Dream Chasing

[eldanko]

So I haven't posted in a while... or built anything in a while... despite a drawer full of unbuilt pcbs and a shelf of shiny boxes sitting next to my desk. As strange as it is to say...

...it's because I've actually been using the darned things.

A little over a month ago I moved to Nashville to see if there was any possibility of me playing guitar for a living. My wife and I both left good jobs where we were previously and felt that the time was right to take a leap of faith and see where we landed. It was scary. And exciting. And nerve wracking.

A week and a half ago, I landed a tryout to play with an up and coming country artist. I got the job. I learned 46 songs in one day, rehearsed with the band a couple of days later, and went on the road for our first run of gigs in Louisiana. They went great, and I'm having a blast.

I'm posting this for 3 reasons:
1) Several folks on here wrote words of encouragement to me when I mentioned that I'd be taking this step. Thank you all for doing so... they were/are more appreciated than you know!
2) To encourage anyone who might be in the process of making a similar decision in their life. Go for it. My primary motivation in doing this was the fact that I never wanted to look back at life and think "What if...?"
3) To thank all of the folks who have guided me on this board with my builds, as I'm actually using quite a few of them in my live rig and get lots of compliments on my tone and the builds themselves. I have no doubt that the tech skills I've learned and honed as a result of this forum will serve me well as I continue to pursue this.

Here's a quick shot of the board I'm using on the road this month:


As you can see, it's almost entirely homebuilt stuff. The Looker Tremolo (which is excellent in its own right) will be replaced with a Cardinal Trem as soon as I can get it boxed up. Look for a demo.

If you want to hear them, here's some clips of them in action: http://www.danekinser.com/?portfolio_183=justine-blazer-band. My lead tone is typically Afterlife -> FatPants -> Aristocrat -> Grapevine -> Aquaboy.

Thanks again for all of the encouragement guys. I've got gigs coming up in Detroit, Denver, Cincinnati, Chicago, etc. If any of those are near you guys, would love to meet up face to face!

[billstein]

Total blessing. It's great making a living doing something you love.

[Haberdasher]

awesome dane.  good luck to you bud.

[Parra]

Congrats dude, really nice playing!

[Ettore_M]

That's great for you, Dane! Doing what you love.. And you won't have to think this "What if...?" anymore. Sometimes, this "What if?" is killing me. But then, it's too late. Whatever...
Really happy for you, man! Good luck. I wish all the best!

Hector

[Bret608]

Aw man, I totally missed the memo about why you were moving to Nashville! That is so awesome--taking the plunge can be scary. Best of luck!

Love that you toured first in Louisiana, which is where I'm from originally. The Louisiana Hayride is actually the event at which Elvis started to get big. My mom lived down the street from (slightly underground) country star Johnny Horton as a kid. Last but not least, Kenny Wayne Shepherd is from my hometown. Country runs deep there. So much so that as a kid I didn't think of it as a separate category of music at all. It was just music!

I see the Triforce on your board! Still one of my all time favorite color schemes.

[eldanko]

Ha! Yeah dude, moved out here a few weeks ago. Absolutely love it.

Yep, I always have a chorus on my board. Child of the 80s. 

[jimilee]

Man, Thanks fantastic. Good for you. Enjoy the ride. What do you use for a pedal board cam? What a great idea!

[jubal81]

That's some fantastic news! Glad things are working out for ya, bud.

[eldanko]

Man, Thanks fantastic. Good for you. Enjoy the ride. What do you use for a pedal board cam? What a great idea!

I just position a little Flip style camera wherever I can find a steady spot! I hope to eventually install a little tripod mount to one of the boards, but I haven't gotten that far with it yet!

[jkokura]

Way to go Dane!

You got a fan in me.

Jacob

[eldanko]

You got a fan in me.

Likewise! One of your Blender boards is inside the War Kitty pedal in the picture, and you may recall that the Sonic Vibe was one of your boards as well 

[fendman]

Hey Dane, being a celt I love the Gaelic Groove. It all looks fantastic for you and the wife. Wish you all the best fella.

Mike

[micromegas]

This is awesome man!!

Best wishes from Spain, if you ever come to play here I'll travel anywhere and buy you a beer.

It takes some courage to go that step further and you've done it, so I wish you luck.

Adán

[midwayfair]

Congrats on landing a gig. Also, I knew you were a good player but that's a really excellent clip. Manages to be speedy without being showy. Very professional. I'm rooting for you to have lots of steady work.