I quit my band

I'm a bit sad, but also a bit relieved. I'm sad because it was a good band with lots of potential.

www.thedirty30smusic.com

We had just went into the studio to record professional versions of some of our songs, we had a song used in a short film, and we seem to be gaining steam. I love music, and sometimes wonder if I should have put more effort into really pursuing a music career. At the same time, I have trouble with motivation, even for music. I sometimes wonder if I am doing things like getting my MA because I don't believe in myself enough to really follow music dreams, if I've already given up on myself when it comes to that. On the other hand maybe I'm just being realistic.

I just hope I haven't Pete Bested myself here.

Well if I did Pete Best myself, at least it was my own choice to walk away. It must have been worse for poor ol' Pete, to have been fired and then watch his former band go on to become the biggest band in the world pretty much. I saw him play at my university back about 9 or 10 years ago. He was doing a show called The Best of the Beatles, playing songs he'd played when he was in the band. Well, if I have Pete Bested myself so be it. If that were to happen I am just going to be happy and proud that I was a part of it. I am planning on going into the studio to record one more tune, one that I wrote the lyrics for and sing as a memory of my time with the band, and a good recording of something I co-wrote. I wrote the lyrics and had the idea for the general structure, what kind of beats I wanted where, then Geoff came in and helped me and it went in a somewhat new direction. Here's a non professional recording of it done at my house and recorded on an iphone.

http://soundcloud.com/trvr-clements/heads-and-tails

I can't wait to hear it done up professionally. 

Anyway, I was too busy, and something had to go. Besides, I'd like to look at all this in a positive note. I've made a tough decision of sacrificing to achieve a goal and make my life manageable. And this by no means sentences me to never playing music again. I still have lots of solo stuff recorded that I can dust off some day.

http://www.myspace.com/trevorclementsandtheshootfirstpoetrybeat

And I do feel relieved, as I said before, to have one less big commitment on my table right now. I can still record some of my own solo stuff here and there when I have time, but with no commitments to play live shows, or to anyone other than myself I have the freedom to take it a lot slower and really focus on studying.

On a slightly related note, since I'm a drummer, a drummer friend posted this study about drummers and intelligence. Kind of interesting.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1895839/Drummers-are-natural-intellectuals.html#.TngaJ7QwFP0.googlebuzz

Also, if you are interested in a post dealing more directly with Adult Ed theory, my previous post is a collection of quotes and subsequent commentaries and thoughts I had about them from Elias and Merriams "Philosophical Foundations of Adult Education". I'd love any comments or reflections of yours on that post. BTW, I'm planning on continuing to add to that post as I continue going through the chapters and stuff I highlighted on and made notes in the margins.
http://trevorsquest.blogspot.com/2011/09/finished-philosophical-foundations-of.html