Happy Labor Day, friends! Whether you’re enjoying a well-deserved day off or gigging and working while everyone else rests, thank you.
Lately, I’ve found myself in an exploratory mode regarding how I show up online for both my day job and my creative business. AI is forcing a shift. We can resist it and risk being outpaced by those who leverage it well, or we can over-embrace it—spiraling into sloppy output and reckless cost-cutting that negatively impacts real lives.
This technological inflection point isn't replacing my value; it’s making me question how I arrive at that value.
The widespread availability of AI has altered how we work, navigate the internet, and live off-screen. Over the past couple of years, I’ve integrated AI into my day job and personal projects—using it for everything from job searches and marketing analysis to writing and design editing. Yet every output still stems from my human vision. Like any tool, it can be wielded with good or bad intentions.
Stepping into this transition has pushed me out of my comfort zone. But this shift isn't new. We saw it with the dawn of the internet, and again with social media. Once more, we are forced to adapt to data moving faster than ever before.
Change naturally triggers fear of the unknown, driving people toward extremes—either total resistance or blind adoption. But total resistance is futile, and unchecked adoption carries severe consequences, from premature layoffs to unforeseen downstream harms.
In times like these, I try to navigate from the middle. I ask myself: How can I approach this challenge with good intentions, aligned with my values, while ultimately doing no harm to others?
Upcoming Music Performance
I’m performing music at The Lone Girl Brewing Company in Waunakee, WI on Thursday, September 17, 2026, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. They’re extending their summer music series into the fall to pretend summer isn't over just yet!
Along with my own singer/songwriter solo originals and fun covers, my musical compadre, Dan Lezama, will join me for a set as our duo, Gemini’s Rival.
We’re calling this show an official "P.T.O. Meeting"—a Party Time Organization meeting. As parents ourselves, we know how crazy the start of the school year gets, so come escape the hustle for an evening of good food, drinks, and music. Best of all, it's a school night, so we'll have you home and in bed by 9:30 PM.
If you're in town, don't miss this very important P.T.O. Meeting!
Check out this new music & arts online magazine
I recently had the honor of meeting with, and being interviewed by, Andy and Joyce Ziehli, the owners and founders of The Driftless Gazette.
Andy and Joyce are kind, gracious people with big hearts for the arts and a wealth of knowledge, experiences, and connections in the music and arts communities - both locally and nationally.
Now, they’re embarking on giving back to the arts community, and those who love it, with The Driftless Gazette. I love what it represents and am so grateful they wanted to include me in their endeavor.
You can read the first issue at the link below, but before you do, read the following message from Andy and Joyce:
“If the sound of a well-worn guitar, a fiddle tune drifting across a valley, or a lyric that feels like it was pulled from the soil speaks to you, we invite you to become part of a new magazine devoted to American folk songwriting in the Driftless Area of southern Wisconsin, The Driftless Gazette!
Our magazine will celebrate the writers, players, listeners, venues, stories, and traditions that keep Americana and Folk music alive in this remarkable corner of the Upper Midwest. From kitchen-table songs and open mics to festival stages, porch sessions, and river-town ballads, we want to shine a light on the people who turn local life into lasting music.
Each issue will feature songwriter interviews, essays on craft, regional music history, album and performance notes, event highlights, and space for emerging voices. We are especially interested in songs shaped by the hills, farms, rivers, small towns, and independent spirit of the Driftless.
Whether you are a songwriter, musician, listener, venue owner, teacher, archivist, or neighbor who simply believes songs matter, we would be grateful to have you with us from the beginning. Subscribe, share the word, send us your ideas, or tell us about a songwriter we should know.
You can find our first issue on-line at:
https://issuu.com/driftlessgazette/docs/driftless_gazette_september_2026
Together, we can help build a gathering place for American-Folk songwriting rooted right here in southern Wisconsin’s Driftless country.
If you would be so kind as to forward this letter and a copy of the Driftless Gazette to five of your friends and have them do the same Joyce and I would be so very grateful.
With gratitude,
Andy & Joyce Ziehli”
I’m currently working on a new upcycled electric guitar build. It’s an off-set body shape, semi-hollow guitar. The top soundboard is going to be inset in the body, and I plan to give the wood a distressed old look. Stay tuned for more progress updates.
In addition, I’ve produced a few digital download products for working musicians:
You don't have to be a professional recording engineer to make good music recordings.
The Mix Map provides quick start visual guide templates to help you create quality mixes of your multi-track audio recordings for the most common instruments.
The cover song Setlist Architect crafts a perfectly timed, crowd-pleasing setlist tailored to your favorite must-play songs from just about any decade.
Booked for a three-hour bar gig? Build the ultimate cover setlist in just a few minutes.
KEY BENEFITS:
Instant Customization: Tailor timing, eras, and specific song choices with the included AI prompts.
Gig-Ready Details: Get musical keys and chord progressions for every song on your list.
Easy Transposition: Use the included Song Transposer tool to instantly adapt any song, key, and chord progression to fit your vocal range.
BONUS: There's even a free resource that provides the lyrics to most popular songs from the '60s through today.
Outro
Stay positive, stay healthy, be kind.
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Nick Venturella Endeavors LLC
NickVenturella.com
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