Dear reader,
Hello again and thank you kindly for tuning in. I’m just getting back from a brief tour up to Canada with Dante Elephante. Quite exhausted at the moment and just getting my bearings again. Trying to catch up on sleep.
At most when touring, if you track your sleep, it seems you get on average 4 to 5 hours. So you try and rest, nap, or find spots to lay your head whenever you can. Even if for only 10mins at a time.
Sleeping, some kind of movement and grabbing a shower. Those things you prioritize over all else.
So I’m logging on with a question I’ve been wrestling with for some time now.
Is Nashville or Los Angeles the next move? As a musician and artist, currently an independent contractor, which city and environment would be more ideal? Things I’ve been thinking about, asking about and weighing for some time.
I’m gonna leave a poll here, which I would love your input on. In addition I’ll share some quick thoughts I have on both cities. Both positives and negatives.
Let me know your honest opinion and thoughts, both in the poll but also feel free to comment as well! I’m genuinely curious and am interested in hearing from you all. No matter what your background.
As my therapist said, there likely isn’t a wrong answer, just the answer that is right for you right now. Truly either city would offer up inspiration and work, and frankly I wouldn’t mind living in either - depending on lifestyle as well as opportunity.
Having recently spent a little time in Nashville I can say with confidence that being in a city like that will sharpen your skills as a musician. Without a doubt. Whether you go further in your career is a toss up but to be around so many serious players is inspiring.
On the other hand, being in Los Angeles feels like a natural jump from where I am currently. With all of the connections I’ve built over the years in California and being able to continue to nurture those connections by staying on the west coast. It also feels in a way like I could be myself as an artist easier, but who knows.
Some quick pros and cons of Nashville:
Pros:
Affordability, cost of living
Accessibility, easier city to navigate (given its size and saturation)
Everyone there has a very high standard of playing, this professionalism has a trickle down effect that is a net positive
East Nashville has a more indie friendly DIY atmosphere, similar to East LA
Folks are very kind and open, at least based on my limited experience. There is a politeness
It’s very much music city, a songwriters town
The degrees of separation are much slimmer
Cons:
Over-saturation, so many killer players, highly competitive
Can’t gig like I can out here on the coast, it would be more broadway oriented and lower pay, until getting established in the session scene or picked up for touring
Lots of booze and tourism
The weather, four seasons but a lot of humidity, very hot during the summers
Not as many connections or friends, feeling potentially trapped
It would be more starting over then building on something
The commodification of music, though is true really every where there is industry
Some quick Pros and Cons of Los Angeles:
Pros:
Staying in California, close to the ocean, mountains and the nature I love
Nearer to and able to build on connections already made, connected to a few different scenes here, both directly and indirectly
Potentially easier to get work as a guitarist, though this is a toss up given how highly competitive LA is as well
I think I would stand out more as an artist/musician easier given how I’m not doing the same thing a lot of folks are, however this is more of a gut instinct
Being a part of what feels like a potential artistic/musical renaissance in LA
Staying connected to people I know and care for, miles and distance make everything harder, even in this day and age
Cons:
Higher cost of living
Traffic + congestion
Highly competitive, over saturation
Lack of accessibility, the city can be tuff to navigate
A lot of clout chasing, performative cliquey behavior, the moving target of “cool”, gate-keeping, though also true of a lot of industry towns
Potentially harder to break into, really a toss up
Both would require having a little scratch saved, potentially a day job lined up and a neighborhood decided on before hand.
The above positives and negatives are things I’ve just picked up on over the years. I’m not a spring chicken either, and while I’m in it for the long game, there are still things to consider given my late 30s vs had I made this move in my 20s.
As a guitar player, there are certain trends/sounds I like to be aware of. Everyone in LA is on the Blake Mills train, which don’t get me wrong, he is one of my favorite players/producers currently working, but by not being one of the players that is trying to do that same thing, I think I would stand out easier in LA vs Nashville..where more folks are cut from the very chord tone heavy Guthrie Trapp and Tom Bukovac camp. The million dollar chord and lick types.
Different preferences and priorities.
I’ve lived in three places my whole life, born in Connecticut, then moved out to Lompoc, CA when I was kid, now living in Santa Barbara. I think before I get to my 40s, another move feels healthy and needed. To shake things up, to get back to a place where I’m trying to support myself and art.
A mantra I try and say daily, or at least read is: Live the way you wanna live.
As a recovering people pleaser - my time, energy and space are things I hold very near and dear.
My mom said something to me 10 years ago now after a bad break up that always stuck with me as well.
She said:
“You have to be a hundred percent committed to you before you can commit to another.”
I always come back to that one.
Other things I actively tell myself these days are:
“It’s okay to not know.”
“Growth comes from being honest with yourself as well as with those around you, and continuing to do so.”
“I forgive, love and accept myself for having ocd/adhd and codependency. I’m grateful for the lessons these issues have taught me and the gifts they’ve given, and all I’m going to learn.”
Lastly from Codependent No More, by Melody Beattie (highly recommend):
“Keep track of what you do for others and what you do for yourself. Are you tending to your true responsibilities? Is there a healthy balance between what you do for yourself and others?”
These are all things that help me feel grounded again and in times where I might be feeling worn thing, lost or frustrated, it reminds me that I have the ability to make choices that allow me to get to where I’d like to be. At least that’s the idea.
With this move, it’s about getting out of my own way - which I’m quite prolific at, trying to not shoot myself in the foot anymore and get out of this barely keeping my head above water place I’ve been in for some time.
All things I’m working on and taking into consideration.
Anyhow I suppose that’s all for today, let me know what your thoughts are on the two different cities, curious to hear.
Also feel free to share this publication with anyone you think might find it interesting or useful. I’m working on continuing to grow on here, just as I hope we all are in general.
Wishing well out, till next time xoxo
~ JEC
I voted Nashville, not because I think it's necessarily a better city for a working musician, but I think it could be cool for you to experience something else. Having lived there myself when my dad was trying to make it as a musician in that scene, I can attest to the cliquey-ness having been a problem for him, even with a few industry connections/musician friends at the ready, but he was also a DAD, so he didn't have as much time to pursue music fully. Things that could be negatives that aren't currently on your list: extreme weather (seriously, those tornado warnings are scary, and when I was a kid they didn't actually touch down as much as they do now) and red state challenges to reproductive rights. I also remember it being tricky for us to save enough to move back to California after we had moved to Tennessee, so if you would want to move back eventually, that's a big thing to consider. We had to live with my grandpa for a year when we came back to the Central Coast.