The following column will appear in the October 2008 edition of Gaston Alive:
Finding balance in life is not an easy task to accomplish – especially when it comes to
juggling your time and your money. The fact is, you’re either rich in one, or poor in another.
Rarely are we abundant in both at the same time. When you are young, time is on your
side. It’s the money that is lacking. As we get older and enter the workforce,the money starts to roll in, but it’s time that takes a backseat.
That’s the way life is. And as my dad said – life isn’t fair. That’s a tough pill to swallow as a kid, but a life lesson that becomes easier to digest as we get older.
Brian Deal knows this life lesson all to well. Here is a guy that is married, with a family. He works a full-time job during the day.
I think it’s safe to say he’s not bursting with free time on his hands. However, the free time he does have, he spends it feeding one of his passions - music.
Deal was raised on a steady diet of Texas-based musicians. I think it’s safe to say that the sounds of the Lonestar State speak to him.
In fact, his first ever smoky-bar show he ever attended was seeing Jerry Jeff Walker play at P.B. Scotts Music Hall in Charlotte. And he’s been hooked ever since.
The only problem is that Deal doesn’t live in Texas. He lives right in Gaston County.
Before he got married, it was a no-brainer to take a trip in the middle of the week just to see a certain performer. It didn’t matter how far.
However, when one gets married and has children, some things change. Kids have a way of changing the questions, just as when we think we know all the answers.
But that didn’t stop Deal. He decided if he couldn’t make it to Texas, he would bring the sounds of Texas to North Carolina.
Enter Live Oak Entertainment, an independent concert promotions company bringing Texas country, red dirt and Americana music to the Charlotte area. Since forming in 2004, he and his partners have brought in a wealth of talent to the surrounding area including Dale Watson, Chris Knight, and Jason Boland & the Stragglers.
Now let’s set the record straight. He hasn’t yet to become a millionaire promoting these live shows. In fact, I get the impression he is almost proud to say he hasn’t made a profit yet. Breaking even at the end of the night is a win in his book.
For Deal, it’s purely a labor of love. He will never bank a lot of money in this endeavor. But that’s not his mission. Something tells me he’ll become rich in other ways, one note and one guitar lick at a time.
To learn more about Live Oak Entertainment, visit them online at www.myspace.com/liveoakentcharlotte.
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