We recently connected with Matthew Gordon and have shared our conversation below.

Matthew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

This was actually the topic of a conversation that Megan and I had very recently.

We have both had, and still have, what could be considered more conventional jobs (Megan recruits for a tech company, I teach music lessons part-time). Although we both appreciate and enjoy our day jobs, I don’t feel like either of us could live a life without performing music for a living.

I started playing guitar at 11 years old, and although I didn’t show any particular talent or promise right away, I felt like I had found something that I enjoyed more than a typical hobby. I still skateboarded, played video games, and did other typical preteen/teenage things, but I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that those things would eventually fall by the wayside, and that music wouldn’t. When it was time to apply for colleges, I didn’t even consider majoring in anything other than music. As cliche as it might sound, I just knew that I didn’t want to do anything else. And as I’ve gotten older, even as I’ve had to deal with the struggles of being a professional musician (money, schedule, etc.) my feelings about my path have only solidified more and more.

Of course I have thought about what life would be like with a more “regular” job, especially when money gets tight, or when I have to miss events with friends or family to go on tour. But when I think about whether or not I made the right choice, the question almost seems moot: I don’t feel like I ever really had a choice. I never wanted to do anything else, or even felt like I could do something else, besides music.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hi! Let us introduce ourselves we are Chicago Mule. We are a band based out of Chicago IL. We are made up of two members. Guitarist and Vocalist, Matt Gordon and Pianist and Vocalist, Megan Burback. We are a touring band that plays covers and originals all over the mid west. You can hire us to play at private events, weddings, wineries, breweries. We originally started as a duo but are now expanding to a 4 and 5 piece band!!

How did we get into our industry?

Megan started singing and performing the moment she could walk and talk. She always knew that music whether that would be playing the piano singing or dancing would be apart of her life forever. Both Megan and I went to and met at Columbia College Chicago and we majored in Music. years after we met we started our band Chicago Mule.

Megan and I started Chicago Mule in early 2022. We had each been gigging a lot, playing solo as well as with bands–mostly cover gigs at some local restaurants, bars, etc. After playing with some touring bands and seeing what it would take to take our gigging to the net level, we invested in the necessary equipment (our own PA system, travel cases, cables, t-shirts, etc.) and started cold-calling and emailing any venues that we thought might be a good fit. We combined the set lists that we had been using for our solo shows, with hers being more modern and pop-oriented, and mine having more rock and oldies.

We wanted to create a set list that not only had something for everyone, but also makes an audience member think “wow, I forgot how much I love this song!”

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Two things come to mind:

1. COME TO OUR SHOWS!!!!!!!! It means the world to us when a friend or a stranger chooses to come see us play. There are so many ways you can spend your Friday and Saturday nights. I know sometimes I would prefer to sit and binge Netflix while ordering take out. But In all seriousness, the more draw we can attract as an artist or band the more likely it is the booker for that venue will ask us back.

2. If you can’t make it to our show, following us on social media helps a ton! Social media is not only a way to attract and gain audience members and followers. It also is a way to pitch your band to music bookers. A business owner or music booker who is hiring live music for their bar, restaurant or venue is mainly looking at our social media presence. Our instagram and Facebook is a a little window of our success. By interacting and following us it allows the booker to see that we have a following, which will bring new customers into their businesses. I don’t want to attribute everything to social media but unfortunately it does play a big part in our success. Long story short the more you interact with us on social media (follow, like, subscribe, share ) the more opportunities open up.

One more thing I would like to add. It is very important that musicians support other musicians. When we first started out, we looked at everyone as competition. We felt like if our colleagues are successful then there is know room for us. I learned very quickly that is untrue. We have gained the most by collaborating with other artists and musicians. We believe it is important to support our colleagues to sustain a thriving creative ecosystem.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Megan’s POV:

I think the lesson both Matt and I have learned is ” You just have to do it”. Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can be really scary. It was anxiety inducing starting a business/ band. This was a big leap for us. We wanted to take the next step in our music career and start making a living doing what we love.

Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone will make you think ” I am not ready for this, what if I fail.” or. “This is not the right time, I’ll just do it next year.” I had that mentality for years and it got me nowhere. What I am trying to say is, you can not wait for the right time. The right time is now and the only way to improve and excel is to just do it and trust that you will rise to the occasion with hard work and termination.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.chicagomule.com
• Instagram: @chicagomuleband
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoMuleBand
• Other: Follow us on TikTok @meganburback