So, there is this website called Drooble. Their mission statement, in part, says, “We dedicated ourselves to creating a culture of mutual support between artists… imagine a community where you can connect with others to collaborate, exchange ideas, and share knowledge.”  That’s pretty cool.

Unfortunately, though, I haven’t really found how I can use it, myself, and no one really goes there except for other people on the platform looking to get their own stuff out there. But I logged in the other day for the first time in a long time and remembered that I had filled out their “interview” questions on my profile.

Since no one is reading it there, why not put it here?  Here it is in all it’s glory. Enjoy.

The Drooble Interview, Complete with Emoticons 🤷‍♂️

What is music to you? What does it give you?
Steve: It’s part of me. Yes, that’s a generic answer. But it’s a generic question, too! It’s something I need to be doing. If I’m not actively playing and creating music, something in my life feels missing. It’s that important. It’s not an option for me. Music alone can’t be enough to make me happy in this world, but the absence of music makes it impossible to be completely happy. It’s something I have to do. It transcends a hobby and is different than a job, for me.

What is your music dream?
Steve: To keep playing it and to keep creating it. When I’ve gone through spells where I don’t have that, it’s painfully clear how important it is to be playing and that that, ultimately, is the dream.

But we tend to always want “more” than what we have. So while I’m busy and active playing, I lean on the next leg of that dream, and that is to have people interested in hearing it.

If you could change the world – what would you start with?
Steve: Nothing relevant to a Drooble site.

Which is the most memorable song from your childhood?
Steve: There is no specific song. Actually, I really hate questions that ask you to pick one song whether it’s your “favorite” or your “most inspirational” or anything like that. I think most real music lovers will tell you that it’s impossible to name just one most of the time, or even twenty, for that matter. So, I won’t try. 😁

Who are your favorite musical artists or bands?
Steve: See some of the listings on my “About” page*. I like pop stuff that was thrown at me as a young kid, and then moved onto hard rock during my formative years, and then got really into country (influenced) rock and the like… but throughout it all, what I really loved was good songs, good singing, good harmonies, and great melodies. No matter what I thought I dug (in terms of musical formats), it really was the four things above that I loved and still do. The rest is just window dressing.

*The aforementioned “listings” included Poco, Eagles, UFO, Kiss, Buffalo Springfield, Beatles, The Bottle Rockets, Clover, Flying Burrito Brothers, Fools Gold, Jellyfish, The Outlaws, Redwing, Raspberries, Sloan, and more.

What inspires you to make music?
Steve: Whenever we’re asked these questions, we (musicians and artists) go into hippie-dippy answers that circumvent the most obvious answer for practically any of us—it’s totally a blast! Music is great fun. Don’t forget to mention that. If it was not pleasurable, no artist would do it despite the other reasons.

Now for more hippie-dippy stuff… I need to do it. It’s a part of me. It makes me feel complete. See above.

And, I have a strong desire to create and to express myself. That’s why I’m a songwriter, as well. That’s always been important to me. I realize more now than ever that not everyone comes from that perspective. And that’s fine. But for me, the purpose of forming a band when I was 16 was so we could write our own songs and be ourselves.

The reason I write songs, write prose, and sit in coffee shops with friends when given the chance is to express and discuss and observe and share reflections on life and experiences. That sounds kind of haughty, but it’s really not. It can be a reflection of the very mundane or day to day life stuff. It doesn’t come from a position of elitism, it comes from a shared experience.

What is the message you want to send with your music?
Steve: I don’t think I’m looking to send a message. I just want to express myself, and if someone picks up on something and wonders where it’s coming from or what it means, then that’s great.

How do you feel when you perform in front of an audience?
Steve: It’s wonderful. When I was younger I still loved it, but it was coupled with stage fright and stuff like that, too, where I’d be nervous about screwing up or something.

I barely worry about that stuff these days. Getting older has its advantages.

How do you see the musicians’ reality nowadays? What could be improved?

Steve: Less tribute bands. No disrespect to anyone who does the tribute bands as a paycheck or because they genuinely like it. Different strokes for different folks, live and let live, and all that good stuff.

But for me, I wish there were more people being themselves. I want to hear what you have to say or bring, not how much you can sound like someone else. That doesn’t interest me. I’m way more interested in you.

What do you think of Drooble?
Steve: Haven’t really figured it out yet, but the intent is good. Seems like a positive, supportive community, and we need that.

What frustrates you most as a musician?
Steve: Hmmmm…. probably that some people think it’s silly and say things like, “What do you think you’re going to be a star or something? You think people want to hear what you are doing?” They don’t understand that we don’t all do this for recognition or stardom.

If someone took up painting, no one says to them, “What? Do you think you’re going to be some world famous artist?” They support it as a creative outlet and form of expression. Music should be the same thing, but people confuse the commerce & stardom sides of it with the art side and sometimes that get weird.

Do you support your local scene as a fan? How?
Steve: I try. Mostly as a supporter of other bands that friends of mine are in. I’m not the most diligent show attender, because the reality is I’m middle-aged with work, family, responsibilities, and music of my own. So it doesn’t leave a lot of time. But when I can, I get out there and see my mates play.

What qualities should a musician nowadays have in order to get their music heard by a larger audience?
Steve: I could give you some answers, but why ask me? I am not the most qualified person on the subject. If I was, my stuff would be heard by a larger audience. 

But I would say “time” and “guts.” When I was young, I had the time, but not the guts to put myself out there as much as I should have. These days I have more of the latter, but less of the former.

Share some awesome artists that we’ve never heard of.
Steve: Nah.  🙂

You guys have your own awesome artists that no one has heard of. And just look around Drooble… awesome artists are out there everywhere.