Music is an art that requires dedication and a lot of hard work to excel in. Being a musician is not always an easy path to follow. Every musician has a story of how they had to face and overcome various obstacles to achieve success in their career. In this article today, I hope to somehow inspire and give hope to any musician out there.
When I started my music career as a bass player, I played countless small gigs where I would make little money, sometimes even paying to play. My journey as a musician started in Brazil, where I played in a local band in a small city about 2 hours from Rio de Janeiro when I was just 13 years old. Later on, I started playing mostly in a trio band in several bars, literally almost every night of the week. During the summer, I used to play three gigs on the same day on Saturdays, starting in the afternoon and ending around 3-4 in the morning because the third and last gig of the day used to be in a nightclub.
Additionally, I used to find my way into the soundchecks for almost all major artists who played in my city. Watching these soundchecks inspired me a lot. One time, a famous band had an issue with their equipment – the drummer had an issue with his drumheads (despite having backups). I was at the soundcheck and offered to help. I took the producer to the house of one of my old music tutors who used to have a studio with drums, to see if he could sell some to the band. All the stores were closed at that time since it was a small city, and it was late. The band invited me to the show and I watched it from the stage. I couldn’t believe it was happening. Before the show started, the crew did one final check, and one of the roadies asked me to sit on the drum and play it a little bit in front of the packed venue. I couldn’t believe he asked me to do that. Stories like these helped me through my path in the music world.
While still in that city, I also used to catch a bus to go to Rio de Janeiro to attend music courses. Before my family and I moved to Niteroi, I also used to travel to another city to attend rehearsals with a female singer that later on signed to a record label. During this same time, I was able to travel to Niteroi to meet with a relatively well-known artist with some past hits back then. I convinced him to help me with my music career. Basically, I wanted to promote a concert to raise money to attend Berklee or maybe Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. With no money available, I managed to get the sound company to be on board by letting me pay them after the show. With some help from other people, I was also able to get sponsors for hotel, food, radio promotion, and transportation. I got the music venue on board on a commission basis. I also got a local TV to feature the show during their local news. They sent a reporter in for the sound check.
Although the show was almost full, we had an issue with the owner of the venue, who claimed that the box was not enough to cover everything. Despite being young and inexperienced, I had to cover the responsibility (I shouldn’t have trusted the owner). Even though the concert didn’t give me any money to attend Berklee College of Music, it was a great experience and fortunately, the artist who had agreed to do the concert on a commission basis understood the situation. He and his band also blamed the owner of the venue. I ended up with a few debts because of this situation as I had to pay for some unpaid expenses such as the sound company and a couple of other things. Fortunately, my dad covered those expenses, and I never made it to Berklee or the Musicians Institute. But I learned a huge lesson, and it made me believe that nothing is impossible. I organized and promoted the concert with literally no money. It was a huge experience in my life.
During that same time, I attended several particular music courses, including Musiart, Pro Music, and had class with Arthur Maia. Later on, when I was already living in Niteroi, I attended both Marketing and Music Production in college, but I did not finish it due to a busy agenda with Emmerson Nogeuira – I literally dropped out of college when I was six months away from my diploma. It is important to say that before I got this first major gig, I was also playing with the female singer I mentioned before. I was also participating in a charity program with Gotto Goffi, who is the drummer of Barão Vermelho. This program would teach music for orphans in an orphanage belonging to a catholic church in Rio. Due to my friendship with Guto, I got him to play some gigs with the singer I mentioned before.
Despite the obstacles, I kept pushing and working hard, eventually landing some great opportunities. For example, playing with Emmerson was a dream come true, and I learned so much from him. I toured with him for several years, playing in big venues. We also played in a couple of shows that had a crowd of more than 100,000 people on a famous beach , which was an amazing experience.
But the music industry is not always stable, and eventually, I had to face the harsh reality of being a musician. After a few years of touring, I found myself without a steady income. It was a difficult time, and I paused it for a while to open some businesses, from music management to music distribution as well as other small things as an entrepreneur. I’ve done it all with the goal to return to my real thing as soon as possible and to use it to learn new things and to sponsor my music career. I believe that no matter what you do, the more you know the better it will help you.
I have come to realize that being a musician is not just about playing music, but also about being adaptable and open to new opportunities.
Overall, my journey as a musician has been full of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The lessons I’ve learned and the experiences I’ve had have shaped me into the person I am today.