By The Pale Moonlight

Moonlighting... Every professional musician has done it, myself included. In case you were wondering, moonlighting is referring to taking on other projects at the same time as your primary band, job or session recording deal. I've done it many times. Sitting in on bass, sometimes more prepared than others, and sometimes not so hot. But I think it's important. If not to keep busy, then to make a little extra scratch on the side. Money isn't the primary motivation for me (it's not always there), but there are other reasons.

A friend of mine is moonlighting tonight. Local band Mongoose (www.mongooserocks.com) are forever in need of a drummer, and my friend Marc (of Castle Grey Skull) volunteered to go on tour with them. As it turns out, not only did he play drums, he ended up designing the band's new T-shirts as well! If he weren't open to moonlighting, he might not have had that opportunity to make some extra cash, play some high-energy, fun tunes every night, and of course drink lots of free beer.

There are the nay-sayers though. What if you damage your oh-so crystal reputation by sitting in on bass for "Napalm Death" or a terrible Cannibal Corpse cover band... Well, if you're worried, that's what stage names are for. I might just take on a new moniker, in case you don't like some of my articles... Hmmm Nathan Death. That has a nice ring to it. Want my autograph?

As a musician, I know things can slow down real fast. People are busy. Gigs don't always come through. Bands break up. For these reasons, I am all about jamming, getting together with other musicians, co-writing, and doing recording sessions. If you're a singer/songwriter, there's no better way to hone your craft than to bounce ideas off other musicians or songwriters.

So, if you're looking for new ways to get out there and play, there are a few things you can do. Take out an ad in the Georgia Straight (www.straight.com), go to Networking events, and try to catch up with your old musician friends. You never know, they may be looking for a bass player for their upcoming tour. Nathan Death, at your service.