The Solo Act

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:22:42 GMT

By Dakota Wortman

Lori Kay Sanford
Blogger Dakota Wortman enjoys being a musician whether a solo artist or in a band. He continues to write and create his own music.

Every band has its share of troubles. Blest War was my very first band. For a two-man band it was fairly decent. My second band was 3D Avenue. It lasted pretty long. I tried incorporating a metal core bassist in 3D Avenue, but he wasn’t into the music I played. Bands form and breakup all the time. After the break up of 3D Avenue, I started wondering. Maybe I wasn’t made to be in a band. Maybe I was just meant to be a solo artist. Bands do not work with me. I’ve tried to play in a few bands, but everyone ends up in a different direction. I love a variety of music. I can not stand to listen to mainstream music. I’m more into Rise Against, Modest Mouse, Radiohead, The Doors, and the Beatles. I really don’t listen to country, hardcore, metal core, and the death core scene. In San Antonio harder and harsher music is played. In seventh grade I met a guy named Nick Campbell. He taught me how to play guitar and sing. He got me into the music I listen to and persuaded me to write my own lyrics. He taught me how to be my own person and to be independent with my music. For the most part we were a two-man-band. We just clicked. All was well until Nick had family troubles and moved to San Antonio. Our band, Blest War, was no more. I stuck with my music and continued writing until I found a drummer. We created a new band named 3D Avenue. His name was Franze Gruenstiener and we sounded great together. We became best friends. We were able to score a couple of gigs as well as some studio time. We produced a demo CD with two original songs and a cover song. Then, trouble struck again. The drum set broke and Franze didn’t have the money for the repair. So we separated. He found another hobby he felt better suited his abilities while I kept playing my music. Nick joined a band in San Antonio named Insergo. They sounded like an old punk band from the late eighties. They were claiming gigs left and right. People starting talking and soon they were the opening act for a few moderately well known bands. Low and behold trouble struck again. Insergo became a little cocky with their music and Nick couldn’t put up with it anymore. The other members of the band would became lazy and wouldn’t help pay for equipment. Nick left the band. Nick came back from San Antonio to live with his dad and we started to play our old music together. We jammed every once in awhile and wrote music, but it really wasn’t serious. Nick had a job, a fiancée, as well as college to juggle, so music wasn’t high on his priority list. I realized I was meant to be nothing but a solo artist. I still jam with Nick every once in awhile but we just do it for the fun. I barely even talk to Franze anymore because he went his own separate way. One day, I would love to have a full band that makes a sound everyone will enjoy. For right now, I will continue creating my own music and writing my own lyrics.