There Wasn't a Show to Come To
Now there's one every Sunday night at 8 PM. It's just in my house.
Starting this Sunday, I’m going live on YouTube every week at 8 PM. I’ll be writing a new songs for my upcoming releases in real time. I’ll also play a couple finished ones.
Here’s the thinking.
My writing has moved a lot this past year. More than it has in a long time. And the rooms available for me to play right now don't feel like where these songs live. That's not a knock on the rooms. It's just a mismatch, and every show in the wrong room costs energy I'd rather spend on the songs that will earn the right room.
The problem with that math is the whole reason I make music is to connect with people. Cut the shows and you cut the connection. So the trade… instead of driving to a venue that doesn’t fit, I’m opening the door to the room where the songs actually get made. If you ever wanted to see me play and there wasn’t a show to come to, now there’s one every week. It’s just in my house.
Some honesty about what you’ll be watching. I write alone. When a song has come along far enough, I often bring in a few close friends I’ve been making music with for years to help finish it, produce it, play an instrument on it. That’s the whole circle a song moves through before it’s finished. Strangers in the room at the blank-page stage is new territory for me. It’s going to be awkward at times. Some nights it won’t be good. That’s not a bug I’m planning to fix. You’ll be watching a song get made, not a song being presented, and those are different things.
And if you’re in the room, say something in the chat. It’s a hangout, not a recital. Maybe someone in there will have something to throw into the pot.
I promised myself a year. Fifty-two Sundays. Some weeks nobody will be in the room, and that’s okay. Some weeks people will be in the room thinking, what the hell is this guy doing, and that’s okay too.
I’d love to know what you think about all this. Cool idea? Weird idea? Something you might drop in on now and then? Tell me in the comments.
First one is this Sunday at 8 PM Eastern: Cookie Rabinowitz Live, Ep. 1: The First One
The door’s open.