Touring Learning and Growing- Continuing the journey

Wow... Long time since I blogged but its time and the time is now...

Just had an amazing show at the Dakota Lounge in Santa Monica the tail end of a month of shows in Ashland OR and beyond...

Tonight was special at the Dakota because I played solo, acoustic. It was a show where I decided to risk being me, risk being as authentic as possible. It was kind of like one of those dreams where you show up butt naked... although I didn't show up but naked but to stand on a stage and deliver your heart and soul on a platter... well wow!

Many times as a performer it's so easy to play from the ego space, a place that feels good as a the performer, but can sometimes totally miss the audience. I think the beauty of an intimate solo performance is the connectivity to the emotion of a song and a performers delivery of that song.

That vulnerable space of creation is the real nest of live performance, delivering the songs from the space they were created is a challenge I'm just now approaching as I grow on my musical path. Ironically to deliver from this place doesn't "feel" good as a performer, but it is in the uncomfortableness and vulnerability that most people attract a third party audience and the song is allowed to accesses that place in them. The performers vulnerability establishes a trust in the energetic exchange...

The beauty of my own songs lays in this place and it can only be expressed when I allow myself to experience the emotional state of how I felt when I wort a particular song, recreate the moment on stage and genuinely share heartache, love, or loss- authenticity, that is the key!

I look forward t going deeper with my music and my fans really feel into what we are doing together as humans, celebrating and sharing in the highs and lows of life...

Luckily I was able to capture the show on video and audio and look forward to sharing these with you soon....

I also commit to keeping this blog thing more current and would love to hear from you...

So if anyone is actually reading this thing I will be checking in more often...

I also wanted to let you in on what I am hoping to manifest in the next month and ask for good thoughts and prayers in bringing these aspects into reality!

• A great bass player and rhythm section

• A new album recorded at Groove Masters studios in Santa Monica

• Management

• Booking agent

• More awesome songs!!!!

Oh and of course....

• World peace!!

Thanks for checking in

Peace

Clayton

Reality TV

You know those moments when you have to ask yourself, “How in the world did I get HERE?”

Such a moment came to me a few days ago sitting on a stool, as make-up was smeared across my cheeks on a creamy wedge of foam; a woman was applying lipstick to my lips as another massaged my guitar hand and insisted that I stop fidgeting…

I’m a fidgetor.

Especially when a beautiful woman is putting lipstick on my lips. She assured me that on camera no one would even know I had it on… Still I squirmed. I had not had make-up applied to my face since I was in Mumbai trying to make money as an extra in Bollywood.

This particular “what the hell” moment was brought to me courtesy of a television show called “American Coffeehouse,” a reality show about singer/songwriters. I was participating in the pilot episode, and was trying to have as much fun with the whole thing as possible.

I sat down on the stool and began to play my music for a crew of producers who looked remarkably bored and anxiously eyed the clock for the next coffee break.

BUT, Just as I began to sing, I remember things like this happen all the time in LA and when you say yes to your yes, you end up with make up and lipstick. I couldn’t help but wonder if Bob Dylan or Paul Simon ever found them-selves in a similar situation!

Soon the camera was rolling and I had to push those thoughts aside and just sing. Regardless of the outcome, I knew that at the very least the experience would get some laughs out of my friends and family, plus, I looked damned good in the make up called “caramel” (unfortunately when I licked my lips it wasn’t as sweet as the real stuff!)

I did my thing on stage and had a great time. It helped that my friend’s dad Howard Wexler (howardwexler.com) was filming the thing and got me the spot (thanks Howard!!!!).

Not sure what happens next with this show but I say YES to dreaming big!

Hope to see you at a show soon!

First Show at the Stronghold

Yes!

I finally had a show in LA, man what a fun night...

Wrote a new tune just for the show called "Dog Town Gypsy Prince" and totally pulled it off. I'm surprised by this a little because I'm the kind of guy that needs to play a song about 1000 times before its ready to be performed... I was able to nail it though and felt good about the whole show.

The Stronghold is an amazing club in my hometown of Venice and I have been going there regularly to see artist and plug myself to get a set. I have seen amazing artists play there including Jackson Browne, Ben Harper, and numerous local LA bands and artists that are so talented.

My booking came very auspiciously. I woke up last Wednesday and decided to busk on Abbott Kinney Blvd. (Busking is playing music in the street, hopefully for money). As I was playing some tunes a young guy came up and said, "Do you want to play Friday at the stronghold?"

"Sure" I said...

And that was it, boom! Signed sealed delivered.

I love life and how sometimes the path of least resistance can lead one to a goal...

I played with two good buddies of mine at about 10:30pm Friday night and have to give a lot of love to Chris Rydell and Tyler Burdick who pulled off stellar performances considering they had about 24 hours to prepare. About 75 people showed up and moved and grooved. Can't wait for the next show!

Thank you to all who came out!! You inspire me to get better and better!

Hope to see you at a show soon...

Next set is April 17th at the Topanga Earthday Festival! I'm going to release my Earthday track and sell a limited run just for people at the show!! Check it out if your in the area!

Topanga Community House 1440 N. Topanga Cyn. Blvd. Topanga, CA 90290

My set is between 2 and 3:30pm ... Playing with some amazing friends and it should be a great show!! Lots of hippies, sunshine, ganja smoke, and food! (These are a few of my favorite things!)

Thanks for checking in, will write again soon!

SO MUCH LOVE!

Another Day in LA, or How I learned to Love Living in my Truck

Another Day in LA…

Or

How I learned to Love Living in my Truck

Car horns sound on crowded freeways, engine stream and street lights glow bright as each person in this city of angels reaches for something, a thing that no one can really put their finger on or articulate into words…

Los Angeles is many things to many people.

My eyes see the dirty city manifest for visionaries… If you have a vision or a dream and commit your life to that goal or idea; people, opportunities, and affirmations come along that help you reach it.

There is infinite potential in this city, and it seems everyone realizes it…

The level of professionalism is so high not only in the music scene, but in everything. People hustle and grind every day; all toting business cards eager to add theirs to my collection, which has reached well over 200…

However,

Los Angeles is a stern teacher and forces all of us wide-eye dreamers to be PRESENT and COMMITED to our call at all times, it is relentless in its discipline and if we fall off even for a brief moment, WHAM, we feel the sticky heat of our own rock bottom.

I often feel suspended by a single thread of dental floss above my own worse fears. Each day I wake up in LA, I sit with the choice to continue on faith, continue to leap for what I want, and dream, and dare to live for, or pack it all up and run.

The longer I stay here, the more it becomes abundantly clear that ACTING OUT IN FAITH IS A PRACTICE IN ITSELF and as we continue to trust intuition, divinity, our CALL, the better we get at making decisions that lead us to the highest self!!!! Lead us to bliss and adventure and fulfillment!

And when we do trust, when we take bolder and bolder steps towards our truth, life becomes this amazing thing, this amazing gift, where each day we are EMPOWERED to create and be a creator of our own story!!

Under the Hollywood sign I starting to believe its more than plastic water bottles, silver screen dreams, and five-dollar coffees out of vending machines…

It’s LA and this feeling of infinity is growing so much stronger everyday!!

I am humbled by it all and so grateful that I get to share this story with you

SO...

Tonight as I drift to sleep in the back of “Hermano” my 4-runner of the cosmos and listen to the crashing waves, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that tomorrow I will rise again with a song!

HIT PLAY BUTTON TO SEE A DEMO OF "ANOTHER DAY IN LA"

Road to Redemption

Hello world,

At the beginning of 2010, I packed my truck with five boxes of clothes and beloved books as well as my guitar into the back of my truck to try my luck in Los Angeles.

As I traveled in India over a year ago, it became abundantly clear that my dream and passion; MY CALL was to write songs about these times we are living in and play them to anyone willing to listen.

Most of my travel blog during that journey dealt with the subject of answering our personal CALL in the world; our divine purpose for being on the planet, the idea or reason that gives us hope, our highest aspiration directly from source. As my purpose revealed itself to me on the roads of India, South East Asia and the Middle East, I was inspired to return home and have dared to begin the difficult journey to my dream.

This transformative process is extreme and continues to break me down to the core of who I am and who I want to be. And, although I am no longer in distant lands, my return to my native soil of Los Angeles has inspired some amazing experiences!!

I hope to share with you the good, bad, amazing, and brutal aspects of my journey into Los Angeles as I strive to become the highest aspiration of my being, to embody that which I believe in more than anything else. I want to make my journey an interactive and inspirational dialogue with you, as we seek to become our highest form together!

With love and gratitude I invite you to check out my website, where you will find an archive of my India journey, as well as new songs and continued thoughts along the way as I answer my personal call!!

I look forward to sharing our music and stories soon!

Much LOVE!!!