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

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.