AMERICAN PRIDE MAGAZINE

Hello and thank you for reading my first installment of Music In the Key of Life with Michael Egleton. In these series of articles, I’ll be writing about my music life, the music scene here in Akron, Ohio and my independent acclaimed, award winning project, A Look Into My Heart produced by Wes McCraw and Samuel Haygood. I would first like to say thank you to Ms. Jaqueline Jax for her support and valued insight throughout my music career and her support along with A.V.A Live Radio for these series of articles. It’s my hope to provide a great return on the investments all have made in me and my music career.

Let’s get started! This entry I will be writing about what drives me in writing music, my latest independent project, A Look Into My Heart and the music scene here in Akron, Cleveland, Ohio area. One thing that has been a noticeable difference for me in my musical journey is the differences in being with a label as to not being with one. As an independent artist, one has to do everything! Really everything! This has been a learning experience in industry practices that I wouldn’t trade for the world. Gaining an understanding of what it takes to get an artist and/or a project out. There are many moving parts that most artists don’t consider when they decide to make music for a living and want to be successful at it, as an indie artist.

The music is real part of my life experiences that made a connection. Not a superficial, glossed over, shallow song to stay in step with the times but music intent on changing the listener. Offering them a spark of hope for the life situation they may be experiencing at the time they hear the song. I’m quite sure had I taken the “commercial route” none of the great individuals would have really noticed me or my music. The music affected them in way that caused them to feel. Music goes before you. It should paint a picture of who you are as a person and speak to your views and how you think, feel about a certain situations that affect lives every day. Why, because the listener is looking to your music to provide comfort, direction, and answer to what’s facing them at that moment. I don’t ever want to write music for the wrong reasons. Yes, there is a financial consideration but if priorities are in the right places and the music is quality, the rest will take care of itself when your fans are won over into the dream and become tribe members to your cause. This is what my independent project A Look Into My Heart was all about. I chose subject matter close to my heart. Some of the lyrics were actual conversations I had had. I’ll be sharing these very qualities I’ve just spoken about, here in Akron, Ohio at the Empire Concert Club. It’s a quaint venue the seats about 75 people that has an ambience out of this world. The people that attend the concerts there are there to really engage the music and the artists. Eric, the owner, is a great guy, who love music and has become a friend to me. He gets top notch talent in too from all over the country! There are other venues in the Akron, Cleveland area I’ll be experiencing and writing about my experience in the Akron, Cleveland area also.

The Akron, Ohio area or Akron/Cleveland area music scene has many great, hungry artists doing just as do in writing songs. The music scene here is alive and well. As many of you readers may know, many great music stars of today comes right from the hot bed of talent in this area. Artists like, James Ingram, Howard Huette, DEVO, The Black Keys, and many more musicians and producers some of which have won Grammy’s even on this year. They hone their talents at the many great clubs in the area like The Empire Concert Club, The Blue Note Club, Musica, Loc 3 in downtown Akron, Tangiers where every year the stars show up the Civic Theater, The Blossom Music Center and many more. Some of the big artists also frequent these small venues when they’re in town canvassing the talent here. The music listeners and concert attendees are intense and get into every song. When you have a moment, look into who is from this small talent filled area.

In the next installment, I’ll go further into the songs from my project and the producers who brought their skill and feelings to this project. We’ll also talk more about the Akron/Cleveland area music scene and Music in the Key of Life for Michael Egleton.