dgarvich | The Dirt Is Red!

Alabama Music Ain’t Playin’, Y’all!

The title of this post has two pretty distinct meanings: The original music coming from Alabama is really, REALLY good It’s not getting enough local play, whether at venues or media outlets In an effort to get more Alabama music in front of more earholes (everyone knows local radio sure as heck isn’t going to…

The Happening – In Alabama We Call It Spring

I feel this way every… single… spring. But seriously, this year it’s worse!

In Case You’d Forgotten, Real Music Still Exists: Lyle Lovett

No really… Vocal tone isn’t dead, nor is songwriting. This is a great example.

Two of The Most Important Skills Ever Learned

1. Learn to take criticism2. Learn to take a compliment

An Album For My Valentine – 2012

Last year my wife and I started a new (for us) Valentine’s Day tradition. Based on a very simple set of rules, we get each other an album. It keeps costs down and is a lot of fun. It also has the added benefit of making you really think about what the other person will…

Land of 1,000 Auto-Tunes

Birmingham is a terrestrial radio wasteland. It is known. Unless you’re a rabid fan of pop music (whether it originates from Los Angeles, Nashville or New York) you’re screwed if you want to listen to FM radio in Birmingham. Until recently Birmingham listeners could at least find a bit of a classic rock respite in…

Let Go To Get Going

Letting go… even of things you know are bad for you… is always hard but it’s necessary if we’re to move forward. This morning I came across an article with a list of great suggestions on ways to make the process easier (even enjoyable in some cases). Since it’s something we all have to do…

A Note For Birmingham Club Owners

Dealing with clubs and venues can be very tough for a musician. In a moment of particular frustration a while back I sat down to write an article about how the relationship between musician and venue needed to change. As I wrote, the article became less about my specific frustrations and more about overall suggestions…

Innovate or follow, these are your only choices

You can innovate or you can follow. You have to choose one, and you may choose only one. Innovating requires that you look ahead and dream of what could be while looking only the exactly appropriate distance ahead. History is full of innovators who looked too far ahead, got ahead of their time (even if…