#ThrowbackThursday

Happy "Over The Hump" Day!

When I moved to the Los Angeles area to see what I could do to break into the music industry, one of the first well-known figures that I met (that I actually cared about meeting) was James Brown/Parliament/Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins back in 2008.  He is such a warm and approachable guy; one that you could definitely see yourself meeting at a cafe and chatting with for hours.  I remember when I met him he seemed surprised at how such a "young kat" such as myself knew so much about his early career start with James Brown.  Never did I think that meeting him would be the beginning of meeting other living legends of musical inspiration.  Over the course of the next three years or so, I ran into the likes of the late, great Wayman Tisdale, George Duke, Alphonso Johnson, Lee Sklar, Tony Levin, Nathan Watts, Mark King and the current lineup of Level 42, and many more.  Needless to say, these chance encounters are what kept me going in an industry where rejection is commonplace, and discouragement is an aspect that one has to quickly learn to confront by having an unwavering attitude of determination to persevere.  

In one of my recent searches on YouTube, I ran into an interview with Bootsy and Earth, Wind & Fire bassist Verdine White that was recorded on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus that was in attendance at the 2012 Winter NAMM Convention in Anaheim, California.  NAMM, which is the National Association of Music Merchants, has an annual convention every year in January that is closed to the public, where music retailers and buyers, manufacturers of musical instruments, and anything and everything else music-related converge to debut and demo new products expected for release in the coming year.  The convention is a place where artists that are sponsored on a particular company's roster will be present to not only try out new gear for themselves, but to also demo the products on behalf of their sponsors to crowds of buyers and retailers via various scheduled appearances that vary in size and scope.  If one is fortunate to have access to such an event, all one has to do is follow the crowds or any commotion.  One might run into Jazzman Herbie Hancock trying out some of the new synths with KORG, or John Taylor (bassist of Duran Duran) over at the PEAVEY booth.  You never know...

Anyhow, in the interview, both of the living legends discuss the nature of the music business, the practical realities of what a working musician deals with in the day-to-day grind, and how important it is for them to give back to the younger generation of musicians that are up and coming.  Watching this clip was what began my own motivational refueling process some weeks ago, leaving me with the desire to get back out there and play again after a hiatus of some years...  Enjoy, and be inspired...