Shake… Stir… Pour
Jun 28, 2009 DIY, sojourn, songwriting
It’s hard to quantify how much I get out of absorbing great material, sound instruction and interaction with peers, at least until I filter what I learn into writing, recording, performing or promoting [etc.]. Here are some of the activities and objectives I focused on and participated in over the last couple of weeks:
I’m spending more and more time listening to fresh generally non-mainstream songs and writers, primarily by setting up stations on slacker.com, which enables me to listen to both old and new material by heavy-weight writers and artists like Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin and Pink — the list is virtually … endless!
Though I wasn’t selected for the 2009 Horse & Writer Invitational, I was invited to attend three 1-hour conference calls with Skip Ewing, who graciously gave his time to mentor a small sub-group of writers deemed to have significant promise. As a result of Skip’s insights and encouragement, I’m asking different questions about what I’m saying in my songs and my approach to developing context and characters — plus — I played my piano for the first time in months.
I’m a TA (teacher’s assistant) for SongU.com and recorded/posted the transcript for weeks one and two [of four] of a basic theory course with Jai Josefs (Chord Chemistry). While I consider myself fairly proficient at theory, it never hurts to practice and refresh. Jai is a great instructor, and he led us through a quick but effective analysis of the Lighthouse smash “First Time” where we learned how contrasting harmonic function between sections significantly enhances the flow and punch of a song.
Last night was another solid evening of song and pickin’ with Rick Spreitzer at Summit Coffee, where we play every 4th Saturday. Then I got up early today (like, real early for a Sunday) and went into town with friends John and Cate Cloer for a photo shoot as part of my 
website update project; upon return (and after a sweet cat nap) I got on the horn with friend and Indie artist Brian Hartzog to kick-off planning the main topic for our next NSAI monthly meeting. The last thing I plan to do today (after a couple of hours of yard work and an early dinner) is setup an area in our bedroom strictly for writing — not recording, just writing… a desk, piano and guitar… complete with notebook, score paper and music stand.
I’m feeling pretty good about what’s going to come of all these efforts in the weeks ahead. I’ve got a several new songs in the hopper, including a couple of rewrites and co-writes. Of course, there’s rehearsal later in the week for a 4th of July gig in Greensboro with the talented Desmond Myers, the gig itself, and then prepping for my first songwriter round in quite sometime on July 18th.
I don’t expect I can keep this pace up every week, but surely hope it all leads to my becoming a better writer and performer, as well as a more complete musician and artist. Seems the more I get done the more that’s left to do. I’ll just keep shaking, stirring and pouring myself into the songs and let the chips fall where they may.
Tags: Brian Hartzog, Desmond Myers, Jai Josefs, Rick Spreitzer, Skip Ewing, slacker.com, The Cloers
Internet in Heaven?
Jun 21, 2009 sojourn
This past June 10th marked the 2nd anniversary of Dad’s passing, a day threaded with pangs of remembrance. But today is Father’s Day, and the void is even more pronounced. Maybe coz it’s the weekend and I’ve had more time to reflect upon memories as well as the cause and effect of his being gone.
I still find myself talking to him, wondering what he would say about things going on in the world today, or situations in my life or the lives of my siblings. I left the nest pretty early on, and for the most part it took quite some time for the values and lessons he taught me to take. But today I can honestly say, I rely on the simplicity in his wisdom. Wisdom founded on honesty and integrity, hard work and gratitude.
I wish I could say I don’t struggle, that by now I’d learned every lesson well, and he’d give me a pat on the back and we’d go grab a beer. But the truth is I’m still a wild horse that yearns to roam, often shamefully thankless for the many blessings in my life and stubborn as a 3-foot thick wall. Of late, the restlessness in me is at fever pitch. Do I cross the river here, where the rapids are swollen and strong, or keep heading down a rocky stretch of terrain where at least I can negotiate my footing? Thankfully, I still hear his voice saying, “hang on buster, let’s dial it back a notch and think about what you’re about to do.”
Dad passed away from several medical/physical conditions, but it was the Alzheimer’s disease that broke him down mercilessly. I was the last to feed him real food, his favorite of roast pork with rice and beans. I have a few family pictures I scanned right after he died, so I could keep them electronically and look back, way back, at how he got me to where I am in this life. How I wish I could do so many things over and thank him today for all his sacrifice and care. He taught me regret is an anchor, so I’ll press on down the pathways he cut for me.
If you guys are using the Internet in heaven, I just want to say I miss you Dad…
(Dad and me c.1972)
Trying to tell me something?
Jun 13, 2009 sojourn
Seems the harder I try to eliminate distractions of late, the more distracted I get. It’s not trivial stuff either, some of the scenarios are simply life hitting cycles I knew would come, but all at once?
I’m not getting into details ’cause that’s not the point.
What’s key right now is that I keep my ear to the ground for the voice of God and my nose to the grindstone, doing what I can to progress as a player, writer and performer. We watched a Ralph Murphy/ASCAP webcast at NSAI last Tuesday. Funny though I’ve heard what Ralph spoke of many times, there were a couple of threads that resonated anew.
Like the word “blame” shouldn’t be in my vocabulary, at least when it comes to my journey as a writer/musician. It’s up to me to hone my skills and persevere. Rejection and disappointment are part of the process and if I’m not getting rejected regularly I’m not out there working it. And no matter what obstacles I face, I have to do what’s necessary to keep the passion sparked. Keep listening and experimenting and learning and when I get knocked down, get back up again, fight off the anger and fear that creeps in, and dive headfirst right back into the process.
Like I said, the distractions I’m experiencing are pretty significant, routines and responsibilities are changing, but a direction for any type resolution doesn’t seem obvious, at least not right now. A few days ago I woke out of a dream where I was buying a drink in a small town store. The person behind the counter asked if I was just passing through, I replied “for now”. And I’ve a couple other pretty vivid dreams of late where I’m living in a more wide open space with other “newness” around me. Again, not sure what to make of it, but it feels like someone is trying to tell me something.
I’m listening.