Should You Move to Nashville?
Lately I’ve had a ton of emails from people all over the country asking about making the move to Nashville. What is the music scene like in town? How do you get connected? So I figured the best way to answer this would be in my blog.
Should you move to town? I’d say it’s a really strong maybe… really strong.
When I moved to town I had really maxed out my playing potential in Baltimore. I was playing with several groups at the same time, cutting records, and doing regional touring with a few groups. So I was playing pretty much every Thursday through Sunday just about everywhere and I was really out of room to grow where I was living. At that point I actually became a Christian and started asking God to show me a clear path for my life. I had started making contacts with producers in Nashville and was working with a band that was looking to make the move. So at that point I decided to give it a shot. I was 23 years old when I made the move.
The best way I can describe Nashville is that it’s a melting pot of every kind of musician you can imagine. I live less than 20 minutes from Chris McHugh, Dan Needham, Jim Riley and so on. These guys that are the A list of all A list players. So it’s really overwhelming when you make the move. I was just another new face in town just a few years ago, and I am still really working to become better known. It’s really all about who you know and what contacts you make, and your experience level as a musician. I think the best advice I can give is to be as busy as possible locally, when you run of out options, start looking at making the move, if the path is laid for you to do so. If you just move to town and don’t know anyone or anything it can be really hard to plug in, and this place can be exclusive for sure. So I always tell people, max out your current spot and then pray about making the move. If it feels right, just do it and God will provide.
So all that to say, if you’re ready musically, experience wise and really ready to run at it I highly recommend Nashville. It’s an amazing town. Just be prepared for a 3-5 year span of networking and getting to know people before gigs will really come up. The golden rule in town is 5 years to start, and 10 years is a fast success rate :). Seriously though, that’s the way it works. One thing I found that really helped me was plugging into my church, and getting a normal job where I was able to work flexible hours, that way I could just practice, play out for just about free, and gain the experience and contacts to get where I’ve gotten. It was a huge stress relief to have that in the pocket.
Even now I work with many artists in the live venue and record demo tracks as well, but it’s still a ton of work and there is always so much room for growth. So you still have to network and continue to push even once you’re gotten a little plugged in. For me, drumming has been my dream since I was 5 years old. I went to school for music and have really given so many hours and so much work to something I truly LOVE to do. So it’s really more than a job, it’s a life. Make sure that you’re willing to accept being a musician for the amazing parts and the really crappy parts because there are great times and bad as well.
I hope this is helpful for you guys looking to jump into town. If you make the move, be patient, and work really hard. I always try to remember that right now as you’re reading my blog someone else is practicing :)
Blessings!
AD