I've often wondered if there is any possible way to combine music and writing and find a way to make a decent wage in the process. I don't mean doing what I'm doing now, which is writing (about anything) and performing (primarily jazz) and balancing essentially two separate careers. I mean writing about jazz, like, most of the time. And getting paid to do it. (Getting paid well would be a plus.)

A friend of mine and I tossed the idea around about putting together a book discussing the jazz history in Peoria. He's a photographer and would handle obtaining old pics and taking new ones while I would interview locals about the scene "back in the day" and cover the writing duties. All we've done, however, is talk about this. And there wouldn't exactly be a huge audience for this sort of localized project. So, while it would be fun (and who knows, maybe it'll even happen one day) it isn't exactly pension material.

But I did have a meeting yesterday with a fellow musician who's looking to put together a PR kit for a couple of groups he leads/plays in. Although the job would involve more than just writing--it's basically a project management situation, coordinating photo shoots and graphic design work--I think it could be a fun project and possibly even one that could open up doors in the future. I'd get to talk to musicians to learn about their bands and write biographies, brochures, and other informational pieces for the media/booking personnel. I'd even get to do some basic design work, which--while I don't have a ton of formal training in this area--I enjoy doing and am fairly decent at it. So, this should be a great learning experience. If there's work to be had in this area for a freelancer I just may eventually be able to specialize. But who knows. I like diversity, too. I enjoy learning about new subjects as I research, things I never would have thought to read up on on my own.

I've no gigs tonight and Kevin's playing out of town, so I think I'll use the down time to catch up on a few things. If I were 21 and home alone on a Saturday night I'd think I were a big loser, but anymore I'm thankful for the time lie low once and again. Does this mean I'm getting old???