MusicPro Magazine

You are browsing the archives of 2008 December.

What have you learned about the music business that was a surprise?

I think when you get started in the music business everything’s a surprise. I was really fortunate growing up in New Orleans. I mean I was extremely fortunate! I had no idea how fortunate I was until I moved to upstate New York, [...]

What’s the funniest thing that happened to you
while performing in a group?

The funniest thing? You know, I put together a bunch of stories. My wife is going to write a book. There’s so many I wouldn’t know where to begin; the funniest thing? I’d have to really think, there’s been so many funny things. [...]

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

It was probably from my mom when she told me the role of everyone in life is to raise civilized animals. Now I’m not really sure with what that has to do with making music, other than if you want to be employable, you probably have to be [...]

What does it take to be successful?
(Laughs) Luck! A lot of luck but again a lot of motivation, you have to hang in, you have to get rejected all over the place, but when I think of how tough it is to make it in music I think about actors or I think about [...]

What would you have done differently?

I’m not sure I would’ve done anything differently in my life. I think everybody takes a path that is right for them. Sure there are stories, horror stories, of people who took the wrong path and I’ve been lucky to avoid those. But I think all the various errors [...]

Well gang,
Here we are. It’s been a long time coming (I know, I know…you already knew that part), but we’ve finally launched our premiere issue of MusicPro Magazine! We are very excited per the feedback we’ve been getting and are bursting waiting to tell you what’s coming up in the next issue. [...]

What do you look for in a student?
I look for commitment and love. If they really love, really love what they’re doing, it’s not a pipe dream, I would encourage them to follow their dreams. And I look for somebody who’s got motivation because that’s important. I’ve seen a lot of people who don’t have [...]

What led you to where you are today?
When I was a kid, I was really fascinated with the emotional rush of playing music. As a teenager looking for an outlet, I would move from time at the piano, to time at the guitar, to time at the trombone, then I’d go on to write music, [...]

What have you learned about the music business that has surprised you?
Nothing surprises me anymore. The way the business goes now I’ve learned not to be surprised. Like I say, right from my first days when I got to New York – studios were gone, live playing was just about nil. But I got to [...]

How did you get started?

I got started in music when I was eight or nine. My parents had an upright in the house and encouraged everyone to take piano lessons. For awhile, I was doing some guitar and enjoying that and eventually I started playing some piano reading the guitar symbols on the sheet music [...]

What’s the best advice you ever received?

The best advice I ever received? When I was in high school I was accepted to the Eastman School of Music and one requirement that they said I had to learn was to learn the piano because I had no knowledge of the piano whatsoever. So I found the [...]