It’s now the fourth month that Ivoryman Music has been open and I’m happy to announce to the masses that we (the royal “we”) are still alive and kicking. Thriving even. Things have been getting busy to the point where I’ve neglected my blogging yet again, so I thought I’d send a quick update out to those of you who assumed I just disappeared after letting all the money, power, and fame I’ve acquired go to my head.
So yes, the lights are still on in my Cary studio. I’m open for three days out of the week (Mondays through Wednesdays) and have 12 weekly students including a few new adult piano students which is unusual though certainly not uncomfortable for me. I’ll admit, it takes more than a little bit of guts to start up something new and challenging as an adult and I’m proud of them for trying. As for the kids, summer time means camps, vacations, swimming practice, and a bit of piano here and there. I’m still booking some trial lessons (which are free, if you’re new here) and getting myself ready for the fall.
On the performance side of things, my band, Gods of Harvest, has been busy playing around the Triangle and recording our EP. Just last week we had two shows in Chapel Hill and Durham. Good times were had, and much rock accomplished. The recording, though, has been an absolute blast. I got to rock out at Oseceola Studios on their pristine Hammond C-3, the older, larger predecessor of the B-3, which, if you didn’t already know, is and has been the gold standard of rock organs since it’s birth. The C-3 comes highly, highly recommended. It sounds like the B-3 mixed with a chorus of angels and mermaids and it’s only like another 30 pounds heavier. I’m gonna get one as soon as I have several thousand dollars to blow and a helper-gorilla to carry it around for me.
Summer also means it’s wedding season and what a season it is. I have played at four different ceremonies for the past four weeks, and I’ve had to learn at least one new song for each one. I’m not complaining, though; it’s been a lot of fun, and I applaud these happily wedded couples for expressing themselves through their musical choices. I’ve truly enjoyed learning new music that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought twice about. Seriously, how many ceremony pianists get requests for Lady Gaga?
Speaking of weddings, there’s an extremely important one on the horizon (actually, it used to be on the horizon, but now it’s more like in the living room). After our year-and-a-half long engagement which encompassed fourteen months of nursing school that would have crushed two ordinary human beings, Claire and I are finally tying the knot at the end of July. It’s been a lot of planning and preparation, but we’re really excited to have a huge party with our families and friends and to be, you know, married.
Other than that, I have some cool ideas in mind for the website and studio, new blog posts and recordings almost ready to go up, I might be playing a few gigs with a Boston tribute band, and I’m trying out a few Taekwondo classes over the next couple of weeks. And all of this has happened less than four months after leaving a “steady” job to try my own hand at things. I feel like I’ve won the lottery, and in a sense, I did.
I don’t want to sound like one of those preachy types who beat the system and now lives life on his own terms, mostly because that’s not my story at all; I know I’ve still got a long way to go and plenty to learn. All I can offer is my own experience. If you too are entertaining fantasies of abandoning your secure post for a crazy pipe dream, now may be the best time to get your arse in gear. I’m just sayin’.
(I would have ended the post there, but my attorney advised me to remind you that Ivoryman Music is in no way responsible for damaged or lost pipe dreams).
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