Greetings to all,

I am Mike Bankhead, a Dayton area songwriter. My main instrument is bass, but I do most of my writing on piano. I'll be an occasional guest blogger here on Dayton Local Music.

For my first topic, I'd like to give you a brief list of some things to know about local musicians. We're not all that mysterious, but depending on your experience with local venues, you might think of us solely as purveyors of background music, or you might think of some of us as otherworldly talent. Neither of those ideas are quite accurate. I can't claim to speak for ALL of the many musicians in our community, but here are some things that I would personally like you to know.

1. Local musicians are fans. Yep, we love music. We love music so much that we are driven to learn an instrument (or many instruments), and try to play our favorite songs. Along the way, many of us are inspired to write our own songs. We wouldn't be doing this if we didn't love music, and we probably love music more than the average person does.

2. Most of us do not make our living from making music. Speaking personally, I would like to make my living from making music, but it isn't possible right now, so I have a day job in corporate America. While some of the musicians in our community do indeed make their living in the music industry (as engineers, promoters, producers, session players, touring musicians), the vast majority of us do not.

3. We wish to be heard. Sure, some folks make art for themselves, but usually, self-expression through music is meant to be shared. We work hard to make the best art we can, and we'd love it if people would find it and listen to it. You may or may not like my music, but I would love for you to listen to it so you can at least make that decision.

There is more to say, but that'll do for now. I encourage you to look around and listen for Dayton musicians. No matter what genre you enjoy, I am certain there are hard-working people right here making that kind of music.