WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT BEING ON STAGE?

THE FOLLOWING IS A RECORDED INTERVIEW AND ANSWER TO THE ABOVE QUESTION:

“Self expression. Adulation. Feedback. The applause. And not so much that but the acknowledgement of what I just did resonates with somebody and what I just did they enjoyed.

And, it was worth it for them to listen to. Or, they liked it.

So, getting that immediate response like, ‘Hey, you know, they LIKED that song. Or, they liked my performance of that song. And that kinda gets me excited to wanna do the NEXT song. And I think, like when we did that Irish festival. It was, that we had a captive audience… people were really into it. And, so they would get up and clap along or they would dance. And so, it was a very physical connection… and a visual connection. But, we’re all responding to the MUSIC. We’re all responding to what we’re listening to. And, we’re moving our bodies accordingly. So you can really see that… we’re all playing the same song together. We’re all listening to the same song together. I may be playing it but, you know, they’re playing it too. And I think that’s where I start to understand what other artists talk about the importance of audience participation and that’s not… it’s not us giving a concert to THEM, it’s us all participation and there’s no music without a listener. So, it’s not a one-way conversation. So it is kind of a conversation in that… I’m throwing it out there for my half of the conversation and they’re singing along or they’re dancing along. And that’s how they’re responding back. Or, they’re CHEERING. And THAT’S how they’re responding back.

The other thing that feels really good about recording is when I just nailed the song. And, when I’m prepared and I really do the song well and I felt it. And it moves beyond the technical. To where you really… you almost do become like a vessel. (A) physical way to express the song. And when you’ve done that, a feeling of satisfaction. The feeling of… Like it was really worth it to learn that song, it was really worth it to share it. It felt good. Something… And then when you get that audience feedback then that’s sort of like validation.

I like that I can actually get paid for doing something I love doing. ‘Cause then it doesn’t feel like work. And I’ve heard many musicians talk about that too and it’s good to actually experience that first hand. So…

You know, at the time it didn’t seem like a lot of money. And, relatively speaking, maybe it isn’t. But, it kinda, in a way, wasn’t the point. It was really more about… you know… Almost like it was a BONUS. Because… it is something I would do if I WASN’T getting paid. Something I would do naturally because I NEED to do it. And if I can get paid, that’s icing on the cake. So much the better.”

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