Create your own Lane

Ever gone weeks without a gig? Ever experienced a New Year's Eve without being booked. Or maybe you've called venues to try and book, but they're all booked for the year.

This is probably one of the worst feelings as a gigging musician.

I've experienced this feeling a number of times. It was almost light weight depressing. It meant a lack of performing, a lack of potential fan exposure, networking, and spending long periods of time out of my creative space.

Instead of doing the things I love, I found my self complaining to myself, and watching all my musician friends going to gigs, doing shows, just staying busy.

I've thought long and hard about my skill set, what I have to offer, and what potential fans would think? As a drummer how can I create my own lane to where I can keep gigging, and keep gaining exposure?

Literally, after every show I've played in, fans have come up to me and have said, "I love the way you play drums. I've never heard or seen anyone play the way you play."

So then I thought, It's all about the groove, people love to groove. So I decided to book myself at a local street fair we call Farmers Market. Still not sure how this was going to be accepted, I wanted to do something that would showcase my drumming ability.

Groove Thursday, "come groove to your favorite R&B, Soul, and Funk grooves, featuring Gerald Purify on the drums."

The concept is very simple. I take popular songs and I play drums over them.

The first Groove Thursday was a huge success. Playing from 6pm-8:45pm, I gained a lot of exposure and was able to create a positive experience for people. So I thought, I need to do this more often. I've booked myself to do Groove Thursday on average of once a month.

This night has allowed me to network with people, direct people to my music, and get session work from other bands.

All in all, this is just one of the examples of ways I've created my own lane. There's no reason why you can't do the same. Think outside the box and get creative.

I would love to hear what you as a band or artist are doing to create your own lane.