Gary Powell, Composer/Producer

by Gary Powell

Many of you think of your songwriting as art and for others it is a product. It’s the same with producers, engineers, choreographers and painters. However, regardless of the discipline, neither the art nor the product becomes real until it’s finished.

A documentary hosted by art critic Tim Marlow on the Gallery HD Channel suggested Leonardo DaVinci never really finished painting the Mona Lisa. DaVinci, the artist, had worked on it for decades and the only reason it is now “finished” is because DaVinci himself died! (Maybe this is where we got the word deadline.)

It seems Leonardo used the process of painting the Mona Lisa to discover new painting techniques. I would speculate that his process might also have been part of his inward journey. Our best art involves the conscious enmeshment of the outer brush stroke with the inner dialogue.

Real artists ask both more of themselves AND their chosen discipline.

Many musicians struggle with letting go and knowing when a recording project is finished. If that resonates with you, then it might suggest a desire for deepening the relationship with the music itself, not your audience. Maybe it’s time to cancel the photo shoot and book a class!

I have found that individuals who dwell over minutia are often just looking for better tools to express themselves. When indulged in their quirky “artistry”, their productivity can bog down even further. We often assign the term “brilliant” to these people when, in truth, their curious, artistic nature is nothing more than a “quirky” mixture of personal insecurity and professional incompetence. “I’m scared and I don’t know much, so I must have a posse to shield the truth.” All of us artisans carry some of this psychology. I’m suggesting we consciously manage it in order to use it to our advantage.

I almost always hold myself to a higher standard than what is expected from clients. Dreams of perfection are richly embedded in the search for my true self. However, capitalism has this wonderful little devise called a “deadline” which brings projects to a close very quickly if one expects to be paid. Read this interesting article from the Medical Laboratory Observer if you have performance anxieties around the psychology of deadlines.

It will serve us all well to come to terms with what defines a healthy indulgence in detail and what does not. Like DaVinci, any “finished” art is by nature a compromise by the artist simply due to the parallel process of living lives which are ever unfolding. As we learn, assimilate, and transform, whether consciously or not, so does our art.

Know when it’s time to let the art go. When you do, you can then give birth to a new creation in its place and in its honor. Your next piece of art will not only take on the reflection of your life and continued journey, but will create a wonderful record of your path and growth as a human being.

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Filed by Gary Powell at 4:53 pm under Music Business Insight
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Most people remember seminal events in their lives. For me, the phone call from Wink Tyler at Austin Recording Studio to produce a new children’s singer-songwriter Joe Scruggs was it! In fact, Joe Scruggs, his partner Pete Markham and I were all the same age in 1982. Joe and Pete are quite a bit older now however.

Fast forward 24 years, nine albums and God only knows how many performances and you arrive at a very cool and beautifully designed live event entitled, “Not Afraid of the Dark”. The Show That Glows was conceived by Joe Scruggs with all his über-clever children’s musical fare and choreograhed by Stephen Mills, artistic director for Ballet Austin. I served, as always, as Joe’s musical arranger and producer. Pete Markham is the president of Shadow Play Records.

This show is SO much fun. The photos at the left are actual shots from a performance. It’s a visual creative fantasy that is a joy to just SEE. Add Joe’s wonderful feel for parlaying entertaining family-isms with the very talented dancers of the junior company of Ballet Austin and you’ll have one GREAT family night out.

Joe Scruggs, Pete Markam and I have a rich record-producing history. I’m looking forward to including some of our experiences with this blogging technology… which wasn’t quite happening in 1982!

I hope my Houston subscribers and everyone at the Rice Building Institute will forward this post to all their friends with kids. It’s truly a special family event.

Friday, April 7, 2006 - 7 pm
Wortham Center’s Cullen Theater
(713) 277-4772

Filed by Gary Powell at 12:03 am under Event Productions
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by Gary Powell

My semesterly sojourn to Glenn Richter’s music business class at the University of Texas is like a performance. Professor Richter is School of Music’s Professor of Instrumental Conducting and the Director of the Center for American Music.

I think all my best teachers and professors have had a bit of performer in them regardless of the subject. This class was the kind that allowed some improvisation. Below is a list of what I THINK we talked about. If I left anything out, please add it in the comments.

If you are under the illusion that these students are not on top of all the issues discussed below, then visit the site of violinist Rebecca Browne, who is the class member pictured second from the right in red. Also, you can listen to the wonderful voice of singer Azniv Korkejian, (pictured center in the white jacket/maroon collar) who sang for me after class.

I opened by singing “I’m Gonna Get My Needs Met”, my interpretation of Joseph Stalin. Then the following topics ensued.

The size of the musical palette needed in order to accommodate the size of the idea expressed.

Learning our own personal philosophical leanings as defined by how we view ourselves in relation to others and our own identity and responsibility.

The source of the creative urge or spark…..trusting the mind to assimilate all the “loaded-in” disparate parts into the whole. (See drawing at right to help make sense of this and yes, I know I can’t draw!)

How to keep the gig? Don’t miss deadlines! Don’t go over budget! Don’t whine!

When it is time to take care of yourself, take care of your client at the same time whenever possible.

How do you get the gig? Get lucky first, but back it up with training, discipline and a prodigious work ethic just in case you have to actually work for a living. Be brave. Be bold. Go to parties.

The fine line between arrogance and confidence.

Don’t let adults perpetrate the big lie about “arriving” or “the cream rising to the top”. Here is what adults don’t tell you. At 55 years of age I have the exact same challenges you have. Get comfortable with the constant reinvention of yourself.

This class was really fun for me. I met some wonderful and talented young people and we cut a wide swath across the professional music field. Teaching another person how to be successful is a slippery prospect. Even after 30 years as a composer, musical arranger and musician, I have just a sliver of knowledge about how it all works. NO ONE knows how it all works. However, when we come together we can share, learn and inspire each other from our own experiences, the good and the bad of it, in spite of our own prejudices and our ever-expanding philosophical and ever-changing emotional selves.

Best regards to all of you and especially Glenn Richter for sharing his class with me.

Filed by Gary Powell at 6:15 am under Music Clinic & Lecture Notes
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