On top of that, I've already seen 51 (!) new or new-to-me bands so far this year through 58 (also worthy of an ! because that puts me on pace for a personal record-shattering 232) shows. I guess that would almost have to be the case when a lot of my older favorite acts that I got into in the "early days" of 2005-2006 are either playing less (TWF/WLR/The Alarmists) or are on tour more (Catchpenny/Roster McCabe/Ari Herstand).
The fact that I still go to as many (if not more) shows than I do in the past is great, but it does feel weird to think about how everything has evolved over time. Back in the day (which according to Dane Cook, by the way, was a Wednesday) I would only go to shows if a band I had already seen and was totally into was already on the bill. That's why when you look at the "originals" column in 2007 it looks so sparse.
Then again, back then there was little need to "branch out", because shows by my favorite bands were frequent and plentiful. Now, with many of those early bands taking a step back or a step away, I find myself following newer bands more often, reaching a little bit deeper into the scene to find shows when nothing obvious is happening, or even just taking a blind stab by seeing bands I have little or no connection to at my favorite venue (The Varsity, of course).
2009 has been a fun year so far, but now things get a little bit complicated. Why? Because I need to find a new job, as my old college job working at the U of M Law School is now complete. I'm really sad to leave the Law School (they were awesome to me and it was actually pretty cool), but now I need to find something post-college.
Something in graphic design and/or photography would be nice, though music photography is obviously my forté. My only worry is that, were I to go with the music photography route, would I have to move to New York or LA to be able to do it viably? I love the Twin Cities music scene and all my friends here, but my current knowledge and ability to "make it" as a self-employed person is limited at best. So I'd probably have to jump on with some publication, label, or whatever to be able to shoot bands and make a living. But is there anywhere in the Twin Cities that I could do that? At this point, I'm not entirely sure.
Money does not motivate me, but being able to make a living doing what I love (music photography) would certainly be nice. And if I can do it in the Twin Cities, that's freaking awesome. The last thing I want to do right now is start over in another town, but if someone from NY/LA were to come calling with an offer I couldn't refuse, you know I'd probably have to take it. There's no reason why I wouldn't want to have a job doing what I love if it keeps me from having to work at a job I want nothing to do with just to pay the bills.
In the end, I believe that the most important thing in life to is to be happy and make other people happy with what you do. And I've been lucky to realize, with a strong level of certainty, what exactly that is for me. Heck, I've already been doing it for the better part of 3 1/2 years. Now I just need to figure out how to pay the bills that way too...
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