Putting the band on hold

I often think that knowledge comes much easier than wisdom, and wisdom is usually the result of some really difficult deliberation and decision-making. I've already tackled the topics of purchasing a new home and deciding to work for Musical Family Tree in earlier posts, so I'll use this opportunity to discuss one of the more difficult decisions I've made in 2012...

Earlier this year, my band Everything, Now! released a new record that was the result of at least three years of work. Things kept slowing down for us in that period, mainly because we stopped touring, and I put a lot of time and effort into getting this album, Do It On the Moon, finished and released on vinyl. But I was feeling burned out by the time we played a few release shows in various Indiana cities. So we (mostly just me I guess) decided to take a break for a few months. A couple of the guys live outside of Indianapolis and it had gotten kind of exhausting and expensive to always try to get them to come into town for shows and practices.

But more than that, I just got super busy this year and I knew I wouldn't have time to do everything. I would have to make some decisions, and I hoped I would make wise ones. I gave an enormous amount of effort this year to blogging about other Indiana bands. Almost ten years of playing in Everything, Now! turned out to build an enormous network with other bands. I started looking around and finding talent everywhere. I was lucky to be in a position to write about all the other great bands I've loved in this state over the years. I love that part of my job, but I don't think I would have done it very well if I had been as busy with Everything, Now! shows, recordings, and practices as I have been in recent years.

I also started a new band, and I want to keep starting other new projects. I think all members of E,N! (and there have been a bunch of us) have outgrown the band in different ways. I think growth and change, as normal as they are, can be painful, and I want all of us to continue to evolve as musicians and as human beings. That might mean moving beyond Everything, Now! or putting it on hold for a while if necessary. Putting things on hold didn't help us sell many records, so maybe it wasn't wise in that sense, but I think it was a deeper kind of wisdom that has given me a better perspective in general. I want to continue Everything, Now! in the future, but I want it to be natural, enjoyable, and executed with wisdom.

Now that I'm moving into a different position at SmallBox and my job is changing, I'm glad that I allowed this year to be more about encouraging other artists than just promoting my own band all the time. I've observed the scene extensively for months, and I think that will help me in the future as a musician and aging member of the local indie rock community. So yeah, for that and a few other reasons, I think the Everything, Now! hiatus was one of the wisest decisions I've made in a long time.

***

This post is part of Think Kit by SmallBox
Today’s prompt: What was the wisest decision you made this year?