Its good to hear that aside from being an indie musician, you still have a chance to have other job. For me thats outstanding. Very admirable!
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The Secret Day Jobs of Indie Musicians
Have guitar, will work
Before the White Stripes' colossally rich and famous Jack White was Jack White, he was John Anthony Gillis, a furniture upholsterer who ran Third Man Upholstery, while his girlfriend — later wife/sister — Meg(an) White was a bartender.
The New Fidelity’s Dan Perkins, strap maker
Willow Willow’s Jessica Vohs, former restaurant manager
Crystal Antlers’ Johnny Bell, chimney sweep
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But it's a fact that plenty of indie musicians are neither independent nor musical when it comes to making ends meet, especially in an age where MP3s mean your music probably is going to be out there for free.
Here in Los Angeles, the stereotype of struggling artists working odd jobs until they "make it" is so dominant it even spawned its own cult TV series. Party Down's hapless caterers were actors and writers, but there are just as many musicians out there doing the same thing. Or doing very different things, too.
In the spirit of celebrating self-reliance — and maybe inspiring a few people to quit their day jobs — we spoke to four real-life Party-Downers:
Johnny Bell, chimney sweep and bassist-singer in Crystal Antlers
"Sometimes we're out of the country for months and by the time we get back, the business is pretty much in shambles. My customers think I've fallen off the face of the Earth when that happens — probably why I've started four different chimney-sweeping companies in the last five years. But the work gives some structure to life outside of a van. A couple years back when I was building a chimney — which is almost like meditation in a way — I started thinking of this melody and it kept repeating in my head like some weird brick-and-mortar mantra. That melody later became a song called "Owl." I'm not sure my brain would have been led down that path if I hadn't been laying bricks. I don't think I'll ever stop working, even if it's not to support myself. The odd jobs may get odder, but there will always be a place in my life for this stuff."
Casey Trela, DVD quality-control technician and singer/guitarist in The Hi Ho Silver Ohs
"I watch DVDs, files and tape masters and look for technical mistakes in their creation. I spend eight hours watching movies and TV shows that other people have created. Those people get to create for a living, which is what I want to do, so when I leave work I'm all pumped up to create my own art. A few of us worked here at the same time and watched the Friday the 13th movies over and over again in different languages. You hit a new weird desperation when you're watching Friday the 13th Part III for the fourth time in Spanish. To cope, we started writing songs about what the characters were thinking, then created a band dedicated to playing those songs, with concerts every Friday the 13th. I think it's taken a toll on my emotions. After a day of watching Season 9 of 7th Heaven or Season 8 of 90210, you don't really know how feelings are supposed to work anymore."
Jessica Vohs, (former)manager at hipster taqueria and singer in Willow Willow
"The day we moved to L.A. from San Francisco, we [Vohs and bandmate Miranda Zeiger] went out to dinner [at Malo in Silver Lake] after we unloaded the U-Haul. Our server recognized us from playing shows in San Francisco. We struck up a conversation and I asked if they were hiring and she said yes. But managing a restaurant and focusing on music don't mix. That's why I quit! I'll probably pick up serving shifts and make ends meet doing that and selling the comics I draw and other artwork. Winning! Playing music is what makes life fun for me. It helps me get through the mundanity of the 9-to-5 life. Or, in the restaurant business, that would be the 6 p.m.-to-2 a.m. life."
Dan Perkins, vegan guitar strap maker and singer/guitarist in The New Fidelity
"I started a company called Couch Guitar Straps that designs and manufactures vegan guitar straps, camera straps, wallets and belts out of automotive upholstery. I wanted Couch to complement music as best as possible — that includes not going into work till 10 in the morning because of late-night gigs and rehearsals, and having work five minutes from my home for a traffic-free L.A. life. We have a rehearsal space as part of the offices, too. It's almost a job requirement as a guitar-strap designer that I be playing guitar and be involved with music — it's what helps with the authenticity of our brand. Everyone who works at Couch is a musician. I was bartending for years and it was driving me crazy. Couch is slowly starting to get to where it doesn't rely solely on my being here to exist, and we have other musicians who work here, too — so if they can go on tour, why can't I?"
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Yes ok, but what about the middle managers, insurance salespeople, and so on. Being a chimney sweep is still kind of romantic and part of the rock star myth. The musicians with real secret day jobs want to keep them just that - secret!
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[+ Listing Correction/Update] CARLOS GUITARLOS' "Birthday Gig" Open Mic / Jam w/ You & "D"L.A. Acoustic Meetup: Friday, March 18th 7:00-10:00pm DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ Cafe Audrey 6701-B, Hollywood (Las Palmas entrance, parking adjacent)"Special Guest Performer" $5 contribution requested + performance tips encouraged.
[Unlisted]ROBERTA FREEMAN & Guests - Monica REED, Sharon STANLEYSHOWCASE: and OPEN MIC / JAM: "Companion Events""Back-It-Up" and JAM... Thurs. Mar. 24th, 7p and 8p (sign-up 7:30p)DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ HSB&G 6122-6124 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.
[Unlisted]CHAMBERS, HERBERT & ELLIS w. Karen HERNANDEZ & Tony DUMASThe Group "Song For My Father" Mar. 25th 7-10:30pmDOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ Duna Csárda 5820 Melrose Ave. Hollywood
[listing dept. correction/update]
Thurs. Mar. 31st, 7p and 8p, sign-up 7:30p (multi-genre)JENNY RIEU & D'ANGELO JUSTICE "Shape of Cabaret to Come" and JAM... SHOWCASE: and OPEN MIC / JAM: "Companion Events" (vocalists/instrumentalists)DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ HSB&G 6122-6124 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.
[listing dept.]Thurs. Mar. 31st, 7p and 8p, sign-up 7:30p (multi-genre/Cabaret/Nu-Stans/Jazz/Pop/R&B)JENNY RIEU & D'ANGELO JUSTICE "Shape of Cabaret to Come" and JAM... SHOWCASE: and OPEN MIC / JAM: "Companion Events" (vocalists/instrumentalists)DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ HSB&G 6122-6124 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.
CARLOS GUITARLOS' BIRTHDAY GIG: L.A. Acoustic Meetup Fridays March 18th 7pmThe nostalgic & sentimental Señor Ayala graces us in one of his old hoods. The unpredictable hombre has been dazzling, choosing to open, doing the 1st set solo & then follows w/ an unscripted, multi-genre open-mic. A true artist & musician's musician. The "original article", an excellent opportunity to experience the legendary survivor." - Deep Note, the Jazz messenger
DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ Cafe Audrey 6701-B Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 90068 (entrance on Las Palmas, north off Hollywood Blvd. w/ parking lots adjacent) $5.00 "Special Guest Performer" contribution requested, performance tips encouraged & independently produced CDs for sale. Admission: FREE w/ Minimum: food/drink purchase.
[+ Listing Correction/Update]
CARLOS GUITARLOS' BIRTHDAY GIG: March 18th 7pm"The nostalgic & sentimental Señor Ayala graces us in one of his old hoods. The unpredictable hombre has been dazzling, choosing to open, doing the 1st set solo & then follows w/ an unscripted, multi-genre open-mic. A true artist & musician's musician. The "original article", an excellent opportunity to experience the legendary survivor." - Deep Note, the Jazz messenger
DOLORES PETERSEN PRESENTS: L.A. Acoustic Meetup Fridays @ Cafe Audrey 6701-B Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 90068 (entrance on Las Palmas, north off Hollywood Blvd. w/ parking lots adjacent) $5.00 "Special Guest Performer" contribution requested, performance tips encouraged & independently produced CDs for sale. Admission: FREE w/ Minimum: food/drink purchase. (please don't forget wait staff/servers gratuity)
I have been living this lifestyle for years. The only difference is my music hasn't become mainstream, Indie, whatever you want to call it. I have it available for free in low quality format. You want it pristine, you have to shed a few bucks. And I was doing it before the "Radiohead Model".
I just want people to hear my music and if they like it enough in numbers to float touring, great! But that hasn't happened and I'm not getting any younger.
I have a nice studio in my home that I may open to the public one day. But for now it serves me from the time I get up til the time I lie down.
For work I do various things, mostly in music like run sound and mix masters for print of other bands.
What these folks are doing is nothing new and there is no "art" to it. The nice thing is that "the major record companies" no longer stick their big noses into the lives of the creators. That is a good thing. SS - http://www.sskiweb.com
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[Overlooked Listing]"St. Patty's Nite Partay" & JAM... Thurs. Mar. 17th, 7p and 8p (sign-up 7:30p)ROCKET CALCUTTA + "Guest Soloist" CARLOS GUITARLOS* SHOWCASE and OPEN MIC / JAM: "Companion Events" DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ HSB&G 6122-6124 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
[+ Listing Correction/Update] L.A. Acoustic Meetup: Friday, March 18th 7:00-10:00pm CARLOS GUITARLOS' "Birthday Gig" Open Mic / Jam w/ You & "D" DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ Cafe Audrey 6701-B, Hollywood (Las Palmas entrance, parking adjacent)
[Overlooked Listing]"St. Patty's Nite Partay" & JAM... Thurs. Mar. 17th, 7p and 8p (sign-up 7:30p)ROCKET CALCUTTA + "Guest Soloist" CARLOS GUITARLOS* SHOWCASE and OPEN MIC / JAM: "Companion Events" DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ HSB&G 6122-6124 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood
[+ Listing Correction/Update] L.A. Acoustic Meetup: Friday, March 18th 7:00-10:00pm CARLOS GUITARLOS' "Birthday Gig" Open Mic / Jam w/ You & "D" DOLORES PETERSEN Presents: @ Cafe Audrey 6701-B, Hollywood (Las Palmas entrance, parking adjacent)
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