@Luke Despain Ah so cool! How did you deal with the nerves?!

@Tony Dee I saw your struggles in a community post. You too!

@Doug Wright Rocknroll, thank you Doug!

@Tom Baldwin I get 4!

@Tim Collins I disagree on this point--which is that "the environmental issues will work themselves out". This is not the case. We are speed-running the destruction of the ecosystems & soil we depend on for survival, and AI datacenters are expediting the process. Seeking out interviews by people whose neighborhoods & towns have become unlivable because an AI datacenter was built nearby, despite their protestations against it, is a good frame of reference.

@Tim Collins Time will tell, but considering the main motivator in all of this...I personally am not optimistic.

Because I've gotta. I will make music alone, or with others. I will do it with a full studio or with nothing but a stick to tap and my voice. Those that recognize art with soul and process behind it will want real music by real people.

Telling on myself here… Current travel setup: Laptop, mic & arm, interface, guitar, some cables, headphones. Had this trip arranged before I learned about the RRS program. Making it work! At home? Been scraping together equipment piece by piece. Unfortunately, last July my home flooded and the studio monitors (still packed away in a box on the floor, had just moved) were ruined, along with other items. Real bummer as they were the latest, much anticipated addition. Going to invest in headphones instead, this time around.