It's finally happened. Words for public eyes. Helpless little words lie flat out in the livid daylight. The scorching sun glaring down on them, making it somewhat hard to read in the exploding light. I must admit, it is a bit of a thrill for me, as I have hidden behind a melody in the dead of night for many years. Yes, I am one of those... those good-for-nothing music maker types who strive for artistic splendor by the strum of a chord and a drifting melody in the summer garden. Personally speaking, I am quite happy being virtually unknown other than the local scene, family, friends, and whoever else. I would most likely take a bite of the poison apple if offered, but I'd immediately regret it, mostly because my creative life has changed for me in recent months as I am newlywed! I've definitely changed as a creative. It was a bit of an artistic existential crisis that I still feel hasn’t settled, which may continue and perhaps benefit future projects. My values shifted, and it led me to start exploring this new business idea called “Some Dream” while refocusing my creativity in music. Yes, I have landed in the blogosphere (sorry), and I must say, I like it.
Most of my useful meandering is done by pen in a private journal, for I was always so against the idea of submitting to the public screen (except livejournal, ugh). I figured we as a species spent enough time as it was tuned into the television, but now that's been swallowed whole by this insane monster that we’ve created, otherwise known as the internet or "world wide web." Not only has it swallowed television, but basically everything else. I am sure this is not news to you, dear reader (I've always wanted to say that). It’s had so much potential, with such fascinating and truly bizarre elements within the whole fiasco. It has been a useful blessing sent to us by ancient aliens, but also a menacing curse from the demigods of the underworld. Still, I am a highly addicted participant entwined in its unusual throes of disarray, and I need my medicine, so why not blog? Mindlessly scrolling has really been getting me down about myself lately, and I feel like my brain is rotting, which is another fun side effect of this great invention. There are many side effects, burrowed like parasites, within the very fabric of our existence and social parameters. Anyway, I can already see my blogs going from a normal theme and topic to a complete meltdown of how microwaves work. The sky's the limit! Or at least until we pass into the endless void of space, heading into an endless nothing (which is awesome). I assure you, I speak of these things with an excited air encompassing them. Life is wild, and I am looking forward to writing complete nonsense about it.
Everyone is always telling me to hone in on a particular niche of writing in order to succeed. Which may be true, but let's have some fun getting there, as I need my practice and to start building a portfolio of non-musical writings. Honing in the niche goes for most things in life, but how boring can that be? We can focus on one (or two) subjects to explore, and we can create new worlds within those ideas and concepts. This blog will be mostly me floundering like a madman until I (we?) get the niche in our sights. It might take some time, so all I can tell you is that we are in for a weird ride. I like to think of these kinds of things as Willy Wonka's tunnel on his nightmarish boat tour.
This would not be much of a first post without a proper introduction, so here we are. My name is (insert new pen name here) J.R. Rose, and I live in a really magical but terrifying place, filled with potholes as far as the eye can see, in New Orleans, Louisiana. I was born in Los Angeles, California (South Pasadena to be exact) on March 22nd, so that means I qualify as "barely aries''which is fun to say. I'm not too knowledgeable about astrology, but I like the idea of using it to my benefit through life and art. The imagery and central themes are relatively interesting and mystifying. Maybe it will be something worth exploring. To be determined... My father, a Scottish guy from Gourock, Scotland (a wee bit northwest of Glasgow), immigrated to Los Angeles to party and have a good time. plasterer by day, plastered by night. Not really; I just wanted to make that joke, but he does like a good drink; he's Scottish! My mother is from Wallasey, across the Mersey from Liverpool. She came over to the States through a nanny agency at eighteen and has been here ever since. Now, I'm not trying to write my autobiography, but I think an understanding of me as a first-generation American is important, especially in future posts. They married for two years with me, divorced, and remarried, and my mother eventually ended up moving to New Orleans (where her husband was from) in 2004. I didn't want to go, so I went to boarding school for two years before deciding to move. I am a musician after all, so it made sense to come here in my mind. There's a brief one-two punch for you about how I got here and who I am. Maybe we will get more in depth in another future post.
I mentioned I play music. That has been a lifelong obsession for as long as I can remember. I breathe the stuff but can't read a lick of it. I used to be able to read a little back in orchestra class, but I mostly pretended while they were yanking me from violin to drums, guitar, and even an accordion during recitals. I guess I had a natural ear for it, which I have always been very grateful for. Writing is another knack that I have loved being endowed with. The very idea of writing excites me. It's such a spiritual, magnificent thing to me that I can't quite wrap my head around it. Short stories in school and writer workshops were my favorites. I've always envisioned myself as a writer, no matter how good or bad it may be. I like to live the essence of writing and the concept of ideas being pondered over and delicately translated into meaningful words—a dance of sorts that encapsulates my imagination.
After writing some of this and stepping away for a moment, the anxious thoughts came rushing in without hesitation. Those pesky self-doubt monsters we all have to deal with. They vary from person to person, and I happen to have quite a lot of the little buggers. Oh, god, this is going public?? My inner voice that usually just babbles to itself or in a journal? Well, so be it. I don't care! For the time being, at least. I am sure once I hit "post," the monsters will really raise hell. It’s stepping into new territory that I haven’t really ventured into before. I’ve always been keen on the idea of starting a blog, but I just never got around to it or felt right about it.
If you are still with me, you may be wondering, "Jesus, when is this dude going to get to the point of this blog, website, vintage thing, and music?" First of all, thanks for your patience, and second, thanks for reading. I'll tell you what the point of all this is, dear reader. It is to get my writing chops up to start building a portfolio for potential clients. This blog is for writing about things that I enjoy that may turn out to be "niches," and we will go from there. "Finding the niche" seems like a fun task in some kind of game. It is also a blog about my new business umbrella. "Some Dream" hangs like a cloud over all of the things that I produce. It is the center hub, a control station where everything passes through. Music, writing, vintage clothing, music equipment, songwriting, books, records, coffee, and more topics that I can ramble on about. It is the Apple to my Beatles. The music business is relentless and can be exhausting as well as rewarding, and you grow through resilience to all the no-sayers. I never climbed up the ladder of “success” and the like, but I have been releasing and promoting original music under my name for close to twenty years. So this is also a way to operate as a record label and release new music through it.
Some Dream is actually a song I wrote back in 2017 when I was living in Los Angeles for an extended period of time. It sat dormant for years until, out of nowhere, a little melodic lead popped out and breathed life into it. It's amazing how songwriting and creativity work. It just lies in wait and appears whenever you are ready for it. I released "Some Dream'' in January 2023 after painstakingly working on it. I must have recorded about six demos of each song. That turned out to be six songs for the Some Dream Tarot series, based on the concept of tarot. Each song, released monthly, encapsulated the essence of that particular month. It was pretty exhausting to release every month and also too expensive. I am as independent as they come, so my financial options are limited. I had to wrap up the sessions early due to financial constraints, and I only finished six of the twelve planned. It was all for the most amazing event that has ever happened in my life, and it was well worth it. My wedding!
All of the money went into savings for a trip to Scotland that I booked on Ash Wednesday of last year, 2023. Which is a whole other crazy story that I may remember to tell in the future. We desperately needed something positive after the worst Mardi Gras experience we have ever had. I was then proposed to on my birthday, and we settled on just using the trip to Scotland to get married and honeymoon. A magical time was had, and I am beyond happy for the two of us that seem to fit so perfectly in this little pod. I am very grateful, that's for sure. After settling back into the reality of New Orleans, I return to music to figure out the next step. The spirit has been rather reluctant to provide fresh material because I think I was just so overwhelmed by the monthly release schedule that I got burned out or something. It has slowly been calling and finding its way back, and I try to be patient. It was both a motivational and self-discipline issue.
For the time being, I am doing a deep cleanse of unfinished material and revisiting bits that I initially didn't care for. It has been a fun process going through old journals and countless lyrical materials that I just forgot about or moved away from. There are always some overlooked pieces of gold scattered throughout the playing field, so that has been fun and inspiring for me. I created a kickstarter out of a desperate subconscious effort to light a fire under me, and that's exactly what happened. I've been rather reclusive in nature for quite some time, so after a week of promoting it and not finding new donors, I canceled because it was an unrealistic number, and I was quite embarrassed at the response, truth be told. It's whatever; maybe I should have seen it through to the end. Oh well. It did its job, which was to get me motivated and inspired again to create with passion and enthusiasm. It's such an important factor in my life. The magic has returned; praise be to the music gods.
So yes, in conclusion, Some Dream will act as the main hub for all creative and business endeavors. This blog is in search of the illusive niche and the journey of what is released. Exciting times! I am currently writing a business plan with a lot of focus on the vintage branch of our new company. It feels wonderful to be writing for you, my dear reader, while we fall through the looking glass and come out in stupefied confusion. It also allows me to expand my vocabulary and work on proper grammar. Being more intellectually aware in my work compared to slinging coffee drinks in a mad rush in downtown New Orleans is all I am after. Yes, the day job is an obvious must-have in these overpriced days. I am a writer and musician, so of course I am on the financial fringe of existence. I am blessed with the comforts of life and a happy wife. Over the moon, truly. Thanks again for being here with me for this. I hope you enjoyed my writing and will subscribe for new words every month. I will most likely blog twice a month if I am lucky, but I will be happy with one. I am not quite sure what I am getting myself into, but I suppose we will find out together. Something I read said the sweet spot is two thousand, four hundred and seven words, so that is what it shall be. I think it's rather unique because it's like 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, etc.
There is so much to be grateful for in this cliche existence. Simply writing late into the night while thunder rolls over on its side in the humid haze of another New Orleans Mardi Gras season is something in itself. I do love this town; her open arms embrace artists and creatives of all kinds. The streets are filled with a magic that most surely rubs off on you. It is a great city to write in, and I need to find some new spots and get out of the house. I am truly excited for this new idea to take flight. I am in touch with something I have not ventured into before, so it is kind of scary, to be honest. Thank you again!
Almost at the word count...ending now.