We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful John M. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with John below.

John, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned first and foremost by watching and listening to others who were better than me. I still do that to this day. I learned the most from people who were doing what I wanted to do, BETTER than I was doing it. It’s often tempting, to compare yourself to people who aren’t quite as good as you. it’s great for the ego. But it doesn’t make you change and grow. But there are performances and artists where I am just completely blown away. Moved to tears. Inspired. Excited. And my first thought is always, “I wanna do THAT! I want to be able to make people feel the way he (or she) is making ME feel! Making this whole audience feel.” I sometimes think, “I don’t want to be one of these thousands of people sitting here in awe…. I want to be THAT person!” But it takes more than just wanting it. You have to figure out what they’re doing, that you’re not. If you just imitate them – go through the same motions that they’re going through, it won’t get the job done.

What could’ve sped the process up? In my case I’m not sure anything could have. Everyone learns and grows at their own pace. I admit my pace is slower than some. I sometimes wish I’d had more money, more resources, more time and fewer distractions… I think everybody wishes for that. But in the end I suspect if I’d had those things I’d probably have wasted them or not made the most of them. We all make mistakes. I’ve made some. I’ve missed opportunities. And there are probably some moments along the way where I wish I’d made the other choice – you know…. taken a publishing offer that I didn’t think was right for me at the time, or accepting a gig that didn’t pay anything but might have done something else for me … we all have those. But you can go crazy second-guessing yourself. Do what you think is best in the moment. Try to make each moment count, as best you can. And go on from there.

There are many skills in what I do. (What all performing songwriters do.) Songwriting, first and foremost. Performance skills. And just plain PEOPLE skills! Those are very important! That’s what makes people like you, even more than the music. It’s where professionalism comes from. Songwriting is critical, because if you don’t have the song, you don’t have anything! Even if you do someone else’s song, it has to be great. But I wrote a book on performance and I coach people in performance because everybody and their uncle is out there offering their two cents on how to write a great song. I don’t believe there is any “One right way.” There are as many ways to write a great song as there are great songs!
But PERFORMANCE seems to be largely overlooked today. Too many people think that if you just get out there and play the song, that’s enough. That’s all there is to it.. Those people are wrong. Ever heard a mediocre singer perform a great, classic song? The song is only half the battle! A lacklustre performance of a great song will make an audience yawn. But a great, passionate performance of a “just ok” song can bring them to their feet!
Obstacles? We all have our own lists. I’m inclined to say that they don’t really matter. If you’re not careful, obstacles can become excuses, and nobody cares about excuses. Life gets in the way. As I said before, not enough time, not enough money, not the best equipment. Don’t look at obstacles as roadblocks – look at them as challenges, to be overcome. I’ve performed while I had pneumonia! I was once in the middle of a solo tour and my van broke down in a way that would take over a week to repair. I had my van towed, rented another van, transferred all my gear into the rented van, did the rest of the tour with the rented van, and then came back to where my own van was being repaired to pick it up, pay for the repair, return the rental van, and drive home. My profit when all was said and done? less than fifty bucks.! But I got the job done. I didn’t cancel a gig, and I made new fans. You take the good with the bad, and you keep going.

John, 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?

My main “product” is my music, and my performances. I ENTERTAIN people. I make them feel things, and sometimes I make them think about things. And I do it in a way that they enjoy. That’s not as easy as it sounds, but it’s FUN, both for me AND for them. And of course, people can and do buy my recorded music.

In terms of “services” or “Problem solving” for my “clients,”… that leads us into my book, “Performance Matters.” (Available at Amazon.com.) Many people are content simply to be entertained by what I do, and leave it at that. But for those who are interested in becoming better performers – I try to help them by sharing my own lessons that I’ve learned. I’ve had my mentors along the way, and now I’m happy to pass that service on to others if they are interested. How do you overcome stage fright? How do you make your onstage patter, (the talking you do to an audience between songs) interesting and entertaining? How do you handle hecklers and sudden disrtuptions during a show? How do you put a set list together, and do you even NEED a set list? Why does it matter? What do you do if you sense that you’re losing an audience? I do my best to answer these and many other questions like these in my book, and in my consultations with artists.

What am I most proud of? I’m REAL. I give me audiences the best “me” that I can. I don’t create some fictional superhero or alter-ego for the stage. Sure, I try to present myself in my best light… who doesn’t? I try to look good, and sound good, but really a performance is simply ME, sharing myself, my emotions, my thoughts, who I AM with my audience. It’s like a conversation between me and them. And when it works best – it’s satisfying and rewarding for both of us.

Finally, I should probably acknowedge that I provide a “service” for people who hire me as a perormer as well. For the audience – I’m simply an entertainer. But for the booker or promoter, I’m one of the reasons people come out to their venue and spend money. Not the ONLY reason, in most cases, but an important reason. That’s what they pay me for. To get them there, and to KEEP them there.

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

It’s not the money, (there’s rarely enough of that anyway,) and it has little to do with “fame”. I love the feeling, the moment when I realize that someone has been “impacted” or “affected” or simply moved by something I did in a performance. A song that made them cry. Or laugh. Or just a look on their face when something really resonated with them. That’s way better and more important than applause for me. Don’t get me wrong – applause is great! It’s mass approval! We all love that. But sometimes applause is just a simple courtessey. People clap because they think they’re supposed to. But when someone really “feels” something; a word, an emotion, that you created from blank space, from nothing, and then shared with them….. man! That’s powerful. THAT’s my reward.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

This is an easy one – and my answer is probably one you’ve gotten from others: Simply go out and enjoy live music and entertainment on the local level, as much as you can. Don’t feel obligated to patronize people or art forms that you don’t genuinely like and appreciate. That does nothing for anyone. But if you love theatre, for example – go out and see plays whenever you can. If you love jazz music, or opera, or hard rock… whatever it is, get out there and let the local artists who are doing what you like know that you appreciate them. Buy their records or music downloads if they have them! Sign up for their email lists. TIP them! (This goes much farther than you might think. Many people are shocked when they find out how many truly gifted artists perform for free, or nearly for free.) If you go to a show and are not blown away by it – don’t go again. That’s perfectly ok. But if you really do enjoy it, GO AGAIN! Tell your friends about the great new artist, or singer, or garage mechanic, or gardener that you just discovered! Getting back to live performance – when you go back to hear someone you heard before and enjoyed – bring friends! You don’t even have to pay for them – just BRING them! This is a small thing, but it helps more than most people can possibly imagine.

Contact Info:

• Website: [email protected]
• Instagram: @johnmsongs
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/johnmsongwriter
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/johnmmusic