SJP Days Part 1

After Abistarline kind of faded out, I continued to put on shows atthe local YMCA building in Roodhouse.Continued playing acoustic sets at Due Gattis Coffee Shop in JacksonvilleI remember my first show I played solo acoustic is was in Quincy ILat Mugshots Coffee Shop, it was a blast.I continued on with my acoustic shows since I didn't have a bandI would book other local acts at the YMCA in Roodhouse as I connectedwith them over MYSPACE. Once I recorded my first actual acoustic albumHad the silliest name ever "Playing with Monkeys" I guess I thoughtI was funny or something. From that initial album which was a home studiorecording in my grandparents spare bedroom I got my first taste of thebusiness of the music business. With the traction the songs I had up on myspacebegan to grow to about 50-100 plays per day I was offered a clothing sponsorshipwhich I agreed to with Steez Clothing which is still around today.It lasted a year but the clothes were sweet as well as the promotion.I had a very special friend in Shannon Steele at the time that was super supportiveof all things I was in musically from The Big City to Midwest AvenueShe was a huge part to what would come. She had a video camera and she put ona secret show at her house with all people from our hometown area that came out tothe local shows and I played an acoustic set in her living room. It was a completeblast. It was around that time I really felt like I had something to offer musically And could make a career out of this for the long term, because thats all i've reallyever wanted to do. Along with putting on shows at the local YMCA, playing some local showsin Jacksonville, IL and Springfield, IL- I also put on shows in White Hall which was 3 miles fromRoodhouse at the Seton Hall. which was owned by a church in my hometown. It was at that point I decided that I was going to go all in on Myspace which was starting to gain some major popularity. I would go on to record a few more albums in my grandparents spare bedroomwhich I will be talking about on the next episode.