Last week as I was rehearsing for a sold out weekend show. Yes, exciting. You have to live in every moment because they are few and they are fleeting. (One of my favorite co-writers said to me once, "celebrate every accomplishment even if it's learning a new chord. It'll keep you going.") Then I got a text message from an artist who had recorded one of my songs. I had just met her the week before for the first time. On one hand it was exciting that she knew my telephone number and thought enough to call me in person to tell me the song she had recorded of mine would not be a single. It was all the emotion wrapped up in one. I mean, I remember being in college and twisting my ankle so badly that it was black and blue meaning I couldn't dance with the band (yes, I was a Stanford Dollie). What it did mean though was that I would get to go see this person in concert. Now, she's calling and texting me? That's unreal and it makes me excited and happy inside but at the same time, she is calling me to tell me that something I'd waited and hoped for for years is no longer going to happen. Debbie Downer. She was astonished though when I didn't even think twice and texted back that everything was going to be alright. She deserved better, the listeners deserved better and something greater was meant to happen for both of us. That's just the way you have to believe if you want to make it in this business.
The show went well (minus the missing cymbals mishap) and it was onto business as usual. What would the roller coaster have in store for me this week? It was certainly not what I had expected. Out of all the new music, my name was mentioned on the New Music Playlist from CMT:
http://www.cmt.com/news/cmt-blogs/1649736/toby-keith-randy-houser-lead-new-music-playlist.jhtml
-Really? My name is only mentioned with a dozen other names but holy cow, it's mentioned with only a few other names. All that new music and he chose one of my songs? Back up on cloud nine.
I'm not going to sit around and wait for some bad news or some let down to come my way but I do realize that is just the way of the land. There are so many talented songwriters, singers and musicians all trying as hard as they possibly can to make a dent because they don't know any other way. I talked to one very successful songwriter tonight who played a song of his that Pat Green had recorded. It actually was a single but did nothing. Like he said, "it's like having a player running with the ball on the 10 yard line, no one around to tackle him and he trips." That's just the business and if you understand that, then you're as ready for the business that you'll ever be. It's a bunch of highs and lows and you just have to look around and enjoy the scenery. Love being scared, exhilarated, nervous, excited, sad and happy all at the same time. I will tell you one trick though. Have great friends and family that keep you grounded. You never want to get too high or too down because then the business will just eat you up. Thanks to all my friends and family that have pulled me up, held me down and taken the ride with me. It takes a village people, a village.
