New is NOT always better - it's just NEW!

There's another old saying that I've always subscribed to "If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it."

In six shot months, if I live that long, I'll be 77 years old. I think in the field of musical entertainment, I've evolved enough to satisfy myself, and my audiences. Now that I have retired, I'm into updating my sailing technology, but in reality, sailing and musical entertainment have a lot in common. Both require a strong subscription to the basics, though I believe sailing is a lot easier. Last week, I installed a new VHF radio on the boat, one that receives signals from all commercial vessels, tells me their name, where they came from, the direction they are headed, their course and speed and if I am in any danger of a collision - NEAT! It also provides me with a one touch system that allows me to send a distress signal to every ship on the screen and the US Coast Guard. WOW!

As an entertainer/singer/musician, in that order, I was able to entertain my audiences and provide them with the music they wanted to hear, provide them with crisp, clear, clean vocals and play a variety of instruments using nothing more than an arranger keyboard. If I could have physically kept at what I was doing, I would have continued until I dropped dead on the stage - but things don't always work out the way you plan them.

Same goes for the new technology. There are loads of new sound systems out there, and many of the newer ones would be worth exploring if I had another 20 years to live. Same goes for some of the new keyboards, but keep in mind that the person behind the keyboard is what really counts the most. There have been lots of great entertainers on this and other forums that really sound great and put on fantastic show every time they go on stage. In some instances, they use equipment that is damned near as old as they are. Donny always said give the audiences 150 percent - good advice. If you give it all you have, and your gear is reasonably high quality, all the technology in the world will not book you another jobd, make you younger, make you better looking or make you sound any better.

Here's a great example of OLD TECHNOLOGY - I kinda wish I were there with those folks, strumming my old Yamaha 12=string guitar and singing along with them.



I guess it all comes down to the person behind the keyboard/piano/guitar/fiddle, etc... All that new technology is just enhancement tools for folks that believe newer is better. I recon that's why so many folks buy the newest I-phones the day they become available.

All the best,

Gary