My weekend at the Taxi Music Convention at the Westin LAX in Los Angeles:
I have seen the palm trees of LA and the Pacific Ocean!!!
Well, not that much because honestly, I spent most of these few days in the hotel with about 2000 other Taxi members.
If you don’t know what TAXI is, it is an organization that is sort of a middleman between musicians/songwriters and industry people to create opportunities for both sides and once a year, they organize this massive music convention in California for their members and their guests. The people who attend get the opportunity to attend many panels and seminars that educate them on all the different aspects of the music industry, from tips about hit songwriting, to how to be your own publisher, to the best techniques for recording etc., as well as getting the opportunity to meet hundreds of other musicians and songwriters and to also meet some of the leaders of the music industry.
It all started Thursday. I arrived at about 3pm (local time) at the hotel and had already started meeting some other members on the shuttle from the airport. I am always noticeable with my guitar; people always talk to me when I carry it around. The registration was supposed to start at 5:30 so I thought I would have some time to eat something, (I was starving, having forgotten that non-international flights make you pay for their disgusting food, so I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast) but when I arrived, a few hundred people were already lined up. They had planned everything: snacks, pillows, foldable chairs… Obviously, they had done this before.
I quickly checked-in, and decided to look for food anyway. I knew that my crankiness would only get worse in the line. That is when I realized that I really was in LA and that the only restaurants in a walkable distance, were McDonalds, Taco Bell, Subway or Pizza Hut… all my favorites… So I had to go with an overpriced panini from the restaurant’s hotel, at which I ran into my friend John Battaglia, who was one of the panelists this week-end, and I then quickly got in line. I couldn’t figure out where it started and where it ended until I realized that it went all the way out into the hotel’s parking lot, looking like a never-ending snake… So I got in line, ate my sandwich, and met Bridgette… Waiting in that line was not nearly as dreadful as I had imagined it. We were all in the same boat and everyone was making friends with their neighbors, Bridgette went to get me a tea while I saved her spot and the veterans were sharing information with the newbies… My only regret is that I forgot my camera.
The convention officially started on Friday morning with the interview and unbelievable performance of Jeffrey Steele, one of Nashville’s most successful hit songwriters. He wrote some of the biggest Rascal Flatts hits like My Wish, These Days and What Hurts The Most (the latter I found out this week-end became a huge dance hit in the rest of the world!... very strange to hear it that way) and many other hit songs. He sang us a medley of his most famous ones and was incredible.
I then spent the day attending panels, taking in interesting information in certain and fleeing others (they are not all that great…)
Friday night, I met Matt and Aaron, two really cool and funny New Yorkers. We had dinner together at the hotel and then went on to play some songs together. I taught them a couple of my songs, one of which we played at the open mic the next evening and it was a big success… I mean, the 15 people who were still left at 11:30pm really liked it… ;-)
During the weekend, I also got the opportunity to talk with some industry people, get some really positive feedback, give out my CD to a lot of people, and I almost ran out of business cards.
All in all, it was exhausting but a lot of fun.
Sunday night and Monday morning before my flight, I was lucky to have a couple of my good friends I hadn’t seen in a long time and who now live in LA come pick me up and take me to Santa Monica. I walked on the pier and on promenade on Sunday night and saw a dog show off his skate boarding skills. At that moment, I wished I had a video camera… I was the cutest thing I had seen in a long time.
Monday morning, I got to walk on the beach in Santa Monica. I have never seen such a long beach. It was beautiful.
LA, I will be back.
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