I agree Tom. The waiting is the hardest part.

5 months into this year and I need to remind myself that success takes times. Nothing has let me down, everything is going as expected, but the better weather brings motivation. Too much motivation.

Let me explain. The efforts and achievements up to this point will pay off, but likely not until next year. But when the sun is shining, I want to pick up that guitar and entertain you all. I have other obligations (full time job, maintain a home, a beautiful wife, adorable child, 2 dogs who love walks),and they keep my plenty busy. So expect another strong round of social media engagement. Expect some sporadic show announcements. 
This year is the qualifying lap. Expect races in 2027.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

For me, the answer is a musician, and a father. Here I am, grown up, and halfway fulfilled. Time and experience has morphed “Rockstar” into “Successful Musician”, but the dad portion of my dreams has held strong. My two part answer to the question was always the same, post high school, and I was a “successful” musician for many years. But it was never my primary means of income long term/permanently. And I am to blame. The effort I put forth to achieve these results has not been as consistent.

This is not a sob post, in fact, its a success story. We all fall off, we are all human. Life is filled with ups and downs, and anyone fortunate enough to read these words will inevitably experience more of them. This is a story on the “ups” portion of life. I have recently joined NH Music Collective as an artist and I could not be more excited. It will not be instant, and I am starting as a new artist, but the shows are starting to trickle in. 2027 looks to be filled with opportunities to play, be heard, and entertain. the path to becoming who I want to be just received a fresh coat of pavement.

Not to be excluded, becoming a father was the more difficult life goal of mine. There were a lot more stipulations for this goal, and it was achieved first.

Life, man. It's beautiful and weird. 

I can smell the first Spring since taking a break to purchase a home, get married, renovate said home, have a child, and learn to fall in love with music again. And it is beautiful. And exhausting. 

The prospect of a renewed music career is an invigorating feeling, but there is a lot of work to be done. I have a full time job to fund my transition. I have a family to care for. The siding on my house is barely hanging on. And I never went pro in my juggling career. 

But I never gave up either, so stay tuned. I am dabbling in the studio, practicing every day, and looking at Spring to flourish with the flowers. 

This is were my explanation about my renewed efforts is going to go when I type it up, but until then, enjoy the refreshed website I have been slowly, but consistently, updating. 

A few highlights

About 2 years ago I changed from operating solo to performing as a duo with Richard, a friend of mine who is overdosing on talent. It was great fun, and this duo still exists in the shadows, waiting for its next sunrise. 

Then I took a year off when my wife and I had our son Tyler. Here I'll try to contain the sappy feelings of new meaning to one sentence.

It took months before I ever touched a guitar. And it was, nice. 

The time away brought me back, and I started playing guitar for myself again, a little here, a little there. And I started to sing for the love of music, not for the hope of entertaining. Rinse wash and repeat, and here we are. 

So I will update this with something with more thought. But the end of the story is, I'm back,baby. And this time, its 100% me, 0% what I once believed was what it had to be.

This was written as a place holder on 02/03. The date is here as an accountability tool. 

Best,

Robert James