Wow -- that went by fast!
Some pretty great things happened in April; we played at a couple places we'd never played before. We met some awesome people. We participated in some really cool events.
We finally had the opportunity to play at O'Hara's and Bastards -- places we had always wanted to play! We met Susan. We met Didi, Tee and Dennine. We supported a great veterans' organization in a really unique guitar-building workshop.
So what's next? May is here, like tomorrow.
We've got a couple of weeks until the show at Baily's. We may have some other opportunities to play live in May as well. But there's not much down time in May. There's learning new songs. There's making new connections with people and supporting other local musicians. There's open mikes. There's swag to be made.
So we're pretty excited for all the stuff we've got going on in May!

April 15th: Tax Day.
Seems like a good time to stop and think about the whole idea of 'paying one's dues.' 
But what does 'paying your dues' actually mean? What does it look like? How will you know when you've paid them? Can you ever finish paying them?
Does it mean you have to play private parties and small gigs before you finally get noticed and get the cred you think you deserve? Not really. Remember, small clubs are where the magic happens -- they're fun, they're intimate, and they're memorable.
Does it imply that you have to be neglected and rejected by club owners until they finally give your band a chance to play? Not always. There are plenty of club owners looking for new talent, but they'll never notice you if you're invisible to them.
Does it mean you have to spend three nights a week at open mike events trying to connect with 'the right people?' No, not at all. You've got to realize that the 'right' people are all around you, all the time. And if you look, you'll find them.
Paying your dues is all about growth, improvement, and maturity. It's not about suffering, although it probably involves some self-sacrifice. It doesn't make any promises, even though it will always produce lasting results. And it doesn't mean 'compromise' as much as it means 'change isn't necessarily a bad thing.'
It's more like crawl - walk - run: you start out slow and awkward; then you develop some basic skills and life experience; then you make yourself better and more unique. And you keep running. You keep making yourself unique. You keep making people notice you; not for what you say, but because of what you actually do (actions speak louder than words, but that's a topic for another day).
And to think that some day you'll finally be on top because you've somehow paid your dues -- that's pure fantasy. It doesn't work that way. You never stop paying your dues, because the day you stop is the day you start to self-destruct.

Let's face it -- tech is cool! It's now. It's wow. It's sexy. Everybody wants to own the latest and greatest tech gear; from wearables to tablets to virtual to AI. And musicians are no exception. Over the last twenty years or so, we've been able to get rid of paper song charts in favor of digital song charts; we've been able to get rid of bulky music stands in favor of small, sleek tablets; we've been able to flip through all of our cheat-sheets hands-free while we're on stage. Tech is great! Except when it's not...
Don't get me wrong; I absolutely adore having my iPad on stage with me! I love having my song charts, notes, set lists, and metronome nearby and accessible. But I can't afford to rely too heavily on my tech. Tech can fail. Batteries can die. Something can always go wrong. If you're too reliant on your tech, eventually you'll be disappointed. Guaranteed.
If we're not careful with our tech, it can make us lazy musicians. Musicians who don't have to learn their parts; who don't have to know the songs. You know. Lazy. A wise man once said that if you don't master your tech, it will master you. Use your tech the same as you'd use any tool. It should help you get the job done, but it can't do the job for you.
Remember the Golden Rule of wireless? Always have a cable nearby in case you need it quick! It's about redundancy -- you should always have a backup in case something fails. We bring an extra guitar to gigs in case something goes wrong. We keep extra picks handy because we know we're going to lose them. We carry extra cables with us in case one goes bad. We bring an extra monitor in case our in-ears stop working.
Don't rely 100% on your iPad to get you through a gig. Know your material. Don't let your tech make you lazy.