Nicholas Belgard
Writing 122
Nathalie Wright
October 12th, 2008
I sang my heart out… If I’m going to make it in this competition, I’ve got to give it everything. After all, this is my second try, and if I don’t make it this time, I won’t meet the age requirement next season. As I close my eyes, belting out the lyrics to Stone Temple Pilots, “Plush,” I can hear the sea of hopefuls around me, cheering me on. As I waited in line above, it seemed only the best singers got a crowd response. This was my time; my time to shine and I was feelin’ good.
Now although I grew up on the old classics, Foreigner, Steve Miller, Journey, it was that old Motown sound that played on my auntie’s “ghost station” that got me; right down to the Soul. I still remember cruisin’ around, jammin’ to those old rock classics in the “Grey Ghost,” my dad’s primer grey, 58’ Chevy Suburban, but the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke… now those are the voices that inspired me. People still call me an “old Soul.” As I stand here now, paying homage to one of Seattle’s great rock bands, I wonder if I made the right decision, but I can’t turn back now, I have thirty seconds to show them what I’ve got. I have to believe I’m a star. Each city has their own theme song, this one happens to be a song I remember, but can’t say I really Loved, “We Built This City” by Starship. I imagine they chose the song because Seattle is one of the great rock cities, and figuring they were looking for the next new rock talent, I stepped outside my Soul, if only for a moment.
As the last note pours out of me, I look down at the judges, my heart pounding, undoubtedly with hope in my eyes. I made it. I figure, the applause ringing in my ears from the huge crowd around me, thousands of people can’t be wrong, can they? Being the last singer in our group of five, it’s not long before the decision is made. “I’m sorry; none of you will be moving on to the next round.” It was the slow motion effect of a gavel pounding down on the judge’s stand, another door slamming shut in front of me. As much as I Love music of all genres, it was at that moment I realized, I wanted my Soul back. The drive back home to Portland was long. My mom always had a way of cheering me up when I was down, and after clearing my mind of the disappointment, I came to the conclusion that I’d have to make it the old fashioned way. My faith reminded me that maybe this isn’t what He wants for me. Maybe I’m not meant to be the next American Idol.
Humming down I-5, I went through all the emotions. It’s not that my life was horrible; I had the best friends a guy could ask for, a wonderful, supportive family, I was a Yahoo!, and I still had a great story to tell when I returned. My mom’s Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, and various other Blues bands she was singing to, had me tappin’ my foot in no time. I had recently won $1500 in our employee talent show, and I’m sure everyone at the office was waiting to hear the results. Would I be the next American Idol, or would I be the next Yahoo! Superstar? I was a Content Manager for Yahoo! Mail, amongst my other duties, and as soon as everybody caught wind of my musical talents, I got the feeling they were setting me up for a career in Yahoo! Music. In fact I heard there was a Team Lead position opening up in the department; little did they know there was a fundamental problem with mixing my passion for music, my Soul, with the corporate lifestyle. It was an ideal I kept secret for as long as I worked in a corporate environment.
After returning home from my short-lived vacation in Emerald City, things returned to normal in no time. My life, once again, became consumed by conference calls, team meetings, monthly reports, time-activating, and the occasional after work drink. Don’t get me wrong, I Loved the company, the brand, everything the company once stood for; and the people were amazing. After a couple years in Yahoo! Mail, I even transferred to Yahoo! Small Business for a change of pace. In those last months at Yahoo!, I found my way to a few jam sessions in the area. They kept me out late, even on work nights, but after giving up clarinet, saxophone, and choir in high school, it was nice to be around musicians again, sharing the same dream. A good friend of mine, a bassist named Skip Elliot, told me there was a band, Moment’s Notice that was auditioning singers at the Candlelight downtown. It wasn’t long after that I threw in the towel at Yahoo!.
If you hadn’t heard of the Candlelight, it’s one of Portland’s premier nightclubs for Blues, Jazz, R&B, and Soul, a Portland landmark among local musicians. I used to tell myself, “If I work really hard, I might just have a shot at getting a weekly gig at the Candlelight.” Who would have thought that shot would come with one audition of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye? When Moment’s Notice dissolved about 6 months later, the bass player, Mike B, keyboard player, Danny Barnett, and I started a new project called Elite. Although the name didn’t represent my attitude, I understood its meaning. I’m no stranger to live performance, but the feeling of packing houses, doing something you Love, has got to be the greatest feeling I’ve ever felt. Looking back on that day at the American Idol auditions, I knew the importance of keeping my dream alive, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never stop dreaming. Mike B, who I look up to a great deal, once told me, “You best be careful what you wish for, God might just give it to you.” Standing there, watching over yet another packed house at the Candlelight, I realized my dreams were becoming reality. I often wondered, “How does an independent musician succeed in today’s music business?” Never sacrifice your Soul.
Writing 122
Nathalie Wright
October 12th, 2008
The Independent Musician – How to Succeed in the 21 Century
I sang my heart out… If I’m going to make it in this competition, I’ve got to give it everything. After all, this is my second try, and if I don’t make it this time, I won’t meet the age requirement next season. As I close my eyes, belting out the lyrics to Stone Temple Pilots, “Plush,” I can hear the sea of hopefuls around me, cheering me on. As I waited in line above, it seemed only the best singers got a crowd response. This was my time; my time to shine and I was feelin’ good.
Now although I grew up on the old classics, Foreigner, Steve Miller, Journey, it was that old Motown sound that played on my auntie’s “ghost station” that got me; right down to the Soul. I still remember cruisin’ around, jammin’ to those old rock classics in the “Grey Ghost,” my dad’s primer grey, 58’ Chevy Suburban, but the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke… now those are the voices that inspired me. People still call me an “old Soul.” As I stand here now, paying homage to one of Seattle’s great rock bands, I wonder if I made the right decision, but I can’t turn back now, I have thirty seconds to show them what I’ve got. I have to believe I’m a star. Each city has their own theme song, this one happens to be a song I remember, but can’t say I really Loved, “We Built This City” by Starship. I imagine they chose the song because Seattle is one of the great rock cities, and figuring they were looking for the next new rock talent, I stepped outside my Soul, if only for a moment.
As the last note pours out of me, I look down at the judges, my heart pounding, undoubtedly with hope in my eyes. I made it. I figure, the applause ringing in my ears from the huge crowd around me, thousands of people can’t be wrong, can they? Being the last singer in our group of five, it’s not long before the decision is made. “I’m sorry; none of you will be moving on to the next round.” It was the slow motion effect of a gavel pounding down on the judge’s stand, another door slamming shut in front of me. As much as I Love music of all genres, it was at that moment I realized, I wanted my Soul back. The drive back home to Portland was long. My mom always had a way of cheering me up when I was down, and after clearing my mind of the disappointment, I came to the conclusion that I’d have to make it the old fashioned way. My faith reminded me that maybe this isn’t what He wants for me. Maybe I’m not meant to be the next American Idol.
Humming down I-5, I went through all the emotions. It’s not that my life was horrible; I had the best friends a guy could ask for, a wonderful, supportive family, I was a Yahoo!, and I still had a great story to tell when I returned. My mom’s Stevie Ray Vaughn, B.B. King, and various other Blues bands she was singing to, had me tappin’ my foot in no time. I had recently won $1500 in our employee talent show, and I’m sure everyone at the office was waiting to hear the results. Would I be the next American Idol, or would I be the next Yahoo! Superstar? I was a Content Manager for Yahoo! Mail, amongst my other duties, and as soon as everybody caught wind of my musical talents, I got the feeling they were setting me up for a career in Yahoo! Music. In fact I heard there was a Team Lead position opening up in the department; little did they know there was a fundamental problem with mixing my passion for music, my Soul, with the corporate lifestyle. It was an ideal I kept secret for as long as I worked in a corporate environment.
After returning home from my short-lived vacation in Emerald City, things returned to normal in no time. My life, once again, became consumed by conference calls, team meetings, monthly reports, time-activating, and the occasional after work drink. Don’t get me wrong, I Loved the company, the brand, everything the company once stood for; and the people were amazing. After a couple years in Yahoo! Mail, I even transferred to Yahoo! Small Business for a change of pace. In those last months at Yahoo!, I found my way to a few jam sessions in the area. They kept me out late, even on work nights, but after giving up clarinet, saxophone, and choir in high school, it was nice to be around musicians again, sharing the same dream. A good friend of mine, a bassist named Skip Elliot, told me there was a band, Moment’s Notice that was auditioning singers at the Candlelight downtown. It wasn’t long after that I threw in the towel at Yahoo!.
If you hadn’t heard of the Candlelight, it’s one of Portland’s premier nightclubs for Blues, Jazz, R&B, and Soul, a Portland landmark among local musicians. I used to tell myself, “If I work really hard, I might just have a shot at getting a weekly gig at the Candlelight.” Who would have thought that shot would come with one audition of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye? When Moment’s Notice dissolved about 6 months later, the bass player, Mike B, keyboard player, Danny Barnett, and I started a new project called Elite. Although the name didn’t represent my attitude, I understood its meaning. I’m no stranger to live performance, but the feeling of packing houses, doing something you Love, has got to be the greatest feeling I’ve ever felt. Looking back on that day at the American Idol auditions, I knew the importance of keeping my dream alive, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never stop dreaming. Mike B, who I look up to a great deal, once told me, “You best be careful what you wish for, God might just give it to you.” Standing there, watching over yet another packed house at the Candlelight, I realized my dreams were becoming reality. I often wondered, “How does an independent musician succeed in today’s music business?” Never sacrifice your Soul.
