I seem to have developed somewhat of a sleep disorder in the last few years. It’s hardly serious. I compensate (or rather overcompensate) with a tremendous amount of caffeine, for which I have an insatiable appetite. However, I’ve noticed there are certain triggers that set off these stretches of insomnia. The first and most obvious is music; my muse tends to whisper sweet nothings into my ear at the most inconvenient of times…not that I’m complaining. The second trigger is much less pleasant and much more broad…guilt, stress, apprehension, anxiety, ect. You get the point.
However, what’s been plaguing me recently is simply guilt. A few years back I met a reputable man who expressed interest in managing my career. At the time, I was a mere 20 years old with naive perceptions of the music industry’s reality. We kept things casual for a few months and started laying the foundations for what looked like a promising partnership, but “shit got real” really fast when contract time came. To make a long story short, rather than hire an entertainment lawyer to go over the contract (which in hindsight would have been the way to go), I hired an attorney who happened to be a family friend. My attorney felt the contract was unfairly stacked to my disadvantage, so he adjusted the contract as he saw fit to serve me best and countered the offer. To this day I’m still not exactly sure about what happened, but my prospective manager seemed to shut down and refused to make any changes to the “industry standard” contract. So I walked.
Being young and naive with a fantastical outlook on life is not the same as being foolish. I was 20 years old with an entire career ahead of me and it would have been incredibly foolish to literally sign it away before it had even started. Yet, the thing that absolutely kills me is that this prospective manager of mine is a good man. There’s no doubt in my mind that his intentions for me were 100% benevolent and that he could/would have made some incredible things happen for me. But there it is. It makes me sick when I think about how things got left, but in the end I had to do what was best for me. And now it’s just another one of the many bridges I’ve burned.
Having only had a vague awareness of Wilco until this past year (sadly there’s no good excuse for this), their music has had a tremendous influence on much of my recent work. Here’s an article on their new record. Enjoy.
Article on Wilco
Posted by Jamie on Thu, 2 Jul 2009
Whenever I’m sad and lonely or I’m feeling out of sync with the rest of the world
I think of a chance encounter in an unexpected place with an unusual girl
In her I found the perfect stranger
A momentary confidante and friend
It’s funny how the person you may need most
Can mean the least in the end
Because it’s only a chance encounter
When it became clear that evening that our time had run its course we stood and said our goodbyes
And now I can’t help but wonder was this encounter thanks to fate or just a pleasant surprise?
In truth we’re all connected to the same string
Of intersecting lives and incidents
So in the end these perceptions of loneliness
Are just coincidence
It’s no surprise love always seems out of reach
When you measure who you are by your inadequacies
And I have those to spare in kilometers, fathoms, and leagues
But I finally see…
That all it takes is a chance encounter
Posted by Jamie on Wed, 1 Jul 2009
Back in Norman for a few days. No roommate or friends in town to distract so I’ll be holed up in my house writing/recording, which is a luxury I’m currently desperate for seeing as I can hardly seem to finish writing one song before the gears start turning and another pops into my head. Some really great stuff is flowing out…very singer/songwriter.
Furthermore, these next few days of isolation will permit me some much needed time to do some serious soul searching. I was recently extended a contract by an up-and-coming record label that is interested in partnering. I’ve been reading and rereading the contract as well as doing my homework (yes, I’ve dusted off the old music-business notes I took at Belmont so many years ago) and it seems like this could be a great opportunity once some ambiguities are resolved. My friend and fellow singer/songwriter Graham Colton is also reviewing the contract, and if it seems like a good fit to him I plan on hiring an attorney who specializes in music business contracts to look it over as well. I guess what I’m saying is that I’ve had my fair share of “shady” contract offers from various mediums within the music biz, so I’m covering my bases thoroughly.
It would be a tremendous lie to say that I’m not excited about the aforementioned information. Hopefully, I’ll have some happy news to report in the weeks to come. But if not, this whole experience has ultimately resulted in my eyes opening to one thing in particular…
A record label has expressed interest in my musical abilities and has made me an offer, which means that at some point down the road another one will too.
More soon,
J
Posted by Jamie on Mon, 29 Jun 2009
Honey, I belong to you and you belong to me
Whether we’re separate or an aggregate we are always still a “we”
Some may say that a man’s defined by the company he keeps
Well if that be true then it’s me and you because we love in bounds and leaps
Honey, you were made for me and I was made for you
We could swim or sink and to life’s lees drink until our days are finally through
Some may say that a girl’s defined by the man she loves so deep
Well if that be fact then your deck is stacked because we love in bounds and leaps
Some may say that a love divine is a mountain that’s too steep
Well, to that I say “climb it night and day” until you love in bounds and leaps
Posted by Jamie on Sun, 28 Jun 2009
