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August 14, 2023
Playing in a band has taught me a lot about myself, teamwork and the value of the insights I learned extend beyond making and performing music.
Its never too late if you make the effort
Many people often think that you are born with innate musical abilities or have spent 10,000 hours playing. I have never considered myself musically talented and only picked up a guitar at the age of 18. But I had passion, and a musically gifted friend to learn from, and just kept at it. In the book Range, David Epstein discusses how for many of the world's top performers early specialization is the exception, not the rule.
With that said, I have always listened to music whenever I had the chance. Undoubtedly my parents influenced my appreciation for music. My father attended Etobicoke School of the Arts and Ontario College of Art and Design been making art and music for over 5 decades.
Over a decade ago I started to play music with Joe Pereira and Philip Clark and we played our first show in a friend's backyard on Canada Day. The feedback from the audience was inspiring and I was hooked. Emerson Baxter and Robert Needham later joined the band and we became the Roxborough. Pre-Covid we played many shows in Toronto including the Horseshoe Tavern, The Opera House, Sneaky Dees, the Bovine, and several other great venues. We recorded an EP and even won a battle of the bands that included a song recording with Justin Meli at the Chalet as a prize.
Playing music in a group is much more satisfying than playing solo. Performing cohesively can only be achieved with practice and encouragement. Setting the goal of playing a set at a show is a different level of motivation. In a Linkedin article, Harry Moffitt describes how bands are high-performance teams and that fun is an important part of any successful team. Although making and performing music takes effort, it is very rewarding.
Focus and the Power of Music
During my high school and university studies I listened to music to help focus and I believe it helped me excel academically. Throughout my career, I have spent a lot of time in the operating room as a clinical and technical support representative with surgical teams who also often listen to music. Music can significantly improve surgeon's task performance and I know it helped calm me while supporting healthcare teams with complex medical technologies.
In our busy world of endless information, clearing your mind is a challenge. But when you achieve it, it is liberating. With the right focus, music allows me to do this. If I let any thoughts about work or stress from life into my head while playing I would lose my synchronization or make a mistake. For example, at our show at the Bovine, I stopped playing near the end of the song thinking it was finished. Earlier that morning my wife and I got the difficult news that none of our IVF eggs fertilized and I was not in the right headspace.
Playing a live show and sharing your band's hard work is great, but the creative process during jam practice can result in an indescribable feeling. As Prince said,
“To create something from nothing is one of the greatest feelings, and I would—I don’t know, I wish it upon everybody. It’s heaven.”
Although only maybe 1 in 10 guitar riffs may end up being developed into a song almost every practice includes an amazing moment of synergy and excitement. The magic of making music is hard to explain but feel like this scene from the Wu Tang TV Series that enters the mind of the producer RZA as he works to sample a record does some justice.
Compromise and Group strengths
I have a broad taste in music. When I was in high school I had a big poster of Marvin Gaye on my wall and regularly attended the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Soundcheck, watched indie rock bands, and danced at late-night electronic music shows. Every member of our band had their own music preferences and style. Our sound constantly shifted between punk, hard rock, alternative rock, and blues rock. These individual differences are likely what makes bands sound unique, although they also can result in some conflict. Playing in a band, like all relationships and working in a team, requires compromise. Learning to influence without authority is a valuable skill.
Understanding your own and each team member's unique personality and tapping into individual strengths is critical to performing at a high level. Communicating openly and leveraging our varying levels of passion, energy, talent, and organizational abilities was key to our collaboration.
Labour of love
Music can be an expensive hobby and playing live shows as an amateur band will likely result in losing money. The equipment is pricey and you need to rent practice space. You are your own roadie, and let me tell you stacked bass amps are heavy and music venues like the Hard Luck have lots of stairs! Interestingly playing covers of popular music often pays more than playing your own music. In addition to the above costs, after paying for parking at the venute, your only net gain is often two drink tickets.
Getting people to listen to your music and come out to shows is no easy task. Luckily we have a great group of supportive friends and family. With that said promoting and marketing the band was a challenge and I embraced it. I think for most new bands it is important to consider what Montessori said,
"It's the process, not the product".
This business aspect of the band aligned with my own career shift to marketing, so it was valuable to learn about event promotion and the power of digital marketing and social media. I enjoyed interacting with the promotors and other bands to maximize exposure.
Sometimes it’s what you don’t play
Many musicians tend to always want to be constantly strumming or playing their instrument. Miles Davis said,
"It's not the notes you play, it's the notes you don't play."
Now although musically this applies to making a dynamic spectrum of layered sound and enables changes in intensity and crescendos I believe this advice applies to conversation in general. I am a big fan of call and answer, which stems from blues music and often involves a singer alternating between vocals and playing guitar. I am often guilty of talking too much and I think many of us can benefit from active listening and allowing team members to share their thoughts. There are some great TED talks on the power of listening and I recommend watching the insightful videos.
Music has always also been an emotional outlet for me that helps calm me down, reflect, and even at times grieve. Joe Pereira, the lead singer, and guitarist of the Roxborough, says that playing music is therapeutic and cathartic. I am a huge fan of movie soundtracks and the emotional power music can add to scenes. Post rock music is often present in the background of movies, shows, and commercials, and if you are not aware of the genre of music I suggest watching the video below or checking out my playlist linked below.
People talk about what songs would make up the soundtrack of their life. Although I have some favorites, music is a constant in my life. I have playlists for different moods on Spotify and I am a big fan of the "song radio" feature which is especially helpful to discover new artists. Check out some of my favourite music playlists below:
- Feed Good Rock (with some knee slapping)
- Motown
- Retro Road Trip (not created by me, but amazing)
- Outkast - Aquemini (Song Radio)
- Post Rock
- Indie Rock
- Epic Guitar
- Dance
- Chill
If you are thinking of getting more into playing music and have any questions or thoughts feel free to reach out to me. I leave you with a photo my daughter, the next generation of musician in my family.
