relatively new thing for me.  Otherwise, I actually prefer playing in a band now than playing solo.  It creates multiple new options for the music, and more often then not, me and my band mates get in a zone in which we ride on the same wavelength on stage.  It feels almost euphoric when you are connected with another musician in this way–deeply moving to the rhythm, rising and falling to the highs and lows of the song.  It’s magically transcendent and just plain fun when this happens.

–I’ve become far more computer and internet savvy.  Promoting music across multiple formats (myspace, facebook, virb, iLike, twitter, amazon, cdbaby, itunes, etc.) will do this to an Asian.  In this three years, I now have a full-fledged official website and this blog that you are reading right now in addition to everything else.  All of this takes time and a great deal of thought to implement and follow through on.

Well, this is all that I can think of in a nutshell.  All in all, I feel that I have grown exponentially since moving here.  There have been experiences that have changed me for the better.

Next year, I think I’ll look back again.  I have some huge and formidable challenges ahead of me in the next 12 months, and I’m gathering all of my resources and all that I’ve learned in order to stare them down competently.

It’s going to be quite a story to tell at the end of it all.

Happy Sunday everyone!

-gordon