Inside Music is a podcast about the lives of professionals in the music business. Each week, host James Shotwell chats with an artist or industry tastemaker to learn how anyone can navigate the world of entertainment.
What happens when your big break never comes?
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls singer-songwriter Jayce Levi to discuss his unique career in the music business. Jayce signed a record deal in 2008 with his project Secret Secret Dino Club, but due to a number of issues – many out of his control – the record never came out. Jayce never got his moment with SSDC, but as he reveals to James in this episode other, perhaps far better opportunities came his way.
The music you hear in this episode is taken from the ‘lost’ Secret Secret Dino Club record, which you can now find online. SSDC will release new material later this year.
If you have not done so already, please subscribe to and review Inside Music on iTunes.
“Climb these hills / I’m reaching for the heights”
Have you seen La La Land yet? The modern musical and critical darling from Whiplash director Damien Chazelle recently gained a wealth of attention for tying the record James Cameron’s Titanic set in the 1990s for the most Oscar nominations. Whether or not the film wins those awards doesn’t matter now because I am not here to discuss The Academy or the film’s worthiness of such adoration. Instead, I want to focus on something more personal. Something deep that La La Land manages to touch upon in its opening moments and leverage in order to win our adoration.
“Another Day of Sun” is the name of La La Land’s opening number, and it is one of the few numbers in the film to not feature stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in lead vocal roles. In fact, the song is sang before audiences even meet Sebastian (Gosling) and Mia (Stone). If you have yet to hear the track or simply want to experience it once more you can do so below:
La La Land is billed as a movie for dreamers, and it wastes no time appealing to that crowd with this song and its accompanying performance. Set on a crowded Los Angeles freeway, dozens of singers and dancers emerge from their vehicles for an elaborate performance that touches on the many things people do to express themselves. There is singing and dancing of course, but also extreme sports, hula hooping, and a wide variety of other talents on display as well. Most, if not all, of the people seen in this sequence are never seen again, but it doesn’t matter because they are nothing more than the movie’s version of us, the audience, who it believes to be dreamers.
The opening verse, delivered by a female vocalist, details the adventures of an aspiring actress who flees her lover and hometown in order to try her shot at fame. The reason for this, simply enough, is the movies. She has spent her whole life watching the way her existence could be projected onto a gigantic silver screen and now wants to see if she too can become someone that moves people from inside those darkened auditoriums.
“Summer: Sunday nights / We’d sink into our seats / Right as they dimmed out all the lights / A Technicolor world made out of music and machine / It called me to be on that screen / And live inside each scene”
The second verse, delivered by a make vocalist, doubles down on this concept and builds on it. The perspective changes from film to music, but the struggles and inspiration remain the same:
“The ballads in the barrooms / Left by those who came before / They say “you gotta want it more” / So I bang on ev’ry door”
“Another day of Sun” recognizes that wanting something is still not enough to succeed. True success only comes to those who accept these facts and push forward, but it’s still no guaranteed. As the second part of the second verse explains:
“And even when the answer’s "no” / Or when my money’s running low / The dusty mic and neon glow / Are all I need”
The beauty of “Another Day of Sun,” much like the beauty of La La Land itself, is the always present understanding that the stereotypical idea success may never come. You can be the best at what you do, but that does not mean the world at large will recognize it, nor does it mean they have to in order for your talent to be real. You are talented and unique regardless of whether or not you become a celebrity.
La La Land and “Another Day of Sun” tell us that if we look to the world at large for praise and adoration you may be left waiting forever. Happiness in your work must come from within, and no amount of external praise will change the way you feel about yourself when looking in the mirror. If you believe in you then that is all that matters. In fact, the end of the second verse highlights something that may be even more rewarding than short term monetary success:
“And someday as I sing my song / A small-town kid’ll come along / That’ll be the thing to push him on and go go”
You may not be the next Chris Pratt, Carly Rae Jepson, or Harry Dean Stanton, but you may be able to influence someone’s life in a similar way if you stay true to yourself. Live by example, and by doing so you will lead others to believe it is perfectly okay to chase their wildest dreams. Who knows? Your work may inspire the next chart-topping artist or big screen starlet to try their luck at the world of entertainment. Hard work and quality breeds more of the same. Do the best you can do and take satisfaction in that. Everything else is secondary.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Film Editor for Substream Magazine, host of the Inside Music podcast, and ten-year music writing veteran. For more stories and nonsense, follow James on Twitter.
Earlier this week I wrote an article on why people in the entertainment industry often struggle to disengage from work when they are trying to relax. I do not want to rehash the whole piece, but the basic idea is that we connect all forms of entertainment with work, which means we take everything we enjoy and filter through things like business, money, etc.
There are admittedly far larger problems in the world right now than the relaxation of entertainment professionals. That said, we all have to choose our battles in life, and this one happens to be something I can help you conquer. My approach is simple, but it will take some adjustment to make it suit your needs and lifestyle.
Here it is:Find something to obsess over that you would never need to apply to your work.
This is harder than it sounds, but it can be done. You love a million things about entertainment. I know this because you’ve chosen to try and make a living in a field everyone tells you not to try and make a living in. You love of entertainment runs deep, and somewhere in that love is a thing you can separate from the rest as your personal slice of heaven.
Let me give you an example, and this is 100% true:
When I need to unwind and escape the worries of the week I seek to find and purchase every film the actor Nicolas Cage has ever made on DVD or Blu-ray.
You may think this would easy in the age of digital access, but I have a rule that I cannot use sites like Amazon or eBay to find his work. The only way I can buy the films of Nicolas Cage – all 86 of them – is through purchases made in the real world. I have to buy the films brand new in store, which is only possible for a small number of titles, or find them through garage sales, pawn shops, flea markets, and the few remaining video stores scattered throughout the United States.
The adventure, which I have dubbed ‘Cage Quest,’ may sound silly to you. To be honest, it sounds silly to me, but when I am working on this project I am not thinking about my email. I am not thinking about whether or not I can apply what I’m learning or doing to my job in some way. I’m not trying to turn my hobby into a new work thing and that is kind of a first for me.
Furthermore, my personal Cage Quest gets me out of my house and into the real world where I am able to experience corners of culture that have largely fallen by the wayside in recent years. The majority of the films I buy are previously used, meaning at some point they meant something special to the original owner or that they theoretically entertained dozens of families through their life on a rental shelf. The discs themselves have stories and legacies, and that is kind of fascinating to me.
My quest has become such a staple of my free time that even my family has gotten involved. Finding and exploring used video stores has become something of a tradition for us, and with each film we find we also have a movie night at our home where I am able to join them in simply losing myself in the story on screen. Those are the moments I treasure most because they remind me of why I started this journey in entertainment in the first place. I was a fan first and I always will be, which I am reminded of whenever I am able to shake the worries of work and just enjoy the work of others.
Will my Cage Quest work for you? Probably not, but that is the point I was making when I said it is a little harder to find something to obsess over than you would think. Nicolas Cage is an actor I have always admired, but it wasn’t until I found myself sifting through used DVDs at a random pawn shop one day that I thought to begin seeking out his whole catalog. It was an idea that came to me out of the blue, like a million others I have every day, but for some reason it stuck with me. I thought it sounded like fun, and perhaps more importantly like something no one else I knew would ever think to attempt. I knew Cage Quest could be my ‘thing’ and my thing alone, which in turn made it special.
If you’re reading this now I urge you to find something similar in your life. Think of the things you love and look for a unique way to enjoy it. If everyone else thinks you’re a little crazy, who cares? If it makes you happy and gives you a brief escape from the worries of the work week that is all that really matters.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the Film Editor for Substream Magazine, host of the Inside Music podcast, and ten-year music writing veteran. For more stories and nonsense, follow James on Twitter.
Ask most people what they do to unwind at the end of the day and the answer will most likely be consuming some form of entertainment. Television (in its many forms) is probably the most popular response, with music and movies following not far behind. Some people even read.
Relaxing may be something you equate with laziness, but if that is the case you need to scrub such thoughts from your mind. The ability to relax is important in effectively managing stress and anxiety. You need to relax so that you can better perform the following day, but also to ensure you live a long life.
Those who work outside of entertainment have it a bit easier when it comes to relaxing. They leave their jobs, commute home, kick off their shoes and lose themselves in someone else’s creation.
For those of us who depend on entertainment and our relationship to it in order to provide for our families, the transition from work to play is not so easy. Our brains are wired to engage with media differently than those who work in other fields. We see something great and immediate consider how it was made or how we can apply something that piece of art did well and use it ourselves. We see newcomers and think we could work with them. We check out the latest releases and ask ourselves why we aren’t writing about them instead of just enjoying them.
Separating work from play in the world of entertainment is a constant struggle, and it is one that — at least in my experience – never really goes away. Disengaging from the work day is a choice you have to consciously make each and every day. Sometimes you have to catch yourself more than once in a single evening or weekend, but it is something you must commit to doing in order to avoid total burn out.
Inside Music is a podcast about the lives of professionals in the music business. Each week, host James Shotwell chats with an artist or industry tastemaker to learn how anyone can navigate the world of entertainment.
…And we’re back.
On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Carousel Kings founder and vocalist David Alexander to discuss his band’s upcoming Victory Records debut. Charm City is the third full-length record for Carousel Kings, and it also happens to be their most personal record to date. David tells James about how his approach to songwriting has changed over the years, as well as what the band had to do to make it out of their hometown. This podcast is the second in a newly announced series focusing on artists who we believe could have huge year ahead, and we hope you enjoy the show.
The music you hear in this episode is the title track from Charm City, which arrives in stores February 10 through Victory Records.
If you have not done so already, please subscribe to and review Inside Music on iTunes.
Today’s music industry professional is rarely responsible for just a single task. If the person in question is working publicity they more than likely have their hands in social media efforts as well. Likewise, if someone is working in artist management they may also help with booking, promotion, or any one of a dozen other tasks a band or artist must complete in order to grow their brand.
Most aspiring professionals people we meet in our journeys tell us they want to be more than one thing. Everyone wants to do something in music, and most are willing to do anything you need done as long as they can squeeze it in between whatever other projects or jobs they may have at that time.
While it’s true that a working knowledge of many different roles in music makes it a bit easier to find work, those who make a career out of their time in music eventually realize there are three things we all must do in order to succeed:
Decide what you want
This is easier said than done, but it must be done. Doing a little bit of everything can be fun and create opportunities you never imagined, but in order to find a position that lasts longer than a few days, weeks, months or years you will need some kind of specialty. This can be any role in music, but for the sake of simplicity and ease of growth it should be just one role. If you want to be a manager, drop everything else and focus on managing an artist until you’ve taken their career as far as you are able. If you want to be a writer, wake up every morning and start pitching stories. If you want to work in PR, find a band you believe in and help them become the next band we believe in.
Make a Plan
Anyone can make a plan for success, but not all plans are the same. Before Haulix was founded we settled on a simple goal, “to streamline secure promotional distribution.” You could say our plan was as easy as building a an original platform, but in truth there were hundreds of tiny, incremental steps we had to take — and still continue to take — in order to be the company we are today.
We cannot make your plan for you, but we can reference an old saying that holds true to this day that may help:
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Your plan should not focus on taking leaps and bounds toward your goals, but steps. Every day you should be doing something, no matter how small, to work toward where and who you want to be.
Plans not only make reaching your goals easier, but they also help you stay on track. If you rely on your motivation on any given day to get work done you will inevitably give in to laziness and begin slacking off. It happens to all of us! This is why we make plans.
Go for it
A plan is only good if you put it into action. The two steps we outlined above mean nothing if you fail to act on this third step because it is, by far, the most important of the set. In order to achieve the level of success you want in this business you have to take it upon yourself to move mountains and create opportunities. No one is going to do the work for you, and even if they do — someone will eventually realize you don’t know what you’re doing. This industry depends on self-starters in order to function. It’s among the top things every employer is looking for, along with creativity, drive, leadership, and flexibility. If you can show the world you are willing to do the work required to be successful then success will slowly begin to come your way. If you continue to do well, more will follow.
Life is crazy, and there is no way of getting around that fact. People come in all shapes, sizes, and personalities, weather changes in an instant, politicians make decisions that impact our lives without talking to us, and just when you start to think you’re finally pulling everything together something comes out of left field and changes your entire perspective.
Want to know something else about life?
Life is beautiful. The things that make us different are the sources of great art, and in that art there are universal feelings of love, loss, longing, happiness, sadness, and a wide range of similar emotions we all recognize. Maybe you don’t know what inspired a piece of art that speaks to you, but the fact you connect with it cannot be denied.
When life throws us curveballs we try to take comfort in the fact we know, deep down, that we are not alone. The unpredictability of existence is the one constant in the universe that ties us all together. We are all on this journey called life together, and though our individual experiences may differ the way we feel and react is largely the same.
This is why art, specifically music, is so powerful. Music allows us to take big ideas that feel unique unto ourselves and convey them in a way that help us connect with others who have gone through similar situations. As fans, music allows us to know we are not alone because somewhere out there is a singer-songwriter who knows the way we feels. That interconnectivity is everything.
So please, tell your story. Share your experience and connect with others who know your pain/joy/etc. That is the stuff that makes life great.
The most common question I am asked by people aspiring to find employment in the entertainment industry is how anyone can ever find the time needed to work on whatever passion project, band, book, record label, etc. they hope to build into a career.
While I hesitate to say there is any answer that can apply to everyone and their individual journeys, there is one approach to chasing dreams that has worked for more people that I know than anything else.
The ‘one for you, one for them’ approach to dream chasing revolves almost entirely around time management. Let’s face it: Most of us do not have the ability to quit our day job and pursue whatever it is we are passionate about full-time. ‘One for you, one for them’ recognizes this fact by embracing your work schedule and demanding you still make time for yourself.
Here’s how it works:
At the start of each week, sit down and write out a list of goals for the days ahead. Be specific, and make sure to categorize each goal as being something you want to accomplish for work, life, or your personal goals. You may never be able to perfectly balance your list and that is perfectly okay. What matters most is that you set clear goals for your personal development at the top of the week so that you may then begin scheduling time to work towards accomplishing those tasks. Maybe you need to get up an hour earlier three days this week to make sure you write X amount of words, or maybe you need to set aside two nights where you stay in and work on your business plan. Maybe you need to cancel your weekend plans because that is the only time when you’ll be able to focus on songwriting without having to worry about the next deadline your have at the office.
Approaching life with a ’one for you, one for them’ outlook reinforces the idea that you are not living solely to help other people profit. You are more than a cog in some corporate machine. You know this and I know this, but until you take steps toward changing your life everything is more or less going to remain exactly the same. You can’t abandon your current responsibilities because that is not how a professional behaves, so instead you must find a way to create the time needed to develop into the person you hope to become. It’s not going to be easy. Even if you could run from all your current commitment the journey that is this business is never simple. The road ahead is tough and you’re going to need people — not to mention finances — to fall back on. Be bold, but smart, and always be asking what more could be done to position you for the life you want to lead.
Is ‘one for you, one for them’ another way to say time management? Yes, but it goes beyond that as well. Being able to make time for your passion projects matters very little unless you actually get to work on said projects. In order for this exercise to become habitual you need to apply it to your life on a regular basis. The only path to success is through continual trial and error that, eventually, gets you to where you want to be.
Today was one of those days we never want to experience. One of our team members received a call early this morning that informed them a close family member had passed away. Though they had lived a long and adventurous life the news of their passing still came as a shock coupled with great sadness. All of us felt it, and it seems safe to imagine a few of you will feel it as well. Death is never easy.
We spend a lot of time discussing about the need to stop talking about the things we want and instead learning to chase after them. We do this because we have seen the wonderful things that can happen when you take a chance in life. We’ve admittedly had things go the other way when taking a risk as well, but those moments have ultimately helped us grow as people and therefore – in our minds – aren’t really that bad after all.
There is another reason we do this, and it’s one we tend to not discuss as often. Not long ago one of our team members lost a close friend to a horrible disease. That friend was only twenty-five at the time, and most of our team had known them for years. Their passing was the first time many of us had lost someone who was essentially our age, and in the weeks that passed we grew to have a new appreciation for the frailty of existence. We knew the goals left unachieved and understood the dreams that were never going to be realized. We felt a sense of loss as we never had before, and it lingers with many of us to this day.
Before they passed, that same close friends asked us to continue on in their honor. This probably happens all the time in similar situations, but for us this was a first. We were no longer a group of individuals who enjoyed one another’s company in between solo adventures through life, we were something more. Every success was a success for the team, including those no longer with us, and every decision to ignore something was immediately met with a reminder of just how quickly our time together can pass.
This morning when the news of another passing in our extended Haulix family came I was reminded of those we lost before and how their legacy is now ours to carry. Somedays it feels like we lost those people years ago, which we did, but all too often it still feels like they were with us just yesterday. Time is a funny thing like that.
When terrible things happen, the first thing you should do is be with those you love and check on those too far away to hug. Take time to mourn and remember those who have passed. Celebrate their lives and find a way to begin accepting what has happened. This is the most important thing you can do for yourself and those around you because those feelings are not going to go away. You have to deal with these big changes. There is no other option.
When you get through that, which could take anywhere from days to months or even years (everyone is different), you must find a way to carry on. Not just for yourself, but for those who can no longer do so. You cannot afford to wait for the perfect opportunity to come your way because there is no guarantee you have that kind of time to spare. If you know what you want or what needs to be done in order for life to be how you want it then you need to act. Not the next day, not in a few weeks, but as soon as the feeling hits you. Do whatever you feel driven to do and do it to the best of your ability so that you can honor those you have lost through your actions. If not for yourself then for them because they believed in you, they loved you, and they wanted the world to see you for the great person they knew you to be.
James Shotwell is the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. He is also the host of the Haulix podcast, Inside Music, which features insight into the experiences of entertainment professionals from all walks of life. You should probably follow him on Twitter or at the very least visit his official website.
Our pal Gary Suarez developed a great exercise for music writers in early 2015 that has since been resurrected for February 2017. We plan to participate and hope the rest of you will as well. Here are the rules:
Each day in February, listen to 1 full album you’ve never heard, from start to finish. Once complete, write one tweet about the album you just heard and tag it with #MWE so others can follow your efforts.
You can choose any album you wish, but if you’re stumped please do not hesitate to ask us and other for recommendations. In fact, we may post some on here just in case.
