FREE ESSAY ON JOHN'S INTERESTING CAREER

JOHN'S INTERESTING CAREER

John's Interesting Career
John Perreault is a musician who lives in Upstate, NY. He started appreciating music at
an early age. Banging on pots-and-pans, singing. His grandfather, who was a professional
musician, and my supportive parents, drove his interest in music. He was always in
chorus. Then when the time came, he took up the bass in fourth grade. He quit the bass
playing after three years and didn't do anything musical. He took a few music classes,
but played nothing on the side. Then his grandfather passed away in '94. After his
funeral, he felt like he had let him down. This event was the turning point in his life.

He took up guitar later that year and wasn't too sure of the future. It's every young
musician's dream to be famous to some degree; the only problem is finding your niche. His
father, the following Christmas, gave him a mandolin. It sat in his room for several
months and collected dust. And in the following years, he picked up a bass, sitar,
didgeridoo, and some other instruments.
It wasn't until his War and Civilization class that his career as a musician started. He
had to do a Civil War music presentation. With the help of Mike Yates, a family friend,
who reenacts Civil War music. Following the presentation, Mike Yates asked him if he was
interested in working with his band The NYS 77th Regimental Balladeers. He agreed and
it's been a wild time. The group's goal is the reproduction of the music of the era and
the history of the Civil War. The group consisted of John Quinn and Mike. They liked the
idea of having a multi-instrumentalist on board, especially a mandolinist. He spent two
weeks learning the instrument, and now he was hired because of it. Two months went by and
they had our first show at Cafe Lena's, where a young Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthurie, and
several other famous musicians had once played. It went well, although he was nervous the
whole time. They played to a full house; people were standing along the back wall and by
the stairwell. He was starting to wonder why all these people came. They added a
violinist a few months later and recorded their first album, Somebody's Darling. They
toured that summer promoting it and ended up playing in Gettysburg, P.A., under contract
from the U.S. Park Service. They played in several museums, auditoriums, small venues,
and reenactments in New York that summer. Another nice thing was the paychecks. 
The following year was even more hectic. He played in Proctor's Theater in Schenectady,
NY, which was incredible. The crowd was about 1500 people and they were on the front page
of the Times Union. His grandfather had played there before, so it was an emotional
experience for him. They cut another album in May and June. This took so much time and
energy. He spent up to eight hours in the studio. They had a lot of problems with this
album, but in the end of June, Reflections was released. It had a more professional sound
then our first album and cost about several thousand more. They toured to support it
through the whole summer, playing in New York mainly, but also in Pennsylvania and
Virginia. It was almost the rock and roll experience, with all expenses paid and nice
hotel rooms, but the road takes a lot out of you. He prefers to stay close to home. 
The future of the 77th is being planned now. They recorded a live album in Windham, NY,
for release this spring, and they're also planning a tour of Ireland and England for
2002. It has been only 3 years now with them, but after this last album and tour, it
feels like more years have passed. He's looking forward to the nice five-month break. 
This isn't his only group, just the one that pays the bills. He's currently in three
other groups that perform in the Capital region. Chicos Groove, is a humorous funk/metal
band that gets together a few months a year. It was my high school band that didn't
really do much. in terms of gigs. They appeared on a compilation CD, Happily Ever After:
Benefit for Children's Cancer Research. Pluvialus, a world/neo-baroque/avant-garde trio,
showcases original compositions by its members. They perform covers of classical pieces
and also an avant-garde rendition of Edgar Allen Poe's Pit and the Pendulum. His other
group is Cold Harbor, a Celtic/folk group. This group is composed of the Civil War band
members minus one. He also performed with The Gypsy Rose Theater Company over the summer
for their performance of As you like it. In addition, he does sessions and fills in for
various groups when needed. It's fun to be a hired gun, although it's not for long term
usually. 
Being a musician isn't always great. The pay is about $25+ per hour. Union members and
more popular groups start much higher. Jobs aren't always available and the competition
is fierce. Being versatile and proficient on several instruments is helpful. The more
styles you can play, the more jobs you'll get. Like being an artist or an actor, you have
got to be able to stick out from others in the crowd. Patience, skill, and determination
are a must in this field. 
In reality, musician's all have day jobs. He's a college student when he's not on the
road, working on a degree in history/secondary education with music minor. He's
constantly practicing scales, composing, and learning new material to better his playing.
You can never practice too much; he doesn't practice enough. What keeps him going is his
love of music; he's determined to do something he loves regardless of the pay. He's just
looking for another job to pay for his career.