Fourth of July

image.jpg
image.jpg

July 4th 2014, my family and I went to the sunnier side of the big island for a weekend getaway in Waikoloa. (As we had done so many times before over the years) However, this time was a little different. I brought along what you see in the picture above, a press release and some newly printed business cards (and a little bit of motivation). As the sun scorched my bald head wearing my Hurley surf shorts and Quiksilver slippers, I said to my wife, “we’re going to play at the Waikoloa Bowl for Fourth of July”. She looked at me like I was crazy as she’s done many times before only to remind me that we were not here “to promote” rather to enjoy the family time. (Thank you to my wife for putting up with this music thing for the past 20 years). Fast forward to one year later and here we are performing on stage at the Waikoloa Bowl for their Annual Fourth of July Event.

image.jpg

The moral of the story? It’s consistency. As a band we never knew we’d actually get hired to play at the Waikoloa Bowl’s Fourth of July event. But that never stopped us. We kept on grinding week after week as if we were.

Over the years, I have met many extremely talented musicians and artists who have just not been consistent in their musical career. And in my opinion, this is what has destroyed the careers of many local artists (amongst other things). 

Now I’ve heard the complaint about how local radio plays the same songs and the same artists over and over (I know there’s a Hawaii meme out there for that). But let’s be realistic for a moment. Are those artists consistently releasing music year after year? So why are you shocked that radio keeps playing the same artists and their music?

In our first blog we helped you identify your musical goal. That’s only the first step. Now that you have identified your goal, you need to consistently pursue it! Will there be times you want to give up? Yes. Will it seem like you are ready to break through and then everything falls apart? Yes. Will people take advantage of you? YES! Those are the times you have to keep going!

Excellence is being able to perform at a high level over and over again - Sean Carter (Also known as Jay Z)

As a band, Beyond Paradise has experienced some of the most devastating moments since we began. When we first started the band we had no lead singer and no bass player! We kept moving forward. Then we found a singer and he turned us down to be in another band. And? We kept moving forward.

Don’t give up because you’ve had a setback. Defeat is not failure. Keep pushing forward. Keep rehearsing. Keep searching. Just be consistent. This is how you will achieve the musical goals and career you are after. 

Write down your goals and look at them every day. Check back in a year and ask yourself, am I still pursuing what I said I would pursue last year? Did I write that song? Did I record that album? Am I where I want to be? If the answer is no, then it’s time to reevaluate your goals. Try again. But whatever you do, DON’T give up.