Singer/songwriter turned entertainment business owner in the Washington, DC, area but with an international footprint. Previously working a day job in the corporate world and being pitched by one of the most successful and highly respected publishing companies in Nashville at the time, he now has an entertainment design company that has been featured in the likes of the Washington Post and whose top act is internationally known, having played the opening of a stadium in Mexico, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and very recently in Singapore. He talks about walking away from the Nashville opportunity as well as the ins and outs of his current endeavors.
“…the music, which is often the driving force behind these events. I believe it has really the most to do with whether an event is successful; if there is live music, the live music can be hugely impactful, so I take it really seriously.”
“I choose singers and musicians in a way that they understand why they’re there. They’re there to help this crowd connect… they’re there to help people have a great time.”
“I basically ended up going to college in some different places, a quick, brief, stint at Berklee College of Music, (and) I ended up getting a business degree at Boston University and I really missed music and I, as a trumpet player, … I just didn’t feel confident in going for it in that way.”
“My vision was to create a band that can do these parties that gives the look and feel of a celebrity act.”
“I found this vocal coach who became a mentor. I also really encourage people to seek out help. I mean, look, most people know Stevie Wonder has a vocal coach, Michael Jackson had one, I mean, the greatest. There are songwriters who have coaches. So, I surrounded myself with mentors and that helped keep me motivated and helped me be on the right path to figure out how I could make a life in music.”
“I was… doing some serious demos out of Nashville… and so she, then, said, ‘Ya’ know what, you’re ready. I believe you can be a full-time writer. I will get you a deal if you can move your family down here to Nashville. We’ll get you a really good deal.’ And that is when I realized that that had been my dream, but then I thought, ‘Well, I don’t know that I can be a writer in the Nashville way… which is, you’re basically co-writing Monday thru Friday from 10-4. I had written everything alone, when I felt like it.”
“It is critical for all of us to really scrutinize what it is that we’re putting out there to the public. I see loads and loads of photos and YouTube videos that I believe could’ve been done a lot better… I think that’s something that everybody can maybe think a little bit more about. What is showing them in the best light? What is the image, what do they want it to convey?”
“If that’s what you love to do, if that’s what your dream is, is to be a professional songwriter or a singer-songwriter or an artist who writes, I absolutely say sure, go for it, but I do believe that, like in my case, switching over to kind of a band business, to be able to make a living and to support yourself and if you eventually or have a family, obviously that’s really important. Some people are willing to really have a struggle to do that and I also respect that as well, artists who do that, I respect it highly… But at the same time I do believe that there is a way to make money in music.”
“It’s hard to define that point where you are just not getting where you want to go, you’re not getting the kind of, let’s call it audience response, that you are envisioning and so I think that’s a big life lesson, to really learn where your strengths are.”
"I'll Be There"
"I Gave My Heart to You"