Almost Famous

A good friend emailed me the other day and said we should video and document our upcoming US tour like the movie Almost Famous. Released in 2000 by Cameron Crowe, I recall loving that film and especially remember the great scenes in the tour bus. I’m sure this tour with ten grown men in one bus with one bathroom would make for an exciting reality show. I know the soundtrack would be worth buying as well. It would have to be on HBO, of course, due to all the cursing and such.

The title, Almost Famous, made me think for quite some time. It is, actually, quite fitting for the story of my life and would make for a nice tombstone one day. Did I decide I wanted to try to be famous when I pursued music or did I write songs because I was simply passionate about the art? Who ultimately decides whether one is actually famous or not? Is almost famous good enough? Similar questions kept popping up in my mind until I realized the answer. I am truly happy that people around the entire planet have been exposed to our vision of art and sound. I don’t care if we become super rich. I simply want more people to have the ability to hear Black Swan Lane. I want to live comfortably and continue to do what we do best and write more material. Part of the inspiration to keep writing music is the knowledge that doors will be open for us in the future. How can we break into the corporate, bullshit world of music and get our songs heard in more films and radio without discussions of having to pay tons of money for marketing? How can we convince the people who do love us, to passionately tell all of their friends about us?
Seriously, it’s not about being famous or being noticed. It’s about being able to continue to make myself happy while we are making others happy simultaneously. It is the simple ability to sustain a lifestyle of creativity without all the stresses of reality. I truly love and appreciate the letters that have come in that have expressed thoughts and feelings about our music and what it has meant to them personally. Evidently, we have saved a couple of lives along the way. That alone is better than famous.

I’ve come to completely understand true artists who have integrity- who haven’t sold out and involuntarily changed their vision for a quick buck. We have strived to follow in the same framework. Several years ago, some top industry labels told us to go with more pop sounding tunes and make them melodically catchy in order to become famous. Fuck that.
I would rather be almost famous than famous…

Love & Light,

Jack
black swan lane
xxx