Dave Ransom

Flush gig - live @ Kick Butt Coffee, Friday July 3rd @ 10pm (AUSTIN, TX)

By Dave Ransom | June 29, 2009

social gravity = 10(9.8 m/s2)

By Dave Ransom | June 5, 2009

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what I’m doing here in Austin; what I’ve given up to be here. As my family grows in other parts of the country, my nephews and nieces may end up saying one day, “Yeah, I have an uncle who plays music, but I don’t really know him that well.” My best friend moved to Philly and we are reduced to the occasional video chat, constant text messages, and phone calls. Not that I would make more money in a more competitive market somewhere else, but I have been through too much adversity to stare into a dead end job.

So, the woe-is-me train usually starts there with all that I don’t have, and sometimes I can manage to swing it around to what I do have - which is, inarguably, a lot. I’ve been reading a lot about the Lost Boys of Sudan in a book called “What is the What,” by Dave Eggers. Compared to this true story, my complaints sound like a pro athlete’s when he/she leaves the $23 million contract for a $26 million contract. It also puts into question what a person’s priorities should be, and, if you have not lost certain priorities, whether or not it is OK to focus on minor things, like happiness. Or is it minor? Either way, I am lucky to even pose the question.

So, my train of woe travels from valley to hill, and then to desert. This is when I realize all the things I am NOT doing. Example: I am NOT writing music, or practicing writing music (because if you don’t know, to write music requires lots of bad music to travel out of your system first). I am NOT playing as often as I could. I am NOT desperate in the pursuit of my dreams. I have a feeling that anyone who has really made a dream become reality will not speak of luck. They will tell me its my own damn fault.

Understand, good things are happening here, and the seeds are being planted for something big to come out of Flush (www.flushmusic.com). Sometimes the going is slow, but then I remind myself that most really, really great things happen slowly as the result of millions of little efforts here and there, and just as many huge efforts here and there. If luck doesn’t visit me, I don’t want any excuses on my hands.

So I’m working on letting go of the desire to be successful at work, and accepting that my dream can’t happen unless I make way for it. If you have a dream, don’t be scared like me. Sure, I gave up everything to be here, but doing that and then not going 1000 mph toward the dream once here is like slapping everyone I miss. If I am letting you down right now, I am truly and really sorry. I’d like to say I’m trying, but more and more, every day, I feel. Stuck.

Ten times the force of gravity.

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