Hi friends, Darren here. Would you believe I’ve been a musician for over 25 years!?! lately I’ve been thinking about all of those LOUD years and how they’ve impacted my art.
TLB Photo by Denise Truscello
Like most musicians, I started playing music with my friends after school in the garages and basements of Villa Park, Illinois (Home of the very first Portillo’s!). I’ve learned some important lessons / practices in these musical years and I compiled those into a short list below. I hope you’ll enjoy reading!
Perfecting Patience: I’ll admit it, I’m very impatient. As the years go on, I have enjoyed the time it takes to do something right. It’s quality over quantity for me these days. Being a musician helps me see that patience is a virtue and that success doesn’t come overnight. Through touring, I saw the importance of bringing the work on the road. You can’t just post on social media, you gotta get out there and show ‘em what you got!
Sometimes song writing and production can feel like a lot of thankless days and nights but when release day comes, it’s worth it. The time we take to do anything is an act of being present in the moment and as James Dean once said; “The gratification comes in the doing, not in the results.”
The Scissors at Metro Chicago - June 4th 2016
Possibility in Persistence: In Chicago, there’s a place called The Metro and it’s every local musicians dream venue to play. But, you don’t just walk in there and start playing. You gotta earn it. Loading up the gear and traveling to those backyard parties, bars and neighboring towns in front of next to nobody is the price of admission. The doors will keep closing until they don’t and eventually The Metro will call and ask YOU to perform inside those hallowed walls. Not the other way around.
Rhythm: I listen to music ALL THE TIME when I paint. There’s something about the rhythm that inspires the brush strokes, the pace, the color choices and even the subject matter. There’s peace in the flow that music provides. If there was a livestream on me while I worked you’d absolutely see me dancing!
TLB Photo by Denise Truscello at Double Door Chicago
Teamwork: A band is only a band because it has members. If you want to have a long career you need to figure out how to work together. I’ll be the first to admit that this can be difficult. We’re all human and unique with specific thoughts and skills. The trick is to use these individual super powers and put them to work to make the coolest most bad ass work of art anyone has ever seen!
Doin’ Bidness: No one prepares you for the business end of art. Income, debt, taxes, credit cards, merch, meals, etc. I had to learn the very basics of business pretty quickly in those early days. An artist doesn’t have to be starving but you gotta figure out how to stretch that almighty dollar when it comes in. Through trial and error I eventually picked up ways to save and become self sufficient.
TLB Photo by Denise Truscello at Double Door, Chicago
Social Skills (in the wild): Being in a band helped me talk to people. More importantly, it helped me be a better listener. I wouldn’t consider myself a social butterfly, but I always knew that people paid their hard earned money to come see my band perform on a Friday or Saturday night when they could be doing anything else. For me, it’s important to get out into the crowd and have a beer or two and enjoy the community that the work has brought together.
Attitude and conviction: I learn about the world through songwriting and art. The thoughts, ideas, and intention inside a punk rock song or a van gogh painting have all had influence on the work I make. Being an artist is a responsibility. You have to be honest and for me, it’s important to reflect the times and incorporate my unique take on the world I live in while having a little fun at the same time.
Thanks for taking your valuable time to read through the parallels of my music and art. I appreciate you being here with me on the ride. Now turn up some music and paint the day away!
Darren Vorel