SIR REAL

Last week I posted a blog about the possibility of foisting a 10-second clip featuring a rough demo/new tune. Twelve people upvoted, and nobody downvoted, so as promised, the clip went up on my various socials. Received some nice words, and a few people seemed genuinely excited that I have new music up my sleeve.

But I’m ever the realist here…

Two years ago, my latest cd ACT NATURAL was released on various streaming sites (a month before physical copies were in my hands). The reaction to the new album was, well, less than stellar. Some said the music was still ambitious and unique, others said it was weird. When have I not been weird?! As artists, we live and die by the next album/single/video. It’s a brutal way to live, really.

I distanced myself totally from that album for many reasons. I went into a depression for a while but still felt compelled to write new material. The earlier works were more angry, and while that satisfied my blackened soul for a brief period, I thought “If I don’t want to hear this over and over, what will make someone else want to?” So I created a batch of NEW new material, and while it’s not sunshine and rainbows, it’s not as angry. One drummer commented to me a few years ago that “Your music is SO direct and in-your-face, I can’t handle it!”

Now I see why few people supported my music and live shows.

If a piece of art is too forward-thinking or assertive, people shy away. I can think back to when thrash metal first came out. The old-school metal fans said it was “noise” and “there’s no melody” yet it appealed to someone, right? There’s always an ass for every horse. Anything that challenges the senses tends to be met with either “THIS IS PERFECT FOR ME” or “TURN THIS SHIT OFF”.

My music straddles between the two fences. Facts.

I posted the rough demo on August 25 this year, 10 seconds of a riff, nothing more. But again, being Sir Real (get it?), I have to come to terms with things: Nobody is going to salivate over what I do and that’s okay. I don’t write “drinking man’s music”, more like “thinking man’s music”. While it’s not as complex as Rush or Yes, it has its own set of speed bumps for people to drive over. I hear echoes of past band members asking me “Can’t you write something normal?” or “Can you write a tune like (insert band here)?” The fact is this: people want immediate results, and they tend to think very commercial-minded. Nobody is going to sit and think “Wow, you’re doing something unique. I like that about you.”

Does this mean I stop writing? No way in hell. If anything, the new stuff I’ve created has made me do something I’ve not done with previous demos in a long time: listen to them over and over. Not to come up with melodies, but to bask in the thought of “I did this!” Call it ego, I don’t care. I am proud of my work. Do I think it’s the best stuff? I leave that up to the public.

Judging by the nice responses the newest little clip received, think it’s safe to say that you want to hear something new from me that totally rocks. I am proud to have done some ambient music over the past year, that’s where my head was at during the times. But I want to get my hands dirty again.

Who’s with me?