Broke Ass Artist of the Week – The Deep Thinker, Rivky G (Part 2)
Rivky’s unique take on the world around her made my job of editing screamingly difficult. There are some people who just need to be heard.
As someone who contemplates money and finance in a very technical sense, I am always intrigued by other artists’ views, ideals and goals both as a music professional and as a person. Rivky G may be one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve ever done and I implore you to read her thoughts in part 1.
Here is part 2 of our interview.
How important is money while you’re promoting a new project?
It depends on the type of project it is. Sometimes when I don’t feel the benefit of monetarily promoting, I resort back to playing in my living room or someone’s garden and I’m simply grateful for being able to function, to create a space filled with music and inviting friends/family over for an awesome potluck. And by the way, I love cooking and feeding people. A lot. If you’re ever in town, I can sing and cook up a storm. It helps my anxieties, my neurosis, quite therapeutic…and sometimes I cook way too much, I’m told. It seems the Jewish mammaleh in me shall be written on my tombstone.
But, Often I wonder if money should be a necessary participant in every aspect of music making. Indeed, it sometimes appears to be a thing of importance surrounding the current mainstream model that I’ve found myself inside of. This subject is complex. Yes, it can be sticky, between a rock and a hard place, a catch-22, a contradiction of sorts…but I suppose, it depends what my needs are, what might be the reason to begin this or that idea, what might be the end-goal for a particular project. Do I even have one? what they’re needs are, who wants what, for when, where and how, etc.
Do you have a “day job” and if so what?
No. But when I’m not making music, I’m either making art or writing poetry or cooking. Part of this music thing began while I was running this Art Open Studio at an outpatient psychiatric hospital…long story, perhaps I’ll tell you another time. But, yeah, I’ve been thankful to have bits of freelancing music, art, and some other various things. Like a recent request to be a Bar Mitzva photographer. Currently I’ve been asked to create a music project for a memorial of a loved one. Actually, one of my first singing gigs was a request to sing at a Wake. Admittedly, being that I was raised in a Jewish Orthodox, Hassidic community, I had no idea what that even meant at the time. It was quite an experience…
Subscribe to Rivky’s Youtube channel here.
Does the financial aspect of nightlife influence where you perform? Do you find it more difficult to book venues in New York City that request for you to bring a ‘following’ or sell tickets to the show?
Oo wee, this, I’m learning is one of the more confusing contradictory aspects of booking. A bit of a strange circular conundrum that, by far, has been one of the more challenging parts of NYC and other various arenas of nightlife. It’s odd when you realize that there will be these moments that, perhaps you’ll be invited to play in a massive space, like The Kennedy Center, get paid and there will be no questions asked about your “following” or selling tickets -it’ll be purely about your music, your work in its bare form…and that becomes this ultimately beautiful thing. And then, about two weeks later, you’ll find yourself trying to play at a random place, where the financial aspect and demand of that venue surpasses whatever sort of musical talent or level of ability you actually have. Often as the case seems to be, it, quite frankly has a hell of a lot to do with how many connections you’ve accumulated in the business, how socially interactive you are online/offline….as well as sheer luck when, miraculously stumbling into a better opportunity. I’m still a newbie but, Brian and I have seemed to stumble into some unique and meritable adventures thus far.
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