My job in music...lol

I get asked a lot how I came to work in the music business.....the story is actually kind of funny and a bit sad as well...

My ex husband decided at age 39 (we are exactly the same age) that he was going to be a "rock star"....of course he didn't bother to  share this information with me....it was only in his head......so he packed us up and sold our house in NY and his business in NY and told us we were going because  I "needed to live near my family in Austin".....little did I know, the REAL reason was because he knew that Austin was the Live Music Capital of the World and he could try his hand at being the next Neil Purt....lol.....to this day in MY head every time I envision him playing those drums I am screaming  "LESS IS MORE, NIMROD, LESS IS MORE" a concept way lost on him I tell you!

So there were were in January of 2011 in Leander Texas in the first house we bought in Texas while we searched for land so we could build our dream house......

That part was wonderful! We built a 4300 sq ft custom built home on 5 acres in Leander Texas and I was the General Contractor! This included a three car garage and a gorgeous wrap around porch......I  searched for and ordered the blue prints, tweeked them to my specs and interviewed and hired everyone from the foundation crew to the framer to the  last  finisher.....and boy was it fun picking out appliances and carpeting and ceramic tiles.....even my light switches, ceiling fans, insulation.....every nail and blade of grass was carefully chosen! lol

I am proud to say while my ex husband showed up each day to drink beer with the workers, I built a house from start to finish in 4 months time! And it was gorgeous! I will forever miss that home ......he swears he helped build the house....I beg to differ! Drinking beer and slowing down every crew is not building a house....its annoying the workers! LOL

But on to the music thing...

So one day as I was sitting on the couch in my beuatiful new home,  wishing my life was different and my ex husband was out in the backyard in the sound studio we built for his latest band to practice in, I decided if I didnt find a way to be part of this music thing, i would end up alone and lonlier then being in that arraige, so I picked up the phone....and I started to get his REALLY bad band booked in some of the premier places in Austin......turns out I was good at this.....

Enter Nuno and Angie......Nuno kept letting me and Angie  rebook this God Aweful Band at his club and came to me one day and said "Tammy, do you know this band is the lowest ringing band ever to play in my club? yet I keep rebooking the cause I like YOU so much! Imagine if you had some real talent.......lets start a production company and you work for me!"

And so I did......Nuno sent a moving truck to move me out of that unhappy marraige and we called the production company "Handshake Productions".......Jo Hell was one of our very first clients.....and then it was Kayla Reeves (who is now touring with the Trans Siberian Orchestra all over the world!) then  Sonny Wolf.....JT Coldfire...the list just goes on and on and on.....Wes Jeans!  Alan Haynes......so many wonderful artists....I learned all about Blues from a guy I was dating at the time by watching the beginnings of Antones DVD and listening to stories as he and Nuno  introduced me to greats like Erik Johnson, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, WC Clark, Hubert Sumlin, Billie Gibbons and the late GREAT Pinetop Perkins...Mr Joe Willie! We even went to Clarksdale Mississippi to see where Pinetop lived......

We went on trips to Nashville to the ICP and I learned every day about music.....

I spent every single day working for Nuno and building that company up......for 6 months......I don't think  I spent one whole day away from Angie and Nuno....they wanted to fill my life with work and friendship so I wouldn't go back to that miserable marraige.....and it worked....they are two of my best friends in the orld and I would do anything for them and thier family.

Eventually Nuno and I decided that I should be off on my own so he could concentrate on his other businesses......like so many before me (and after) Nuno had done his job...he gave me a brand new life...a new beginning.....thank you so much Nuno Vasconsellos.....

So my work was cut out for me......it started off with one club on 6th st.....Blind Pig Pub...Ill never foret Ben was the GM there and asked me to hire all the bands............then the Womacks came into my life through word of mouth from Ben.......and  I took on all of their clubs.....word began to spread on 6th St and today I book many of the clubs on that famous strip in Austin Texas......some weeks juggling 60 shows.......

When I moved to Maui in 2008 I was contacted by an old friend, Sonya  who was working with the Boston guys.....she asked me if i would promote a concert in Hawaii for them...i said NO WAY.....i book bands iI am NOT a concert promoter! So she put me in contact with Anthony Cosmo.....and from that very first phone conversation we became like family and now I tour his band (along with Fran Cosmo) and many others contact me each day.....(oh and their shows here in Hawaii were so much fun to promote!! I plan to bring them back soon!)

My life is never dull and my illness is just a minor bump in the road....I guess I was born to love the drama......if you ever hear me complain about my job,  know in my heart I am loving every second of it.....musicians remind me of those kids in middle school that I worked with for five years....remember the ones I told you about sent down on discipline?? THOSE are the ones I get along with the best! The creative ones who think outside the box.......I admire the talent.....and I love hearing their stories!

One day I hope to get somehow involved in the film industry....now THAT sounds like fun no?