The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died today.

Weird.

People seem to have mixed emotions. Michael was a legend and inspiration, yet led a troubled life. He was the butt of many jokes, but his songs always made people want to dance.

I decided to film a cover of a Michael Jackson song today.  I hope to cover more Michael Jackson songs in memory of the King of Pop in the future. “Black or White” is one of my favorites. Sorry I changed it a bit… I can’t rap.

Check out the video below or click here.

I’ve come a long way in the last year or so (some might think it’s in the wrong direction, but that’s debatable) in regards to preparation for playing a show.  Back in the days when I took voice lessons, I would be very strict about how I get ready to perform.  I would have a specific vocal warm up routine, I would refrain from drinking anything caffeinated or alcoholic, I wouldn’t have any dairy, I would go easy on the carbs, and I would basically build myself up into nervousness.  With all the pressure of having to make everything right and believing that all the elements had to be in place for me to sing on key, I could not be able to relax.

This was nonsense!  Relaxation is a very important part, if not the most important part, of singing.  A singer who is uptight is more likely to forget lyrics, hit bad notes, sing without conviction, and bore the audience.  

Recently I’ve tried another approach: having a good time (“We’re just to guys and we’re having a good time, having a good time, having a good time”).  I will still pay a bit of attention to what I eat and drink before a performance, but I don’t worry about it.  For example, I don’t drink a big milkshake before a show (that’s just playing with fire… a dairy overload causes phlegminess), but sometimes I’ll have a beer before I sing (it’s relaxing and enjoyable).  I still warm up my voice sometimes, but the main difference is in the mindset.  I look forward to the show.  I don’t worry about all the little details.  One time I even played without a set list… and you know what… it was fine.  I knew what songs to play.  When I just relax on stage, my performance seems more natural and the audience picks up on that.

Last night I played a show at the Live Music Wednesdays (which I host) and I came across something else that tampered with my relaxation.  When the show started there was almost no one in the audience.  This was very discouraging and I know that my downcast-spirit had an effect on my performance.  It makes sense - singing is a very emotional experience, so when my emotions are lost somewhere else, I can’t pour my whole being into the song.  But after a while, people started showing up.  For the last two thirds of the show, the coffee shop was almost packed.  And I really noticed the difference in how I performed.  With this new energetic crowd, I became more energetic and broke out of my shell to expose who I really am as a singer.  It was quite interesting.

So to all performers out there, my lesson to you is to be aware of your emotions as you perform.  If you are worried or discouraged, this will come out in your performance.  Try to understand where your emotions are coming from and decide if there is something you can do to change them.

Working hard or hardly working?

Well… I’ve been keeping busy at least.  Not much of what I do feels like work.  Even my day job - worship leader and youth worker at Killarney Park Church - doesn’t really feel like work because I love what I do.  So it’s hard to say if I’m working hard, but I am doing a lot of stuff.

- I’ve been playing a decent amount of gigs.

- I’ve done a couple photoshoots.  One with Tracy Zhang and one with Adam Loewen.

- I’ve been planning a Vancouver Island tour for late August.

- I’ve become the new host of weekly Live Music Wednesdays at Bean Around the World at the Lonsdale Quay.

- I’ve done the Grouse Grind (I finished in 80 minutes… I’m going to try to do it in an hour next time)

- I’ve been running almost daily.  I have a goal to be able to run the Stanley Park sea wall by the end of August.

- I’ve appeard on Drive TV.

- My album has been reviewed by Colin Rink.  Check out his podcast “On the Run”

- And I’ve been having fun hanging out with friends.

By the way, last night I tried Bud Light Lime and I must say… it was good.  I’m not a Bud fan at all, but this tasted like Corona with Lime.  It’s a nice Summer beer.  Give it a try (I wish I was getting paid to say that).

Last night was magical.  I played a show at a restaurant called the Tipper.  They have a private room for concerts, events, meetings, etc.  It is a very intimate venue.

Shortly after arriving, I met the two other artists who were playing at the show - Megan Beatty and Gina-Lily D’Attilio.  In addition to singing and songwriting, they are both involved in other creative endeavors.  Megan makes art and is also starting something called Emo Well, which has something to do with emotional wellness with music.  Gina has recently started writing songs for hire.  If someone wants a special gift for their friend, significant other, or family member, they can hire Gina to write a song just for them.  She gives them an extensive questionaire (with questions such as “What animal does this person remind you of?” or “What is your favorite memory with this person?”) and uses that info to write the song.  This is really cool.  I’ve actually thought of doing something like this before, but never really thought it would work.  Perhaps I should give it a try.  Gina also started a website/booking group called Solace Music Nation (website still under construction).  Solace Music Nation is dedicated to giving emerging artists the opportunity to play full sets of live music.  They also record the shows and play them on SFU radio.  Creativity like this gets me excited.

As far as the music goes, I thought all three of our sets went well.  I started the show with lots of energy.  Then Megan tooks us through an emotional journey with her cute shyness.  And Gina rocked out with some great melodies and a beautiful voice.  Her voice almost reminded me of Karla Adolphe from Jacob and Lily.

I thought the show was going to end with Gina, but then there was a surprise.  She invited her friend (I forgot his name) to come up for a set.  He started with a bunch of covers.  The most notable were “One” by U2 and “Hallelujah” by Leonard Coen (Jeff Buckley’s version is my favorite, though).  Something really cool happened with these songs… a couple of us in the crowd started singing some harmonies under our breath and before we knew it, the whole audience started singing along in five-part harmony with some sort of beautiful unity.  It was like we were one big family, but most of us didn’t even know each other.  Almost as a joke I started to wave my hands in the air (like I just don’t care) and other people joined in.  It was magical.  This guy then free-styled a couple songs.  We called out what we wanted him to sing about and he just made it up on the spot.  He did one about puppies and one about sunburns.  They were pretty funny.  Altogether, it was a great night.

If you’re interested, I’m playing again this Thursday at the Oasis Lounge.  Check out the facebook event.