Tag Line
Apr 19, 2009 sojourn
Pressing edges into song, what?
I edited the tag line for my blog, really just shortening it from “pressing life’s edges into song” to “pressing edges into song“. For all practical purposes this is the first time I’m peeling back the context for this theme and it’s got my mind churning faster than I can type.
When I press, and I often do, I get fragmented. Many of these fragments end up on the fringes of what’s happening, or life’s edges. Like when I try too hard to please someone, and fail another, or myself. Or my work suffers because I allow circumstances out of my control to press me, to put me in difficult positions I should avoid at all cost. Then there’s the proverbial painting myself into the writer’s block corner because I’m too scattered and frustrated and thinking everything I write sucks, and begin wondering what’s the point in writing at all?
This, of course, is all fodder, all grapes on the vine waiting to be pressed into a story, prose for a blog post, and, yeah, maybe even a song. But more often than not I let my insecurities and self-consciousness derail me. I reread an interview with Rodney Crowell last week in which Rodney is deemed as one who ascribes to the notion “… self-consciousness is the enemy of art.” Also last week, Bob Lefsetz posted a blog titled “Dylan on Buffet” that really spoke to me this week, too, in which he declares “The role of the artist is to open the door just a little, so we can experiment, so we can take the unpopular route, so we can become enlightened.”
I guess I’m still crawling out of my shell as a writer, still allowing the threat of rejection to stifle my creativity. Sure, it’s not all doom & gloom. There are many encouraging signs, too, and that’s what I need to focus on. I see and hear lots of friends and peers just tearing it up with their work, getting their songs and music played everywhere from MTV to Internet radio to churches to nursing homes, both live and recorded. That’s the goal, eh? To have our art seen and/or heard? Surely a big goal for me.
I just had a pretty positive song evaluation done where my “coach” qualified the song as being about recovery from addiction. Now, I agree with the assessment, but the more specific perspective from which I wrote the song is that we all live on the edge of addiction, the edge of love, the edge of understanding, knowing the real “you” comes out in the end. And that what really matters is having relationships with those to whom the real “you” is perfectly acceptable. Serendipitously, someone tweeted a Dr. Seuss quote this week that sums up this mind set so much better than I ever could, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
My edges have already taken me somewhere today, for that, I’m grateful.
Still
Apr 11, 2009 sojourn
Still… a beautiful, multifaceted word with several meanings, often used as a literary device in novels, prose, poetry and song. This morning I got to thinking about this word in two totally unrelated ways.
As a DIY songwriter [get ready for an off the wall analogy], I kinda consider my self to be running a still, yes, as in moonshine. The plumbing and methodology is different from any other still. I might funnel the elixir into a mason jar or flask or bottle (media delivery), and it won’t likely taste (sound) like any other moonshine, but that’s OK. If you like it, you’ll drink (listen) and hopefully come back for more.
A couple of days ago a heartbreaking dose of reality I can’t seem to shake… this week I got stopped in my tracks by news of a singer, who I only met once, and not even by name, had recently and tragically taken his life. I was rather profoundly still as I contemplated the sadness of the news, in the futility of why. I wrote a bunch of lines, here’s an extract, maybe it’s poetry, maybe a lyric, dunno, but I need to listen to the still, small voice inside me telling me to get it out:
it’s all good
till the waters get rough
and enough is enough
I thought you understoodmaybe I can
step down off of this ledge
so I can pull out this wedge
and the splinters from my hands
I’m a firm believer everything happens for a reason, some call it luck, fate, God’s sovereignty, to each his own. But there’s a reason I went to ATL first week of March and was fortunate enough to see this singer so incredibly express his art. There’s a reason he’s gone, but somehow still here.
2009 © zero360music
The Mesh I’m In
Apr 5, 2009 DIY
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been all over the map, idea after idea, but the ratio of output is pretty low. Sure I’m dealing with mitigating circumstances, my wife broke her knee changing the we way we manage home front activities from school to sports to growing up, I’ve been grappling with decisions regarding new opportunities for me as an indie artist, musician, etc., mix in the never ending sagas at work… but hey, who isn’t busy or distracted these days, somehow, someday, this will all make sense — right? I’ve decided to spend just a few minutes annotating the scattered accomplishments from the last couple-three of weeks:
- I did write a song last weekend, and have a new one on the tip of my tongue and fingers.
- Spent time in the studio working on Paul C’s CD.
- Setup my rag tag PA and started listing out material for future coffee house gigs with Allen S.
- Got “All Things You” evaluated, based on feedback, it’s a slight rewrite away from done.
- Carved out some time to further my capabilities with Mac and Logic Express
- Started using Twitter and NetVibes.
OK, not a ton of stuff, but progress nonetheless. So here’s what I’m planning for the next couple of weeks, starting today:
- NSAI Charlotte blog updates… add a FAQ and post focused on song critiques.
- Get back with my friend John C. about strategy for redesigning my web presence(s). DRAFT plan.
- Learn 3-songs for rehearsal Tuesday night with J&J.
- Prospect use of Yahoo Media player in web pages.
- Track “Here is Love” for Easter.
- Listen/Learn material Allen S. sent me.
Better stop here, anymore would certainly be unrealistic, accomplishing half of what’s on this list would be way encouraging. Bottom line is I’m in a season where sleep, preparedness and focus will be key to keeping life moving forward on several fronts. I’m not kidding myself into thinking all the pieces with fall into place without bumps and bruises.
Randy Pausch spoke of preparedness in chapter 46 of “The Last Lecture“, stating, “When you go into the wilderness, the only thing you can count on is what you take with you.” He also said that planning for the worst an essential element of being prepared and called it “The Eaten By Wolves Factor.” Since preparedness isn’t always a strong suit, I’d better get good at climbing trees =)
My wilderness is the mesh I’m in. I can’t imagine anyone with an ounce of hope living in a single threaded world. I could spend all my time trying to figure out what all this means, or go out and make something of it all by creating, sharing and being grateful for what small gains I’m able to make. And, in the end, keep believing in something greater than who or what I am, or could ever be. I can do better at everything I do, but need to be more satisfied with doing at all, on all fronts, in all things… for all the right reasons.
Tags: mesh, prepared, right reasons, wilderness