DUSTIN DRENNEN

Exile & Obscurity

8/24/2020

These last few months, as much as I wanted to make and share music, I found myself listening more and playing less. I hope my tunes are out there bringing breath and light into someone's soul. I know the need and I'm grateful to all the singer-songwriters and bands who've inspired me.

Here's a cover of an obscure song by an obscure band. I suppose the guy covering it is even more obscure. As a younger player, I rejected covers altogether. These days I play them for two reasons: I appreciate a song so much that I want to inhabit it for myself and I want to share songs and artists who've inspired me.

Always, credit where credit is due. If you're looking for more from The Weight, here's a link. Also, you might appreciate the latest manifestation of Joseph Plunket's singing and songwriting in Country Westerns.

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Ain't No Grave

4/2/2020

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The last two blog posts I put up were to aid musicians unfamiliar with booking shows. That's something we all hope to get back to doing soon. But, it's something we can't do right now. That chaps my ass because I don't like being told what to do. I know it's for the best, for the health of the people around me. I respect that.

Many musicians have turned to the alternative platform of live streaming. Some of us need the money. Some of us just need the outlet. What's cool, so many people are tuning in. I know we have something of a captive audience, but I'd like to believe it is deeper. I'd like to think that people start to evaluate what's important when the chips are down and they turn to artists for some interpretation of life and its goings on. I think that's what we're here for. We're not preachers. We're not politicians. We're something else. We're at one end or the other, perhaps somewhere in between. We're a balancing force, an outside perspective. Well, that's the way I see it.

I'm not too concerned about what will happen. If I'm worried about anything, it's my family. Even so, I teach them to be brave, to feel something beyond their empirical senses, to embrace faith, hope, and love. There ain't no grave, I believe that -just as Johnny Cash did.

I'll be doing some live streams here and there. Follow on Facebook or join the mailing list to get notifications. Stay healthy. Hope to see you in person down the line.

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Five Reasons to Play, Whatever it Pays

3/11/2020

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When I first started booking shows as a solo singer-songwriter, I noticed that the pay scale varied widely based upon location and venue type. Not surprising, and not that troubling back then. I didn’t want to miss an opportunity or turn anything down. I wanted every show I could land! I needed to get in front of the house and the audience alike and prove something, more to myself than anyone else.

But, there came a time when I started weeding out options. I needed to establish some criteria by which to determine the venues I’d play and the ones I’d pass. Maybe your at that point.

Your first instinct might be to ask which venue pays the most? That’s a pretty savvy way to look at it. If you’re going to go out, lug your equipment, and spill your heart in front of a room full of people, it might as well pay!

You wouldn’t be wrong to think that. You’re not wrong. Let me propose, however, that there are reasons to play a venue even if they pay little to nothing, and reasons to refuse some venues that pay well!

Cashy money.

First off, cash is still king -the one thing they haven’t figured out how to embed with a surveillance system! A venue that pays in cash is more profitable than a venue that pays the same, but requires a W-9 (Wait, I’m supposed to claim it all no matter what, right? Yes. Yes, that’s true. My mistake.). And, there are some venues I’ve played in which the cash tips outperform the house pay (make sure you claim those cash tips too…)!

In the latter case, the crowd is energetic and involved and they let you know with their dollars. Those shows are some of the most exhilarating! That’s a good enough incentive to play all by itself (I’ll get to that next)! It is great to work out a strong hourly rate or guarantee, but it is even better to have the crowd vote you into their hearts and show you with their cash.

A good crowd.

A good crowd is a like-minded crowd. They show up beyond the tips. A good crowd will also buy your merch, both to support you and remember the evening.

They are the crowd that is likely to talk you up to others. That works for you in at least a couple of ways. There’s a good chance some of those enthused folks will talk to the promoter or the venue owner. If they don’t say something directly, it's likely word will get back to them that you are someone they should hire again. Beyond that, the next time around, those people will bring friends. In between time, they’ll talk to their friends about you.

This is what you really want, because it is the best, albeit slow and hard to quantify, process of building community around your music. Playing to engaged, supportive crowds will lead to better shows, more shows, and other opportunities. Do the math. Even if the upfront pay is not entirely favorable, invest for the long haul. Play the good crowds. That’s where you’ll grow and ultimately see returns all around.

The day people and the night people.

Maybe it’s just me, but some venues are dry, boring, lifeless. Who knows who’s to blame! I can usually gauge a place best at the end of the night, after the show is over, the customers have left, and I’m sitting at the bar enjoying a hard earned drink. I can tell by the way the wait staff, the bartenders, and the bar-backs interact, by the way the manager motivates everyone and by the way they respond. If I feel like I’m part of a team, just for the evening, part of a well oiled, good-timing group of people, that makes me want to come back.

Usually, I think the patronage of a place has a lot to do with the atmosphere set by the staff. There are some exceptions, I suppose. If the staff wants to be there, if they are having a good time, it will attract the kinds of people who make for an enjoyable nightlife.

When I play a place, I try to consider myself part of the team for that evening. I’ve got my own goals and ends in sight, but I know the venue hired me because they have hopes as well. There’s a pretty good overlap in there and I try to appeal to that in any way I can without compromising myself. We’re all part of a symbiotic nightlife. Like Ray Wylie said, “It’s the night people’s job to take the day people’s money.” We’re on the same team.

I want to feel like I’m on that team with other people who understand the mission. I don’t want to be tied to day-people masquerading as night people, or people who don’t know what kind of people they are. It is more enjoyable to be on the same page with a venue than it is to play for some owner who can’t wait to snort his earnings, or a corporatized sell-out machine that couldn’t care less about the music (give a listen to the song Gravitational Forces by Robert Earl Keen). While you’re looking for the good crowds, keep a look out for the good venues too. They’re likely to overlap!

It pays in beer.

Money is just a medium of exchange. It’s not money you want, it’s what you can buy with money (eh, sometimes)! So, don’t overlook the venues who cut out the middleman (and the tax burden of said middle man) and give you what you want in place. The most practical things I’ve been comped are beer, food, and lodging. Not only should you consider the cash value of these things, you should also be prepared to negotiate with them in view. If a place is offering a lower rate than you’d like, ask if they’ll throw in food and drinks. Play to the strength of the establishment. If you are playing a hotel, rooms come cheap to them, and sometimes go empty. Consider what they have to give that is of low cost to them, but high value to you.

If you’re playing for a large venue or establishment and these things were not negotiated beforehand, don’t be afraid to belly up to the bar or table after the fact. I’ve gotten all these things outside of a contract. I’m not saying you should be trying to work the system. I’m just pointing out that in a larger organizations there is often a disconnect between what goes on in an office somewhere and what happens on the floor. The people you communicate with and play for might not be, might not even know, the people with whom you set up the show or event. Those people onsite have certain leverage. If you are kind and professional, they’ll often want to bring you into the fold and treat you to whatever is in their power to offer.

It’s all good in the end.

There’s no way to know going in. You can ask other musicians or the venue, but the only way to know is to play a few times and see what pans out. Let’s call it prospecting. Just like the grizzly, old dudes hunkered over a pan with their feet in the cold, cold stream, you’re gonna have to suffer a little discomfort and uncertainty to determine the benefit of playing a particular venue. Remember, everyone has off nights. You, the venue, the crowd. You can’t really tell after a time or two. If you’re gut feel is that a place is dead or played out, skip it. If you’re uncertain, give a place a few chances before you make your final decision. At the very least, making repeat appearances at a difficult venue will challenge you to work harder on your live show and presence.

Playing music is a long game. You are developing something. The places you play are part of that. Choose them carefully. Choose them based upon their merits and shared values. You never know when the combination of your music and their hospitality will create the place people want to be.

Just getting started?
If you’re just starting out, my advice is to be a shrewd negotiator, but take what you can get. If you’re hungry for opportunities and you can afford to break even or take a loss, play! Play ‘em all! Every time you play you have the opportunity to hone your craft, gauge crowd response, practice your songs, your delivery, and build your confidence.

Now, go forth and book some shows. I use Indie on the Move. Let me know how it works out for you.

Why listen to me? I do all my own booking and promotion. I’ve supplemented my income by thousands of dollars a year (and growing), mostly from live performances and tips. I still work harder on music and creative endeavors than any other aspect of music “business” -I still do more of what I love. Oh, and I’ve got a wife, four kids, other work and hobbies to attend to. You can do it. I promise. Feel free to message me if you find yourself in despair -no sob-storytellers alright, just hard-working musical barbarians with real questions or hang-ups.

Dustin Drennen

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So, you wanna book shows...

2/17/2020

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I took a long professional break, but I never could walk away from music. Coming back to writing, recording, and playing for crowds was nothing like when I started out as a teenager. There was no scene, no community, no best friend on bass, no high school drummer to recruit.

Of course, when I think about starting out, we really only had the music and our friendship. All the other stuff took time. It seems compressed now, as if it were one brilliant, sweaty, sometimes bloody, charge into the fray of rock & roll. But, it took time to find the right people, build a community, and shape a sound. There were exhilarating moments! And, there were hurt feelings, bad songs, weird shows, and dirty practice spaces. Back then, music and friendship were enough to keep us bumbling forward.

Shouldn’t music and friendship still be central to building a community and playing your songs? Absolutely. But, you don’t have to bumble along, you don’t have to loose direction or heart. That’s where this advice will come in handy. Here are four bits of advice for securing shows and building a reputation that makes it easier to do so.

Be a beast

Someone once commented that I played three hours without a break. That’s nothing. I never even thought about taking a break! I’ve played longer. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take breaks. There are good reasons to do so in a long show, or in between sets.

What I’m saying is the same imperative I used to hear in the Army -train like you fight. You don’t want to go into a firefight thinking you’ve got it. You want to know. You want to have it so well that there’s little question or contest when the real thing happens.

I know this is an intimidating thing for artists. It’s hard to put together a lot of material. Look, I hate covers and I don’t like to repeat songs of a night. If I play a three hour set, 75% of it is original music (and I’m working toward that 100%). It takes time, it takes practice, it requires discipline and intention.

How will this help you book shows? It won’t. Once you start playing them, you’ll have a much easier time landing future shows. The same places will book you again. People will talk. Promoters will reach out to you. You’ll be more confident to go out and do it again.

Train like you fight. Be a beast.

Learn to talk

Take this or leave it. I know some of you feel too godlike to condescend. If you can make the asshole thing work, good for you (only, walk soft if you come round me). For the rest of us, let me propose that speaking and writing is as important as singing and song-craft.

You’re already a communicator. You may not realize it, but you ask yourself the most important questions when you write a tune, when you comb your hair (or don’t), and when you step up to play it front of people. What do I want to say? What do I want people to feel? How can I overcome my fears and deliver this the way I want to?

Ask the same questions when it comes to your emails, phone conversations, web and social copy, etc. You may have to put some work into it, take lessons or classes, bring in a friend, hire a tutor. Hey, you’re in good company. We all need help with this.

I promise, becoming a better communicator will help you land shows. Venue owners and promoters will take you more seriously. Crowds will become more attached to you. You will be more relatable, more memorable, more desirable.

Like songwriting, there aren’t any limits to your creativity in communicating with the people who support your music, whether they are fans or the folks giving you a platform to share it. Learn to talk. Make it a priority. Act natural and have fun with it.

Keep a calendar

Where are you going to be in six months? If you can’t answer that, it’s time to get your shit together. Every once in a while I get an emergency call or last minute offer. The local places (local meaning within 2 hours of my house) book me a month or so in advance. When it comes to most shows, I’m talking to the venue or promoter months in advance.

The point here is that you need to work in a way that may not seem very rock & roll to you. You need to know where you are going to be six months from now. You need to keep a calendar. You need to work well in advance to populate that calendar with shows. If you want to play in the summer, start booking in January, maybe earlier depending on the venue or festival.

A little side note on the keeping of a calendar, it begs the question, “Where am I going with all this?” Use the calendar as a way to measure yourself against your goals. You want to play so many shows in a month or in a year? You want to tour for so many weeks out of the year? You want to play bigger venues or festivals? You want to increase your earnings overall or per show? Your calendar can act as a record for you. All that info is easily noted there for future reference and review.

Keep your calendar. Keep your commitments! Show up early. Start on time. Don’t quit till you’re done. Review your progress, adjust your course. Push on.

Pay your dues

A few parting words of advice from a guy still working it out for himself.

I don’t believe in meritocracy. I do believe in hard work. I do believe that a person’s worth is very much tied to the fight they put up in this life. It’s pretty easy to fool yourself in this department, as hard work is subjective. No matter how hard you work, nothing is guaranteed, nothing is owed you. Plenty of awesome musicians have come and gone, underrated and without deriving much of anything from their talents and tools.

You may have heard it said that young musicians need to pay their dues. Nobody can make you pay your dues. It’s not up to anyone but you. This isn’t the military. There’s no rank structure. As much as the music industry wants you to feel like you’re under one flag or one canopy, that’s not true.

Never underestimate yourself because you’re toiling in obscurity. Focus on the work. Enjoy the hell out of playing music for people and turning one head at a time. And, work smart. Think about where you want to take this musical adventure and be intentional about it. Refine your approach. Seek out good advice, strong advocates, capable and passionate compatriots. Play all kinds of places, but make sure to play the right ones. Put yourself in positions to be heard and be ready to take advantage of opportunity.

Luck is like the muse. You can wait for it to strike, or you can invite it. You’ll meet with it more often if you do the latter.

So, pay your dues. Pay them to yourself. Put in the time.

Now, go forth and book some shows. I use Indie on the Move. Let me know how it works out for you.

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Rock & Roll is Slave to No One

1/29/2020

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2020. Doesn’t mean much to me. I suppose the year 1000 seemed epic to those that entered it. They’re dead and gone. Won’t be long before I’m with them. Cheery, eh?

Here’s the thing. I’ve got no resolutions. I don’t even operate in terms of calendar years. I celebrate some days, I leave others off. Hell, I’m talking about 2020 almost a month after it happened! I’m just here. As long as I’m here, I want to make the most of it.

I’m not compelled to talk about my plans or goals for 2020. I want to talk about something that has been on my mind for a long time, and especially potent of late: the music industry.
What is the music industry? In reality, the music industry includes me. I write songs. I perform songs. I get paid. I pay taxes (:o -there’s goes my folk-punk status). Industry is a pretty generic term. It’s like a boundary line. Someone made a box and some of us have found ourselves inside of it.

When I think about the music industry, I think of big labels, bad deals, and scumbags. Mostly scumbags. I don’t want any part in it.

Maybe that is unfair. Maybe most people in the industry care about music and art and the message. Perhaps there are just a few bad apples that have spoiled it for guys like me (my cynicism compels me to tell you that it is unlikely). I might be letting my punk rock ethos come between me and an entire industry when some elements of it are benign, even beneficial.

I can’t argue against the benefits of certain exposure. As a musician and a songwriter, I’d be lying if I told you I don’t want people to hear and enjoy my music, or if I said I don’t want people to come to my shows. The dilemma is this, what am I willing to give up to make that happen? But, the better question is, what do I have to give up to make that happen?

I’m not a desperate guy. A lot of musicians I’ve heard about or read about are in a tough spot, music is all they know, all they do. While music is the dominate passion of my life, I have other passions too. I’m not desperate for someone to discover me. So, I think I’ll keep trucking along at my own pace. I think I’ll create as I’m compelled. I think I’ll make my own rules. It suits me.
Besides that, I’m only really part of the music industry for tax and statistical purposes. Like I said, it’s a generic term. It’s not indicative of a close-knit, tribal society. I’d rather be counted among the barbarian hordes crouched just outside. That’s where I identify. It’s not a matter of morality for me, it’s just identity. There’s them, and there’s me (most likely an us out here).

I said I wasn’t going to share my goals for 2020, but I will share this. I mean to make music and get it out there. That kind of goes without saying for a singer-songwriter. Better still, I could stand to stick a thorn in the paw of the industry, whether this year or next, or one of these years. Whether they deserve it or not is a question for a different kind of man. The notion makes me smile, and that’s enough for me. Rock & roll is slave to no one.

Happy 2020. See you around.

-Dustin

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Keeping those lights up all year long!

12/29/2019

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Happy Holidays! Been a long time since I updated anything here. Truth is, it's been a pretty active year playing out and writing songs, getting to meet people and working on the craft. I've got a bunch of stuff to record and I've got a pretty good run of shows lined up for next year. Hoping to bring on some other musicians, hit the studio, make it to the coasts, play a festival or two, that kinda stuff.

Anyway, my daughter and I put together this funny bit last year sometime and I didn't feel it was worth posting until the season was right. That, and it took me ten months to sit down for about 30 seconds and record the resonator slide-guitar part.

Enjoy. Again, Happy Holidays. Hope to see you out there next year!

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Epic Summer!

5/27/2019

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Before every summer I used to say we were gonna have an epic summer! Then, something would go wrong. Call me superstitious, but I'm not saying it this year. I just wrote it a couple of times!

I guess this is the official kick-off to summer. The weather is already fine and I've been enjoying a lot of time playing out! I love to play live, I love it when my friends come out, and I really enjoy meeting new folks along the way!

Here's a live video from The Crafted Bar Room in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Check that place out if you haven't. It's a great room and they have turtle races in their restaurant next door on Friday nights!

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Wrong Day to Quit Drinking?

4/16/2019

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I wrote a song called Chasing Heartache a while back. It's a witty tune on the well traversed subject of drinking away a broken heart. I'm not in the habit of writing humorous or light-hearted lyrics. It didn't seem like a song for me.

Then, I started thinking about how much I joke with my friends and family. It's a part of me that doesn't come through in music. How come? Well, that line of thinking led to me play Chasing Heartache live. Now, I work out my ideas for fun songs.

When my flight got delayed at the airport, I went to the bar and asked if it was too early for a beer. It was 9am. Is it too early in the morning to start drinking? A song was born.

I was talking to my kids about a song, the name of which I couldn't recall. I can't remember the name of the song and it's killing me. That's the name of a song I'm working on, and the first line of the chorus.

I'm no comedian, but I like to laugh and I try to be quick-witted in person. These kinds of songs, for me, are rooted in old country. It's good to find the humor in a bad situation and too keep from cultivating to serious a view of oneself.

So, here you have Wrong Day to Quit Drinking. Cheers!

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Production vs. Creativity

4/9/2019

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My phone died a couple weeks ago. Then the charging cable for my computer went out. Without these two things, my phone and my computer, I was not in a great position to keep up with posts or emails. At first I fretted about it. There is, after all, a lot of talk these days about how important it is to maintain your online presence as an artist. Make one false move and the memory of you will evaporate. Everyone will rally around some new thing. I’ve also heard it put that delivering content is equivalent to customer service. If you care about your fans, you’ll pump them full of content on a regular basis.

While I was technologically crippled, I had a chance to think through all that. I got rational. I care about people and I get to form a special bond with those who take interest in what I write, play, or sing. I take that bond seriously. That bond is not dependent upon me reminding you that I exist for no other reason than that I’m striving to remain relevant. And, you don’t need content for content’s sake.

Yeah, it’s a fast world out there. There are a lot of artists. There’s a lot of stuff to chew on and swallow and digest. I hope that by focusing on creating rather than producing content to fill predefined spaces on social networks, you’ll take a natural interest, find value, and stick with me for the long haul. Honestly, that’s how I approach artists I connect with. That’s the way I’d like people to connect with me.

Parting note - I love the internet. I’m glad that I’m able to share what I do and connect with people in the virtual world. But, there’s no replacement for the real world. I still find the most rewarding interactions are live, face to face. If you can, come to a show and hang out.

Come Find Me When The World Ends touches upon some of these feelings. The song keeps taking on new depth and dimension for me -as seemingly simple as it is. I played it last October around the campfire. Here’s the video.

In the Doldrums.

Exile & Obscurity

Ain't No Grave

Five Reasons to Play, Whatever it Pays

So, you wanna book shows...

Rock & Roll is Slave to No One

Keeping those lights up all year long!

Epic Summer!

Wrong Day to Quit Drinking?

Production vs. Creativity

Ships & Ghosts of Ships

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