The best kinds of distractions

It’s been a while!

I’ve hardly noticed the time pass, I’ve been swamped with one thing after another. Mostly I’ve been working through the process of making physical CD’s and practicing for a very big show in two weeks.

I’m not sure how thorough companies in other countries are but the CD printing company in Japan gave me a 52 page explainer for how to format the art (which they require is done in adobe illustrator, which I’ve never used) so I’ve been studying how to use the software, not to mention rewarding through all that with my less than perfect Japanese, dictionary app in hand.

I also had to change the music to DDP format which required another new program and learning curve. At least next time will be easier.

I’m printing 500 copies, which is way too much for me to feel comfortable about being able to sell in the digital age, but in Japan a lot of people buy CD’s if they like you because they are collectors, and because it’s a good way to support the artist.

I went with 500 because the cost of 100 an 500 is only about a 30% difference (rough math), about $2 a CD for 500 when it would have been about $9 a CD for 500!

In order to make that back, I’ll need to sell about 60 copies in order to make that back, which shouldn’t be too hard, and then I’ll have another 440 to sell at 100% profit.

If I can sell 3-6 cds per show, that’s an extra $50-$100 per show, and if the crowds are twice as big as they have been up until now (and due to some unforeseen circumstances, that seems like it might be the case) that’s another $50-100 per show. Hardly enough to eat but enough to justify prioritizing more shows, since it doesn’t conflict with my other work.

I never wanted to play music with money as a priority and I don’t think I ever will, but I like mapping these things out in my mind to make them as sustainable as possible, and the most sustainable way would be to be able to earn a living while keeping my other work, so I’d never feel compelled to compromise.

On my own it would be very very hard to draw 25-50 people a show. When you play once every 2-3 months, friends try hard to make it out, but when it’s every week they become much more passive. But thanks to the magical way the universe grants exponential growth to things with enough energy, we are receiving all kinds of support I wasn’t expecting.

A venue I’ve played 3-4 times in the past invited me to come back and play again, this time opening for a well known French artist…. A little more well known than I’m used to, 500k monthly listeners on Spotify ….waaaat?

I still don’t feel ready or all that interesting in playing big stages but luckily this guys audience is much smaller in Asia than it is in Europe, but I still think the 50 body capacity be will fill up…. Nice!

I’m a bit worried about our ability to play well enough to sway the crowd though because we’ve become more experimental, which casual audiences read as “strange”, but when we play our best, I think people can see beyond the unfamiliar and appreciate our sound.

I’m practicing in hyperdrive just because I don’t wanna get booed by a bunch of people half my age 😝. It’s not about wanting to be liked, it’s about wanting to pull off a magical evening with conditions that are challenging for me. And being liked certainly won’t hurt!

Meanwhile another shop nearby which we love and which I’ve played before asked us to play and they have their own scene with loyal customers so we wouldn’t even have to promote that show very hard, audience guaranteed.

Meanwhile it’s only rumblings but yesterday I was told by a friend and collaborator of our favorite band that they will organize a big festival at multiple small venues. He said he will put in a good worth for us with them and we might be able to play it.

We dreamed of getting involved with them when we first discover them but they’ve been getting bigger and bigger to the point where they are touring Europe for festivals and selling out some of the biggest non-stadium venues in Japan. We are not sure how we feel about going for bigger and grander, but we also know if we are invited by the right people we won’t want to turn it down. There are some people you want to work with enough to step out of your comfort zone.

Also, I played two shows this year organized by another band I’d put on my top 10 Japanese indie band list, and a lot of other artists in that scene played there.

It’s interesting to see the same bands sell out 8000 person venues and then organize shows in rooms meant for 50-100 people with no real contradiction. I like the decentralization of attention. It means almost no one is too far away to reach and that vibe speaks much louder than words.

We always know we were of the same vibe as these people, at least to a meaningful degree.

I still don’t know if we will play there, but even if it’s just a possibility, I don’t want to not be ready and so I am practicing my ass off, not only for the show in two weeks but with late summer in mind.

Most of the bands playing that show will be hard rock, punk, or loud in some way, though not exclusively. If we are actually invited, I would like to prepare for such an environment and so I’m thinking of asking a drummer friend to join us, and maybe a bass player too though I’m not sure we will be able to prepare enough together since schedules in Tokyo are always crazy.

If we are not invited, at least the practice will help me with the studio album I’ve started recording. That seems to be getting pushed back due to all the practice, but I can’t complain since things are on a very positive trajectory a they are being interrupted by the best kinds of distractions.

Part of me just wants to work on new songs for album 2 but album 1 isn’t even recorded yet and album 0 (live album) still needs physical release and promoting. Phew! One step at a time right?

You can see/hear all my work (including live album) here:

https://linktr.ee/ipluseverything