Kat DaVille | Musician, Blogger, Consultant | Central NJ | Kat DaVille

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Author:Kat DaVille

Stay Positive: 6 Ways to Work as a Musician

Posted on March 16, 2019

in Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

23 Comments

Starving artist. Struggling musician. Does this sound like you? I know most musicians can't stand the business side of things. However, one could still be creative while crunching numbers (take it from me; I'm still a bookkeeper). Your goal is to earn a living playing your instrument. You can still do that while exercising your creative muscles. Melodies, groove, and theory can parallel with your average "square" jobs. Honestly, it's fascinating to see how science consistently provides concrete evidence on how music reinforces and ultimately strengthens spatial awareness, cognitive development, and mathematical reasoning. Who knew listening and playing along to Metallica and Anthrax would make a better person? However, this post is more about providing methods of earning income while boosting self-confidence. In order to gain more income, we must first provide value, education,...

6 Ways to Re-Invent Yourself

Posted on March 15, 2019

in Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

18 Comments

Once upon a time, when I was an assistant karate instructor, I got an amazing gig performing taiko drums with the students before a HUGE audience. It was THE COOLEST gig I've ever done. It combined my love for martial arts and music in one shot. So, the following year, I was asked to perform live music with a group. Great opportunity, right? What I didn't realize is that I fell flat on my face. After the performance, I was told by half the people my band was amazing. The other half mentioned that I completely embarrassed myself in front of 500 people (many of them were my neighbors or people from town). From the looks of the video, I thought we played pretty gosh darn great. Whatever. After a year, I learned my gig was...

Drumming with Depression

Posted on February 22, 2019

in NJ Drummer for Hire

by Kat DaVille

18 Comments

EDITOR'S NOTE: Kat is not a doctor. The following post offers her opinion on different methods of how to overcome certain mental health struggles. If you need medical assistance for any mental ailment, condition or episode, please contact your nearest hospital immediately. This particular post is extremely personal. However, I'm sure many of you can relate to the struggles with anxiety and depression. Here's my two cents...

I’m Done… (A Love Story)

Posted on February 22, 2019

in NJ Drummer for Hire, NJ Music Lessons, Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

22 Comments

Brace yourself, my friend. This is about to get real personal. Hands down, my family is the most important thing to me. Without them, I do not know where I would be or how I would behave, react or adapt in these uncertain modern times. As a young single mother, these individuals were my world. Now that my children are older, these invaluable human beings integrated into our already huge latin family. The concept of family, however, is not only bound by blood. More on that, later...

In a Rut? 6 Ways to Overcome Self Doubt

Posted on February 20, 2019

in Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

17 Comments

Being in a rut happens to everyone. You know you're good at what you do. Yet, the gigs aren't coming, for whatever reason. Or your relationship is in a not-so-great spot. Perhaps home life is taking up more time than anticipated. The list is endless...

A Road Worthy Story: Tour Shenanigans Vol. 2

Posted on February 18, 2019

in NJ Drummer for Hire, Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

16 Comments

Sometimes, I don't have a sitter and I have to take my girls to work with me. This is about one of those many times. The Bloody Muffs performed a matinee all ages show in Brooklyn, NY at the now-defunct venue called, the Place. My amazing bass player at the time, Jessica Carmen, loved children and appreciated the novelty of a little girl attending a punk rock show. My oldest daughter was 7 at the time. I walked my daughter around the venue and showed her the different facets of putting on a show. We discussed what the amps looked like and I pointed at where the drumset was located and we walked toward where the sound person stands during the show. She was engrossed in the hoopla and looked like she was...

A Road Worthy Story: Tour Shenanigans Vol. 1

Posted on February 6, 2019

in NJ Drummer for Hire

by Kat DaVille

16 Comments

Flash back to 2 years ago. The Bloody Muffs embarked on a ten day long, "Get in the Van" style, road trip. Our tour consisted of visiting a couple of cities in Ohio. This story takes place in the outskirts of Columbus, OH at an ultra cool taco joint, the now defunct xxx. My mates and I performed for the locals on a fantastic bill. My band leader was especially excited to see one group in particular, called the Mathematics. We heard stories of the singer dressing in drag and playing songs similar to the Heartbreakers. As native Tri-State area folk, we were interested in observing the Mid-Western musical take on native New York City punk rock staple, Johnny Thunders. The band and I were looking forward to a great night commiserating...

6 Ways to Get More “Me” Time

Posted on January 29, 2019

in NJ Music Lessons, Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

22 Comments

Practice time = "Me" Time. "Me" time is the most important asset you possess. Protect it, regardless of your atmosphere. I go into depth about making the most of your practice time here. All cards on the table: I knew what I signed up for when I decided to have children and evolve into motherhood: clean the house, dirty diapers, dirty dishes, help with homework, work to keep food on the table, work to keep the lights on, work to pay for extracurricular activities, work to save up for a vacation. Your time is used up to maintain your family, yet people forget to value their own time in the process. As a drummer, timing is my life. Without honoring the tempo, I lose my place in the song and the band suffers....

Studio Update!

Posted on January 29, 2019

in Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

16 Comments

STUDIO UPDATE!!! We're finally in the demolition stage! I can't thank everyone enough for their words of encouragement. Our office is almost up finished being demolished. Time for a clean slate! Here's what it looked like when we moved in last year: [caption id="attachment_50774" align="alignnone" width="4032"] Before...

5 Inspiring Punk Rock Drummers

Posted on December 17, 2018

in NJ Drummer for Hire, Uncategorized

by Kat DaVille

20 Comments

STORY TIME! The first time I ever thought about picking up sticks was when my mom took my sister and I to the local Sam Ash to buy her a keyboard. I was around 10 years old at the time and I always knew I wanted to play music. While my mother and sister were shopping for electric keyboards with weighted keys, I wandered off into the back room with all the shiny looking can things. As I approached the Drum Room, I heard a very complicated drum pattern being performed by one of the employees. At the time, I didn't understand it, but I was able to comprehend what he was doing while intellectualizing how he was doing it. I immediately scurried over to the bucket of spare drum...