Went street performing for the first time in Asheville this year and received the most amazing gift to start the season!

scavenger-micah-wire-wrap-tree

this was created by my friend scavenger who travels the country by train selling his wire art. he picked the mica out of a spring in california. neat!

 

 

new orleans canal

i spent a good amount of time in new orleans recently, performing music on the street while also brushing up against voodoo culture. a lot of this was out on the street, particularly in the french quarter. it’s not a place i love to be though. the amount of hustle that’s required just to play a few notes on the violin… it makes me glad to live in a town with laws that prevent the type of ecosystem which flourishes in new orleans. i suppose you could avoid hustling if you weren’t concerned with making money. it’s the part i don’t enjoy. but focusing on financial sustainability can be a large part of sustainability as an independent artist. sometimes too much of a focus.

despite all this, i can’t help but stand in awe at the beauty of new orleans reflected in a simple canal feeding down to the bay; a different kind of ecosystem at play. nature often reflects how simple and beautiful our complicated lives truly are, if we only allow it to be.

-marc

it’s 6:15pm and i’m driving down the interstate at a speed much faster than the posted recommendation. of course it’s not really a recommendation marc but you’re running late for a show! that’s right, i’m suppose to be on stage performing at 6:30pm and here it is 6:15pm and i’m not even at the venue yet! at this rate if i’m lucky i MIGHT be there with 10 minutes to spare for setup. i’ve never been late to a show before. will this be the first?

so i’m weaving in and out of traffic, like i’m going for a new high score in the video game frogger, when all the sudden my rear view mirror is overwhelmed with red & blue. uh oh. it’s the police! well so much for having 10 minutes to setup, which already is a third my normal allotted time for setting up. (actually, if i had my way there would always be 2 hours setup before a show for all those little details that nobody can pinpoint but make the live show so great!)

the officer walks up to my car with his blinding flashlight, while i feebly try to stick my hands out the window showing that no weapons are in store for his arrival. he asks me for my license and registration, a very common ice breaker among police officers, while i notice his thick southern accent and bushy mustache. this is a big old boy, state trooper none the less, who i quickly assume isn’t in the mood to mess around. so i’m digging through my various insurance papers while, almost unconsciously, rambling away along the lines of “i didn’t mean to be speeding officer. i play the violin and i’m running late for a concert. and i’m never late for concerts. although this may be the first time. but oh well. it’s my fault after all. here’s my registration.”

and you know what he says? “do me a favor and drive more carefully. have a good night.”

so if you’re of the female persuasion, you may be bored with this story. something along the lines of “that happens to me all the time,” right? well as a male let me tell you, it never happens. i have nothing within view to sexually flaunt at officers and playing innocent just doesn’t seem to work with the presence of that Y chromosome. none the less, i thank the officer and drive off with 5 minutes less for setup but i get to the venue and manage to somehow unload and setup in record time, starting my performance at 6:30pm on the dot. then something strange happens. later that night when i get in my car i’m very careful with my speed. and then the next day too. a week later and i’m still careful. we all watch our speed after getting a ticket but how long does that last? a few minutes? a few days? i have a theory…

the gratitude i felt from what appeared to be a hardened southern state trooper [insert many southern state trooper cliches] just because he let me off the hook when i uttered the words “i play the violin and i’m running late for a concert.” this is what has kept me aware. because every time i see a speed limit i don’t think “i should go this speed because it is dangerous to go faster and it is the law and i might get in trouble if i don’t obey the law…” but instead i think of this guy. this guy who surpassed all the cliches and let me go.

thank you. for your gratitude is stronger than any law you can lay; any financial distress you can put upon my shoulders.

 

-marc

i love grabbing photos of the photographers.

joe-photographer

 

this one is of my friend joe longobardi who came out to a recent music video shoot to act as “a fly on the wall” during the filming process. he got some great shots and posted them on his blog over here and his flickr album over here. he’s a wonderful photographer and i recommend checking out his other works if you’re into photography.

photo-of-camera

 

check out the music video that joe was taking pictures of here:

sometimes i’m out on the street as much as 9 or 10 hours in a day, performing music for up to 7 of those hours. i’ve met a lot of interesting people during this time, like this kid who looks as if he’s kicking butt and taking names:

kid on the street
…little does he know that he’s actually being one of the most adorable children i’ve ever seen on the streets of asheville! and yes, i know what you’re thinking: when he walks the little man on a bike does pedal with his feet. and then there’s the regulars, like cherokee here who lives on the street but you would never guess it at first glance. cherokee has a strong spirit and a big heart.

cherokee on the streets
i’ve learned a lot from the folks out here, especially the ones that live on the street. they teach lessons you’d never pick up in school or by reading a book. it’s a culture and a tight knit community, with little gems to be found hidden away all over the streets. i’ve become both a better performer and a better person from all the time spent out here. there is the monetary value of raising money for the new album but then there is something else… life lessons that can’t always be put into words, which will take me farther then any dollar received in a tip jar. all i have to do is listen, keep my eyes open and stay humble.

vance monument flower balloon

 

marc

just got the keys to my new studio!

Rehearsal Studio Keys

spending most of my time in here until the new album comes out. gearing up for some live stage shows! now for the shows to be booked somehow. come on universe! i’m making my call out into the world. i’ll be rehearsing nonstop for a national tour or something similar. i’m not picky either. just like to be around good music that changes people’s lives for the better.

 

marc

i’ve been reading over and over again in my head this passage from “outliers” by malcolm gladwell:

“he’d had to make his way alone, and no one – not rock stars, not professional atheletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses – ever make it alone.”

 

i guess i’m a bit tired of making it alone. not even software billionaires make it alone after all… ok universe, it’s just about time to send in some help.

marc