Sitting on the couch at Genuine Joe’s Coffeehouse in North Austin, scheduling open-mic performances for next week. Well, let me rephrase – planning which ones in Austin I’ll be going to. Open mics aren’t really gigs, but they are crucial in so many ways. These are exactly how I got started in Houston, and though I didn’t go very far in Houston before I decided Austin was the better place to start and grow into a music career, I met most of my friends in Houston through open mics. These were the people who were 100% instrumental in the new CD, and in building my confidence and live performance ability to a point where I actually felt I was connecting with the audience in more ways than I know how to describe. If you are trying to get started in music, hit the open mic scene – become a regular – make friends and see who wants to collaborate, or who needs help – and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Here’s how I met one of my best friends and inspirations, Pete from PeteSimple:

“Hey. I’m Pete. You sounded good up there.”
“Thanks, Pete. I’m Dave. You sounded really good up there, too.”
“So, Dave, can I help you in any way?”
“Um. Yes. I need to make a CD.”

And that began a really great friendship and was the first step toward creating “Safe From the Day,” my debut CD.

Well, I’m realizing I don’t have much actual content to say, so this post is turning out to be mostly a meager brain-fart, but i figure I better start farting so I can get to the good stuff up there. Experiencing some blockage. That’s gross. BUT, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, people Everyone farts. With their brains. Right? Right, that’s what I thought.

Found a place to live here in Austin, now I just need to afford it, so I am looking for the right job that will allow me to, well, live (in every sense of the word). That’s what I came here to do. And if I find a job that takes over my entire life again, I might as well have never left Houston. And with so many people in Houston whom I care deeply about, I owe it to make the most of my decision to leave.

I’ll update soon from the open-mic circuit. Wish me luck.

Love to you all.