Food, Fun, And Games

Rotary Falls, Casper Mountain, in Casper, Wyoming

It’s More Than Just The Gig Too many people are quick to use or blame age as a means to measure they can or cannot accomplish, what activities/expression are considered “appropriate” or “acceptable,” or how well others may perceive of what they are doing. Whereas, being age 20, versus age 50, can have its physical advantages, there is some solid truth in the adage, “you’re only as old as you feel.” However, this can also come with a caveat: you’ve got to take care of yourself.

Self care is important as a working musician. The high energy and flawless focus required to be on stage for 3 or 4 hours, at a time, is one unmistakable element in how audiences perceive you as great, or how they perceive you as merely “okay.”

* Your lead guitarist must showcase his/her talents with precision, and capitalize on those out-front solos and folks in the audience who are at his feet, cheering him on, with every bend and noodle he imparts to the strings.

* Your bassist and drummer must continually be on-focus, not just with the band, as a whole, but with one another, specifically.. every.. single.. song; without this symbiosis of funk and timing, the entire group can shut down in a heartbeat. Aside from the obvious physical rigors your drummer needs to “bang on the skins” all night, and the bassist’s steadfast focus to be in step with each of those drum beats, fills, and tempo changes, the unwavering mindlock is a physical-mental requirement all its own.

*And for your lead vocalist, especially, to play alongside all of these moving and precise pieces, the stamina required can be very evident; depending on the genre being sung, the power and pitch your vocalist gives to his/her words and phrases are the bread and butter of the entire band’s public perception and brand… so, there’s some pressure there, as well. Each member of the group owes it to the collective, as well as him/herself, to maintain a healthy body and mind in order to function as a successful band.

You Are What You Eat… And Think You like fast food, sweets, alcohol? Do you like LOTS of fast food, sweets, and alcohol? Don’t get much sleep? We all treat ourselves like crap from time to time. And everyone operates at different capacities. Many people nourish themselves well enough quite simply just to “get by” each day. But there’s an important difference between functioning versus optimal health. And it can matter a great deal when you literally use your body in the work (be it a profession or a hobby) that you do. Everyone likes indulgences (especially, a great burger and an ice-cold, micro-brewed brewskie!), and it’s human nature to do so, but anything to excess, over time, can literally weigh down the body and mind. The point, here, in this article, is to be mindful of what you imbibe, the lifestyle you lead, and how you care for your physical well being as much as your mental well being. Food is medicine, quite literally, for the body and the brain. And for most people, musicians included, when we are in health, our creativity can thrive all the better.

The degree to which these things are controllable can be a bit shaky when it comes to your lead vocalist. There are some key factors, especially, regarding self care that can differ somewhat from those of the other bandmates. After all, your vocalist’s instrument is his/her voice; if that instrument “breaks,” fixing it isn’t as simple as changing a string, replacing the batteries, or pulling out a fresh drum stick or guitar pic. Of course, as with all his/her bandmates, your vocalist must be rested, hydrated, and prepared in mindset for hours on stage. However, he/she must be able to pivot when “instrument” (i.e., voice) problems arise during the performance. Vocal hoarseness, pain, or loss are scary when experienced live, in front of an audience. When such issues occur, there are few things, often, that can be done “in the moment” to recover. All members of the band must be prepared when this happens: if more than one member sings in your band, giving the vocalist a short break by having your bassist or lead guitarist or drummer sing a song or two, can provide your vocalist a short window of respite, or enough time to get to a set break. Sure, these incidents can be rare, but when they happen, you need to have a plan. Overall, successfully navigating such issues is best managed by the key factors mentioned above: adequate preparatory rest, sufficient early hydration (room-temperature water is best), and positive mindset (using tools such as brief meditation or quiet relaxation). We’re all human, not machine; we do our best with practice, skill, and acknowledging self care.

Run, Dawg, Run! Respiratory health is key to a musician’s stamina on stage. For obvious reasons, your lead and backup vocalists benefit the most from having optimal respiratory health. One way that us Dawgs like to keep ourselves in “top-dawg” condition is through exercise, small every-day movements that are focused on achieving the benefits required for successful performances. This might include mass movement exercises, working with weights, daily walking or short jogging jaunts, yoga, or just staying active each day by cleaning the house or the garage or doing yardwork. Physical activity maintains the body and inspires the mind. And when the body and mind are working together, like all the members of your band, the music can flow much more sweetly.

Om, Dawg, Ommmm… Some of the most successful artists on tour make it a practice to include meditation and mindfulness practices into their pre-performance routines. It doesn’t have to be as “crunchy” and “woo” as you might think. Meditation can simply mean that you sit quietly and go over the set list in your mind, visualize how the vocal chorus or guitar solo is played in certain songs, or dream about how you want to start that intro to the second set of the night. To give time to self is a powerful motivator and mediator of the thousands of thoughts your mind constantly cycles through, each waking minute of your day. Take 5 minutes, at least, from each day, to nurture the breath and energy necessary to make the best of those thoughts a reality.