News from jeffandsue Greetings Jeff & Sue/Cult of 2 friends, fans and following! It has been awhile since last reaching out. We truly hope that everyone is doing well and having a great 2014! Thoughts and Musings.... We are often asked questions of a personal and professional nature regarding our life and career as musicians/entertainers. The questions run the gamut from what an average day in the life is like for us, to technical queries about the actual production of our show and music in general. Certainly flattered when asked, in describing a life largely centered around music, art, writing, composing, producing and performing, this life and career seems fairly natural and normal to us, even if it is not. Alternatively, the day to day domestic duties such as maintaining a homestead, gardening, growing, building as well as a general all around propensity for getting our hands dirty is, again, a life and career quite natural and normal to us, even if it seems so un-rock and roll. It is however, all that we have ever known. That said, as self employed and fairly self sufficient artists, the lines between life and business are quite often blurred and blended and can seem quite unconventional. Life then becomes much more interesting as well as challenging. What Does this Mean?.... The word retirement has been bandied about in our circle in recent years. With friends having retired or approaching retirement, the question of, is sometimes posed in our direction…even if a bit premature. For SuZen and myself, retirement and the concept of, has rarely been a thought or a consideration. Our first thought is usually why would anyone want to retire if they love what they do, especially when there is so much to be done in such a short life! We also sometimes joke, dont we actually have to have a real job first before considering retirement? Certainly, the old and outmoded concept of retirement with the obligatory brass watch, a severance check and a banquet dinner at the local township hall has much less significance these days. Why Would Anyone Want a Job?.... The word job seems so impersonal, inadequate and quite honestly has always bothered me, especially when I was occasionally and unwittingly advised to get a haircut and get a real job. Certainly we all have to make a living in some capacity but, I think that I am more comfortable with substituting the word job with the word purpose when speaking of an occupation. I would rather have a purpose than a job. Arguably, if one has an unsatisfactory job, then perhaps, it lacks a purpose. I suppose that it is up to each and every individual to assess and decide if their job is a purposeful one. Whether we work in manufacturing, the tool and die industry, sales & marketing, service, homemaking, health, hospitality, media, writing code, or make a living as an artist, whatever that job is, it serves a purpose. No matter how simple, small or extremely significant that job may seem, it is an important purpose that serves well, especially…if it self fulfilling. Connecting the Dots.... Collectively, for us, our purpose as musicians and entertainers is less about the obvious and much more about the intangible. It has largely been about connecting with people and, especially, facilitating or fostering friendships amongst them. Countless life long friendships and even marriages have been made through these connections at our shows….much like connecting the dots between humans….I love that! It is, without a doubt, the single most rewarding and satisfying part of what we do. Yes….that is our purpose. Whether we do this with a guitar slung around our neck, from behind a desk or in some other capacity, we see no reason to stop or retire. That said, having been so fortunate to have met so many unique and dynamic individuals with their varied occupations and passions in life, we have often been inspired to reevaluate/rethink life and career paths. Always and ever, born to wander, there is the occasional need to make changes. As much as we might dislike change, it would probably be best to embrace it. So, I suppose a more appropriate way for us to navigate a career change would be to rethink retirement in terms of exit strategies and transitions. Whats Up....? 2013 proved to be a significant year for us. In June, we found ourselves quietly celebrating 30 years of performing together as well as a 30 year wedding anniversary later in the year. Having decided a couple of years ago that we would be working on career transitions and exit strategies at our 30 year mark, we set 2014 as the transitional year. With the sudden and tragic loss of our lifelong friend and fellow ex-bandmate Dale Tallant, it only served as confirmation that we were on track with these changes, that we should continue to follow our intuitions and...most importantly, live purposefully! To the Point.... So. Retirement…not a chance. Changes, yes! We will be, more or less, working on these changes and career transitions as well as redesigning our performance schedule. To accommodate an ever increasing studio AV workload as well as pursuing new music projects, 2014 will find us reducing our Cult of 2/Rock Show to a handful of performances. We will occasionally perform at some of our fav venues in 2014 as well as some new ones in different capacities. We will update you on our plans and dates as we make them and, as always, our schedule will be posted at jeffandsue and our Facebook page https://facebook/JeffSueCultOf2?ref=hl Parting is such.... As a consequence of these changes, sadly, but with heartfelt gratitude, we announce our departure from and bid farewell to our house venue Hunters Grille at Treetops Resort! It has been an honor and a privilege to have worked with such a great organization, management and staff as well as being instrumental in developing and reestablishing Treetops as an entertainment destination. We sincerely look forward to, and are excited to see Treetops Resort continue this tradition! and so it goes.... When I began the process of composing this letter last week in preparation for this announcement and webmail blast, I was compelled to rifle through our website address book. Scrolling through several thousands of addresses, the names came whizzing across my screen. I was instantly transported through a stream of consciousness of memories, faces, people and personalities! Remembering friends present and past. Remembering so many NYE parties. Remembering our 132 night straight stint…..crazy! Remembering all of the celebrities, dignitaries, sports personalities, rock stars and actors as well as the crazy antics of so many resort members and return groups. I also revisited SuZens blog and photo gallery that she has tirelessly worked on for over 13 years. Just amazing!!! In fact, I would encourage everyone to take one last trip down memory lane and revisit the photo gallery and blog site, as we will most likely be closing the gallery and ending the blog. I was mostly reminded, once again, that this whole thing has never been about us. This was always about our friends and fans. This was all about making a memory. I was also reminded that it was a privilege for both SuZen and myself to be a part of your lives. We cant express enough how grateful we are for the support and love that so many people have given us these 30 plus years!! It is with an attitude of gratitude that we thank you all deeply. In closing, we encourage you to keep in contact with us from time to time and let us know how you are and what you are up to! Best wishes~Jeff Jeffrey & SuZen
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 03:58:44 +0000