Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Thankful for '23!

Thankful for sooo many things in 2023.....

On stage, December 2023, charity event.
Last year, I wrote a fairly comprehensive piece on being thankful, loaded with a fair bit of detail, professionally speaking.

This year I'd like to focus on something more personal and more general. I do focus on some 2023 highlights in my annual birthday post if you're interested, however....

It is often bragged - in song, poetry, moving pictures, literature, & the like - that one has made it on their own. That no one provided any assistance. That the person clawed out of the gutter and climbed the mountain all on their own.

This is a romantic vision and is, perhaps in some cases, absolutely true. But it isn't true for me.

From my first gigs to the first key to a recording studio door all the way to the day before yesterday, I have been blessed with opportunity and a helping hand from all manner of people - some family, some friends, some almost complete strangers.

I am blessed beyond belief.

And I am as grateful as I can possibly be.

I definitely have NOT done it all on my own. The life of a self-employed musician is hard, but mostly its hard on those around you. Every woman with whom I've had a failed relationship (that's ALL of them) and every woman I've ever been involved with will attest to that. My kids and my family and my friends can attest to it as well. Its a volatile industry and an incredibly stressful lifestyle for those who love us....or even just like us a little bit, for a little while - a few moments in time.

So, yes, it can be hard personally and financially and about any other way one can think. But its also incredibly rewarding, incredibly fulfilling, incredibly....magical. And it stuns me every day to realize this has been my life for decades.
On stage, June 2023, Woodsongs.

And I never could have done it on my own. 

So cheers to YOU, everyone who has ever lent a helping hand (financially, emotionally, or let me crash on your sofa when my life was falling apart), put cash in my tip jar, shared my music, attended my gigs, recommended me to others for music instruction, gotten me a gig, trusted me to teach a loved one or to play on your record, hired me to compose music for your business or to play music at your event or to produce your recording, collaborated with me (music, teaching, events, etc), and the like.

Saying "thank you" seem inadequate, to say the least. But being less than gifted as a wordsmith, its all I can find to say, I'm afraid.

But I can say: Its been a wonderful life and I look forward to every single day.

Thank all of you for making my dream a reality.



Sunday, December 3, 2023

HAPPY 59

on stage with Michael Johnathon, June 2023
"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"
- Satchel Paige


My annual obligatory birthday post!

Sooo...another trek around the sun, as they say - 59 such treks. This year, as every year, has been quite the roller-coaster ride...from another successful Lexi Music Awards event to hosting open mics to performances at local charity events to national TV to a couple of fabulous studio sessions to performances at both the Prince Tribute show and the Tina Turner Tribute show and so much more on the professional & creative front!

And, of course, its been amazing to continue to watch students & former students go out into the world and be creative and chase their dreams!

Eddy, Carol, & me!
Here at SD Universe, I made 12 entries, including a percussion workshop article, a lesson article of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", and four RIP pieces (Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Gordon Lightfoot, and Jeff Beck).....while at SD Magazine we published two "Sonic Sorcery" lessons, a Superbowl Music lesson, and two "Looking Back" articles ("Synchronicity" by the Police and Revel Yell" by Billy Idol).

So....my birthday weekend:

Friday (10-20) was a hard workout at the gym (final pre-birthday workout) and included 60 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes full body resistance work, and capped it off with weighted carries (45 pound plate in each hands while walking laps around the gym).
a coupla random adults hanging with my main man G!


Saturday (10-21) was a set at a charity gig for Greenhouse 17 organized by Ned Bellau at The Cellar, and then a pizza party with the kids!

Sunday (10-22) was the annual Birthday Jam! We packed the patio at Goodwood and had a blast! I also broke a 30+ day alcohol-free (also an annual thing for me) with a really good scotch!
Serena w/ backup from me and Haywood!


Monday (birthday) I got up feeling a tad ragged from the weekend festivities, but after getting the kids off to school, I hit the gym HARD, then went home to a super-rare steak with shrimp and guacamole, raw mixed nuts, and a nap! 

Unfortunately, the ragged feeling turned out to be a cold or mild flu which lasted for over a week, but if that's the worst thing that happened, nothing happened (haha!).

Also blessed to receive hundreds upon hundreds of birthday wishes via text, email, snail mail, social media, phone calls, & the like...and as I do each year, I took my annual ODIS (Old Dudes In Shape) pictures as a challenge to my buddies who also post ODIS pics. Good accountability and keeps us all motivated and disciplined! (pic at bottom)

On the off chance that you are interested in the stories & photos from past birthdays, you can punch THIS LINK, which will list them all.

That's it for now. Gotta get to work prepping lessons, Lexi Music Awards, my annual "thankful" post, and more....and please check out my Patreon page ($5/month for Total Access to writings, performance clips, music instruction, diet & fitness writings, AMAs, etc)!

See y'all soon...in person, online, on TV, or wherever we shall meet!

#StayFierce #SkinnyDevil #FierceAF #SDMLguitar #LexiMusicAwards #ThisIs58 #PirateLife










Tuesday, May 30, 2023

SUMMER FUN: Free Resources, Gigs for You, Lessons, More!

How is it we're almost halfway through 2023?!

Well, I hope you are enjoying the year so far...and I have a LOT of resources for you on your musical journey! Before we hit them all, I thought it prudent to share some basic background info for those interested. You can read my bio & student success stories HERE.

OK, here we go....

1) Summer Lessons - We have a new summer group session of guitar classes starting Thursday, June 1st at Willis Music (attend in-person or via Zoom).....and I have several private lesson slots open NOW!

Contact me for details at sdmusiclab@gmail.com or 909-929-2007.

2) Free Articles/Lessons - Already this year, I've written (free for the public) lesson articles on Tina Turner, Gordon Lightfoot, & Harry Belafonte, plus a piece on "found percussion" (& basic concepts), lesson article "The Music of O Brother Where Art Thou?", and more all at SD Universe......as well as my entries at SD Magazine, which include pieces on "Heart of Glass", a tribute to Jeff Beck, lesson on Chris Stapleton's Superbowl performance of "Star Spangled Banner", another "Sonic Sorcery" lesson exploring alliteration, as well as the first two entries of the new LOOK BACK series, Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" and the classic "Synchronicity" by The Police.

Active students also have access to our supplemental pages, where we've included a lot of info plus over 60 song charts so far this year!

3) Gig Opportunities - In addition to 4 solo/duo recitals per year and an additional 2-3 "rock band" recitals per year, we've also kicked off the "Second Sunday Open Mic" where we have students and non-students alike on stage to perform! We prioritize students participation, but the idea is also to allow greater networking with area musicians of all ages and all styles!

Contact me if YOU want to perform!

4) Field Trips - We're attempting to organize and confirm dates NOW to local radio stations and more, including a trip to be a crew member at Woodsongs Oldtime Radio Hour (shot in Lexington, KY and broadcast on 500+ stations worldwide and dozens of public TV stations across the country).

Details soon!

5) Misc - We'll be setting some VERY specific goals for summer to keep current students on track.....I'll be conducting several songwriting workshops in Lexington, Nicholasville, & more during the summer & fall.....you can subscribe to my Patreon Page for only $5/month - and for current students, at NO EXTRA COST (the $5 monthly fee for patreon will be deducted from your lesson tuition).....and all of my social media can be accessed via my FB page.


That's it for now - stay in tune and I'll see you soon!


=====
If you value my work and want to support it......contact me for lessons (guitar, electric bass, ukulele, social drumming, songwriting, etc) or feel free to leave a tip (one-shot or monthly):

PayPal (one-time or monthly options)
http://www.paypal.me/skinnydevilmusic

Venmo (one-time only)
www.venmo.com/David-McLean-47


Thursday, May 25, 2023

AMA - Thoughts on Tyson Fury & Jon Jones Controversy

I got a good laugh at this question, as I'm a musician, not a fighter (and when I fought, I was average at best, and that was long ago).

Be that as it may, I figured it might be fun to weigh in on this.

"Did you hear what Joe Rogan said about Tyson Fury and Jon Jones? Now Tyson & Jones are talking back and forth on social media. Who do you think would win?"

Yes, I heard what Rogan said, yes I heard some of the back and forth (though not sure of the chronology or who said what first following Joe). Who do I think would win?

Well, I think boxing and MMA are two entirely different sports. Sure, they're both combat sports. But understand the rule set of boxing and the rule set of MMA are radically different, and the salient point of "different" in this case is that boxing enjoys a MUCH more limiting rule set.

So how a fight between them would turn out? 

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

RIP Tina Turner

The undisputed Queen of Rock-n-Roll.....RIP Tina Turner.

Her influence began almost immediately, showing young ladies the far boundaries of what was possible in the music business. Tina's career spanned from roughly 1960 until well into the 2000s, and every generation was profoundly impacted by her voice, her music, her style, and her sheer force fighting against all odds.

Performing & recording with Ike Turner & his Kings of Rhythm in the late 1950s, she exploded onto the airwaves with her debut single "Fool in Love" in 1960.