Regardless of what they actually say their reasons for making music are for, All aspiring musicians want to be stars. The dream of stardom has been the fuel for many a music career for hundreds of years; Mozart and Michael Jackson are in that respect not as different as one would think, issues of respective talent and taste aside. All current and past pop music stars have one thing in common, though: a hit song that propelled them into pop stardom. The question that has haunted many songwriters and musicians since the dawn of popular music is: what makes a song a hit?
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It’s been a few days since my last road trip, and it’s often difficult to find themes that make each and every gig experience unique, because frankly, most of my shows follow similar patterns. What I like to report on are certain subtleties I notice at each show or block of shows. One of the more interesting subtleties is the observation of how people tend to party during certain times of the year. With summer just around the corner, people are definitely getting into party mode. How did this change in attitude affect my job on this latest road trip? Let’s take a look.
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There are certain undisputed truths about being a pro musician in Europe, particularly in Germany, where I work most of the time: you’re always asked to do more than you want to; you’re always treated well, but never as well as you think you should be; and the cleanliness of the bathroom in your hotel room has more of an effect on your performance at the gig than you would like to believe.
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