Life With You

In pursuit of a dream

My musical dreams had been put on hold when I entered the corporate world to pursue professional aspirations. Life as a practiced businessman was a long and arduous journey, moving from country to country inherently bringing with it many emotional highs and lows.
Success in the music industry is attained by believing in one’s self, hard work, and of course with a measurable amount of luck. Favored chance and an introspective view holds true in corporate success as well; however performance, quantifiable performance, determines the outcome of a career. My achievements in the business world were derived from not only my ability to perform on an individual basis, but getting a team to perform as well under my guidance. Many sacrifices are made to maximize both your personal and collaborative performance, leading to people left behind and hurt along the way. The realization of a musical profession truly comes from the ability simply within yourself.
After moving from Germany and spending 10 years in the Detroit automotive industry I had become complacent. The daily routine of spending the majority of my time in an office or car had become monotonous. It was time for a change. Time to pursue something different, a new direction.
While having a candid conversation with Leta a close friend, she suggested that I should consider moving to the Sarasota area in Florida. After considering the possible benefits of such a life change I took a trip there with Silke my girlfriend, to see if it would be right for me. Upon visiting I knew immediately that Florida would be a great place to start fresh.
Throwing caution to the wind I took a chance and in the summer of 2010 headed south. My son and I were driving to my new home with a U Haul full of my belongings.
A year past quicker than anticipated and many of the projects that I had embarked on initially, working on the house and garden, were now complete. Where should I channel my focus on now? I was lost I had hit a wall.
After fumbling around for several months I made a choice to rekindle and reinvigorate my once lost passion for song writing. Immediately I reached out to my brother Chris, the accomplished musician in the family, for inspiration. I suggested that I would send him some words and musical ideas that we could collaborate on and work together long distance as we had in the past. My twin brother, having the blunt and straightforward personality that he does, simply said “I don’t have time for you. Why don’t you just learn how to play the guitar yourself?” At first my ego was a bit deflated, but realized that I no longer was the big boss issuing orders and if I wanted to accomplish something it would have to be done on my own terms. My brother eventually offered to provide guitar lessons over the internet, which I gladly accepted. I had experience with piano, singing, and playing the drums during my time being in bands as a youth, but now I was learning all over again. Six lessons and three month later I was on my own with some basic knowledge, free to create.
Creating music became my new daily routine. Gaining traction, one song became two and suddenly I had direction, a goal, and a life mission. Writing enough material to produce an entire album was now my focus. A bit of favored chance entered my life when I met up with Mauricio Hernandez with 8Beat Audio in Sarasota, Florida. With Mauricio’s talent in the studio it was possible to turn my words and ideas into great arrangements making my goal more attainable. To ensure I was on track for success I always bounced my song ideas and compositions off my treasured children Julia and Harry. Their comments during the creation process were not always flattering; however the input they provided was truly instrumental. Using my life experiences and those of others I was able to compose 20 songs to choose from for my album in no time.
Off to a tremendous start to my album the next step was to contact my nephew Ian Tompson who operates Humber Studio in Greenwich London. Ian was surprised when I first rang him to explain how I wanted him to mix and master my album. Our typical conversations consist of good beer, curry, and Spanish Vino. At first there was a bit of arm twisting to get him to listen to what I had created. To my astonishment he became extremely positive about my venture explaining he was “quietly surprised.” Getting this type of feedback from a seasoned professional in the industry and a blunt communicator (it runs in the family) had provided me even more confidence in my creations.
I wasted no time to book a flight to London to pursue the realization of my dream. Arriving at Humber Studio Greenwich I was greeted by an old friend, my once abandoned drum kit. Immediately I inquired why the thing I had left with him for safe keeping 20 years ago was waiting for me, especially when I had planned the session in detail. Ian said “You’re not a corporate boss anymore and this is my studio. I set the direction here.” He went on to tell me that I had to lay down live drum tracks for 10 of the songs I had recorded so far, plus a list of revisions and additions. It had been a long time since I had even picked up a drum stick (15 years ago in Germany) and was reluctant, but could not argue. I came to him for professional guidance and this was his studio.
After three long days, several curry’s and beers later, my percussion contributions to the tracks were complete. Naturally Ian was accurate with the direction to take. Going back to my musical roots really elevated the songs to a new level. Spending time discussing where tracks needed additional musical contribution was the next course of action. We contacted Chris, my twin brother, with a list of decided upon additions, where he could add his musical touch. Collaboratively we set a time for the next session giving Chris a period to familiarize himself with the songs and mood of the album so far. Originally the plan was to release the album in December 2013, but with Ian’s professional commitments and further refinement needed my completed work is just now releasing in late 2014.
My son Harry artfully designed the album cover. The name of the album was dreamed up by my brother Chris chatting with Ian in the studio, “The Silver Boulevard” with the reasoning “you live in America and your hair is going grey.” Oh well, I guess you cannot argue logic.
I hope that you enjoy the album and encourage your friends to share in the music I have poured my passion into. Keep your eye on www.tompsonmusic.com for my next big endeavor.