For the past maybe 3 years I’d say that going to concerts is my one true religion, or at least as close as I’ll ever get to going to church, experience wise.

Besides getting to watch my favorite artists perform live, I’ve been on a special research. Every single show, every single performer, venue, night is completely different. Believe me, I do not dismiss the amount of work that goes into it. From finding your voice, to writing songs and playing live. In this research, in exposing myself to these experiences, I find a kind of preparation.

I remember doing some theater in college, with the intention of exposing myself to a sort of spotlight that I was not a fan of. In that space, I believe I was a decent director, but a somewhat uninterested actor. I did not care for the lines or my interpretation. I didn’t find playing others much fun, BUT the idea of showing up on stage as yourself, full voice, maybe accompanied by a guitar, now that’s…something else entirely.

MY CONCERT BARBIE ERA

Last week I went to 3 very different shows, although somewhat adjacent musically. Cuco, Royel Otis, and Marina and Gabriel.

Let’s talk a bit about each one of them.

Cuco is a great example of a bedroom pop artist that made it in the second half of the 2010s. Originally from California, his music is dreamy, nostalgic, it’s emotional but suspended in the sense that it’s continuous, like a soundtrack. On stage, Cuco seemed to feel a bit naked without the rest of his band. Although accompanied by a great guitarist, the concert felt like an intimate party, where he was taking requests and talking to the small crowd constantly between songs.

Royel Otis is a pop rock duo from Australia. Their band name combines both their names, and they started out young, which is interesting because I had never seen a new band that felt so much like the Brit pop from the 90s. I was too young back then anyway, so it feels nice to have an opportunity to see a band like that.

Their sound is crisp, the lyrics are studied, and they have all the attitude for it. Otis stands on the stage kind of skinny, wearing long sleeves and holding the mic in a way that reminds you of the Oasis frontman, Liam Gallagher. And Royel looks just like Kurt Cobain stepping out of the Smells like teen spirit video, he rarely shows his face. I found this fun. Kind of an homage to that whole era.

The show feels like a pub crawl, the singer drinks beer nonstop and smokes too. It’s very vintage for a gen Z band. It’s a solid concert. Their sound filled a small venue, but you can tell their sound can fill a stadium too. (They recently just cancelled the US portion of the rest of the tour, due to Roy having family matters to attend).

Marina and Gabriel are a pop duo from Spain and Argentina. This was an intimate concert in Espacio Seara, entirely acoustic. Both are singer/songwriters that have their solo projects and make music together. Their songs have pop quality in their writing but also an expansion of this sound via the flamenco influence that Marina brings, that voice + all the arrangements, I’d say they’re a perfect match. It seems to me that there’s definitely a space in pop and folk inspired music where all Hispanic countries could use a little or a lot more exploration.

They provided a sort of guided tour through their songs, explaining the inspiration behind them in a succinct way, and asked the audience to accompany the music with finger snaps during and between songs, to avoid bothering neighbors. At the end of the show, we were finally allowed to clap, and the whole place filled with the sound of relief that we were now able to express what a lovely show it was.

LEARNING SOMETHING NEW

Demystifying music for me is useful because I never thought you can just do this. Yes, it takes effort, time, talent, etc. but if you really want to do something you CAN just do it.

Apply this to anything that you’d like to just do.

So I’ve been taking music lessons. And the other day it dawned on me: WHAT THE HELL WAS I DOING that I wasn’t doing this?

I know the answer. Surviving, getting a degree, having a career, and such. But there’s definitely a humbling moment of WTF have I’ve been doing with my life.

But instead of feeling stupid and/or sorry for myself, I think it’s best to talk about why being an amateur in something is great, and necessary for human life.

THE JOYS I’VE FOUND IN BEING AN AMATEUR (SO FAR):

1- Learning is (should be) a safe space to fuck up:

Making mistakes, aka the thing everyone taught us was reason for shame and guilt, is the first step to getting good at anything. You should fuck up, a LOT.

2- You WILL know if it’s right for you:

If you don’t like the guitar, and prefer the drums. You’ll know. Apparently this is also the case for relationships, but way less risky.

3- It’s nobody’s business:

Whether it’s your calling or a hobby you love, being protective of your learning experience is important. No one can jinx anything, because just as they can’t paint or play like you do, they don’t do the thing for you, therefore they’re not entitled to an opinion. And you don’t have to prove anything, either.

4- Do take advice from people you admire:

You can tell when someone’s trying to actually help you because they’re not about words, but actions. They’ll show you, without ego.

5- It’s actually easy to do the things you love:

You just gotta stay consistent. In the sense that you have got to do it again, and again, and again.

6- But first, you have to prioritize what you enjoy:

This is probably the moment where you have to be able to let go of everything that does not matter. You have to be selfish, sometimes a little bit indulgent and obsessed if it helps.

Nothing great ever came from playing it safe with your calling. But you do need to cut out ALL the BS, I mean all of it. Especially your own.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT LEARNING

You will never be the person you were before.

Now that you know what you like, you cannot go back.

You might miss some of the indulgence and safety of delaying your calling.

Now you gotta put in the work.

You cannot compromise any longer.

Everything that doesn’t align, must go.

You’ll face new fears you haven’t felt before.

No one will pay you for the act of pursuing your dream. They’ll pay you to help them pursue theirs.

Did you find this inspiring? Feel free to comment and share any valuable insights on what has helped your creative journey.

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