Well hello world I want to add that "Steve O'Dxs3" is not a reference to any kind of drugs ? . My name sake is from Irish Decent and the "O" " in front of the last name means son of ,or grand son of . So my last name being Doherty In true Irish Fashion and proper spelling I am an O'Doherty . The xs3 is in reference to What I wanted my stage name to be a while back and that is Me, Myself And I. Sorry about the drawn out explanation . But thats an important thing to say to you . My mother taught I and my five siblings how to sing, well she almost had a chior at her disposal all the time, and that was when I was 5 years old. She gave me the love for music, and like myself she learned how to play a number of instruments by herself, she wanted to go to Nashville and record her singing gospel songs, she never was able to accomplish that dream . So i took up that torche myself and recorded a complete album of 11 original songs. The title being "Glitter For Gold". Before joining the Navy in 79 I fiddled around with piano chords but there was no way to store a piano onboard a military ship. So i then decided that I would venture in a different direction so I purchased a 6 string accoustic guitar and started the very slow and painful process of building up those calluses on my finger tips. I then picked up a chord book , you know the ones , they have a billion diferent chords . I chose the major chords so I could at least play something pleasant to the ears not only of myself but for my fellow crew mates. And they would ask me to play them to sleep at night and so I practiced and helped them fall asleep. And that sent me rapidly on my way to what I now know how to do, and what I love. By the end of my tour of duty I had purchased a twelve string guitar Yamaha to be exact in 1982, I love the sound of all them strings. In 1982 I had already been writing songs because thats what I wanted to do. I made a deal with myslef that I would only make original songs because I didnt want everyone or anyone saying play this song and then criticizing the way I did. I learned the beginnings of many songs I grew up with, but i told anyone who would ask me to complete the song to go and get the album if they truly wanted to hear the original version. I am by no means apposed to folks playing songs by other artists , that is just something I didnt want to do, They would then sit and listen to the songs I would write play and sing. Dont let anyone person or group define what you play or sing. Of course I would suggest that if you dont have any training with singing, go and get some. There are parameters in music with one exception and thats RAP, where singing might be necessary. And always make recordings of your vocals and listen to them. There is no such thing as "no room for improvement". But this is true , if you dont use it you just might lose it. I didnt write a new song for 13 years , I had writers block. And those 13 years I will never get back I couldve done so much in that time. That was a lesson I had to learn, so i hope you never experience that. In 1995 I sent a recording of one of my songs to a local radio station in San Diego Cal. That one song was requested for one whole week. By numerous people , It was then that I decided that was going to pursue my music with fervor. Three years later I was in a studio in Brentwood Tennessee where Don MCclane was busy doing a new album. Recording three songs of my own and over the next 2 years getting the best education in multitrack studio recording, and that education was cheap considering I also had my first professional recording of 11 originals. My Dream come true. And since then I have invested in my own home studio, have learned to how to make professional radio ready recordings, play quite a few more instruments. Signed up with ASCAP I dont get much royalties from my works , but people are listening to them all over the world and I am not done yet ? Dont stop and never give up My fellow musicians...... As musicians , singers and songwriters we value others opinions, weather it be from our peers or family members, people who have our respect who are in the music industry. When they say your music, your voice, , your lyrics are beautiful, or they touched my heart , or strengthened me in the midst of a difficult time or situation, thats what its all about. So in order for us to even get any kind of feed back we share our passion. our talents, and we hope that we will find approving feed back, and or even constructive critcism from those in the business, and i hope that we are willing to learn from those who have had successes humbly. I have been writing songs for over 40 years, but i still need to get feed back. And for those musicians who do it all I have great respect for you , not because those who dont do it all are any less talented, but because I can relate. I learned after spending alot of money in a studio, on my first album, that I wanted to do it all. Play the instruments, do the vocals, add what ever effects I am most comfortable with , and like. But to do all that you have to get schooled, I was fortunate enough to to get all that including a complete professional album done, for the cost of one album. So i invested time and money and more time and more money. I sat down with instruments that I had no idea how to play and tried my best to sound good enough to be used in my songs. I have made songs that to me needed improvement to them. I have a song I put on a site that in the last 3 years has gotten 123038 plays that I had completely forgotten about, some how it got transfered to a whole mess of online music sites, but as usual ive only recieved slivers off a penny for each play. I wondered how much I wouldve gotten if i had been paid just 25 cents for each play. I wouldve made over $30,000. But thousands of plays in todays internet world is nothing. Ive seen folks who have millions of plays know what Im talking about. if they only received 1,000,000 @ .25 cents they wouldve only gotten $250,250. Now imagine this 12 years after a colossal event where 1/3rd of the worlds population either listened to or watched on TV , that is 3.2 billion people all over the world, for 1 and 1/2 minutes heard your music, your original song , you playing every instrument and words you had written with you doing the vocals .the whole shebang . I am sorry for the folks who have millions of plays that they dont get anything like that. Well I was scrutinizing my ASCAP account and saw this particular statement, and when I saw what it was used for I thought it was in a future tense. But it was a past event, namely the 2006 Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics !!!!! I couldnt hear it on the videos I tried to listen on. It was a song i had written in 2002, and it was a love song called "Face To Face". Some how some way the song was chosen to be a part of the winter olympics. My jaw even to today has stayed dropped to the floor over this. I thought to myself what would 3,200,000,000 at 25 cents would like. !! It would look like this $1,280,000,000 thats alot of mad money !!! I wish I could make a living off of my music, thats respectable. And i think all those who posses the unique talents and abilities to do just that , should just do it. We all of us musicians have the absolute right to be proud of our accomplishments, but not so proud that our heads get so inflated that we no longer remember where we came from, like all musicians from the past we will go by the way of olden age or back to the dust. But do not ever , ever under any circumstance stop doing what you love to do. After all for me I wished I couldve gotten 1 quarter for all the plays of my online works. But knowing one of the songs I wrote arranged and recorded back in 2002 entertained if only breifly 1/3rd of the worlds populations, That for me is the highlight of my life career wise that is.!!! But I am not dead yet, let alone finished by any means !!! lol
Music is my best friend ! I can express feelings and emotions through music that other wise might not get the opportunity to be expressed. Music gives me the satisfaction that no matter what folks have said in my past about making it, I find it highly satisfying to , well for lack of other words, to prove them wrong. I do not have the competition spirit within me wracking my brain telling me to do better than anyone else. I just let it come and be what it is, what I want it to be. So folks can either enjoy it or not lol.
I think I have accomplished my music dream 20 years ago. But the pinnicle of my dream came unexpectedly when one of my songs was chozen for the 2006 winter Olympics opening ceremonies. With a world wide audience of over 3.2 Billion people listening to 1:5 minutes of my song "Face to Face" not including the 32,000 people and dignitaries at the stadium.
I think I would start by writing a song that incorporates every style of musical instruments. And music being the international language of all peoples. I would make it an instrumental. That would be a wonderful place to start and quite the experience music wise for me.
Well I remember while in the car with all five of my siblings, the song we loved the most was in deed Silver bells, I was all of 3 years old.
When I was young , well the music of the 60s and the 70s were in full swing, our mother would never let us listen to the popular music of that time. But as the seventies came around I found myself listening to a lot of pop romantic songs and enjoying them a lot. So the romantic part of me finally found ts counter part easy listening music. Artists such as, James Taylor, England Dan and John Ford Coley, Aretha Franklin, Seals and Crofts, Player, Earth Wind and Fire, and also Heat Wave. to name a few.
Well simply put life and the emotions that come with this journey called life.
Some one in the music business once told me " dont do drugs, dont drink in excess , and for heavens sake if you make it big dont let it go to your head." I want to share myself with people on a very personal and deep level.
I know that most folks who have performed in front of an audience have a little bit of stage fright , trhats me lol. I haven't done that in along time but i have found other ways to do so and actually this way can be more intimidating than going on stage because you get feed back immediately. Thats a bit frightening in all truth .
I think that many of todays musicians and recording artists are depending on digital enhancements with their vocals. And there is something that bothers me Ive noticed that musicians in these days if handed an actual instrument cant play it or anything put in front of them, relying on loops to create songs these days. I know that I would hate to be paying top dollar for concert tickets, and the moment the lights go out the artist cant do a thing !!!
I have been here since November of last year and I have found it to be a very positive experience. Its encouraging other musicians like myself to be like a band of brothers and sisters ( yes pun fully intended here ) lol. And any musicians who are having trouble looking for encouragement and positive critiquing of their art, this is the place to be.
That would be the limitations of not having enough time on this planet to make all the kinds of music I would love to venture to know . But then again thats why there are 6 billion other folks out there of whom I am certain will cover all the different generes of music I just couldnt get to .
I know quite a few musicians who are in he business and friends and I fully support them in whatever projects they are involved in. Giving them an attaboy is in my own opinion is the best way to show my support for them. I will also give them a public shout out when ever possible.
I have noticed that most young folks they go on youtube and listen to music thats from my generation and what they are saying is that "man I wish artists would make more music like this today". Its not an impossible mission to accomplish. But I think there is a lesson in there somewhere and those who learn from that lesson will indeed tap into minds and hearts of their contemporaries .