A Note from the Manager

Hi. My name is anne. I have a hard job. My job is to manage TapWater -- to manage everything from the booking to the finances, from the tour to the marketing. Most importantly, I manage the people that you know as TapWater -- the five guys who make the music that transforms the world from a dry, gray place into a lush rainbow of delight. It is a tremendous amount of responsibility, but I know I am up for the task.

The perks of my job are several. First, every day is different. Because we do not have help from anyone in the industry, we have to create our own path. We find our own way, learning how to create something from nothing, how to best promote ourselves, where to play, how to play, and how to maximize and leverage every moment of our work. I also love that I get to develop a deep sense of courage. I have become comfortable with high risk and uncertainty, and I trust in myself and my team that we can make it to the next level. Everything is a thick learning experience, teaching us what we need to know to move forward. It's awesome. And of course, I love working with some of the most talented musicians to walk the planet -- I love to hear their music, and help them achieve their goals. It is highly, highly satisfying.

The hardest part of my job is to keep everyone motivated. This can be quite challenging considering the obstacles we are up against. We do not make enough money to live or pay our bills, and we often live in unlivable situations -- cramming 6 or 7 people into a 34' motorhome for months on end. We do not get to spend enough time with our friends and family, we cannot afford to take vacations, or buy ourselves anything nice. We are lucky if we can pay our car insurance on time, or buy groceries for the week. And on top of that, we are in an industry where almost everyone is jaded, where no one acts as a community, where there are unbeatable odds. The market is oversaturated with bands and no one wants to pay you for your work. Every way you turn, people tell you "no." They tell us daily we are wasting our time, that we are chasing something impossible that cannot be achieved. They tell us that we cannot make it.

Sounds troublesome, doesn't it? It can be, but really, at the end of the day, all those things do not matter. They don't matter because we are working for what we believe in. Every day we spend our time creating the life that we know is possible for ourselves, for our fans, for our community. We know in the marrow of our bones that we have that something special that only comes along once in a lifetime. And when you look at it like that, the only thing that matters is that we do what is necessary to give this gift back to world so that it may fulfill the purpose that Life has intended.