If you came to this page because you are interested in knowing more about what I am trying to do with this website and my reasons why then please read on. But what follows is not exactly lighthearted so now is your chance to put the shovel back in the shed.
I played music “for a living” on and off from the time I was 19 years old until I turned 62. Almost three years ago my last band broke up and I just couldn’t go back to doing solo gigs or trying form a new group.
So I took my Social Security as early as allowed because after doing the math it was clear I had nothing to gain by waiting until I was older. Although I’ve done many different types of work other than music, including auto repairs, tree planting, general carpentry, IT consulting, chainsaw work, etc., my lifetime earnings were collectively so low that I was very grateful to receive $575 as my first SS payment.
Nobody believes me when I say I am living on under $600 per month but my daily life is actually not too bad. I’m not starving, or cold, or sleeping under a bridge. Can I buy a new set of tires? No. Can I hire somebody to fix my furnace or replace my roof? No. But I do have a wood stove and a chainsaw, and I have a few pails to place strategically if it rains too hard. Things could SO much worse.
I’m in this exact scenario at this moment because of every decision in life that I personally made. Luckily for me my family and friends and even plenty of strangers have played immense roles in my survival during those years of thinking one of my songs might eventually bring in some actual compensation. I could never have made it this far without them. No way.
With all things considered I feel extremely fortunate and am thankful for every moment I am able to continue this journey. I’ve developed a pretty good system of living frugally and keeping accurate documentation of my monthly expenditures. That said, there are some very simple things in life that are just barely beyond my budget.
This website is my hope to bring in a few extra dollars here and there to supplement my monthly SS while also having my songs heard by a lot more people. And I mean genuinely HEARD. Most of this music is not well suited for a loud bar setting but if you like clever lyrics that serve a purpose and are thought provoking then I hope you will carve out a half hour of quiet time and put your headgear on. I’m confident you will not be disappointed.
Although I think a lot of my songs are worthy of a more professional recording and wider distribution I take no pride in this. Whatever “this” is was GIVEN to me. I just want them to be available to people and I know none will be made famous by me nor are any likely to be recorded by a well known artist. I’ve finally let go of my quiet hopes of a royalty check solving all my financial struggles but maybe theriversong can pay for my breakfast once in a while.
Anyways, if lyrics in a song are not something of interest to you then my whole endeavor here is likely to be a waste of your time. No worries, I would never be offended by anybody’s personal preferences in these regards.
Personally I have only one particular demand about a song and when somebody asks me what my favorite kind of music is my answer is always the same:
“Believable”.
If you play a song and make me believe you then the type of music is irrelevant to me.
I hope you will find my songs to be believable. If so, and you can feel good to toss something in my tip container just know I am extremely grateful for your support.
And if you have read this far I am thankful for that also.
