We recently connected with Chris Mccoy and have shared our conversation below.

Chris , appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Interesting Question. I actually live in both worlds. I have a full time occupation as an I.T. Director. That is my “Day Gig”. But I’m blessed to be able to do so much creatively outside of that role. The challenge is finding a proper balance between the two worlds. Sometimes I do wonder what my life would have been like if I had gone the other route and made music my full time/and only source of income. Some of the artists I work with have felt the pain of watching their art-form be overtaken by a different style of music. And to survive that type of change required a great deal of creativity on their part in order to make a living in the midst of a changing industry. Today, those same artists are facing different challenges as the delivery of music content has shifted from traditional record albums, cd’s and cassette tapes to a digital and streaming world where everything is on a handheld phone or other device and the payout is far less. Looking around, I consider myself lucky. My original goal was to land a record deal and have large success with a melodic rock/hard rock band similar to Bon Jovi. That was during the late 80’s. In the 90’s. When the record companies stopped signing that type of artist/band, and grunge became the order of the day (almost overnight), I returned to college and finished my 4-year degree. Best decision I ever made. No regrets. To answer the initial question, I’m happy in any capacity as an artist, whether it’s once a month or a few times a year.

Chris , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I inherited a gift from my late grandmother. The ability to play piano by ear. It was a blessing and a curse. My earliest memory of this was playing a piano that my parents kept in the basement. I was five years old. My mother wanted me to take piano lessons. So at age 6 I began riding my bike up the street to take piano from a woman who lived in our neighborhood. The lessons were progressing nicely and before I knew it, I was signed up to sing in the church choir and eventually when I turned 10, I also took up trombone in the school band. I continued piano lessons into middle school with a different teacher. I remember playing at a recital. I had played every note perfectly, but in the wrong key…a sure sign I was still playing by ear. This followed me into college. At my audition for the Florida State school of music, I was required to complete a sight-reading audition on piano. I panicked because I hadn’t read music for piano since middle school. I was still playing by ear. So as the person in front of me auditioned, I leaned in to see if I could hear what she was playing. When it was my turn, I attempted to play what she had just played and the instructor caught me ! He told me that the piece of music I was reading wasn’t the same one she had just played. However, he also noted that I had good improvisation skills and informed me that I had passed the audition ! So that was that. Fast forward to the following year. I had returned to my hometown in Virginia and was contacted by a high-school friend who had a band. He invited me to play keyboards. This opened a lot of doors for me. Starting with backyard parties and within a couple of years, leading to joining a headlining/touring band. At the age of 21 I stayed on the road for almost 2 years. I had dropped out of college and was pursuing a record deal, writing and recording with this same group. Eventually I joined another group in Baltimore and settled on finishing my Bachelor’s degree. I settled into a day job, but never stopped playing. Today I’ve played in front of thousands of people. The opportunities that have come my way were all from knowing people who knew other people in the industry. I continued to practice. Today I’ve had the fortune of playing on several albums and working with some of the best artists in the industry. I’m truly blessed. I offer keyboard tracking for bands, soundtracks and albums as well as live performance as a keyboardist with tribute bands and nationally signed artists.

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

Go out and see live performances. Buy the ticket, buy the merchandise ! The majority of artist revenue today comes from touring and merchandise. The old days of record sale royalties are gone. Streaming doesn’t pay much unless you’re a stadium band like Bon Jovi or the Rolling Stones. The best thing you can do for a band is to support them by attending their live performance. Buy a t-shirt while you are there. And write a nice review on social media if you enjoyed the show. Now more than ever the industry needs this !

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The shared energy between the artist and the audience at a live performance. It’s a shared, mutual feeling of joy between the artist and the audience when you are on stage in front of a large crowd and they are truly feeling what you are delivering in that performance. And you can immediately as an artists feel this joy and energy. It’s addictive. A few things happen when an artist is on stage. First, there’s an immediate reward for all of the hard work in the feedback you get from the audience. Second, there’s a feeling of closure. You’ve worked so hard to get to this point and finally you’ve arrived. There’s no other feeling like it in the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chrismccoymusic.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismccoymusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eastcoast.keyboardist/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jchristophermccoy/