Today's Lesson

[AllenLowe]

lately I've been cruising around Facebook making new Musical friends and trying to find out what other musicians are up to. Many of these new friends work in the area of what I might call ambient sound, electronic drones, prepared instruments and new-age forms. One nice thing about my new adventure is that I have learned, to my great relied, that most of these people are even more self-centered than I am.

And here is the latest from a new-music label called Dragon's Eye, which I recently found through a new Friend:

"Dragon's Eye's goal is to foster personal and artistic relationships with its artists and to function as a meeting ground for its artists to further develop relationships with one another."

I am not so sure that this is a good thing; I have enough trouble developing relationships with the insincere artisans and creative poseurs I meet in my daily life.

So what is an artist to do? Develop NON-artistic relationships?

ahhhhh, the trials of a life of contemplation......

Edited November 29, 2010 by AllenLowe

[Chuck Nessa]

Sounds like you fell into a bad crowd. Most of my friends are not like this.

If your search for "artistic friends" fails, look elsewhere. I never sought out "artistic friends" on FB. Open a FB account, wait for folks to find you and make choices.

[AllenLowe]

it's mostly curiosity - I like to see how the other 2/3 lives. I want to know what other musicians are doing. And I really do think there are too many of these people (of course, I may have to include myself in this population explosion) -

but judging from Facebook, I now believe that every other American, and every third European, is composing music of some kind.

[Chuck Nessa]

Is that a problem for you?

[AllenLowe]

I don't like the competition.

[Hoppy T. Frog]

It's really true, there is way too much music being made, most of it, like most of anything, bad.

[Elissa]

i've noticed that musical fiends tend to be less egomaniacal than musical friends

[clifford_thornton]

I've met some great people in real life, and some great people on this board. The people I meet on facebook tend to be a little down the pole; not that they're not interesting folk, I just tend to put more effort in either in real time or over on the big-O.

[AllenLowe]

I actually find Facebook very interesting - a wide array of domestic and foreign interest in music. A different and more world-wide perspective. A strangely effective forum. A big fuckin' mess.

I like that.