Music and passion and blockchain

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Got invited to play five songs live on my fav station* with Andre Upston engineering and Jessie asking me a few questions. And my New Years resolution is to answer emails and show great-attitude regarding support from all of you. Thank you again.

* was played at 2:30pm on Dec 15th afternoons on RNZ. See NZlive link or direct podcast here if the player below isn’t visible.

The first song played was “The Sound”. John Renbourn of Pentangle was name-checked as an early influence. New unrecorded song “Before the War“ from a poem by an Iranian refugee. “Japanese Overdrive” and“Albatross“and “Kings Cross” on Steve Barkman 12 string, Fender Strat and a 6 string ( Tacoma.)

I get to play a few songs any requests? Preliminary to the show i was asked a few questions

Q: Do I make a living?

A: Well – it’s by the grace of God I survive at all and I have had big help from family and friends

Just read a book called ECO MAN by Malcolm Rands. In it he says some key things like … stay close to the ones who helped you get there and invite them along for the ride. Be passionate about what you are doing and it will stick out a mile coz passion is lacking in the corporate dominated world.

Condense what you do into a short statement. In his case it was to make cleaning products WITHOUT THE NASTY CHEMICALS.

VOILA!

When I read that a little light turned on in my head. THAT’S WHAT WE NEED IN THE MEDIA. We need a media with no nasty viruses.

Isn’t that what the world needs in entertainment as well? To be able to watch a movie with your loved ones and be assured that it isn’t going to be full of spiritually hazardous materials? From things that make you feel alienated from love and kindness.

IT’S AMAZING WHAT WE TOLERATE

The excuse is the worn out cliche that it’s what we want.

SURE IT IS

It’s what sells?

Believing in me is hard sometimes coz I fluctuate between over confident to downright “what is the point” and am decidedly stubborn sticking to something that is in a cloud of unknowing than on solid ground.  However it might be our time i.e. those of us who trust the clouds.

Take blockchain. For instance.  Don’t worry. I don’t have any tips but here is a lead from an expert who said “A good place to start to learn about blockchain and crypto .. it is important that you educate yourself to avoid FOMO which the world seems to be experiencing at the moment.”

Problem is I don’t know what FOMO Is (Ed: Fear of missing out.)

What about blockchain blogs?and music streaming? Jason wrote in 2015 “in the case of music it could mean that Apple, Spotify and the others who add little value to the music web will be removed from the equation.”” about the Imogen Heap experiment.

For an update on that have a look at Mycelia for Music or Blockchain Could Help Musicians Make Money Again.

It’s such a pain putting sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much energy into writing and recording songs and to discover that a the system is setup for a small elite. It’s probably time for little guys like me to disaffiliate from the industry gate keepers and find our own way thru and be part of an indie blockchain system.

Anything would be better than the current revenue gathering merchants as they only focus on pleasing their favourite Ponzi Bands.  Ha ha

The BC will change the whole world and musicians will have a viable system to get a fair deal.  Let’s try it.  If you want to use my music just write to me and I will give you a place in my blockchain.  Early subscribers will get a super deal.

Seriously
Let’s do it!i am happy to be the white mouse in the chain. Want to be in the gang? Let’s talk!
Write to me here. lukehurleymusic @ gmail com.   We need programmers and supporters.

A perfect day in leafy over privileged inner suburbia

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Casting my mind back to the days prior to making HIGH RISK late last century in fact.

The day it happened was a perfect day in leafy over privileged inner suburbia”.

There was the father in law loading up the trailer with the few things needed from the old life;
And in a moment they will get in his car.

The wife and the kids and just about everything of any meaning,
Will cruise sedately down the driveway and out of my life FOREVER.

And the home you had will turn into a museum,
Things will remind you of moments and moments will remind you of things.

You just know that your are the worst boy in the school of life and that the headmaster is gonna expel you;
And all the things you could have done and didn’t will haunt you FOREVER.

Not only that but you won’t even have ashamed parents to return to.

And where you live was a home and is now just a house you can barely afford to rent;
You will have only yourself to blame.

Only yourself to console yourself…

So there it was
Knowing myself to be a miserable failure. Feeling deeply hurt and terrified but……..

Also knowing a deep peace.
The deep peace of Reha (the feeling of knowing that you live forever and that you are loved by your creator.)

It didn’t come from me.

Why does it take twenty years for me to be able to recognise it?

Because at the time and for many years after it was way too painful to really think about.

My own sense of failure was too great to allow any acknowledgement of the absolute

But the thing I did do is start working on an album.
It was possible thanks to a friend who put up the money.

He never turns up these days but perhaps he doesn’t need to.
Perhaps he felt he needed to at least help me get my confidence in writing back.

And I discovered one thing for sure. When you are in despair that is the time to express yourself.

As Malcolm says IMPRESSION WITH0UT EXPRESSION = DEPRESSION

The song – Small Town starts off at this point. Have a listen by clicking play below. You may download this song for free or pay more as you wish. The full ‘High Risk’ album is $10 or more if you want to.

Am I doing alright
To settle down
In a small town

I don’t want to leave the city
& make me blue
thinking of the pity
of doing it like you
you know you don’t care now
what it is that I do
you’re a fashion designer
I see the labelling
you do

“I don’t want to leave the city”
you say
“It would make me blue”
if I ever left the city
until I make
a million or two

“Things will remind you of moments and moments will remind you of things.”

Have you heard of Pop Up Shows?

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Dan the pilot affirmed that CDs are far superior. His life depends on checks. Have you checked yet? Listen to your fav track on Cleptofy and then on cd. One will sound like a goat crapping into a tin can and the other will sound vaguely like music. Better still vinyl. But that’s another story.

Taylor Swift hasn’t suffered from withdrawing from Cleptofy. Her latest album is just shy of 5 million in sales. Not bad! 5 million listens on Cleptofy would have earned her squat. She’s real smart. Have to confess I am not familiar with her music though as I don’t plug into mainstream at all at all.

Have you heard of Pop Up Shows?is this a concept unique to New Plymouth? It’s a great idea. You host a show in your own living room Check it out. If you are interested I can ask Anand to explain his idea to you. Get in touch if you are into hosting Pop Ups and I will refer you to him and we can have a rave about it on my next blog. Makes sense to use your house (if you have one) as a venue seeing as it cost a fortune to buy/rent.

It’s rare for a cafe to go the extra distance and offer live music to the people. You are invited to:

The Meeting Room*, 366 Rangatira Rd, Beach Haven, North Shore this Sunday from noon to 2pm to have a cuppa and listen to me play. Few cafes invest in live original music
Please come. All details below. * Justin past the old blue dairy building by the intersection.

Google map link here https://goo.gl/maps/Khq63x5EZFy

See you on Sunday afternoon?