Sunset over the Grand Canyon, just feels right...

Hey guys!

So I haven't blogged in a while and a lot has changed. Add a pinch of self-doubt and a looming 30th birthday to the digitalized toxic jungle that is the music industry and you have yourself a recipe for a personal meltdown. Rather than keel over, however, I am trying to fight to stay in the game. So, In the hope that this doesn't sound too conceited, this is me trying to navigate my career in music... Here's what's happening.

I started a podcast! It's called Jukebox Java and along with my co-host Yakir Hyman, we try to tackle the personal and professional challenges that musicians face in 2016 (sound familiar?). We want to solve problems on the ground and connect with a large audience of musicians who are hustling day-in and day-out to make a living. It's fun, it's challenging and we're hoping to make an impact!
I'm no longer going to be a manager in my wedding band. Some of the thoughts behind this were to work a bit less at night and increase my mental energy (and space and time) to do more creative projects and veer my career in a direction that will keep me inspired longer. I'm still playing bass, but since I'm trying to build my future elsewhere, I felt it was best that I no longer "steer the ship." To be honest, it's quite a relief to have the weight of responsibility off of my shoulders.
I want to do more productions. Yes, I'm planning on working on some new personal material (maybe an album is in the works!) but also, more importantly, I plan on pushing full on music productions for other artists. I love live (and occasionally mobile) sessions, really I do! However, I'm afraid I've pigeonholed myself in that direction. Just one glance at my portfolio proves that. Now I want to focus more on pumping out content that is more sonically pristine and can have a further reach. I just bought a new computer and I finally made it a desktop. It's time to get real here and try to accomplish what I've always really wanted to do: produce great records. Israel is a great country with so much talent, but it's also small and the production market is flooded. So, in order to grow, I'm also looking abroad via the internet. There's no reason why I shouldn't be able to mix American albums remotely from Israel or hop on a plane to work on a an EP with a European artist. The game has changed, and although it's more difficult in many many ways, the opportunities and possibilities are really endless.
JAPAN! My wife and I are finally going to take a honeymoon! We booked tickets to Japan for a month and are so excited to meet an entirely new culture and landscape. Again, Israel is a tiny country and there's so much of the world to see. I'm psyched!
Blogging! I want to blog more regularly. Vlogging over the summer taught me a ton, but I think I prefer the written medium. Anyways keep an eye out here for some hopefully good and interesting rambles.

That's really it. It's important from time to time to refocus. Zooming out so that you have a bigger picture before honing back in can help you accomplish your long-term goals (and not just the short-term ones). That's what I'm trying to do.