The Country Music Tribune
Friday 30th August 2019
Cowtown Chad: My Story "I Didn't Want to Tell You..."
Maybe I picked the wrong name for this series "I Didn't Want to Tell You..."
Sitting in a Nashville hotel room, a little over 4 years ago, an idea popped into my head: What if I asked musicians I had completed portraits with if they would be willing to share a story about how mental health had played a role in their life? I had been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with some of my favorite singers and songwriters and it seemed every one of them had a story relating back to some type of struggle. My goal would be to normalize the conversation around mental health and present one of my portraits, along with their story as a series. I was
excited about the idea and it seemed like others were too. It went nowhere.
I continued taking portraits and I kept having those conversations. I would periodically pitch the idea to magazines but rarely would hear back. Things became a little more immediate for me a few years ago. The truth is, I also had a story and I hadn’t been very forthcoming about it with a lot of the people outside of my immediate circle. My father had a series of back surgeries in the mid-to-late ’80s, which led to an opioid addiction, which he was never able to kick. For a large part of my life and his, the parent/child relationship flip-flopped and I spent years visiting the emergency rooms, trips to rehab and visiting him during a brief stay in jail.
The addiction, along with numerous other health issues ultimately led to his death in January of 2016. Fast forward to earlier this year. A friend connected with someone from No Depression and felt like this series may be a good fit for a wellness issue they were putting together. Here we are, 4 years later, after coming up with the initial idea and I couldn’t be more grateful to No Depression for their willingness to include this series in their most recent issue. Maybe I picked the wrong name for the series? Once I started asking people this time around, almost all of them said yes. They wanted their stories heard. I'm thankful they trusted me.
The article finally saw the light of day in the middle of August 2019. Thank you to Steve Poltz, Sarah Shook, John Paul White,
Lydia Loveless, Jaimee Harris and Elizabeth Cook for participating and sharing your stories. You are helping make a difference.
The full piece can be seen in this quarter's editon of No Depression and can be purchased here:
So what are the next steps? There are a few people who have already started sharing their stories with me and that will lead to the continuation of the series. I'm still looking for the right publication to partner with, but in the meantime, you can view new stories
on my social media @cowtownchad on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as my website cowtownchad.com
Cowtown Chad will be taking portraits at the Baby Robot Media official Americanafest showcase in Nashville on September 14th from 12 PM until 3 PM at The King House- 836 Bradford Ave, Nashville, TN 37204. Musicians playing the event include EG Vines, Josh Rennie-Hynes, Molly Parden, Boo Ray, The Simple Truce, DL Rossi, Paul J. Phillips, Kellen of Troy, Malin Pettersen, Judy Blank, Kate Vargas, Becky Warren, Karen & the Sorrows, Great Peacock, King Corduroy, The High Divers, Charles W. Godwin and Kyle Daniel. Any musicians that want to be a part of the series are encouraged to come by and have their portrait made.
Sitting in a Nashville hotel room, a little over 4 years ago, an idea popped into my head: What if I asked musicians I had completed portraits with if they would be willing to share a story about how mental health had played a role in their life? I had been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with some of my favorite singers and songwriters and it seemed every one of them had a story relating back to some type of struggle. My goal would be to normalize the conversation around mental health and present one of my portraits, along with their story as a series. I was
excited about the idea and it seemed like others were too. It went nowhere.
I continued taking portraits and I kept having those conversations. I would periodically pitch the idea to magazines but rarely would hear back. Things became a little more immediate for me a few years ago. The truth is, I also had a story and I hadn’t been very forthcoming about it with a lot of the people outside of my immediate circle. My father had a series of back surgeries in the mid-to-late ’80s, which led to an opioid addiction, which he was never able to kick. For a large part of my life and his, the parent/child relationship flip-flopped and I spent years visiting the emergency rooms, trips to rehab and visiting him during a brief stay in jail.
The addiction, along with numerous other health issues ultimately led to his death in January of 2016. Fast forward to earlier this year. A friend connected with someone from No Depression and felt like this series may be a good fit for a wellness issue they were putting together. Here we are, 4 years later, after coming up with the initial idea and I couldn’t be more grateful to No Depression for their willingness to include this series in their most recent issue. Maybe I picked the wrong name for the series? Once I started asking people this time around, almost all of them said yes. They wanted their stories heard. I'm thankful they trusted me.
The article finally saw the light of day in the middle of August 2019. Thank you to Steve Poltz, Sarah Shook, John Paul White,
Lydia Loveless, Jaimee Harris and Elizabeth Cook for participating and sharing your stories. You are helping make a difference.
The full piece can be seen in this quarter's editon of No Depression and can be purchased here:
So what are the next steps? There are a few people who have already started sharing their stories with me and that will lead to the continuation of the series. I'm still looking for the right publication to partner with, but in the meantime, you can view new stories
on my social media @cowtownchad on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as my website cowtownchad.com
Cowtown Chad will be taking portraits at the Baby Robot Media official Americanafest showcase in Nashville on September 14th from 12 PM until 3 PM at The King House- 836 Bradford Ave, Nashville, TN 37204. Musicians playing the event include EG Vines, Josh Rennie-Hynes, Molly Parden, Boo Ray, The Simple Truce, DL Rossi, Paul J. Phillips, Kellen of Troy, Malin Pettersen, Judy Blank, Kate Vargas, Becky Warren, Karen & the Sorrows, Great Peacock, King Corduroy, The High Divers, Charles W. Godwin and Kyle Daniel. Any musicians that want to be a part of the series are encouraged to come by and have their portrait made.
Wednesday 31st July 2019
My Story by Brian T. Atkinson
My story is pretty long, and shaped by luck and perseverance. Sounds cliché, but it's one hundred percent true.
August 16th 2019 will be my third book release The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard. After I'll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt and Kent Finlay, Dreamer: The Musical Legacy Behind Cheatham Street Warehouse, which I co-wrote with my partner Jenni Finlay. I wanted to write the Ray Wylie book because he seems so hugely underrated among his peers. Everyone talks about Townes, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Kris Kristofferson and Billy Joe Shaver when they list great Texas songwriters - you hardly ever hear Ray's name. This might have come from what I think is that Ray jinxed himself right out of the gate by writing “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother” and Jerry Jeff Walker made things worse by making it famous in the early Seventies. He's had to fight for forty-plus years to move past a novelty song he wrote as a goof. I mostly wanted to focus the book on his unbelievable second act after he quit drinking and drugs in his early forties and took guitar lessons. Everything changed. His songs moved from country to folk to blues and lyrically he began mining much deeper subjects. His records from Snake Farm through his most recent Tell the Devil...I'm Gettin' There As Fast As I Can and beyond should be where his legacy begins. Currently, I'm working on my fourth and fifth books Looks Like Rain: The Songwriting Legacy of Mickey Newbury and Goodbye Sweet Dreams: The Songwriting Legacy of Roky Erickson and Jenni and I own Eight 30 Records, Barefoot Recording, Catfish Concerts and Burgundy Red Films all because I was too bull-headed to give up and get a day job like most rational people.
When I first started I toughed out several dozen rejection letters for the Townes book over a few years before I moved to Austin, Texas. Before that, I wrote for and was a photographer for newspapers and magazines for about fifteen years, but I always wanted to write books first and foremost. Eventually by the time I landed my deal with Texas A&M University Press, which started by default. At that stage I was about halfway through interviews for my Townes book and I knew there were two other Townes books coming out before mine. I knew I had to make it different. Those two are straight biographies so I came up with the Songwriting Legacy format. I had no idea this would become a series, but I like doing things differently and some people seem to like the style so I'm sticking to it for a while. I've also welcomed my friend Courtney S. Lennon onto the team with her book Live Forever: The Songwriting Legacy of Billy Joe Shaver.
My advice besides sticking with it: Read everything. Listen to jazz music. Learn to make your words have rhythm. Read everything again. Do busywork around your house or apartment and let your mind wander. Write, write, write. Study other writers and study your own writing. Make every single word, every single punctuation count. Learn other creative arts. I love cooking. Creating. Making anything. Everything helps you become a better writer if you pay attention. I pretty much spelled this one out above with the luck and perseverance. Of course, that's not all it takes. Talent is pretty important, too.
Brian T. Atkinson is currently working on The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard (Texas A&M University Press, Fall 2019). Atkinson is also the author of I'll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt (TAMU Press, 2012) and co-author with Jenni Finlay of Kent Finlay Dreamer: The Musical Legacy of Cheatham Street Warehouse (TAMU Press, 2016). Aside from authored books, Atkinson has also contributed chapters to Pickers and Poets: The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer-Songwriters of Texas (TAMU Press, 2016) and Song: The World's Best Songwriters on Creating the Music That Moves Us (Writer's Digest Books, 2007). Along with his partner Finlay they co-own Eight 30 Records, Burgundy Red Films, BarnWood Recording Studio and the Austin-based bi-monthly concert series Catfish Concerts.
Some of the work produced by the pair Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins, Dreamer: A Tribute to Kent Finlay, Highway Prayer: A Tribute to Adam Carroll, The Polished Steel Sessions, Danny Barnes' Got Myself Together (Ten Years Later). Eight 30 Records is also behind Floater: A Tribute to the Tributes to Gary Floater Emily Herring's Gliding and Chris Fullerton's Epilepsy Blues. Atkinson contributed liner notes to each as well as the Grammy-nominated This One's for Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark (Music Road, 2011). You can also find Atkinson’s name is publications like CMT.com, Austin- Statesman, American Songwriter, Texas Music, No Depression, Lone Star State among many more.
https://eight30records.bandcamp.com/merch/the-messenger-the-songwriting-legacy-of-ray-wylie-hubbard
August 16th 2019 will be my third book release The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard. After I'll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt and Kent Finlay, Dreamer: The Musical Legacy Behind Cheatham Street Warehouse, which I co-wrote with my partner Jenni Finlay. I wanted to write the Ray Wylie book because he seems so hugely underrated among his peers. Everyone talks about Townes, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Kris Kristofferson and Billy Joe Shaver when they list great Texas songwriters - you hardly ever hear Ray's name. This might have come from what I think is that Ray jinxed himself right out of the gate by writing “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother” and Jerry Jeff Walker made things worse by making it famous in the early Seventies. He's had to fight for forty-plus years to move past a novelty song he wrote as a goof. I mostly wanted to focus the book on his unbelievable second act after he quit drinking and drugs in his early forties and took guitar lessons. Everything changed. His songs moved from country to folk to blues and lyrically he began mining much deeper subjects. His records from Snake Farm through his most recent Tell the Devil...I'm Gettin' There As Fast As I Can and beyond should be where his legacy begins. Currently, I'm working on my fourth and fifth books Looks Like Rain: The Songwriting Legacy of Mickey Newbury and Goodbye Sweet Dreams: The Songwriting Legacy of Roky Erickson and Jenni and I own Eight 30 Records, Barefoot Recording, Catfish Concerts and Burgundy Red Films all because I was too bull-headed to give up and get a day job like most rational people.
When I first started I toughed out several dozen rejection letters for the Townes book over a few years before I moved to Austin, Texas. Before that, I wrote for and was a photographer for newspapers and magazines for about fifteen years, but I always wanted to write books first and foremost. Eventually by the time I landed my deal with Texas A&M University Press, which started by default. At that stage I was about halfway through interviews for my Townes book and I knew there were two other Townes books coming out before mine. I knew I had to make it different. Those two are straight biographies so I came up with the Songwriting Legacy format. I had no idea this would become a series, but I like doing things differently and some people seem to like the style so I'm sticking to it for a while. I've also welcomed my friend Courtney S. Lennon onto the team with her book Live Forever: The Songwriting Legacy of Billy Joe Shaver.
My advice besides sticking with it: Read everything. Listen to jazz music. Learn to make your words have rhythm. Read everything again. Do busywork around your house or apartment and let your mind wander. Write, write, write. Study other writers and study your own writing. Make every single word, every single punctuation count. Learn other creative arts. I love cooking. Creating. Making anything. Everything helps you become a better writer if you pay attention. I pretty much spelled this one out above with the luck and perseverance. Of course, that's not all it takes. Talent is pretty important, too.
Brian T. Atkinson is currently working on The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard (Texas A&M University Press, Fall 2019). Atkinson is also the author of I'll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt (TAMU Press, 2012) and co-author with Jenni Finlay of Kent Finlay Dreamer: The Musical Legacy of Cheatham Street Warehouse (TAMU Press, 2016). Aside from authored books, Atkinson has also contributed chapters to Pickers and Poets: The Ruthlessly Poetic Singer-Songwriters of Texas (TAMU Press, 2016) and Song: The World's Best Songwriters on Creating the Music That Moves Us (Writer's Digest Books, 2007). Along with his partner Finlay they co-own Eight 30 Records, Burgundy Red Films, BarnWood Recording Studio and the Austin-based bi-monthly concert series Catfish Concerts.
Some of the work produced by the pair Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins, Dreamer: A Tribute to Kent Finlay, Highway Prayer: A Tribute to Adam Carroll, The Polished Steel Sessions, Danny Barnes' Got Myself Together (Ten Years Later). Eight 30 Records is also behind Floater: A Tribute to the Tributes to Gary Floater Emily Herring's Gliding and Chris Fullerton's Epilepsy Blues. Atkinson contributed liner notes to each as well as the Grammy-nominated This One's for Him: A Tribute to Guy Clark (Music Road, 2011). You can also find Atkinson’s name is publications like CMT.com, Austin- Statesman, American Songwriter, Texas Music, No Depression, Lone Star State among many more.
https://eight30records.bandcamp.com/merch/the-messenger-the-songwriting-legacy-of-ray-wylie-hubbard
Wednesday 29th August 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by Peter Rowan
Dear Younger self.
You had me fooled all this time, what with all your posturing, amiable sincerity, and ‘can do’ attitude.
You tried hard to keep it real and musical in spite of the low expectations of some of the captains of Music Industry who called you a hero. They loved your aimless affability!
To be fair, they loved you too. At times, even I would have believed that your geniality and ignorance was sincere. Those people, well meaning , no doubt, who were so generous with the drugs they brought to you, how they were entertained by your addled amusement, while you no doubt felt terror at the loss of clarity of mind; those glad handed well wishers thought it highly amusing as you struggled to regain composure and recover the musical thread of your performance. I don’t blame you at all.
And although you dressed like a lavender cowboy, It seemed to give you focus, like an old-time stereo view post card, lost to time. It took guts to believe in yourself, and finally your audience agreed!
Good work Younger Self! Thanks for sticking with it!
You had me fooled all this time, what with all your posturing, amiable sincerity, and ‘can do’ attitude.
You tried hard to keep it real and musical in spite of the low expectations of some of the captains of Music Industry who called you a hero. They loved your aimless affability!
To be fair, they loved you too. At times, even I would have believed that your geniality and ignorance was sincere. Those people, well meaning , no doubt, who were so generous with the drugs they brought to you, how they were entertained by your addled amusement, while you no doubt felt terror at the loss of clarity of mind; those glad handed well wishers thought it highly amusing as you struggled to regain composure and recover the musical thread of your performance. I don’t blame you at all.
And although you dressed like a lavender cowboy, It seemed to give you focus, like an old-time stereo view post card, lost to time. It took guts to believe in yourself, and finally your audience agreed!
Good work Younger Self! Thanks for sticking with it!
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Thursday 30th June 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by Isabella Mariee
Dear Mini Isi,
if I could go back and give you a few words of advice, the first thing would be to do more instrument practice and stick with the piano lessons you gave up at the age of 14 - understand that consistency is key.
To my 19 year old self I would love to say; don’t listen when others try to mould you into something you’re not and embrace the clarity of your vocal and its many facets. For all the times you wanted to give up; keep going, be open for change and realise this won’t be easy but you have chosen this path because it makes you happy and gives you purpose in life.
Be honest, but remember that some people don’t want to hear the truth. You can get in trouble for being too honest so think about who you are talking to before laying the truth on them.
Most importantly, be proud of all your achievements you have worked so hard for and believe in you craft. Not everyone will like you/ your music and that’s ok. Be happy for people around you who sometimes snatch up the opportunity that you felt you deserved. You will sometimes struggle to be positive but try hard to see the good in people and wish the best for them, especially the hard working artists who are on a similar path.
Peace out and keep smiling.
Isi
if I could go back and give you a few words of advice, the first thing would be to do more instrument practice and stick with the piano lessons you gave up at the age of 14 - understand that consistency is key.
To my 19 year old self I would love to say; don’t listen when others try to mould you into something you’re not and embrace the clarity of your vocal and its many facets. For all the times you wanted to give up; keep going, be open for change and realise this won’t be easy but you have chosen this path because it makes you happy and gives you purpose in life.
Be honest, but remember that some people don’t want to hear the truth. You can get in trouble for being too honest so think about who you are talking to before laying the truth on them.
Most importantly, be proud of all your achievements you have worked so hard for and believe in you craft. Not everyone will like you/ your music and that’s ok. Be happy for people around you who sometimes snatch up the opportunity that you felt you deserved. You will sometimes struggle to be positive but try hard to see the good in people and wish the best for them, especially the hard working artists who are on a similar path.
Peace out and keep smiling.
Isi
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Monday 25th June 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by Kristy Osmunson
Dear Younger Self:
If I could go back in time and write you a letter with a few words of wisdom for thriving in the music business I would tell my 21 year old self to guard her heart. Be very careful of what older men in positions of power tell you about how to create your best art and your life. Your music and your voice are as fragile as your self image and you are about to be faced with an entire world of social media which will lead to crippling self comparisons and severe body issues if you allow yourself to get sucked into the world of pop culture. Guard your feed. Like eating clean, listening to pretty instagram country singing models complain about their flaws could lead to an unnecessary form of depression. Never compare yourself to anyone else.
Everyone’s journey is their own and if you constantly watch your friends climb the charts and getting hits and wondering what you are doing wrong in the creation of your own records, it will effect the honesty of of your songwriting. Tell your story and no one else’s. And be prepared to have your co writers take your stories and experiences and put them out as their own and be thankful when they do!! It’s the name of the game on music row and it should be considered a compliment. Never wait for permission to put out music. If no one likes it, no one hears it and the world moves on and we all write crap songs every now and then. Protect your vulnerability with your life. If you find relationships are suppressing your creative expression, move on. There are plenty of amazingly talented friends and mentors that will like you for exactly who and what you are, and industry executives will criticize and reject every thing about you because you are nothing but a commodity to them and their job is to say no a thousand times more than yes.
Thankfully you were born in the day of the internet which means one thousand percent ownership of YOUR OWN creative expression. Walk the path of health every time. When in doubt go to bed after the show and get up and get outside for some exercise and fresh air. Do not take hard drugs, or trucker pills to stay awake, or stop seeing doctors or A & R bosses that give you Adderall or Phentermine to keep you skinny, It’s not good for your soul. And when your in Amsterdam stay away from the Mushroom tea.
All that said, say yes to every opportunity that feels good, and no when it doesn’t. Never forget you are your own boss and you are the driver of this bus for the rest of your life. Your health is your wealth and your team is a direct reflection of the way you feel about yourself and your future. And always always always take the time for one more take.
Love, Me
If I could go back in time and write you a letter with a few words of wisdom for thriving in the music business I would tell my 21 year old self to guard her heart. Be very careful of what older men in positions of power tell you about how to create your best art and your life. Your music and your voice are as fragile as your self image and you are about to be faced with an entire world of social media which will lead to crippling self comparisons and severe body issues if you allow yourself to get sucked into the world of pop culture. Guard your feed. Like eating clean, listening to pretty instagram country singing models complain about their flaws could lead to an unnecessary form of depression. Never compare yourself to anyone else.
Everyone’s journey is their own and if you constantly watch your friends climb the charts and getting hits and wondering what you are doing wrong in the creation of your own records, it will effect the honesty of of your songwriting. Tell your story and no one else’s. And be prepared to have your co writers take your stories and experiences and put them out as their own and be thankful when they do!! It’s the name of the game on music row and it should be considered a compliment. Never wait for permission to put out music. If no one likes it, no one hears it and the world moves on and we all write crap songs every now and then. Protect your vulnerability with your life. If you find relationships are suppressing your creative expression, move on. There are plenty of amazingly talented friends and mentors that will like you for exactly who and what you are, and industry executives will criticize and reject every thing about you because you are nothing but a commodity to them and their job is to say no a thousand times more than yes.
Thankfully you were born in the day of the internet which means one thousand percent ownership of YOUR OWN creative expression. Walk the path of health every time. When in doubt go to bed after the show and get up and get outside for some exercise and fresh air. Do not take hard drugs, or trucker pills to stay awake, or stop seeing doctors or A & R bosses that give you Adderall or Phentermine to keep you skinny, It’s not good for your soul. And when your in Amsterdam stay away from the Mushroom tea.
All that said, say yes to every opportunity that feels good, and no when it doesn’t. Never forget you are your own boss and you are the driver of this bus for the rest of your life. Your health is your wealth and your team is a direct reflection of the way you feel about yourself and your future. And always always always take the time for one more take.
Love, Me
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Thursday 21st June 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by Jessie Mary and Pete Briley
Dear Jessica
It will be a long road to get to this place of contentment in your life in terms of where you are as an artist and a person, but you will get there. What a rollercoaster ride it will be. Ups so high your head will be in the clouds, downs so low you will think you will never come up again. Remember that you will, every time.
Have the strength and courage in what you have to say and the paths you want to take. Believe in your talents, make your own choices, maintain your own beliefs and stay true to these. Have the courage to try. You may not succeed, but it does not matter; you are certain to be disappointed if you do not try. Do not worry about what others think. This is of so little consequence, and you will only have yourself to blame for the outcomes.
Those who want to support you in your journey will do so, and those who do not are not worth your energy.
You will make errors in judgement-not mistakes. Let go of guilt and accept that these are part of your growth. Regrets are futile; the past will remain. Learn to be proud of where you are now and even of how you got here.
Do not try and be somebody else to please others. You are you; in life, in your music, in your vision of the world and in how you love. Be thankful for what you are, and what you have. Do not chase love. It will come and go. Finally, if there is something you want to accomplish, start today. Not tomorrow. Your dreams will not come and find you-go out and chase them.
Love with your whole heart, all in. Be humble but proud. Be the best version of yourself. That’s all you can be.
Love, Jess x
It will be a long road to get to this place of contentment in your life in terms of where you are as an artist and a person, but you will get there. What a rollercoaster ride it will be. Ups so high your head will be in the clouds, downs so low you will think you will never come up again. Remember that you will, every time.
Have the strength and courage in what you have to say and the paths you want to take. Believe in your talents, make your own choices, maintain your own beliefs and stay true to these. Have the courage to try. You may not succeed, but it does not matter; you are certain to be disappointed if you do not try. Do not worry about what others think. This is of so little consequence, and you will only have yourself to blame for the outcomes.
Those who want to support you in your journey will do so, and those who do not are not worth your energy.
You will make errors in judgement-not mistakes. Let go of guilt and accept that these are part of your growth. Regrets are futile; the past will remain. Learn to be proud of where you are now and even of how you got here.
Do not try and be somebody else to please others. You are you; in life, in your music, in your vision of the world and in how you love. Be thankful for what you are, and what you have. Do not chase love. It will come and go. Finally, if there is something you want to accomplish, start today. Not tomorrow. Your dreams will not come and find you-go out and chase them.
Love with your whole heart, all in. Be humble but proud. Be the best version of yourself. That’s all you can be.
Love, Jess x
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To Young Pete,
It’s hard to write a letter of advice to a young me. I don’t feel like I’m old enough to be distinct from that kid, and more than that, I don’t feel like I’m qualified to give anyone any pearls of wisdom. But let me see…
Music is everything. Delve deep, always look further for new music. Don’t fear Dad’s record collection, there are some real gems in there.
Don’t waste time trying to crowbar together songs because other people will like them. Authenticity is impossible to fake and it’s the only thing that matters. Be you.
Collaborate lots - you’ll be most proud of what you’ve created with others.
Exercise. You will love running (stop laughing, it’s true). Running will teach you resilience, patience, preparation. It will make you tough, you’ll fight through pain, and most importantly it will prove that hard work can make the impossible possible - and you’ll apply that ethic to everything. And you’ll love those shiny medals!
Politics. Your view of the world will form in your late teens, it’s probably already started - but never be afraid to listen to others. The world is a mix of people and there’s room for everyone. Listen, ask questions, seek to understand, be open. But stay true to your beliefs. You will regret the times you didn’t challenge racist and intolerant sentiment. Respect all people, be humane, be kind.
Love. It’s a tricky one - there’s some pain ahead but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I can’t advise you to avoid the pain, but I will say this:
Love is like a chicken burger - when you know, you know.
I don’t know how much of this is useful, Little Pete, and knowing you you’ll probably call me a patronising old git and tell me to get stuffed. Good lad.
Pete.x
It’s hard to write a letter of advice to a young me. I don’t feel like I’m old enough to be distinct from that kid, and more than that, I don’t feel like I’m qualified to give anyone any pearls of wisdom. But let me see…
Music is everything. Delve deep, always look further for new music. Don’t fear Dad’s record collection, there are some real gems in there.
Don’t waste time trying to crowbar together songs because other people will like them. Authenticity is impossible to fake and it’s the only thing that matters. Be you.
Collaborate lots - you’ll be most proud of what you’ve created with others.
Exercise. You will love running (stop laughing, it’s true). Running will teach you resilience, patience, preparation. It will make you tough, you’ll fight through pain, and most importantly it will prove that hard work can make the impossible possible - and you’ll apply that ethic to everything. And you’ll love those shiny medals!
Politics. Your view of the world will form in your late teens, it’s probably already started - but never be afraid to listen to others. The world is a mix of people and there’s room for everyone. Listen, ask questions, seek to understand, be open. But stay true to your beliefs. You will regret the times you didn’t challenge racist and intolerant sentiment. Respect all people, be humane, be kind.
Love. It’s a tricky one - there’s some pain ahead but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I can’t advise you to avoid the pain, but I will say this:
Love is like a chicken burger - when you know, you know.
I don’t know how much of this is useful, Little Pete, and knowing you you’ll probably call me a patronising old git and tell me to get stuffed. Good lad.
Pete.x
Tuesday 19th June 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by Chantelle McAteer and Chris Logan
Dear Chantelle,
I know times are tough right now. There are people telling you that you are not good enough, you are not pretty enough and you are not talented enough to be all the things you dream of being. They tell you that you are living in a fantasy world and that dreams are just fragments of your imagination that probably won’t come true.
So, you write songs. Your emotions do get the better of you and yes you are a dreamer but these are all good qualities. You have such a bright future ahead of you and you need to believe in yourself. You will find someone who believes in you so much, that makes you work harder and makes you believe that you are going to make your dreams come true!
Remember this when you feel down and like you want to give up.
NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER LOOSE SIGHT OF WHAT YOU WANT! AND DON’T LET ANYONE BRING YOU DOWN! YOU WILL MAKE IT.
DREAM IT, BELIEVE IT AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE IT!
Love
Chantelle
I know times are tough right now. There are people telling you that you are not good enough, you are not pretty enough and you are not talented enough to be all the things you dream of being. They tell you that you are living in a fantasy world and that dreams are just fragments of your imagination that probably won’t come true.
So, you write songs. Your emotions do get the better of you and yes you are a dreamer but these are all good qualities. You have such a bright future ahead of you and you need to believe in yourself. You will find someone who believes in you so much, that makes you work harder and makes you believe that you are going to make your dreams come true!
Remember this when you feel down and like you want to give up.
NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER LOOSE SIGHT OF WHAT YOU WANT! AND DON’T LET ANYONE BRING YOU DOWN! YOU WILL MAKE IT.
DREAM IT, BELIEVE IT AND YOU WILL ACHIEVE IT!
Love
Chantelle
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Dear Chris,
I know there are times when you feel like you're in this world alone, constantly beating your head against a brick wall, but here is some advice to save you some time on your journey. Firstly, everything happens for a reason and all the little roadblocks put in front of you will do nothing but make you push harder. That is a good thing. Just try to take time and enjoy the journey for a little while instead of pushing ahead to the next step as quickly as possible.
This is the big one. Don't waste your time on people who are not interested and don't wait on anyone. If it ever feels like you’re carrying people you probably are, so move on. Don't think there is not another alternative, because, you will waste so much time and indeed money carrying people and paying for people who will only hold things back further because they are not interested. Meanwhile they will keep their own money and buy all the things that you have to sacrifice. So forge your own path and wait on nobody, don't be afraid of change.
Be yourself and do what you want to do because life is too short to not be. Forget about what is considered normal or fitting in. Just do what 'you' want. Believe in your dreams and ignore people who tell you that you can't do it or your silly for trying.
'Friends' will come and go... some people may seem like your friends but you will quickly find that they are only interested in what you can offer them on their own way up the ladder. So don't give away your skills cheaply and to anyone because of a kind nature. You will be asked to do many favours for people, record people for free, compose film scores for free, help other musician friends out and many other things. But don't do it, as hard as that will be, don't do it. They will simply take what you have and then move forward onto the next person. They will promise you the world in return but deliver on nothing. Instead they will seek to make fun of you, laugh at your own efforts and then cut you out of their lives once they have taken what they need. Three events will happen that will shape this. So look out for the signs and when you feel that you are being used walk away.
Finally, anytime you get involved with anyone creatively ensure contracts are drawn up because one 'songwriter' will take what you have, promise the world and then claim those songs for their own.
But despite all of this you will finally find select people who really care and you will achieve many things to be proud of. Just stop and take the time to enjoy those things when they come along.
Keep Pushing...
Chris
I know there are times when you feel like you're in this world alone, constantly beating your head against a brick wall, but here is some advice to save you some time on your journey. Firstly, everything happens for a reason and all the little roadblocks put in front of you will do nothing but make you push harder. That is a good thing. Just try to take time and enjoy the journey for a little while instead of pushing ahead to the next step as quickly as possible.
This is the big one. Don't waste your time on people who are not interested and don't wait on anyone. If it ever feels like you’re carrying people you probably are, so move on. Don't think there is not another alternative, because, you will waste so much time and indeed money carrying people and paying for people who will only hold things back further because they are not interested. Meanwhile they will keep their own money and buy all the things that you have to sacrifice. So forge your own path and wait on nobody, don't be afraid of change.
Be yourself and do what you want to do because life is too short to not be. Forget about what is considered normal or fitting in. Just do what 'you' want. Believe in your dreams and ignore people who tell you that you can't do it or your silly for trying.
'Friends' will come and go... some people may seem like your friends but you will quickly find that they are only interested in what you can offer them on their own way up the ladder. So don't give away your skills cheaply and to anyone because of a kind nature. You will be asked to do many favours for people, record people for free, compose film scores for free, help other musician friends out and many other things. But don't do it, as hard as that will be, don't do it. They will simply take what you have and then move forward onto the next person. They will promise you the world in return but deliver on nothing. Instead they will seek to make fun of you, laugh at your own efforts and then cut you out of their lives once they have taken what they need. Three events will happen that will shape this. So look out for the signs and when you feel that you are being used walk away.
Finally, anytime you get involved with anyone creatively ensure contracts are drawn up because one 'songwriter' will take what you have, promise the world and then claim those songs for their own.
But despite all of this you will finally find select people who really care and you will achieve many things to be proud of. Just stop and take the time to enjoy those things when they come along.
Keep Pushing...
Chris
Monday 18th June 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by JT Lewis
Dear little bitty-me-from the past,
I know you love to play sports and you think that’s you’re life right now, but I can tell you that it won’t be forever. So when your leg craps out in the middle of a basketball game and you have to have surgery on your knee, don’t be sad, because when a door closes, God opens the right window. You’ll use that bedridden time post-surgery to get pretty dang good at playing the guitar, and you’ll end up making a living playing that guitar and singing one day! And sweating on stage is much more fun than sweating on the basketball court ;) The path you’re about to embark on with music is not an easy one. You’ll have doors shut in your face more often than not, but the successes will make it all worthwhile. You’ll play some shows for empty rooms, where even the bartender walks out for a smoke, but then it’ll all be worth it because you’ll have nights where you’re opening for your favorite artist in front of sold out theaters. Don’t worry so much and enjoy the ride. And most importantly, spend time with your family and don’t forget to tell them how much they mean to you and how much you love them.
JT |
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Thursday 24th May 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by Jessica Clemmons
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Wow, do you have big dreams. I love the way that you have such a certain path for yourself that you’d stop at nothing to achieve it. Even at such a young age. You don’t realize it yet but you’ve picked one of the hardest, achievable careers out there. Make sure, while still trying to achieve that big dream, you allow yourself to be flexible. Success comes in so many different forms. To one person you may be a nobody but to someone else, your songs are what can help them through the day.
Don’t forget to get educated in the field you’re going in. The music industry is a tough place with lots of snakes looking to take advantage of naïve young girls. Don’t be one of those girls. Start learning. Knowledge really is power and it can save you a ton of stress and heartache. Don’t prioritize your career so much that you forget what’s important and miss out on the important stuff. |
Write about everything and remember that you’re not trying to please someone else. Music is subjective and not everyone will like it but as long as you’re speaking from the heart, you’ll be able to touch someone’s soul in ways you can’t imagine right now.
Finally, have fun! Enjoy every single moment you’re blessed with on this journey. Soak it all in and take tons of pictures and videos, even if you feel silly doing it. Take advantage of opportunities and see the world. Don’t be so focused on your dream that you forget to keep dreaming.
Jess
Finally, have fun! Enjoy every single moment you’re blessed with on this journey. Soak it all in and take tons of pictures and videos, even if you feel silly doing it. Take advantage of opportunities and see the world. Don’t be so focused on your dream that you forget to keep dreaming.
Jess
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Monday 14th May 2018
Dear My Younger Self, by Jenn Bostic
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Dear Younger Jenn,
Right now you love creating and making music for fun, and it is a beautiful therapy that has gotten you through so much. With success and applause comes a natural desire to gain more and more. This may cause you to create based on what you think others want to hear, verses what is authentic. |
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Stay genuine, write from your heart, and know that as you vulnerably put it out into the world some people will say that what you’re creating isn’t good enough, or that it needs to be altered to fit in a specific box. Hang in there.
Every single teardrop, every frustration will mold you into an artist who knows exactly who they are. Every disappointment will melt away when your songs start connecting with people so deeply that it moves them to tears. It won’t be easy, but even on the days you want to quit so bad that it hurts to breathe, keep circling the mountain.
Jenn
Every single teardrop, every frustration will mold you into an artist who knows exactly who they are. Every disappointment will melt away when your songs start connecting with people so deeply that it moves them to tears. It won’t be easy, but even on the days you want to quit so bad that it hurts to breathe, keep circling the mountain.
Jenn
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