Bouncing all over the place

Anyone who has tried becoming a self-sufficient business owner knows that it takes a while before it becomes stable enough for year-round work. You need to be working on your accounts while hunting for new accounts. If you are not careful one account could end with work, and if you don’t have another lined up, you could quickly end up not making money. I knew that I needed to secure a more stable income while I continued to build my business.

I learned that the television station was under new ownership and things had changed for the better, in terms of wages and benefits. The station was facing the challenge of fending off new competition with an ABC affiliate working its way into the market. I stopped by the station to speak with the News Director, just like I did back in 1997, and for the fourth time in my career, I was hired back to work at the TV station.

I was able to continue working side jobs, enjoy being a dad and husband, all while performing around town with the band. After a couple years with Bird, working to record our album, we had finally completed the work and were ready to release it.

Shannon would continue to become a stronger fan of Wilco, while I was on the sidelines taking notes at the shows on how a real rock band performs and operates, and observing the people who were working behind the scenes, like the guitar tech and sound people. We would go to shows whenever they ended up in the Northwest. Our family friends started to become the same people who were attending the Wilco shows with us. We’d be in a growing group of super-fans in the crowd, supporting the band.

Life was at a fun balance once again. I was an official Dad Rocker, we were having a great time raising our child, and we were enjoying the fruits of life with really good live music escapes. Life would get even more joyful from us learning that we were expecting another child, as painful news would soon be delivered from my Dad and stepmother.