What a difference a year makes. As we approach the dawn of a new year (and quite possibly our last year), 2012, I cannot help but reflect on the past 365 days. Did I accomplish my goals, both personal and professional? Have I grown as an artist and human being? Did I do an admirable job of developing new relationships and maintaining those which I had already forged?

At the start of the year, I was very much in a transition phase. I was rapidly approaching the two-year anniversary of my employment dry spell, unable to find work in this shitstorm of an economy. My music career was in a state of flux, having “retired” back in June of the previous year due to burnout, lack of direction, and a sense that whatever small audience I had built was beginning to lose interest in my work. There were times when I even questioned my own interest. Was I pursuing this dream because of some deep-rooted passion to make music? Or had my ambitions turned into some warped addiction, an obsession that motivated me only out of some desperate compulsion to be “successful?” I had gotten to the point where I was making new records again, ‘just for fun’ – not dissimilar to the way an alcoholic decides to have “just one drink” to take the edge off – an obvious move back towards permanence, whether or not I consciously realized it. My desire to make music was there – I even began composing my own tracks, exploring my potential as a beatmaker and producer – but I was still unsure as to the direction in which the TradeMark character would be moving.

Perhaps the best thing to happen to me this year was the opportunity to work with the School District of Philadelphia, putting together the “Fill It In” PSSA anthem music video for use in classrooms and PSSA pep rallies in Philly schools and beyond. The song & video received such a tremendous response from students, teachers, bloggers, friends, fans, and family that my confidence had been restored. For the first time in well over a year I felt as though people were paying attention and taking notice of my efforts – actively engaging with my work. It was the shot in the arm that I needed to move forward.

Taking advantage of the momentum I had built from “Fill It In,” I released the Aura Of A Champion EP. The album was an ambitious one for me, but a very necessary addition to my catalog. The songs were intensely personal, and dealt with subject matter much more serious in nature than records like “Meet Me At The Party” and “Ecstasy.” While my past releases always included serious material – “You Wouldn’t Understand” and “Reach For The Sky” from Vol. 1, “Hell ‘n Back” from Vol. 2, “End Of Forever” and “Losing My Mind” from Vol. 3, just to name a few examples – those songs were seemingly overshadowed by my comedic/satirical work like “Swaggasaurus” and “On The Radio (Tikki Tikki Tembo),” attempts at social commentary which were misunderstood at best.

Some of that is due to my own marketing. I didn’t make a music video for “Reach For The Sky,” instead I chose to push “Swaggasaurus.” I felt that the comedy would be a good ‘catch.’ Draw people in with laughter so I can hook them into listening to my more serious work. Unfortunately, I began to feel as though I was pigeonholing myself as a comedy act (and worse yet, a comedy act that most people didn’t understand was supposed to be funny). I felt as though I had much more to offer as an artist, but I was not presenting myself in a way that would have encouraged people to dig beneath the surface of songs like “Swaggasaurus.” I had allowed myself to be taken at face value. Part of my reasoning for retiring in the first place was the mounting frustration I was feeling having been unable to successfully re-brand myself as a serious artist. “Aura Of A Champion” was my first release where the serious, introspective work was pushed to the forefront. There was no lighthearted, fun single to hide behind this time around. While the album was not the commercial success I had hoped it would be, it was a very important milestone – gone was the goofy party animal with a God complex incarnation of TradeMark, and in his place stood a more mature TradeMark, one who still embraced his ironic nature, but had more confidence in his ability to entertain without the gimmickry. Less Baby Powder Prince, more Tom Mulherin.

Now fully embracing my new direction, I went on to have a very successful comeback show in October. The crowd in attendance at the Millcreek Tavern was very accepting of the “new” TradeMark who debuted that night, and I was also able to solidify my working relationships with artists like ECOMOG, Them Dudes (part of The Beaster Boys family), The Left Lingo, and DJ Loose. Around that time, I released Vol. 4, featuring a collab with the Left Lingo – a remake of Paul Simon’s classic “Call Me Al.” The song & video were very well received, and provided me with further reinforcement that my new direction was the right direction for TradeMark.

Meanwhile, on the personal front, I was finally able to rejoin the ranks of America’s gainfully-employed, I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary with my girlfriend, and I find myself more at peace with myself than I have ever been. I regret that I was not able to devote more of myself to my friends and family in 2011. I hope to be able to rectify that in the new year.

Creatively, I had some great victories in 2011 – two of my albums are now in rotation on Pandora Radio, and I have entered into a working relationship with InDigi Music, a publisher who will be shopping my work for licensing opportunities in Film, TV, Video Games, Commercials, etc. My album “Quarter-Life Crisis” is almost complete, having been in development since early 2010. I hope that “Quarter-Life Crisis” will be a fitting follow-up to “Aura Of A Champion,” presenting my more serious songwriting abilities as I continue to explore more personal, introspective material. I have a new side project in the works with my good friend Matt Rosazza. “BIG CITY NIGHTS” is a experimental project combining my electro/synth pop style with Matt’s rock-and-roll stylings and live guitar. A preview of our first single, “Fooled Me Twice,” should give you some insight as to what to expect from this collaboration.

In closing, I look at 2011 as a very successful rebuilding year, with great potential for big things taking place in 2012. No matter what success I may or may not find professionally, I have learned to appreciate the journey, and to be more aware of my growth as a human being throughout this process. For the two of you who actually read all the way down to this point in the blog, I wish you happy holidays and a happy new year! May 2012 bring all of us great success and happiness!

Best,
TM