January 12, 2016 - 4:45pm
... sometimes you wake up at 4am thinking "today isn't going to go as planned." I got a call yesterday evening from Matt (Age Of Days - bassist) and I could tell right away something was wrong. Me: "Hey, how's it goin'?" Matt: "Hey Mike, not good... not good at all." I knew Tim had been sick but I didn't realize he was this sick. === We were scheduled to fly out to Calgary today... should've been at the airport a while ago and should've been in the air right now. Age of Days was booked to open up for Theory Of A Deadman on their 15 year anniversary acoustic tour out in western Canada. Something we got wind was a possibility in the fall and something we were all looking forward to. The call finished up and I waited... one way or another for confirmation. ... wandering around the house, mentally continuing to pack while the lady and housemate continued bringing up the topic of my flying out to start an awesome tour tomorrow... cracking jokes about the weather and shenanigans that would ensue for the next 20-ish days. ... meanwhile in the back of my mind I'm sort of stunned... thinking it might not actually be happening now. ... I joke (half joke) often that I don't count any chickens before they hatch. Not to be pessimistic, but nothing is happening until it's happening... and I said it several times leading up... but I assume it's (95%) happening once flights are booked. That flight confirmation email is what puts my mind at least... makes things "Facebook official." ...but I woke up at 4am this morning and realized it was a thing... this tour is 99.9% no longer happening with Age Of Days... which sorta messes up the schedule for most of us in music... It's a weird thing to bring up and I don't want to compare it to other great disappointments people experience (that are supposed to be "for sure"), but once you start telling people you have something awesome you're looking forward to, they (if you're surrounded by good people) start feeling excited too! ... plus everyone wants to be a rockstar! That's a way cooler job. ... but most don't understand what it's like when things in music fall through... which is probably a major reason why so many people who are doing things, don't tell everyone everything they're doing... and the people who announcing things all the time (or announce future announcements constantly) probably don't have much going on... since so many things in the music industry fall through or don't go as planned. Announcing major plans in the music industry is almost a calculated risk. ... and it's hard to explain to your friends and family what the implications of these things can mean. ... the planning, the rehearsals, the prep, the run of (perhaps tour specific) merch, the acoustic EP that was supposed to compliment this acoustic run... your reputation... sometimes it's hard to salvage all or any of that work... sometimes you just have to cut your losses. These are business decisions. ... and if you work in music full time, you're often booking things several months out, so when something falls through, you're sorta stuck/scrambling to fill the schedule... and time lost is time you don't get back... not to mention lost income. Music is an expensive career choice. ... one of the main reasons so many musicians can't stomach the idea of going both feet in... there's no guarantee of a paycheque... even if you finish the job! ... but if you want to be a musician, or in the arts in general... you care less about the money... that carries over from being a teenager. Sometimes you're doing alright and sometimes you're broke... but most importantly you're waking up doing what you want to do... what you chose... what you love or at least working towards it... and I think that's one of the secrets of happiness. I'll admit, right now I don't want to be sitting on my couch, next to the loaner cat, listening to Tame Impala, thinking I should vacuum after I finish writing/posting this, thinking I'm glad I got the winter tires put on the car yesterday (it's officially winter in Toronto)... I wanted to be sitting semi-comfortably in a plane, listening to Massive Attack (ritual), playing Plants vs Zombies on my iPhone 5s, checking the progress on the little plane on the flight map channel on the tiny screen in the headrest in front of me... wondering if it's warmer in Calgary... and how many memories would come from the next 3 weeks. ... and the late nights and early mornings I'd spend writing about my travels. ... first world problems, I know. ... but that's not in the cards right now unless something magical happens... and this is not Dec 24th. I still believe most things happen for a reason so I've been laughing it off most of the day... still disappointing though... we're all really disappointed... but it's not the first time and won't be the last I'm sure... again not being pessimistic. I know what I signed up for... I'm committed to music... regardless which side of the glass. Today has felt like a long day... but 13hrs later I have a couple projects lined up and can sleep a little better tonight. As far as I know the Disturbed tour is still a go... and we'll come out swingin'. Age Of Days has a lot of plans for 2016... just a gentle reminder to start the year... you can't predict the weather, and you can't take your health for granted. Onwards and upwards! - Mike P.S. Adult winter boots! +1
2 Comments
Denise
1/14/2016 06:47:43 am
So sorry to hear that tim is sick and you guys have to cancel. Hope he is back on his feet in no time.
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Dawn Kudron
1/15/2016 01:57:29 am
Hope to see y'all in MI soon ❤
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Mike Langford - Official BlogBeing on both sides of the glass, I get the chance to wear many hats in the music industry. This is a place to share my thoughts, views, predictions, rants, stories and news! Categories
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