In sports terms:
I was placed on the IR (upper body) with no timetable for a return.
In my own words:
I had to take a break to fix my body.
In medical terms:
Chris Froome nearly completely separated his AC joint.
Injuries often plague those who happen to be human beings. We run, we fall, we get hit by stuff, and sometimes we do the hitting. We get sick, we can heal. It all becomes part of the story.
This story starts around 2011 where I began travelling as a Solo-Acoustic artist through Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Northwestern Ontario. Usually playing the majority of my shows over the colder Winter Months. I often traveled alone, with a full PA system, my guitar, and anything else I would need to play a show in a venue where they supply nothing, which was not unusual. The shows themselves were typically 3 hours a night, often 3 nights in a row.
At first I felt invincible, this was my dream, and I was living it. I would get minor bumps and bruises along the way, nothing of significance. But at some point in 2015, parts of my body started to show signs of wear. This worried me.
Now, I was becoming particular about my bookings. Where they were, and how many I could do in a row without aggravating anything. My body needed a break. But being a working-class musician, even if you stop briefly, you risk losing your spot to the next guy. So I managed to find a balance of music/rest that allowed me to continue touring.
But now, playing less overall, I looked for other ways to support my fanbase. I turned some of my attention back to online platforms like YouTube, and Patreon, to help solidify the base of fans I already created. This giving me an opportunity to grow further through Video Production, and Live-Streams. More on this later.
Things changed again in August 2017 when something unexpected happened, even though logically it had a high probability of happening eventually. After a gig, while loading some super-heavy gear into a truck, I fell backwards off of the ramp and dropped roughly 6 feet, landing DIRECTLY on my left shoulder. I separated my AC Joint, and bruised several other areas of my shoulder. I consider myself extremely lucky that I didn’t break a bone, or my neck, or have the 1000lbs of gear fall on top and kill me. VERY lucky.
It would be a while until I would be playing music again, and certainly at a reduced capacity. The Doctor told me surgery wasn’t necessary, but it would be months before I would regain normal use of my shoulder, if it healed properly. This was very good news, but I wouldn’t be working for months, and a large loss of income was not ideal. I was denied insurance coverage because I wasn’t willing to cancel my future bookings and seek full-time employment elsewhere, which didn’t help the problem.
By now, I had been supplementing my income with Ad Revenue from my website, YouTube, and most notably, the crowd-funding website I use called Patreon. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to help ease the extra pain that day-to-day expenses were now putting on my bank account. This is a very important thing for me to talk about. Because without my fan support from Patreon, I may have already been forced to quit playing music altogether.
Two months have passed since the injury, and I’m very slowly getting back to travelling Solo playing Live-Music. Although I’m still uncertain if I’ll be able to tour regularly, or if I’ll need to stop touring altogether. Either way, I’m confident that this upcoming Winter Solo-Acoustic Tour will be the last time I tour this heavily as a Solo Performer.
I know I have strong moral support from my fanbase, and I’m always in debt to the support I’ve been given. But if you’ve read this far, then this next statement is for you:
I cannot continue playing music without consistent financial support from my fans.
Please, I ask you to strongly consider supporting me on Patreon. The lowest tier is $1/month($12/year), and for that you are guaranteed 15min-20min of produced musical content monthly. On top of that, looking forward over the next year, I will be putting out two separate EP’s of music. These EP’s will be free for any of my supporters to download. Also, I’m planning several Live-Streams of Solo Performances, as well as the fan favourite CatFood Live-Streams.
Regardless of if you support financially or not, I thank you for taking the time to read my story. To all those who already support me on Patreon, I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Every little bit helps, and I like you guys.
October 9, 2017 | Categories: Blog Archive, Blog Posts | Tags: AC Joint Separation, Chris Froome Injury, Chris Froome Update, Patreon | Leave A Comment »
