Comment

Comment by Robert W Brown on September 13, 2008 at 10:24am

Getting music is of course part of the equation of moving to a new community.
And another other hurdle has been passed in that regard. I was hired by Belmont University to play Ballet and Modern dance classes. So I have several mornings where I get to warm up my hands and musical mind. A nice coincidence was that one of the dance instructors has a husband who is also a member here on NMP.

I have been making some inroads to booking. I did expect certain Nashville venues to pay less than other cities. But now I am seeing the difference first hand. Even for a niche speciality such as jazz piano, there appears to be a huge difference in pay here ... in the wrong direction. The difference for the same exact gig seems to pay less than half from Houston to here. It is partially due to a buyers market which will force me to make adaptations. But there are other issues at work here that I am beginning to discover.

Comment by Robert W Brown on September 3, 2008 at 5:29pm

Two weeks ago we arrived. Today I passed the first major hurdle in getting really connected. I played an audition for the Nashville Ballet and was hired as a regular company pianist and also by the academy for classes. So I am officially a working musician in Nashville once again! I start Monday.

Comment by Robert W Brown on August 21, 2008 at 1:35pm

Alrighty! We have arrived. It was a long trip through the pouring rain, but we made it safely. We have moved into our sublet apartment in Murfreesboro. It is a six week lease to buy us time to look for a real house. There is no way I can set up a studio in the space we have here. There is much to do so off I go. But there is one request I have for anyone reading this:

We brought two cats with us. Lucy is an outdoor kitty that we normally had for our backyard. But we can't put outdoors here. And she would be miserable being boarded. So I have it in my mind to find a temporary place for her where we could come and feed her and check in on her. She would make a good barn cat. So if anyone here has a place that is not terribly far from "the boro" and wouldn't mind having a sweet, but rather scared, kitty hanging out, please let us know ASAP. (940)595-0220

I am glad we are here now!

Comment by Mike Radcliffe on August 16, 2008 at 12:22pm

Are you a drummer?
No?
Come on back!
:-)

Comment by iV on August 16, 2008 at 12:09pm

safe travels!

Comment by Robert W Brown on August 16, 2008 at 12:03pm

Okay! We are loading the truck and with any luck we will leave in the morning. Even now I still have to tear down much of my studio. And of course the computer is still not packed. Well that's next. Next time I log in we will be in Nashville.

Comment by iV on August 5, 2008 at 11:26am

make sure to give me a shout when you land and the dust settles...

Comment by Robert W Brown on August 1, 2008 at 12:01pm

Okay we have secured a sublet. So we have bought some time to look for a more permanent home. And we are getting a yard sale on this weekend. We have too much stuff!!! 16 days till we move.

Comment by Robert W Brown on July 29, 2008 at 11:30pm

An update on our move, but first a little background:
My wife and I are taking a new strategy to find our home. The decision to take the job and move to Nashville came rather sudden. And we both continue to work in the Houston area up until the time we must move. And we are having a yard sale this weekend.

We are real particular about what our home is like. Location, features, and layout are not something we want to leave to chance. Security for the family, a lifestyle that gives us access to work, and a peaceful center simply must happen. Plus a proper space for my studio is essential.

Finding the specifics over the internet is simply not practical else we risk being saddled with a home that is missing an essential element.

So now we are attempting to sublet an apartment. We have found a real nice one that will do for a couple of months. Most leases are for 9-12 months minimum. That simply is way too long for me not to have my studio space. The house we are leaving has an unusual layout that works great. It has two large adjoining and asymmetrical rooms with a large closet that works great a place to put my computer gear. There are high ceilings and the floor is real solid. I was able to install panels, baffles, and a secondary floor to acoustically treat the room. And it is large enough to rehearse a band.

I was able to scope this place out before we moved to Houston last year. That isn't going to be the case this time. Having an acoustic space that is workable is hard to find and I feel it is necessary to stand in the room and listen to it before I lay down the money. I am sure many here would understand.

So the sublet buys us a little time without the commitment. We are hoping the deal we are pursuing will go through so we can find our next step towards a more permanent home.

Comment by Robert W Brown on July 24, 2008 at 9:26am

Thanks Judy. I am feeling more welcome all the time! It will take some time to find my creative place in the music community. I am very eager to begin. With this site I suppose I already have begun. Finding a house we can call home is step one.

I visited Nashville five years ago after being away for more than two decades. I was surprised that I could easily find my way around the city. But Nashville has grown much more populated. Where once there were country roads I found sprawl. After a couple of decades away it was like stepping into a strange dream.

I grew up in Brentwood on Beechcreek Road. It was a great place to be a young boy. I suppose we are looking for something similar. Right now we are working to find a nice peaceful country home southeast of the city. That way my son can have what I had -which was a rural upbringing with access to culture. And my wife and I can have access to our work while maintaining a peaceful lifestyle. We are still searching ...

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page