Tell Your Plumber That When He's Fixing Your Sink

I love hearing this: "Music isn't work. It's your passion." Subtract the word "music" and replace it with "plumbing," "driving a cab," "waiting tables" or "pouring concrete" and you'll see how downright stupid that phrase is.

Take it from me - a guy whose day gig is working 50 hours a week writing and editing copy - running a band and playing music is work.

BUT FIRST, A DISCLAIMER: These are my (Kenny's) thoughts. I can't speak for the collective hivemind of every musician on the planet, so don't go looking any of this up in "How to Run a Cover Band 101." Fair enough?

Anyway, nevermind the fact that I, as a working musician, have spent years practicing, learning, falling, failing, struggling and ultimately trying to do my damndest to get it right (most times I feel like I never will). In addition to trying to be a good, solid musician, running a band means I'm scrambling to book gigs, fighting tooth and nail for fair pay, desperately working to engage the crowd ("Are you not entertained?!" screams Russell Crowe in "Gladiator," and notice - his tone is sarcastic and cynical), keeping the owners rolling in clover, making sure the clients and their guests dig the band, keeping the PR machine (web page, mailing lists, promo packages, pictures, videos, musical recordings and - hey! - a blog) running smoothly, dialing in the PA, updating the calendar and notifying the band/booking agents/club owners about changes, feeling the pressure as I pray the band not only has a good attitude but knows the material (because, since I booked the gigs I'M the band's face - and if a band member decides to throw 'tude at a manager or another authority figure, it's MY reputation and I have to go crawling to said authority figure with apologies/explanations for boorish behavior), being the lightening rod for the band's criticism of the venue/money/etc. and staying friendly with all of my contacts.

All of that is draining enough and there've been hundreds of times I've wondered "Why didn't I just join a pre-built band looking for a singer and let someone else deal with the headaches? I'll plug in, sing, get paid, leave and wait for the next gig." But wait! There's more!

I play in a four-piece band (voice and three instruments) - four musicians with completely dissimilar personalities. What can you expect when four different people try to create one sound? Arguments, tantrums, disagreement over the band's direction, apathy, an almost complete absense of culpability, power struggles of varying shapes and sizes, carelessness, a surplus of self-importance coupled with a lack of humility and a steady stream of grumbling and whining. It sounds like marriage, doesn't it? Except for the fact that - again in my case - it's four guys in the marriage, not two.

Ah - so now you're saying "Kenny, you narcissistic weenie. Bitch, bitch, bitch. If you hate it so much, why run a band? Why play music?" Two part answer here. The "running the band" part is because I have goals I'd like to meet while playing in a cover band, and - frankly - I'm tired of following someone else when I trust my own instincts and judgement. Also, I walked away from a really successful combo to completely start over and do exactly what I wanted to do. I'm the guy behind the curtain, grinding out most of the thankless crap work in addition to doing the singing. The band may not be named after me but it sure has my name ON it. By default, that makes me the captain.

Which means...what? It means if a group of guys share this outlook we work together. If not? No worries - allegedly, we're all professionals. I've had disagreements with plenty of musicians about musical projects, and that's OK - we agree that I'll follow my road, they can follow theirs and (in most cases) we shake hands and part ways as friends. Live and let live - you do your thing and I'll do mine, and let's not tell the other how to do it. Sting summed it up perfectly when he called a band a "benevolent dictatorship." After playing music professionally for 27 years I'm just now understanding exactly what he meant.

And the music part? If it's such a headache - if doing all the work, grinding out the thankless tasks to make an easy road for others and getting beat up by elements outside AND inside the band is such a hassle - why do I do it? Simple - it takes years for a grain of sand to become a pearl. It takes immense pressure for a chunk of coal to become a diamond. Anything beautiful and worthwhile -no matter how fleeting - is the result of hard work and heartache.

Next, I really, really, REALLY enjoy playing music that makes people happy. There's nothing like seeing people smile when a certain song is played, or seeing two people in love slow dance to a favorite song. It's a rush when a packed house shouts in unison when busting into the first few bars of a really popular song. That, and playing live music has blessed me with many genuine and wonderful friendships. You can't put a price on that.

But ultimately - and again, I'm sounding narcissistic - it's not like I have a choice about wanting to play music. I write and edit copy to make a living. I play music to live.