BY BILL MILBRODT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

(Working Sideman is the first in a series of short video stories about New Jersey people, their careers, and the ways in which their careers affect their lives. It's the first in a series called "This Story NJ" on NewJerseyNewsroom.com.)

Working Sideman is about a Middlesex County musician who performs with different artists and bands every day. On some days he'll work with three different acts - performing in a Hip Hop or R&B recording session in the early afternoon, Jazz at dinner hour in a fine restaurant, then Reggae at a casino or nightclub into the wee hours.

The singers and musicians he works with know that he can deliver the sound and style they want with very little time needed to get up to speed. So it's precisely because he can adapt to almost any musical setting that he's so busy

On top of his busy schedule on stages and in studios, this interesting New Jerseyan manages to find time to teach privately and spend with his family. His wife is herself a professional and his son is in elementary school. It's a family unit that schedules its "together time" with a calendar -- and in advance.

Watch Working Sideman for a sampling of what it requires to be a professional session musician. If you're struggling in your own career, looking for work, interested in changing what you do, or just plain interested, this four-and-a-half minute video story might trigger some ideas about how adaptability can reap benefits in a world that's changing faster by the moment.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: THE WORKING SIDEMAN'S MUSICAL TOOLBOX

Like any great artist or craftsperson, our New Jersey working sideman has his tools of choice. And what a collection he has! Some are off the shelf, but many are custom made. They are all different shapes and sizes, different colors, and each has its own unique sound.

Take a minute-and-a-half to watch "Tools of the Trade," a video extra from "This Story NJ" and NewJerseyNewsroom.com.

Let our working sideman give you a quick rundown on the string-driven collection of instruments that inhabit his musical toolbox.

Story and Video by Bill Milbrodt:

Milbrodt is a producer and the creator of the Car Music Project, a band that plays musical instruments made from the parts of his own car. His music and sound is heard in games, commercials, television, radio, and multimedia programs. He now produces video commercially, and video news stories for NewJerseyNewsroom.com.  Bill has performed at Lincoln Center Out of Doors with the Car Music Project and won an Emmy Award in New York for his original electronic score for American Venus, an entertainment short.