The last two blog posts I put up were to aid musicians unfamiliar with booking shows. That's something we all hope to get back to doing soon. But, it's something we can't do right now. That chaps my ass because I don't like being told what to do. I know it's for the best, for the health of the people around me. I respect that. 

Many musicians have turned to the alternative platform of live streaming. Some of us need the money. Some of us just need the outlet. What's cool, so many people are tuning in. I know we have something of a captive audience, but I'd like to believe it is deeper. I'd like to think that people start to evaluate what's important when the chips are down and they turn to artists for some interpretation of life and its goings on. I think that's what we're here for. We're not preachers. We're not politicians. We're something else. We're at one end or the other, perhaps somewhere in between. We're a balancing force, an outside perspective. Well, that's the way I see it. 

I'm not too concerned about what will happen. If I'm worried about anything, it's my family. Even so, I teach them to be brave, to feel something beyond their empirical senses, to embrace faith, hope, and love. There ain't no grave, I believe that -just as Johnny Cash did. 

I'll be doing some live streams here and there. Follow on Facebook or join the mailing list to get notifications. Stay healthy. Hope to see you in person down the line.

2020. Doesn’t mean much to me. I suppose the year 1000 seemed epic to those that entered it. They’re dead and gone. Won’t be long before I’m with them. Cheery, eh?

Here’s the thing. I’ve got no resolutions. I don’t even operate in terms of calendar years. I celebrate some days, I leave others off. Hell, I’m talking about 2020 almost a month after it happened! I’m just here. As long as I’m here, I want to make the most of it.

I’m not compelled to talk about my plans or goals for 2020. I want to talk about something that has been on my mind for a long time, and especially potent of late: the music industry.
What is the music industry? In reality, the music industry includes me. I write songs. I perform songs. I get paid. I pay taxes (:o -there’s goes my folk-punk status). Industry is a pretty generic term. It’s like a boundary line. Someone made a box and some of us have found ourselves inside of it.

When I think about the music industry, I think of big labels, bad deals, and scumbags. Mostly scumbags. I don’t want any part in it.

Maybe that is unfair. Maybe most people in the industry care about music and art and the message. Perhaps there are just a few bad apples that have spoiled it for guys like me (my cynicism compels me to tell you that it is unlikely). I might be letting my punk rock ethos come between me and an entire industry when some elements of it are benign, even beneficial.

I can’t argue against the benefits of certain exposure. As a musician and a songwriter, I’d be lying if I told you I don’t want people to hear and enjoy my music, or if I said I don’t want people to come to my shows. The dilemma is this, what am I willing to give up to make that happen? But, the better question is, what do I have to give up to make that happen?

I’m not a desperate guy. A lot of musicians I’ve heard about or read about are in a tough spot, music is all they know, all they do. While music is the dominate passion of my life, I have other passions too. I’m not desperate for someone to discover me. So, I think I’ll keep trucking along at my own pace. I think I’ll create as I’m compelled. I think I’ll make my own rules. It suits me.
Besides that, I’m only really part of the music industry for tax and statistical purposes. Like I said, it’s a generic term. It’s not indicative of a close-knit, tribal society. I’d rather be counted among the barbarian hordes crouched just outside. That’s where I identify. It’s not a matter of morality for me, it’s just identity. There’s them, and there’s me (most likely an us out here).

I said I wasn’t going to share my goals for 2020, but I will share this. I mean to make music and get it out there. That kind of goes without saying for a singer-songwriter. Better still, I could stand to stick a thorn in the paw of the industry, whether this year or next, or one of these years. Whether they deserve it or not is a question for a different kind of man. The notion makes me smile, and that’s enough for me. Rock & roll is slave to no one.

Happy 2020. See you around.

-Dustin

Happy Holidays! Been a long time since I updated anything here. Truth is, it's been a pretty active year playing out and writing songs, getting to meet people and working on the craft. I've got a bunch of stuff to record and I've got a pretty good run of shows lined up for next year. Hoping to bring on some other musicians, hit the studio, make it to the coasts, play a festival or two, that kinda stuff. 

Anyway, my daughter and I put together this funny bit last year sometime and I didn't feel it was worth posting until the season was right. That, and it took me ten months to sit down for about 30 seconds and record the resonator slide-guitar part. 

Enjoy. Again, Happy Holidays. Hope to see you out there next year!