The Spring of My Discontent
Last Time on “Robert Bock”
OK, so here’s a quick recap since we last spoke. In March, I told you about spraining my ankle (which has since healed) and then there was a “tale of two gigs”. The Rainbow Rodeo gig in Brooklyn (that I correctly identified as magical) was even featured in No Depression! I went on to talk about how excited I was because I was preparing to work on a new (technically debut?) solo album with producer Mike Robinson. If you don’t know Mike, you should. He’s the guy who’s been producing Olivia Ellen Lloyd’s albums, being featured on Zach Bryan’s album, a side man to both Sarah Jarosz and Sierra Ferrell (among countless others), and also writing and recording his own incredible stuff. I’m lucky he’s willing to work with me. I was even planning a Kickstarter to crowdsource funding for the album.
But then at the end of April my life got complicated. I won’t go into details, but it felt as though the legs got kicked out from under me. I pretty much had to put a pause on all of my endeavors, which included hitting the brakes on the album and taking down the website. The month of May was very difficult for me. In June, I attempted to hit the reset button. I played a couple of shows, but it was hard to be present and enjoy one of my favorite things to do. I went to Porch Stomp, but I quickly left as I felt there was a negative cloud hanging over me. A feeling of loneliness in a crowded room. The first two weeks of July proved to be very much the same. The mechanics and stability of my life began reforming, but I was emotionally drained.
It was around mid-July that I felt something begin to stir in me. I went to the Original Open Mic Night at Swing The Teapot and just tried to take it slow. I went into “I Dreamt I Saw Her Last Night” at a steady pace and felt the life carefully seep back into my fingers. It was in that moment I felt ready to begin re-climbing the mountain.
The Return
After the open mic I made a plan to put myself back into gear and take my life back. I restarted the website and booked a bunch of shows. At the end of July I played a fun gig at Nancy Blake’s in Jackson Heights, which was a great opportunity to really work out my “sea legs”. I followed that up with a set on The Farley Steps (across the street from Madison Square Garden) as part of a Big City Folk bill. I reconnected with my producer and made a plan to put the album back in motion. And that’s when I launched the crowdfunding campaign. I’m gonna be real with you. Making records costs money. And I want to do this right. So, I’ve set a goal where I will be able to pay the musicians, pay the producer, book the studio, and market this thing the way I feel would be most beneficial. I created different tiers for people to contribute and receive CD’s, tees, vinyl, etc. I really hope this goes well. If you’d like to contribute, you can find it HERE.
What Now?
The current plan is to start recording in early November. Hopefully by that time we will have reached our crowdfunding goal. In the meantime, I have a bunch of new, fun shows scheduled including Greeley Plaza, Bar Freda, and the Irish Arts Center. I would love to see you at a show. I would love to rebuild my momentum. I would love to continue making music on my terms. There’s a lot I would love. But this business is plenty of ebbs and flows.
A friend recently reminded me of the stubbornness required to be a musician. I never put much stock in the zodiac, but being a taurus, I guess it helps that I’m stubborn. Although, the repeated trial and error could also be linked to insanity.