THE 2010 WORKLIST...

It was 20 December last year that I published the Worklist; here, a year later, I can say I have accomplished rather little. Except making lists, of course—I am good at lists. Here’s the 2010 Worklist:

FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE A LIVING OFF THIS STUFF. Not just the music, but the related things I do or can do, too—writing, publishing, graphic design, &c. I’ve been told I’m already a household word in the area where I live—but I’m not one people spend money on yet.

FINISH THE JOE ALBUM. Just because most of the stuff is outside my control doesn’t mean it’s not controllable. The pieces are all in place—the band, the setlist, the sound engineer, the equipment, and the process. Now that the Christmas Show is over, I’ll talk to the band about a production schedule.

FINISH SOUTHERN PIGFISH’S ALBUM. That one’s got more sub-pieces; need about four more songs, and every song is going to be a music video because the album is going to be released on flash drive rather than CD.

A WEEK IN NASHVILLE. Sure, why not? The only thing that prevented my going this year was money—I had the time. And I’ve got a good reason to go—being able to film Polly Hager and Glyn Duncan together singing “A Man for Christmas.”

EXPAND USE OF VIDEO. It is possible most of my songs could be turned into music videos, with very little effort or expense. There’s the gig-soliciting DVDs to do, too. I’ve been learning how to use the camera better, but I could use a better camera.

THE JOE WEBSITE. So I have to take a Website design class. So what?

WIN A COUPLE MORE SONG CONTESTS (sounds better than “enter song contests”)—targeting them, of course, as carefully as I did the “doing Dylan” one this year.

WRITE IN SOME DIFFERENT GENRES. I haven’t done ragtime yet, and I only have one Norwegian Black/Death Metal song, “Evil Dead Fairies in My Mobile Home.” Apply that to the album’s worth of co-writes I want to do in 2010, too. Keep writing in any event.

BECOME A HOUSEHOLD WORD. (Like “toilet paper”? Sure—people spend money on toilet paper.) Be involved in things where I can help people—targeting, again, situations where what I know and can do can be put to the most efficient use. Like fellow songwriter Bobbie Gallup says, “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows YOU.”

GET MORE PEOPLE PLAYING MY STUFF. I haven’t a clue how to do this, but it probably ties into the getting-better-known item above. In 2009, one of my songs (“Rotten Candy”) got recorded by the incomparable Polly Hager, and two others are being performed by other folks, and it is because they knew me. How much more of that I can do depends on how well known I am.

TEACH A SONGWRITING CLASS. No clue how to arrange this, either, but I think I’m ready. The Worklist should always include new tasks, even if the old ones aren’t quite done.

I hardly need to add PLAY WITH MORE PEOPLE, but I will. “Deathgrass” may not be able to do concerts for a while, because John will be busy with the city budget, but that shouldn’t prevent me from playing other places. I do know musicians to the east and south, and a fellow to the north trying to assemble a band. I’d like to arrange a St. Leif’s Day concert (March 29).

And there—tentatively—is the Worklist for 2010. Like they said in that Disney movie, “Bring it on.”

Joe