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Update August 2023 

So I’ve been having some rough times. I wanted to release an album last year but I’ve been having a variety of issues, namely struggling to find a day gig to pay the bills and keep food in me. But there’s another thing that I wanted to say that I think may be laying deeper than I care to admit. I think I have a problem with wanting to think of ways to monetize things.


 

I have been struggling to make music that I care about because I’ve been obsessing with how to make money with it so I can do that instead of actually enjoying my work. I have ideas all over the place. I am told by conventional sources that I should focus on a single niche, to the exclusion of all else, and market off of there. I get ideas to write songs, but also instrumentals, but also stuff that doesn’t fit in a “brand”. I get so scared that I will put time into something that will not fit within my “Brand” that it will drive people away from me. So in that fear, I find myself trying to think of marketable things to write, and end up writing nothing at all.


 

I’m not getting any younger, and I’ve been banging my head on the “make music a career” thing for ages. I’ve had plenty of setbacks, but I am not willing to give up, but it’s been real tempting to me. It’s been like I lost my shot and I didn’t have a thing to add. If you’ve been following me and my work, I cannot thank you enough.


 

I want to release things. I want to share music with all of you, it’s the best part of the creative field. I just need to get out of this “Grindset” mentality that’s choked out my creativity and just write. I hope to have things going again soon. Things have stabilized in my life, and I am getting to enjoy things without fear of being able to make bills. Thank you all and I hope to make something you can enjoy as well.

Some Changes Going On 

News from the very top: Dr. Thallium is pushing to make music for more of a living!

So for those who may have follow my Twitter account, things aren't going so hot. I have decided that for the sake of my happiness, I am doubling down to get my music going and out into the world.

Currently, I am working on a single that is close to mixing stage. After that, it's a matter of getting a master and scheduling a release. I will announce it when it is ready, so don't worry!

Going forward, there will be need to get income flowing to better aid my day job to make bills and to afford to take care of myself. To accomplish this I am going to try to open up for commissions, but I will need to assess my needs and what I can get done. To better help potential clients, I am going to make some small clips of different styles of music to listen to and see where my strengths are. SoundCloud will probably be the best place to keep this Digital Demo Reel.

If you have the means to take care of your own needs first, and have something to spare, please consider donating to the Laboratory!

What your donations help me do:

  • Make ends meet so I am not as scared about whether I am making enough at my current jobs that week (I currently work three part-time jobs)
  • Help pay for outside assistance: Mastering, Artwork, etc.
  • Registration of my work to multiple streaming platforms

When I can get through these points safely, I will consider myself on the right track. No man is an island, and I have already had to rely on others to help me make this happen, so anything you can do to help is invaluable. Thank you.

- Dr. Thallium

Better Late Than Never! 

After some issues involving sickness, financial worries and the stress of working three jobs while trying to write an album, it is understandable to be significantly behind schedule.  That being said, I had to confront some of my thinking to this point. Since before the start of the year, I have been under the assumption that I would be having to become a proficient keyboardist (pianist) while also trying to write the album itself. This has proved to be faulty thinking on my behalf. It may have set my early attempts up for failure.   

I was under the mistaken belief that because instruments like saxophone were, at best, unpopular outside of the jazz world, and downright cheesy and cliche at worst. I went forward thinking that I would have to change my entire self, skills and past accomplishments to find success. What resulted was not only feeling like my piano work was suffering, but my ability to write appropriate music was hampered by my lack of skill at an instrument that has only existed in the practice room.  

What I have come to understand is that I should embrace my strengths again. I have skills that I can tap into and can only be  enhanced through more persistent practice. Much of my work is arranged by computer, so live piano performance shouldn’t be my main concern. The challenge of being a composer is to know what can be done and writing accordingly for instruments you may never even play. This is what separates me from other artists: I have  the academic background and foundation and can make use of it where others have to try and learn outside of the resources I had.   

So I happily pick up my saxophones, break in a new set of reeds, and ensure that I can better target places where I need the most practice and can improve, and leave the instruments that I am not as proficient upon to either friends that are, or technology. My duty is to make what I feel is right and sing with a voice that I can make my own, even if it does not come from my throat.

Now on Bandcamp! (and Update) 

You called for it, and it is delivered!

For those of you that have a BandCamp account, you can visit and follow on there for releases!

https://drthallium.bandcamp.com/

Also, for your convenience, the single "Into The Breach" is available on the main site!

Hard at work with another track! Stop by the Twitch channel to catch previously recorded VODs of the creation and follow along for upcoming work!

https://www.twitch.tv/dr_thallium

It SHOULD be able to be safely streamed on Twitch without problem. If you DO have problems, TELL ME! I want you to show my work to your viewers!

Opening for Feedback! 

Hello Interns!

So some of you have been asking for me to open up some of my new music for feedback. I say this a wonderful idea! So I've brought my SoundCloud account up to speed and brought out a nice rough mix of a piece recently finished composing from this week of live streams!

 

https://soundcloud.com/drthallium/reflectionsroughmix

 

Feel free to take a listen! If you have an account with SoundCloud, please feel free to comment! Something need to be tweaked? Something not sound right? Let me know here or there!

The Plan Going Foward 

Hello Interns! 

I wanted to catch you all up with how things are going in the laboratory. Yes, things have been rough on all of us, and I am happy that we are all finding our ways of coping! Things have been quiet here for a bit, so here's the shakeup that is going on! 

There are plans in the works for releasing more content in the coming times, primarily of which is the goal of releasing a new, polished, ready to go tune per month! Thankfully I am going to take advantage of what's left of October to get a head start and try to get ahead of the game. The way things are leaning, for now, I haven't been very pleased with my singing, and lyrical content. So that's going on a back burner. I am taking this opportunity to get back in touch with more instrumental works, focusing on my strength as a clarinet and saxophone player.  

YES! You heard correct! While some are familiar with my more mercenary work as a saxophonist for individuals and bands, I have a degree in music with a focus on woodwinds! My saxophone is second only to my Clarinet in terms of how long I've been practicing them. I think it's time to contribute to the musical community some of what I have to say in the instrumental space! 

In-between these monthly releases, I am gearing up to start work as an Online Busker! I have visited and befriended some very talented people on services such as Twitch. So I thought this would be a good way to get more experience with audiences (in the absence of so many venues due to the current health concerns around the globe). The plan of it is simple: For starters, it's just going to be me performing as if I was on the street, only instead of feeling awkward standing and listening, you can simply keep me running in another tab and go about your work! If you want to hang out with me, I would be more than happy to talk with you, but as this is more of an audio-focused thing (on a video platform, I know), there will be visuals to at least mark what is going on at the time for those browsing. We'll see how this works out!  

For those who listen on SoundCloud, I have an account there but have not given enough attention to it in recent years. THAT WILL CHANGE! Atop of the normal releases on Apple Music, Spotify, et cetera, I am looking to release these on SoundCloud to bring things to your ease of access!  

Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope to bring more great music to you all! 

Sincerely, 

Dr. Thallium