Meh. My brother-in-law lives such a life, and my sis-in-law loves him for it.

Does Vo have a family?

Yeah, didn't think so.

Don't trade in the dream you have just to chase a second one. Find a way to do music, that is only right, but the muse does not need to be paid in such stark terms as messing with the very things in life that keep you grounded.

In other words, yes, you need your wings but don't dig your roots up in the process.

Winning formula:

Keep playing with Vo as much as you can without significantly fucking up your home life. Whether or not quitting your job qualifies as "significant" or not kinda falls to you to determine, but it sounds like it might.

Meh, your wife and kids can fend for themselves. This is rock and roll, man.

Please tell me not to chuck in my day job and play guitar with Vo.

Do not chuck in your day job.

But please do try to carve out a place for this new source of inspiration in your life. Try to get your art out there wherever and whenever possible. Live gigs. The internet. Anything.

You owe that to yourself as an artist and you owe it to every potential listener who might be moved by what you can do with music.

That's the compromise I propose.

Dude. An ex of mine recently took this step - okay, he'd already lost the job and the wife was long gone - but he seems to be in the process of dumping his kids totally and he has, like, three under the age of 15 with noone else to care for them. All so he can play the guitar in a lameass Fells Point bar every night and work there every day scrubbing down the floors to pay his bar tab. I mean, ick. Eeeeyuck. It makes me ill. And all our old friends are talking about it and none of our tones are dulcet or approving or even, at this point, particularly fond. Also, I think he's back on the bad drugs and he has pissed off a lot of people. True, he's always been the epitome of lame and you don't seem to be. But still, view this as a cautionary parable and don't end up like him.

also, if you ever, ever write some semi vengeful songs about a certain ex of yours then please, for the love of god, do not release them on a cd along with a totally embarrassing love song about that girlfriend in happier times which, gack, rhymes eyes and thighs because then every time that girlfriend visits her old home town someone, eyes a glitter with glee, will bring this up to her and snicker. Argh.

My comment.

is that so bad, mygothlaundry? i've rhymed lips/midriff/hips before :/ But I also rhymed siren/iron/untiring and amor/t'adore/trabadour in the same piece so i guess that makes up for it?

Support for your family with current job: good
Support for your family playing with Vo: diddly

see what I did there?

Thanks, guys; I appreciate it.

I think I just need to find a way to get back into teaching music for a living again [that's what I used to do before I 'sold out'].

This whole office thing is not for me. I like farting around with computers, but not forever. I should do what I'm best at, really.

Isn't that what we all want?

Dear mygothlaundry, thanks for the story. Your boy reminds me of an ex-bandmate named Joel. Yes, that's his real name.

What a fucking dipstick.

Don't worry, I'm not going to fuck anyone over; I was merely having a moment of weakness.

You what's sad, TheDonF? I have a pretty good day job, as far as these things go... and I still have no hope in Hell of buying a house here.

I could probably stand to make less money, really.

cortex hit upon the solution [which isn't surprising]:

Keep playing with Vo as much as you can without significantly fucking up your home life.

I have a pretty good day job, as far as these things go... and I still have no hope in Hell of buying a house here.

The price of housing in the UK is appalling. It's beyond a joke and I have no idea how people are going to afford to get onto the property ladder without being saddled with a crippling mortgage or winning the lottery.

Miko, I LOOOVE that bumpersticker!

...but I just realized I don't HAVE a day job. Gulp.

heh. Downhome Music here sells those stickers so I see them all over. However a couple of friends who actually do make a living playing music are somewhat offended by them.

I have a couple of friends who sort of make a living from playing, but they have a very simple, sparse existence. It would never support a family, and they're often broke.

the muse does not need to be paid in such stark terms as messing with the very things in life that keep you grounded.

Words of wisdom, those.

...but I just realized I don't HAVE a day job. Gulp.

It sounds like you do; running your household.

However a couple of friends who actually do make a living playing music are somewhat offended by them.

I do too, so it's tongue in cheek, but I like the basic message: that how you make money doesn't define whether you're a 'real musician' or not.

Chuckdarwin, I really endorse the musical life. If it's what you have a passion for, you need to do it as much as your time and committments will allow. But of course, all decisions with financial and family impact are best discussed and agreed on over time and with thought.

I have one friend who managed to transition out of his day job and now puts together a living with musical projects full-time. He offers a combination of private lessons (in his own home), recording services, consulting work, and gigs with several different band projects he has going (different genres). He is married and they've got two kids; his wife makes the bulk of the money, but they are happy with this arrangment that they've agreed upon.

However, it isn't the easiest work. The organizational side of running his own music business is not his favorite thing to do. Advertising and marketing, billing/invoicing and record-keeping, doing the taxes, scheduling, and coordinating the band personnel all are time-consuming, and the time they consume is time not spent playing music. So while it's possible to do music full-time, unless you can afford a manager and/or booker, it's not 100% good-time music-making.

The beautiful thing about music is that, throughout most of human history, it hasn't depended on a pro team to create it or play it. It's available all the time, to everyone. Enjoy whatever role it can play in your life.