Blog
To know what to play, you have to know what to say
Last night Sana and I were having little brainstorming session to plan a concert we want to perform at various locales around the U.S. and beyond. Nothing special, more of a “wish list” type of thing. We decided on a certain theme, then set out to list some of the things we both know and…
Read MoreA multi-millionaire remembered THIS about me
In June 2016, I made a rather large investment into myself as a podcaster. The great, and mysterious John Lee Dumas had just launched one of his journals, and one of the perks of his Kickstarter campaign was a “Day with JLD”. I’m not going to disclose exactly how many US Dollars I paid, but…
Read MoreThose times you realize you’re not the one calling the shots
Here’s an interesting story for you. I moved to Virginia Beach in August 2018, after which I moved out of the shared apartment from my previous spouse. TLDR situation for purposes of this email, so I’ll leave it at that. I moved into an apartment building that’s right on the ocean front of Virginia Beach,…
Read MoreSomeone Once Said…
We’ve all probably heard the phrase, “Someone once said…” followed by a pithy remark that causes us to pause for a moment and reflect on the new perspective we’ve just been offered on a particular situation or circumstance. Maybe something like, “Someone once said, A moment of patience in a moment of anger prevents a…
Read MoreThe gift that keeps giving
This past weekend I was gifted the opportunity to play my trumpet at Easter services at a local church. It had been quite a while since I’d done any serious trumpet playing in public, and late last year I decided I was going to “get back into the game” as Roy Hobbs says in The Natural.…
Read MoreThe liver and onions truck is coming!
One of the two remaining benefits of having a Facebook account (Messenger being the other) is being able to laugh hysterically at old Far Side cartoons by the great Gary Larson. There are more than a few groups dedicated to The Far Side, and it’s even inspired Gary Larson to create a few new comics,…
Read MoreDogma Breeds Sterility
For those of us of the Judeo-Christian persuasion and lifestyle, we’re in the midst of some of the most important holidays of our tradition. The folks at the Presbyterian church where I sing in the choir call it “Holy Hell Week” with all the events, services and what not. Not to mention the Jewish Passover…
Read MoreWhy I Had to Change the Name of My Podcast
This past January, I began a podcast venture I had wanted to do for a very long time. Previously, I had focused primarily on music, interviewing musicians, talking music business, things of that nature. But I always knew I was capable of more than this. There’s more to James Newcomb than trumpet and music, both…
Read MoreWhat Humor DOESN’T Mean
The best advice I’ve ever received in the realm of content creation is that we have to be entertaining. If you’re not entertaining, then you’re wasting your time. I truly believe this, yet I’ve found that a lot of people simply don’t understand what it means to be “entertaining.” They think it means to “break…
Read MoreReason #4326 to not rely on “The Man”
I think in the last 60 days or so I’ve seen at least 3-4 posts on LinkedIn from people who’ve just been laid off their jobs. Now I’m not a huge fan of social media, and don’t rely on it to any degree to build nor sustain my business. When it comes to client work,…
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