Jamie Kent

Hey all,

So 2011 is officially behind us and it’s time for 2012. I really think it’s going to be an amazing year musically, especially since everyone has to bust out their best work before the world ends. No big deal, right? That said, 2011 wasn’t a bad year musically itself, so I figured I’d list my favorite 11 songs of the year. I know you all have been sitting on the edge of your seats awaiting my opinion on the matter, so without any further adieu…

11. Beirut- Santa Fe
10. Adele- Rumour has it
9. Sweetback Sisters- Looking for a fight
8. Foster the People- Pumped up Kicks
7. Wilco- Capitol City
6. Civil Wars- I’ve got this friend
5. Amos Lee- Windows are rolled down
4. KD Lang & The Siss Boom Bang- I Confess
3. The Low Anthem- Apothecary
2. The Head & The Heart- Lost in my mind
1. Tom Waits- Kiss me

Got any additions that think I left out? Comment below!

Here’s to a great 2011, and what’s poised to be a pretty awesome 2012!

With love and rock,
Jamie

Howdy folks!

Well, it seems that it’s finally time to give in to the cold and embrace the winter ahead. I’ve been resisting for a while (hence the west coast tour in November), but I think I’m ready for the puffy coats, crisp wood fire air, and some holiday spirit(s). With that in mind, I’m going to keep this month’s update pretty short and give you a couple early holiday presents…

Holiday Tunes

I’ve always been a fan of christmas carols. Generally I air on the side of the ridiculous when it comes to these tunes (i.e. Dominick the Donkey), but this year I decided to cover a song that seemed to hit home a bit more. Since I’ve been on the road for so much of this fall, and now find myself home for the holidays, I thought there couldn’t be a more appropriate cover than “I’ll be home for Christmas”. You’re amazing support over this last year has brought this journey to another level, and I truly can’t wait to see where we take this over the next year. With that in mind I thought I’d send you all a holiday gift to show my immense gratitude in the best way I know how, with music. Below you’ll find a link which will take you to this tune, and allows you to download it for free! I’ve also tossed in last year’s cover of “Blue Christmas”, as I think that’s still rocking pretty hard.

http://soundcloud.com/jamieskent/sets/holiday-tunes

The Collective

As many of you know, a huge way I am able to support this musical dream full time is through The Collective. This new model of artistic micro-financing has allowed me to Partner with you, and truly share in all levels of the journey. Some big things are going to be happening in the next year, and Partners in The Collective will be huge a part of deciding which direction I go in (through actual votes!). They will also get exclusive access to a ton of new music in the works, behind the scene tour videos, and so much more. So with that in mind, I give my a quick shameless plug…Partnerships in The Collective make GREAT presents for family and friends. Plus, I’ll even wrap the Welcome Packages in the sexiest of newspaper comics…:) That is all.

The Montage

I’ve noticed being home that I have a really difficult time trying to summarize 6 weeks of touring into a few sentences. So what better a way to give you a true sense of the experience than by displaying some of the best pictures from the road set over a brand new JKO song called “Changes.” This song is from our upcoming album due out in March, and really embodies all of the emotions that come about on a huge tour. I’ve come to believe that every epic experience needs to promptly be followed by a montage, so without further adieu…

Well, that’s it for now folks! Stay warm, stay safe, and stay stress free (if possible) throughout this holiday season. Thanks again for an amazing year, and I’ll see you in 2012!

With love and eggnog,

The Homestretch

40 days, 28 shows, and 10,000 miles later, we are home. It’s a bittersweet feeling really. It’s sad to no longer be on the road doing what I love every day, but Northampton (and my bed) have never felt so good. I know throughout the coming weeks I’ll really begin to reflect on all of the experiences and lessons learned over these past six weeks, but right now, I’m going to sleep, spend time with family, and eat copious amounts of turkey. That said, I present you with the three stories from the 6th and final week of this tour, written again from the different perspectives of an independent touring musician (the booker, the manager, and the performer)…

The Stories

1. (The Performer)- New Orleans. Without a doubt one of my favorite cities in the world, and one of the few places left where people go out just to see live music, regardless of who it is. This is where we concluded our tour, and I really wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Our final weekend on the road consisted of two shows in the Crescent City, and both created moments that we will remember forever.

Frenchman St. is one of the greatest music streets in the world. Wonderfully intimate venues line the streets showcasing some of the world’s greatest musicians, almost always for free. And if you’re there long enough you’ll likely see a killer musician walk in from the street, sit in with the band on a song or two, and then move on to the next venue. This past Saturday we not only had the opportunity to play on Frenchman Street, but were lucky enough to have one of those killer local musicians hop on stage with us and lay down a rocking harmonica solo during one of our tunes. It felt a bit like a rite of passage, and honestly, it turned a dream into a reality for each of us.

Our final show of the tour took place at a house party held by some awesome fans (and now friends) that we met during our first show in New Orleans this past March. One of the greatest feelings as a musician is to develop loyal fans that want to make great things happen for you, and these fans are a perfect example. As fellow musicians, our hosts went above and beyond to create a show around us that was both crazy and intimate, allowing us to truly connect with new fans while celebrating the end of six weeks on the road. By the end of the night the room was packed, the energy was explosive, and the audience was singing along to almost every song. An epic ending to an epic tour.

2. (The Manager)- This past March we had the opportunity to play the legendary South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX. It was an overwhelming and amazing experience, and I learned a ton about how to truly make the most of a big festival like that. Specifically, I found that many of the best showcases were the one’s created around a specific regional theme, generating a buzz around an area and giving new music fans a taste of a localized music scene. So I decided then and there that next year I would create a “Valley Comes to Austin” Showcase, allowing the rest of the world to see just experience the awesomeness that is the in the Pioneer Valley music scene. With that in mind, while in Austin this past week I spent an entire day scouting the best venues to host such a showcase. I toured some of the best venues I’ve ever seen and some of the worst, discovering that certain spaces cost upwards of $100,000 to rent for the day, while others are simply happy to have a fantastic showcase that generates buzz and business. Fortunately I found a few spots in between those two extremes , and the western MA music scene will most definitely be on full display at SXSW 2012.

3. (The Booker)- As I’ve mentioned before, there are a lot of annoying (but important) details that go into booking a tour. While I’m usually pretty good about crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s, each trip I generally discover a new detail that I seemed to overlook. This time? Cigarette smoke in venues. As an artist based in the northeast, cigarette smoke has never been part of the picture at any of our shows. When I encountered it for the first time this past week, I really didn’t know how to react. The diva front-man in me freaked out, with visions of asthma and a scorched voice attempting to take hold of my thoughts, while another strange faction of my psyche looked forward to the challenge of it. If musicians for the last 100 years have been able to do it, I better be able to. So we played the show, had a fantastic time, and then just took extra long showers that night to get the smell out of our hair. A challenge to check it off the list, but a detail that will receive a new found respect from here on out.

Well, that’s it folks. I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading these updates over the last six weeks and now perhaps have a slightly new perspective on the life of an independent touring musician. This tour was a life changing experience, and I’m so grateful we were able to share it with you all.

With love and turkey,
Jamie & The Options

Eastward Bound

Week five. We’ve spent just over two and a half weeks on the west coast, and it’s finally time to begin the journey back east. We’re both sad to leave this beautiful part of the country, but eager to head east and explore some of our favorite cities in the southwest. As we reach the end of this tour, it’s interesting to see the overall sense of mindfulness in Tim, Rhees, and I grow as we grasp on to each passing moment, realizing we’ll be home before we know it. With that in mind, it’s become a bit easier to keep track of the “road moments” and illustrate them to you all. So I present you with three stories from this 5th week on the road, written again from the different perspectives of an independent touring musician (the booker, the manager, and the performer)…

The Stories

1. (The Performer)- Our biggest goal every night is to connect with our audience, make them a part of the show, and entertain from start to finish. It can be tough at times, as we often play new markets where we must win people over who have never heard our music before. We also don’t tour with drums (yet), so there isn’t that natural pulse that instantly makes people want to dance. With that in mind, at the end of this past week we played a show in the gorgeous town of Sedona, AZ. To be honest, we were somewhat dreading the show, because it was what we call a “Marathon show”, or four 45 minute sets. However, because we played the entire night, we were able to watch the crowd develop, gauge their energy, and truly bring them into the show with us. By the middle of the night we had nearly the entire room dancing in front of the stage, and it stayed that way throughout the entire set. This was the first time we’ve truly experienced a crowd of complete strangers connecting with our music on that level, and it was without question one of the greatest moments we’ve had yet. We will continue to work for that every night.

2. (The Manager)- From a business and marketing perspective, I find that it’s hugely important for independent musicians to constantly put forth awesome photos and videos that both entertain and keep fans involved in the journey. We personally love to find unique surroundings on the road, jump out of the van, and record a song on the fly. That said, one of my favorite musical stories involves a homeless gentleman who lived under the Hollywood sign many years ago. One day he wrote a song that he had so much confidence in, he snuck back stage at a Nat King Cole concert, handed him the sheet music, and a year later Nat King Cole turned it into a #1 hit. So as we prepared to leave Hollywood this week, we decided to record a video playing that song with the Hollywood sign in the background. In order to do this, we ventured into the maze of tiny side streets in the Hollywood Hills, found a quiet spot surrounded by unbelievable homes, set up the camera McGuiver style, and played “Nature Boy”. Our hearts raced the entire song in fear that an angry neighbor might call the police before we finished, but fortunately we made it through without anyone noticing. That is except for a red mustang convertible full of beautiful women who honked their horn and cheered for us. Our California experience was officially complete.

3. (The Booker)- Booking a tour, as I’m sure you can imagine, requires a ton of research. I like to think that I can find the venues that fit us best, but there’s often no way to really know until we’re on tour and explore the city first hand. For this tour in particular, I spent a lot of time trying to find us a show at a Casino in Las Vegas. Casinos generally fall into that perfect Trifecta I mentioned a couple weeks back; they pay great, they feed you, and they give you a place to stay. That said, I simply couldn’t find a way to connect with anyone at any Casino in Las Vegas. So while in Vegas this past week, I did some serious scoping on the strip, and discovered what I couldn’t see before. Almost every smaller Casino venue was filled by (great) cover bands with weekly residencies. In fact, the only original acts that we could find we’re giant stars (i.e. Melissa Etheridge, Aaron Lewis, etc…) playing the various casino arenas. Touring always teaches me a ton about the music scene in each city, and in this case, it taught me that Las Vegas is simply not a town for independent original acts. At least I got to also check out the home of one of my favorite TV shows right now…

Well, only one week left; can you believe it? Time certainly flies on the road. Next week we enter the homestretch, playing shows in New Mexico, Texas, and my favorite city in the world, New Orleans…

Stay tuned!
Jamie & The Options

The Golden State, Part II

Week four. We are now more than halfway through our six week tour, and it has absolutely flown by. Spending time in the Bay Area and central coast this week really deepened our love for California, and as expected, provided some great road moments. To keep things consistent, I present you again with three stories from the different perspectives of an independent touring musician (the booker, the manager, and the performer)…

The Stories

1. (The Performer)- Collaboration. It’s something that truly fuels us musicians, whether within a band, or among various groups. This past week we had the opportunity to share a bill with two killer bands, and we had just as much fun during the show as we did after it. Anyone who has seen us play is probably aware of just how awesome my band mates Tim and Rhees are. They are multi-instrumentalists, and more importantly, can rock just about any genre of music. That said, shortly after the show I ran down the street to walk a friend to her car; when I returned I found Tim and Rhees jamming with members of the other band in a post-show alleyway hootenanny. The music was rocking and various passerby’s had gathered around to share in the moment and the energy. There’s nothing like a great show on the road, but these moments are what truly make a tour.

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2. (The Manager)- This story was somewhat tough to categorize, but I’m going to put it under the “Manger” Hat, since it struck a particular chord with the entrepreneur in me. As we left the great Bay Area this past week, we were given the opportunity to have an exclusive tour of the Headquarters of Facebook. Yes, that social networking site that controls most of our lives. As if a free lunch and inside look into the Mothership wasn’t good enough, as we entered the building and signed our respective NDA’s, Mark Zuckerberg walked right by us. Let’s just say I might as well have been a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber Concert. I wish I could tell you about all of the crazy things we saw there, but if I did, I’d have to kill you (the NDA we signed says so).

2. (The Booker)- Every time I book a show I must lock in a few essential details so that everything runs smoothly once we’re on the road. These details generally consist of load in time, start time, set length, hospitality, and money. Boring stuff, I know, but essential. That said, there always seems to be a few occasions on tour when something gets lost in translation and we must adapt on the spot. This past weekend we landed at the venue at 8pm for a 9:30pm start time, and discovered that the start time was actually supposed to be 8pm. It’s easy to get really frustrated with a communication breakdown, but when it comes down to it, it’s all about putting on a killer show for people, and we must do whatever it takes to make that happen. I personally believe conquering these situations is how you earn your stripes, and our adaptability is something I take a lot of pride in. So we set up as fast as humanly possible, took a deep breath, and then turned on the rock.

Well that’s it for this week folks. If you’d like to keep track of our daily activities in the meantime, find us on Facebook or Twitter Next week we really explore Los Angeles, then begin the eastward journey back home…

Love,
Jamie & The Options

The Golden State, Part I

Week three found us winding our way down the west coast, exploring the great Golden State of California. While I grew up in Northampton and consider Massachusetts my home on all levels, I was actually born in a small city on the central coast of California called San Luis Obispo. With that in mind, California has always felt like a home away from home for me, and continued to be so as I brought my music there for the first time.
Without fail, each week continues to present some incredible moments that can really give you an idea of what it’s like to be on the road as a touring independent musician. To keep things consistent, I present you with three more stories from the different perspectives of an independent touring musician (the booker, the manager, and the performer)…

The Stories

1. (The Performer)- On the road, three of the most important things for musicians (at least from my observation) are quality shows, quality food, and quality sleep. Having any one of those things on the road will generally make for a good night; having all three almost always results in an amazing night. If I have a full stomach and a place to sleep, I will likely take less money, be easier to work with, and have a great memory of the venue. That said, at our current level we don’t often find that perfect “Trifecta”, so when we do it really leaves a long lasting impression. More importantly, it creates a sense of loyalty to that venue which will undoubtedly last for years. This week we found the “Trifecta” at the Vintage Wine Bar and Bridge House B&B in Redding CA, and we will continue to frequent these places, at all levels of our career.

2. (The Manager)- I won’t lie, I can be a bit obsessive compulsive at times. It can be extremely useful in promoting shows, keeping track of money, etc…but it can also cause unneeded stress and distraction to everyone when it’s focused on certain random details. For example, I’m a huge fan of dressing up. As if my periodic gallivanting as a mischief making superhero isn’t obvious enough, I love Halloween. Unfortunately, this past week I probably spent as much time worrying about what the band was going to be for our Halloween show in San Francisco, as I did promoting the actual show. I also probably annoyed the hell out of my band in the process. As a musician that’s probably understandable; as a manager and promoter, that’s unacceptable. But that’s where the balancing of those different hats comes into play, and where I must always work to improve.

3. (The Booker)- Sometimes you’ve got to make tough calls that don’t have a clear right answer. This week we were offered a great gig opening for a band at one of the best venues in San Luis Obispo CA (yep, the place I was born!). Unfortunately the date we were offered fell on the same date as a big radio interview we had scheduled in LA to promote our big show there. While certain situations are easy to take decisive action in, this definitely wasn’t one of them. So I brought the predicament to my band mates Rhees and Tim, and our Producer Wes Talbot, in the hopes that they could weigh in and push the scale in one direction over the other. The consensus is clear; right now, the live show is most important thing for our band, and gives us the best opportunity to connect with new people face to face and make loyal fans. We’ll just have to up our Guerilla Marketing game when we get to LA to promote the show there.

Well that’s it for this week folks. If you’d like to keep track of our daily activities in the meantime, find us on Facebook! Next week we venture deeper into the Golden State and mke our way to Hollywood…

Love,
Jamie, Tim, and Rhees

On the road

After a few lengthy US tours, we’ve learned that the first week on the road is always the toughest part. Everyone is getting used to the long hours in the van, the lack of privacy, the inconsistent sleep schedule, and the overall life of someone always on the move. However, once the week one hump is passed, the weight seems to lift, everything becomes fun, and time begins to fly. In fact, it amazes me that I’m already writing my second update of the tour!

To keep things consistent, I figured I would continue sending stories from the different perspectives of an independent musician (the booker, the manager, and the performer). Without fail, each week always presents some incredible moments that can really give you an idea of what it’s like to be on the road as a touring independent musician.

The Stories

1. (The Performer)- This category gets two stories this week. The first takes us to a Hot Spring in the beautiful town of Norris MT. I probably don’t need to mention this, but Hot Springs easily make the top 10 of Jamie’s favorite things in the world. So that’s a good start. What we didn’t expect, and what makes this story so awesome, is the actual space in which we performed. To battle the mountain winters of Montana, and give hot springers a chance to hear live music all year, the folks at this venue constructed a geodesic dome for musicians to perform in. Yes, that’s right, a geodesic dome. It was sort of like playing in a TV studio, except our audience was hanging out in a giant hot tub in front of us. As a band whose main goal is to connect with every audience, this definitely wasn’t ideal; as a fan of unique experiences, it was pretty awesome. The second story is short and sweet, and takes us to Seattle WA. There are a few small things that fuel us, get us through the tough times, and make us feel like we’re really on the right track to success. Having your name on a glowing marquee in a big city is one of those things. Egan’s Ballard Jam House in Seattle gave me, Tim Boucher, and Rhees Williams our first Marquee last week, and we will remember it forever.

2. (The Manager)- A hugely important aspect of organizing a big tour is creating a budget and sticking to it. Everything like food, gas, lodging, and salaries are mapped out beforehand, and I’m constantly monitoring expenses and making sure everything stays within the budget. With that in mind, when we find a new way to save some money, it’s like discovering gold. This week, on the recommendation of Rhees, we discovered just how cheap breakfast can be at a Super Market. Most breakfast sandwiches at a grocery store are only $3.00, rivaling McDonalds while actually consisting of real food. On top of that, after 10am, they become half price. That’s gold Jerry, gold.

3. (The Booker)- We arrive at a venue in Portland OR with the idea that we will be opening the night up for two local bands releasing a new album. We’ve marketed an early start time to our fans, and they’ve already arrived, excited for the show. Unfortunately, it turns out the other bands thought they were opening for us, and marketed the show the same way. No one’s fault really, but an annoying miscommunication and a difficult situation. Neither of us wants to budge, because neither wants to play last and have their fans wait two hours. Things get pretty tense, especially since the start time is approaching fast. So I go a bit out of the box and suggest if they’re willing to let us go on first, we’d be willing to cut our set in half and play 30 minutes instead of an hour. That way we still play first, and their fans don’t wait as long. Deal. Everyone is happy, and now everyone can rock. Being a touring musician is about sacrifice and compromise, even on the small things like this.

Well that’s it for this week folks. If you’d like to keep track of our daily activities in the meantime, find us on Facebook. Next week we head down the west coast and venture into the great Golden State…

Love,
Jamie & The Options

The Hat Game

As an independent musician I find myself having to wear many hats every day. Sometimes I’m the booking agent, negotiating or defending deals with venues; sometimes I’m the road manager, making sure my band gets everywhere on time; then other times I’m the musician, attempting to melt faces at 200 or so shows a year. Wearing all of these hats isn’t ideal, but it’s become absolutely essential to success and growth as an independent musician.

With all of that in mind, I write you now from Bozeman MT, five days into a six week tour with my trio, The Options. As I’m sure you can imagine, the hats will be coming out in full force on this tour, so I figured it might be cool to share a few stories with you each week, giving a taste of what it’s truly like to be an independent touring musician. Prepare yourself, the glamour might be a bit overwhelming at first…

The Stories

1. (The Musician)- Rock Island, IL. Probably a place you’ve never heard of, but a place where people are really excited to see live music. Not only that, the venue has a great stage, a great sound guy, beautiful women, cheap beer, and stays open until 3am. Sounds perfect, right? Almost. Apparently cheap beer + three late night sets of music = beautiful women demanding Katy Perry covers at 2am. At least I have an idea of what I should be for Halloween.

2. (The Manager)- The band has slept for five hours and has a 17 hour drive ahead from Des Moines IA to Bozeman Montana. No big deal. We crush 10 hours in the van and find ourselves at Mt. Rushmore around 8pm. After a brief historical detour, we’re tempted to continue the drive west into the night. While there’s a strange pride in being a total road warrior, I make us stop for the night to eat, rest, and recharge for the next day. A rested band is a happy band. A happy band is a rocking band. Also, motels with indoor water parks are a very tough thing to deny.

3. (The Booker)- During that 10 hour drive I get a call from the owner of a venue in Oregon that we will be playing less than a week from that day. She needs to move the date of our show forward a day. We have six straight shows surrounding that show, and naturally, I forgot to send her a contract. So simple, so important, yet somehow so easy to forget. I then give myself five minutes to freak out, put on my Booking Agent’s Hat, and get serious. An hour later two dates are moved and we’ve increased our guarantee by $150 for the show. This time I get it in writing.

Well that’s it for this week folks. Stay tuned, next week we play a hot spring in Montana and tackle the great Northwest!

Love,
Jamie

Greetings Earthlings!

So I write you huddled in front of a fan sweating profusely, and loving it. It’s that time of year where soft serve ice cream, rope swings, and live music are simply a necessity. Does it get much better? It’s been a while since my last update, and as always, we’ve got some awesome stuff coming up that I’d love to share with you all.

The Valley Rising Compilation Album

For the last few months, my company “The Collective Music Group” has been orchestrating a compilation album of epic proportions. It has never been more important than In today’s music industry for artists to stick together and help each other rise to the top. With that in mind, we created a project to highlight the best independent music out of Western MA, and give us all a platform to share fans, ideas, songs, and shows. For those of you outside of Western MA, that might sound like an oddly specific area to focus on, but let me tell you, the artists on this album are killer, and could seriously hit it big with the right amount of luck (and hard work). That said, the album is set to release on Sunday August 28th at The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton MA (7pm). This show is going to be absolutely epic. The place will be packed, and all 12 artists will be there showcasing two of their best songs. Grab a ticket while you still can HERE, and then visit www.collectivemusicllc.com to see the full list of artists involved, and their respective websites. If you’d like to pre-order a copy of the album, just shoot me an email and we’ll make it happen!

Summer Shows

We’ve had an extremely busy summer so far packed with some killer show, and well, it’s only going to get busier! In fact, we hit the road in just a few days on a three week Montreal to Minnesota tour! Check out the dates for that below…

7.28.2011, Jay VT, Jay Peak Resort, 6pm

7.29.2011. Montreal QC, Cafe Chaos, 5pm

7.30.2011, Montreal QC, Grumpy’s, TBA (w/ Lakes of Canada)

8.01.2011, Newburyport MA, Yankee Homecoming Festival, 4:30pm

8.03.2011, Pittsburgh PA, Arsenal Bowling Lanes, 10pm

8.05.2011, Cleveland OH, The Barking Spider, 6:30pm

8.06.2011, Rochester NY, Park Ave. Summer Arts Fest, 12:30pm

8.06.2011, Rochester NY, The Lovin Cup, 6pm

8.07.2011, Cincinnati OH, Sitwell’s, 8pm

8.08.2011, Kansas City MO, Czar Bar, 8pm

8.09.2011, Des Moines IA, The Ducktail Lounge, 8pm

8.11.2011, Minneapolis MN, Cause Spirits and Soundbar, 8pm (w/ Deep Soul Deities)

8.12.2011, Milwaukee WI, The Bad Genie, 10pm

8.13.2011, Chicago IL, Uncommon Ground, 10pm (w/ Ida Jo and The Show)

8.14.2011, Cedar Rapids IA, Parlor City, 10pm

8.19.2011, Boston MA, Boston GreenFest 2011, 12:30pm (Main Stage!)

8.25.2011, Springfield MA, 350 Grille, 9pm

8.26.2011, Lake George NY, Summer Music Series, 7pm

8.27.2011, Northampton MA, The Academy of Music, 7pm (w/ Roger Salloom)

8.28.2011, Northampton MA, The Iron Horse Music Hall, 7pm (Valley Rising Compilation Album Release Party)

8.30.2011, Florence MA, Pines Theater, Transperformance, 4:30pm (Performing as Nat King Cole!!)

Well that’s it for now folks. We’ve got some really exciting stuff happening behind the scenes over the next few weeks, and I can’t wait to give you the full skinny next month…!

Stay tuned, and stay cool,
Jamie

Hey folks,

A few days ago we finished celebrating a fantastic Earth Week. Whether it was a protest, a tree planting, or a rally, many of us had an opportunity to celebrate our Earth and work towards a more sustainable future. For me, this included three amazing Earth Day concerts. The first was a supporting set for the wonderful band Rusted Root at The Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs NY, the second was a killer Earth Day concert at Wellesley College, and the third was an Earth Day Festival thrown by 93.9 WRSI on the town common of Amherst MA. Each show brought together some amazing people doing amazing things, and really demonstrated how music and activism are still a powerful combination. That being said, it served as cause for some self-reflection and brought up some big questions for me.

I have always been a huge environmentalist, and during college I was split between studying music and demanding sustainability in business. Throughout that run, I continually explored the various ways I could combine the two, in hopes of eventually making that happen. While I play music full time these days, I still think about sustainability constantly, and would love nothing more than to be truly uniting my two biggest passions every day. And I suppose I do at some of these awesome events here and there; but what’s getting in the way of making it happen all of the time? Well, one thing really…survival. I work at least 80-90 hours per week trying to take my music career to the next level. It gets bigger every day, and the money gets better every month, but I still live with my parents and have an income tip toing on the poverty line. It’s certainly enough to survive, particularly because I get to do what I love, but it means I essentially have no time or energy to focus on sustainability. When I realized this, it dawned on me that the battle environmental activist’s face lies on a much bigger level. If I, the privileged-white-American, need to choose survival over the environment, that means 90% of the world is making that same choice. And isn’t it an understandable one?

So what does that mean for the future? I suppose we can preach to the privileged for now, and work to fight poverty at the same time. But who knows? Perhaps the environment will have to impact someone’s survival before they really make that choice. On a personal level, I’ll continue to work my ass off to get my music to a level where I have the time and energy to combine it with my environmental activism. Hey Jack Johnson, how did you do it?

In the meantime, hit me up with ideas and advice; the sooner I can make it happen, the better.

With love and big questions,
Jamie