A High Five Is Sometimes All You Need

Being in an industry where most people expect to get something in return for playing, I like to remind myself that a high five is sometimes all you need. I recently had a show at the Plymouth Coffeebean in Plymouth, MI. This is one of my favorite coffee houses to perform at. It was a nice, laid back acoustic set. Whenever I have a show it's impossible to guess how many people will show up. It could be no one or it could be to a standing room only. You just never know.

The thing that I love the most about the Plymouth Coffeebean is the audience and the patrons of the coffeehouse. Most of the time they're appreciative of the performing acts. They'll even wait for a performer to finish a song before they to leave or enter the room. I just love that, common courtesy! The venue also pays for the artists' food and drink for the night. It's the small things that mean a lot.

The show went pretty good. It wasn't a packed room, but there was a decent amount of people and most importantly they listened to the music. I discussed in an earlier article that it's better to perform to a small audience that listens to you rather than a large audience that talks over your performance. When that happens, you're just background music. There's nothing wrong with that if you're getting paid, but not cool if you're trying to make enough money for gas to get home.

Then there was this little kid. He was probably around 10 years old. He came up to me and said,"Thank you very much for playing your music!", then proceeded to give me a high five and sat back down with his dad. When he did that I thought to myself "you know, that was all worth it because of that kid." That one high five and thankful gesture made my night. Yeah, he didn't buy a cd, but who cares. I felt great that night because I felt some positive energy being shot back to me.

I hate having to think about the numbers. The numbers of what I've spent in music. The gas, the printing of CDs and flyers, etc. The number of hours I put into writing a song and rehearsing my set over and over. I'd hate to spend all that on something I love if I go and have a show where people ignore you, they never applaud, or they tell you "you suck"; all of which has happened. All that comes with the territory. Not every show is going to be great. Not every performance is going to be the best. But that night, that show was great because of the intangible value of positive energy and the love being given back. It recharged my batteries and made me remember why I love being a musician.

Emilio Basa is an independent singer songwriter. He offers strategies and advice on artist promotion and selling music online. His unique style is a blend of folk, pop and soul. To download a free mp3, click HERE.

Basa is also the creator of Musicians-Journey.com, a blog offering tips and advice for musicians at all levels.