#Music

Apr 17, 2019
2 min

Small Town Vs. Big City

When people talk about getting into the arts, there’s usually a few cities that come up. Los Angeles, Nashville, New York. Big cities, vibrant cities, cities with people who are great at what you want to be great at. My field is music, but this applies to all art forms. A big city has a lot to offer, but do the pros outweigh the cons? We talked about this in class and I thought it would be a great topic to blog. My own experiences are limited, but I’ll share some observ

0 views0 comments

Luke

Apr 11, 2019
2 min

Rhythmic Conflict

I had the opportunity to share one of my songs in class and have it critiqued. The song was pretty much done; I just needed to re-track the vocals, add some layers, and finish mixing. As soon as he pressed play, my teacher noticed some issues that I hadn’t. The acoustic guitar and drums were not vibing. Everything was performed on time, but they had opposing feels. Basically, I had written a guitar part without drums in mind, and when drums were added they didn’t fit. Ra

0 views0 comments

MSU Mankato, Songwriter Showcase. Spring Semester, 2019.

Luke

Apr 6, 2019
2 min

MSU Mankato, Songwriter Showcase. Spring Semester, 2019.

On April 2nd, MSU Mankato’s department of Music hosted a songwriter showcase. It took place at the Halling Recital Hall of the Earley Center for Performing Arts and featured five songwriters. I had gone to the last showcase in October, and was impressed by the talent. This year was even better, and I want to share the music with you. Starting out the night was Alec John and the Sky Surfers, an Indie Surf band. Their brand of surf rock is mellow and groovy, with influences

0 views0 comments

MSU Mankato, Minnesota Storytellers: Martin Zellar.

Luke

Mar 27, 2019
2 min

MSU Mankato, Minnesota Storytellers: Martin Zellar.

I hadn’t heard of Martin Zellar before he came to school, but I got a brief history lesson from my teachers. In the 80’s Minnesota rock was starting to gain mainstream attention. Zellar was the frontman for the Gear Daddies, a band that rose to fame among the likes of Hüsker Dü, and the Replacements. At the time, Minneapolis was hot. After three studio albums, a performance on David Letterman, and three years of touring, the Gear Daddies peacefully broke up. Zellar starte

0 views0 comments

Luke

Mar 20, 2019
3 min

First Do It Badly

Lots of people are afraid to start something on the grounds they won’t be any good. I’m that way. We’re usually right about it too, but the problem is that if you don’t start you won’t get any better. There’s a quote attributed to Carl Jung (I couldn’t find the source), “The fool is the precursor to the savior.” If you’re not willing to be bad, you’ll never be great. You have to be willing to fail until you succeed. That’s all that practice really is. I’m taking piano le

3 views0 comments

Book Review: How To Make It in the New Music Business – Ari Herstand.

Luke

Mar 12, 2019
2 min

Book Review: How To Make It in the New Music Business – Ari Herstand.

Ari Herstand is an LA-based singer-songwriter, blogger, and actor. He graduated with a degree in music business from McNally Smith College of Music in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After conquering the Twin Cities scene, Herstand moved to California and made his name there. In this book, Ari shares his first-hand experience. He breaks down booking, touring, planning a release, recording, crowdfunding, and just about anything else you’d want to know. He also demystifies Performan

2 views0 comments

Luke

Mar 5, 2019
2 min

How Do You Define Success?

When I tell people I’m going to school for music, they often assume I want be a rock star, or at the very least a full-time musician. For a lot of students that’s the case and that’s fine, but it’s not what I want. In his book, How to Make It in the New Music Business, Ari Herstand writes, “It all depends on what your idea of success is. And no one can define what success is but you. Remember that.” (Herstand 29). Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby, puts it like this: “We

0 views0 comments

Big Turn Music Fest – 2019. My Volunteer Experience.

Luke

Feb 24, 2019
2 min

Big Turn Music Fest – 2019. My Volunteer Experience.

I was already planning on attending Big Turn. Their lineup boasts some of Minnesota’s most well-known acts: Charlie Parr, Dessa, Gaelynn Lea, the 4ontheFloor, Dosh, Chris Koza, and Lydia Liza, among others. I’m required to do 16 hours of volunteer work for school, so I decided to kill two loons with one stone. Red Wing is a cool town. They’re famous for their shoes, the first established bar in Minnesota, and (now) the Big Turn Music Festival. The festival involves 23 ven

0 views0 comments

Luke

Feb 19, 2019
2 min

You Don’t Have to Be First

Eddie Van Halen is famous for his tapping technique, but he wasn’t the first to do it. In fact, hundreds of years before “Eruption,” Niccolò Paganini (1782 – 1840) used a similar technique on his violin. Jazz guitarists in the 50s and 60s did it, and Italian musician, Victorio Camadese, tapped extensively on his classical. Van Halen changed the game by applying it to distorted, electric guitar. Skrillex is often called the inventor of dubstep, but the genre originated in L

0 views0 comments

Luke

Feb 9, 2019
2 min

Finish Your Songs

A few years back, I had a ton of musical ideas floating around my head. I wanted to write it all: hip-hop, EDM, singer-songwriter, lo-fi, dubstep. I wanted to release albums in every genre I loved, multiple albums. I wanted to be as prolific as Andrew Huang and Steve Aoki. Songs for days. This, of course, takes a lot of work, and I used to be pretty ADHD when it came to writing. I’d finish a singer-songwriter track one day and be working on a house song the next. I’d th

0 views0 comments

Show Your Work! – Austin Kleon. The Importance of Community.

Luke

Feb 2, 2019
2 min

Show Your Work! – Austin Kleon. The Importance of Community.

I recently read Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon. Austin is a writer who uses drawings, photos, and blackout poetry to illustrate his points. Each chapter is a lesson on self-promotion. Not only are the tips good, but it’s stuffed with helpful images. I recommend it for creatives with no idea what to do after hitting “Publish.” My big take away is the importance of community and relationships. The obvious but not so obvious fact is that we’re dealing with people when we s

1 view0 comments

Luke

Jan 25, 2019
2 min

Being Your Best Self

I’m not the best guitar player, the best songwriter, or the best anything, really. This is hardly news, but I bring it up because in the arts there’s a lot of sizing up that goes on. People get their sense of self worth in how they compare to others and music is no exception. Whether it’s shredding ability, writing chops, or local clout, we’re always comparing ourselves to our peers. When I was at McNally Smith College of Music, I quickly realized how many guitar players a

0 views0 comments

Luke

Jan 22, 2019
1 min

Planting a Tree

My original plan was to release a singer-songwriter EP every year. I succeeded in 2015 and 2016, but in 2017 I procrastinated. I kept giving myself excuses and putting it off. Other projects took priority and after missing my self imposed deadline, I lost motivation. I’m just releasing it now in 2019, and although that makes me happy, I wish I had done it earlier. I was trying to think of a better way to phrase this without using the old cliche, but better late than never

0 views0 comments

Luke

Jan 4, 2019
2 min

Releasing Original Music: My History

My first EP was released in 2015. I recorded it in my parents’ basement with affordable equipment and my own limited tracking skills. It’s not great, but I have a fondness for it. It’s a timestamp of my skill level at the time, both in writing and producing. The album art is a shot of me playing at the Contented Cow, a bar in Northfield I frequented. It’s a perfect cover because back then I was playing at the Cow about twice a month and the regulars were constantly subje

0 views0 comments

Luke

Dec 16, 2018
2 min

Semester Wrap Up – Final EP

Well, this semester is coming to a close. Although I was only in three classes this year, I’ve grown a lot. I have an arsenal of new writing techniques, a better knowledge of production, and a higher standard for my own material. The greatest change in my writing is the increased use of layers, both for instruments and vocals. I always knew about the importance of instrument layers, but I never applied them as much as I could. Layering instruments can really fill a track

0 views0 comments

Luke

Dec 10, 2018
2 min

Thoughts on Collaboration

Well, the semester is winding down and so is my final project. My three song EP is due this week and I’m putting on the finishing touches. I’m recording, mixing and arranging. One of my tracks needed a solo, and my classmate stepped in. Here is just the solo section, by Noah Battles. You’re probably wondering why I would have someone else play a solo when I play guitar. Most of the time, I do just that. My philosophy used to be that if I could do something alone, I woul

0 views0 comments

Luke

Dec 5, 2018
2 min

Creating When You’re Not Inspired

This is the perfect topic for today because right now I don’t feel like writing. I’m in the school library sipping a La Croix, trying to get some work done, and no topic is calling out to me. It’s not that I don’t want to write; it’s that I don’t have anything to say. I’m uninspired. This happens in music too. I’ll be trying to write and nothing seems to flow, my progressions feel as bland and stale as every song I’ve ever heard. It’s like I’m writing the same tune over

0 views0 comments

Luke

Sep 18, 2018
3 min

An Introduction

I’ve recently found myself in the unique position of being back in school at 27. I’m not pursuing anything reasonable like most adults who go back, but instead I’ll be going after my Bachelor’s in Music Industry. In this blog I’ll be documenting the experience and showcasing whatever projects or songs result. But first, let me give you some backstory. In 2011 I was a composition major at McNally Smith College of Music. My parents and I had taken out a loan for the first semes

0 views0 comments