yearlongday

maybe yearlongday isn’t destined for success.

five years ago, things were different. songwriting was an outlet for ideas and emotions. i’d never performed in front of an audience. ’yearlongday’ wasn’t even in my vocabulary.

today, songwriting is a contest, performance is a measure of talent, and i can’t seem to make ‘yearlongday’ a household word.

i’m starting to wonder if there’s been a benefit, dare i say a reward, to these changes. performing in front of audiences in pittsburgh, baltimore, philadelphia, delaware, and new jersey hasn’t brought me closer to my goal than practicing alone in my home studio. i’ve written over 200 songs, but can anyone name more than a handful, and who can sing along to them? who looks for our next gig, or buys yearlongday merch? does anyone even search us online?

for now, our ‘moment in the sun’ looks like 2008-09; leah and i had arrived at a general identity for yearlongday; a recognizable sound, image, and personality that listeners could associate with us. with only modest press (strummer radio), we soon played reputable venues like the tin angel and the world cafe. we created an assortment of unique t-shirts, produced our debut cd, best excuses, and felt poised for an upward rise to success of one degree or another.

yet, for all of the time and effort it took getting to that point, we’re now somewhere we’ve already been before… nowhere. we’ve stepped backwards, and our ’moment in the sun’ is apparently over. with new songs and albums forthcoming, and no shows booked so far this year, it feels like our winter hiatus hasn’t ended as we continue to remain in darkness.