2014 In Review: To begin, again.

Now that I’ve had a moment to process all that has come to pass in the last year, or so, and more importantly moved, yet again, I can now begin…again.

2014 was a very productive, seductive, and hurtful year. As life continually proves balance is inevitable for each positive there is a negative. This year has been no exception, given the negatives were created by my selfish nature; the positives have been almost enough to counterbalance.

After moving half way across the country to pursue my potential in the “business” side of music as the Percussive Art Society’s spring intern, I’ve come to realize that making sound financial decisions is completely and utterly the opposite of making decisions that promote happiness and to pursue dreams, as I had learned once before but the memory must have strayed from me. Although sometimes necessary, I believe whole-heartedly that we should strive to make decisions in life that promote our own happiness and allow us to open up to new possibilities. But instead I took a year long detour through the bowels of Indianapolis that have led me to where I should have started the last year, in the arms of my darling Madison in Orlando, Florida.

As in true Mahola P. Willikers fashion, I worked to make the best of my situation. I did a lot of writing and a bit of practicing. But it was the things I did on the side that made such a negative impact on the year. My girlfriend was nice enough to move to Indianapolis with me, thinking she was getting into a trusting truthful relationship, I proved her wrong....and am working diligently to repair. These days I seem to have built an air of distrust between us and am working diligently to mend that bond, but as we all know trust is one of those bridges that is hardest to rebuild. After moving in, she came to realize some of the things I had done, or thought about doing and needless to say we had our negative moments.

What made this year even more difficult to endure was that I got to participate not once, but twice in one of my life’s dreams. I got to go on tour both in the United States and in Europe with Lindsey Stirling as a stage/video technician.  I had some indescribable experiences and made lots of new friends that I hope to see again on the next tour. But again, my selfish nature got the best of me and I started acting like someone else, not realizing who I had at home and what she was going through (what turned out to be one of the most difficult times in our lives).

Returning to Indianapolis, I was a different person. Different on the inside, somewhat different on the outside, but what I couldn’t explain to Madison was that after visiting sixteen countries, over ten hours of flight time, a few days of walking in New York City, and over twenty hours spent on a Greyhound bus that my heart had found its home; not in Indianapolis but in her arms. The catch is that we had made plans to move back to Orlando to where she would be happier, and that we would only have a handful of days together before we were torn apart once again.

Another part of 2014 that is both a complete positive and a negative is that I went and got a job doing something I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. After my internship came to an end in July I was faced, yet again, with the dilemma of finding work. One day Madison picked me up from work and on the way home I saw four horse drawn carriages on the road at the same time. I said, “I’ve always wanted to do that, just was never sure how to get into it.” The next day I called that company and it turns out that Yellow Rose Carriages is located just two blocks from my apartment. After an interview and an initial ride-along. I was neck deep in training how to be a carriage driver.

Although I grew up with horses and animals of all kinds driving one attached to a carriage in downtown traffic and distractions is another story all together. You can’t imagine the level of stress that carriage drivers put up with simply knowing that their horses might get spooked by a plastic bag passing serenely in the night and all we can do is hold on tight. The truth of the matter is that I set out to do something I wasn’t sure that I could do, and I did it well enough to the point that when it was time to leave the company didn’t want me to depart. Once again a very positive powerful experience counterbalanced by a very stressful and painful one. To hold true to my word I finished out the remainder of the year in the Indianapolis cold driving horses through the holiday season. Although I had already moved Madison to a much warmer Orlando, I had to fly back to a mostly empty apartment and endure the cold for a few more weeks.

Now that I’ve finished the year, I’m saddened to leave some of the people and the horses behind, stressed to be looking for work and having to purchase a car once again, but mostly I’m happy. I’m happy to be with my two girls Madison and Minnie (our dog) once again, happy that I can step outside in sandals, shorts, and a t-shirt comfortably, happy to be pushing onward toward a new beginning. Although nothing in the past is forgotten, I can do better. I don’t know who I’ve become but its about to change, again.

I have reached the horizon and I can see more than ever before,

But the next horizon breeds ample opportunity.

I stand at the top of the mountain and look beyond the peaks and valleys

I see a wall, a challenge of inner determination.

The wall in front of me is merely a step,

A step in which I need to grow exponentially to take in stride.

Let the work begin, again.

Musical Decisions

When it comes to music, more specifically creating the live show, there seems to be a large line that’s drawn separating two ideals at opposing ends of the production spectrum. Create the live show to sound exactly like the record or create a new “sound” created by the musicians on-stage. It seems to me that there might be a middle ground where both can be satisfied but in most cases there seems to be a continental divide between these concepts.

As a drummer I’ve been on both sides of this problem. Do you try to create a show that represents your album, which you’ve slaved over spending hundreds if not thousands of hours on? Or do you just run with what you’ve got and try to put on a unique show as a separate piece of art? In most cases the latter wins out simply because of budget, but what if budget were less of an issue?

As I follow some of my favorite drummers on their various social networking sites, I see these immense drum setups combining both acoustic and electronic percussion into cohesive monster drum sets. But when you attend a show or see/hear a live DVD it sounds precisely like the record, in most cases. Which raises the question why have such an elaborate setup if you’re not going to use it? I mean it seems like a lot of extra work for your drum tech to have to setup all of that equipment if you’re just going to use the Kick, Snare, and Hat 95% of the time. But I’ve come to realize that there is a purpose. It’s just we, as spectators; don’t get to see 100% of the show. It’s also the same reason that musicians who play for big stadium-sized acts like Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, or Jay-Z are some of the best drummers in the world; they have to be able to play anything on any record that is thrown at them. They are the masters of recreating a specific sound or feel.  It’s also why they get paid so much; they have a lot of responsibility to sound exactly the same every night.

The opposing idea of live production allows musicians a lot more freedom to create sounds and ultimately unique performances on the spot. This is the route that most rock bands head allowing them the freedom to create an energetic show of different proportions. This idea leaves a lot more room for interpretation. But what happens when you’re given the responsibility of re-creating an artists’ record but not given the parameters in which to operate and no musical director to guide those decisions? You have to be able to check yourself and without ego, be able to make the proper musical decisions. As a drummer especially, you have to be able to contain that desire to over-play until the boss, usually the artist themselves, gives you the go ahead to showcase your skills. Until then it’s your job to hold down the fort.

As per usual I don’t really believe that it has to be one way or the other, why can’t there be a cohesive compromise between the two? Re-create the feeling of the record by finding solutions that aren’t the straight-ahead expectation. Steve Goold does this magnificently playing for Sara Bareillis. He uses his knowledge of percussion to create unique performances that are exciting and unexpected but within the bounds of each song.

Especially without a music director, you need to have the right people by your side, those whom you can trust to make the best musical decisions with little governing. It’s all about making the best musical decisions. But on that same note it all comes down to ego and how each person’s is satisfied. As a percussionist I’ve learned to ease my ego by playing in between the notes, finding the space appropriately placed, by understanding every little accent no matter how subtle, and by using a growing knowledge of percussion and electronics to create unique sounds and setups allowing me to be creative but still fit within the boundaries of any given song.

The artist you’ve been hired to play for has created songs that are already good, the best thing you can do for them is be creative but within the boundaries of those songs. How you go about doing that can make or break your career, tread lightly.

Another Step on the Ladder

So for those of you who do not know, I am currently in Finland about to embark on my first ever European Tour as a stagehand with none other than Lindsey Stirling and her amazing crew of people. Although my first touring experience was not but four months ago I’m back in the saddle taking on six weeks and sixteen different countries.

Apparently I set the bar pretty high on the first tour, according to Charlie. So now I have to step up to raise the bar just a little bit higher this time around. “You’re only as good as your last gig.” If you keep raising the bar for yourself, you can only go up. Time to keep my goals in perspective, put my head down, and work my ass off. The only ceilings that exist are those created by fear. Overcome fear and anything is possible.

Blind Faith

It always makes me laugh just a bit when I hear people talking about “our God-given country.” If you believe in God in the way that most Christians do, you believe in one singular deity. Which is fine but to believe in any way that God gave us this country is just a bit silly. Wasn’t the idea of separate countries created by men? If you believe in such things, God gave us this world as a whole without borders or government.

I know that everyone gets super sentimental and “spiritual” remembering the events of September 11^th, 2001 but the differences in our religious beliefs is what caused those events to happen and in turn caused the last ten plus years of war. Now keep in mind this war of beliefs has been fought through battles ranging over the last one thousand years.

This is not meant as any disrespect to those who lost their lives and/or their loved ones in the events of 9/11. But if we are to learn and grow from the past we need to understand why they happened. In my opinion, blind faith is the root cause of most of our world’s problems. Blind faith breeds negativity on a devastating level.

I guess the logical part of my brain gets too involved when I try to understand the ideals of religion and government. “God bless America” is a blind blanket statement to enforce a sense of nationalism. But isn’t a nationalistic point of view what got the world in trouble during World War II? I mean we are not killing millions and millions of people in order to eradicate them from existence but we as a country need to be cautious with how we’re viewed. Its citizens call America the greatest country in the world, but I can tell you from first-hand experience that the rest of the world does not see it that way. Every great empire has fallen and fallen hard, and as the youngest country in the world we are like teenagers going through puberty: picking fights, growing out of control, and have no idea of the grand scheme of things.

Talking Dreams

Our dreams are out there talking to us; we need but listen. The problem is that there’s far too much commotion clogging up the airwaves. Distractions are abounding in this social-less society we live. Dingy are the horizons we bring in this world. The light to break the fog of ignorance and hatred is buried in the spirit of creativity. But the power of greed is burying our artists.

I’ve lived in many cities, each with their own unique feeling. All but the one I’m in had a spiritual quality about it. The cool crisp mountain air brought me to gaze upon the stars and envision the universe. The city of the circle lacks every bit of spirituality I’ve ever felt. The cloud of negativity surrounding this city is impenetrable. I’ve spent countless days watching the skies through beautiful sunsets and still I strive to connect. Perhaps I’ve lost my awareness, perhaps its gone forever? If that’s true may I live in the delusions of the past.

Many changes have come to pass, many more on the horizon. Sailing the seas of change.