One of my songs was running through my head the other day. But I hadn't practiced it in forever, and big chunks of the lyrics were missing. Even when I made an effort to recall them, they continued to hide.
No biggie. This happens to me from time to time. I made a mental note to look the song up later.
The surprise came when I got around to doing it. As I read my forgotten lyrics, there was no sense of recognition. No "Oh, of course, that's how it goes." It was like seeing them for the first time. As if somebody else wrote them.
Maybe this kind of thing is inevitable after you've produced a certain number of songs. Trying to console me about my failing memory, a friend of mine said that she used to work for a magazine where not every story got a byline. She and her colleagues frequently couldn't remember which of them had written a particular article.
Still, it feels weird. I'm not one of those songwriters who can create an entire first draft in my car on the way to the bank. I struggle for almost every line. If I have to fight so hard to bring the words into existence, they ought to stick around without any further effort on my part.
Oh well. One good thing came out of my little memory fail: I realized that I hadn't backed up my lyrics since many new songs ago. Now if my hard drive fails, I won't lose any of the words forever.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sunday, November 11, 2012
'Tis the season, I guess
Summer lingers for a long time in Tucson. After many weeks in the 90s, the weather finally got cold enough today that I wore a winter jacket. Not a very heavy one, but still a winter jacket.
Coincidentally, this was also the first day Mix FM started in on All Christmas Music All the Time.
On November 11.
Has to be some kind of record.
Coincidentally, this was also the first day Mix FM started in on All Christmas Music All the Time.
On November 11.
Has to be some kind of record.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
The songwriter workshop conundrum
The time had come for another songwriter workshop and I was psyched. Ron and I had managed to make scratch recordings of our four most recent songs just days before. The ink was barely dry on the last one. The conundrum: would I choose to shop the tune I was most proud of, or one I knew still had some problems?
I really wanted people to hear the song I was most proud of. It would have the best chance of impressing them. Maybe I'd get the coveted (mythical) comment, "You don't need to change a thing." But, of course, the problematic song was the one I needed help with.
In the end I went with the problematic song. I'm happy I did. The feedback I received helped me tear down the corner I'd painted myself into. I wrote a few alternative endings, and while I eventually narrowed them down to one, all of them were better than what I had.
The problematic song was the right choice.
I still want my fellow songwriters to hear the most-proud-of song, though. Maybe next time ...
I really wanted people to hear the song I was most proud of. It would have the best chance of impressing them. Maybe I'd get the coveted (mythical) comment, "You don't need to change a thing." But, of course, the problematic song was the one I needed help with.
In the end I went with the problematic song. I'm happy I did. The feedback I received helped me tear down the corner I'd painted myself into. I wrote a few alternative endings, and while I eventually narrowed them down to one, all of them were better than what I had.
The problematic song was the right choice.
I still want my fellow songwriters to hear the most-proud-of song, though. Maybe next time ...
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Politically invisible
Today is the last day of Invisible Illness Week. About two weeks ago I realized it was coming and thought, Already? Damn, I have nothing new to say.
Then I read a blog post arguing that the whole "invisible illness" concept was harmful and we shouldn't be using it to raise awareness anyway.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For those of you who are just tuning in and have no idea what an invisible illness is, I'll quote from an older post:
According to Samuel Wales of The Kafka Pandemic, however, there are a number of problems with this approach. The one that stood out to me was this: healthy folks aren't prejudiced against all so-called invisible illnesses. We accept that diabetes is real, even though diabetics managing their disease don't look any different than anybody else. Patients with HIV/AIDS seem healthy much of the time, and no one accuses them of faking it. Appearing healthy, or being housebound and hidden from view, doesn't automatically mean people won't believe you.
The problem is that certain diseases are denigrated. Politically invisible.
While I'm not sure I'm convinced the term "invisible illness" is actively harmful, I like Samuel's alternative approach. When faced with a person who's skeptical about a disease that doesn't always make people look sick, respond with this: "Would you say that about AIDS?"
Then I read a blog post arguing that the whole "invisible illness" concept was harmful and we shouldn't be using it to raise awareness anyway.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For those of you who are just tuning in and have no idea what an invisible illness is, I'll quote from an older post:
What makes an illness or disability invisible? Two things. First, the people suffering with it often drop out of sight. Your friends don't hear from you for a while, figure you've lost touch for the usual reasons friends do, and have no idea that your chronic pain or crushing fatigue prevents you from leaving the house most days. Second, if they do happen to see you again, you probably appear perfectly normal. Your disease hasn't caused you to break out in scary hives or turn blue. The very fact that you're out in public probably means you're feeling/functioning better than usual.So advocacy for invisible illnesses like ME, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and Gulf War disease should be pretty straightforward, right? Point out how those diseases exist even though they're hidden from view, and you dispel the prejudices of the previously uninformed.
According to Samuel Wales of The Kafka Pandemic, however, there are a number of problems with this approach. The one that stood out to me was this: healthy folks aren't prejudiced against all so-called invisible illnesses. We accept that diabetes is real, even though diabetics managing their disease don't look any different than anybody else. Patients with HIV/AIDS seem healthy much of the time, and no one accuses them of faking it. Appearing healthy, or being housebound and hidden from view, doesn't automatically mean people won't believe you.
The problem is that certain diseases are denigrated. Politically invisible.
While I'm not sure I'm convinced the term "invisible illness" is actively harmful, I like Samuel's alternative approach. When faced with a person who's skeptical about a disease that doesn't always make people look sick, respond with this: "Would you say that about AIDS?"
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
RIP Joe South
Aw, man.
After Jon Lord of Deep Purple died, I found out that Joe South had written my favorite Deep Purple song, "Hush." I'd known him mostly for "Games People Play."
Curious, I looked up him on Wikipedia and skimmed his biography. I don't remember much of it. I just remember being happy to find out he was still alive. Not that I had any reason to believe that he wasn't, just that famous musicians tend to check out early in various cliched ways.
He managed to avoid cliches, but 72 is still too young as far as I'm concerned.
After Jon Lord of Deep Purple died, I found out that Joe South had written my favorite Deep Purple song, "Hush." I'd known him mostly for "Games People Play."
Curious, I looked up him on Wikipedia and skimmed his biography. I don't remember much of it. I just remember being happy to find out he was still alive. Not that I had any reason to believe that he wasn't, just that famous musicians tend to check out early in various cliched ways.
He managed to avoid cliches, but 72 is still too young as far as I'm concerned.
Monday, August 27, 2012
A thank-you note to Awolnation
Back in July there were a whole bunch of articles about how, for the first time, sales of older albums had exceeded sales of new albums. Industry execs spun the trend as a result of price: catalog records sell for much less. Observers speculated that new music sucks.
I found the whole thing depressing. I've been complaining about how "new music" sucks since I was 13 years old. I've been searching for bands that prove me wrong for about the same length of time, with only occasional success.
Ron the Drummer and I have tried to do our part. Sadly, commercial radio isn't playing Cinder Bridge, and I don't want to limit my consumption of newer music to songs I wrote myself.
Anyway. Around the time all of those articles hit, I started noticing a tiny handful of tunes that were actually pretty good. Mostly they played on KFMA, Tucson's alternative radio station. I acquired a couple of the CDs featuring said tunes and finally got around to listening to one of them last week: Megalithic Symphony by Awolnation.
First listen: This is surprisingly not bad. "Kill Your Heroes" isn't the only good song. I hear strong influences from the past, but it still sounds new.
Second listen: I could've sworn they reminded me of the Bee Gees in a couple of those songs. Which ones were they?
Third listen: Although I've just listened to this twice, I'm in the mood to hear it again.
Fourth listen: In fact, I don't think I want to listen to anything else.
Holy hell. It's rare enough that I find a new artist with a song or two that I like. I almost never replay an entire album. Four times in the space of a week is unheard of. Offhand I can only think of a small handful of albums I've encountered in the last 15 years that stood on their own. Sheryl Crow (1996). Whatever and Ever, Amen by Ben Folds Five (1997). White Ladder by David Gray (1998). Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron and Wine (2004). Eye to the Telescope by KT Tunstall (2004).
Thank you, Awolnation, for proving that it can still be done.
Queen and the Bee Gees get into a dance fight. Everybody wins.
I found the whole thing depressing. I've been complaining about how "new music" sucks since I was 13 years old. I've been searching for bands that prove me wrong for about the same length of time, with only occasional success.
Ron the Drummer and I have tried to do our part. Sadly, commercial radio isn't playing Cinder Bridge, and I don't want to limit my consumption of newer music to songs I wrote myself.
Anyway. Around the time all of those articles hit, I started noticing a tiny handful of tunes that were actually pretty good. Mostly they played on KFMA, Tucson's alternative radio station. I acquired a couple of the CDs featuring said tunes and finally got around to listening to one of them last week: Megalithic Symphony by Awolnation.
First listen: This is surprisingly not bad. "Kill Your Heroes" isn't the only good song. I hear strong influences from the past, but it still sounds new.
Second listen: I could've sworn they reminded me of the Bee Gees in a couple of those songs. Which ones were they?
Third listen: Although I've just listened to this twice, I'm in the mood to hear it again.
Fourth listen: In fact, I don't think I want to listen to anything else.
Holy hell. It's rare enough that I find a new artist with a song or two that I like. I almost never replay an entire album. Four times in the space of a week is unheard of. Offhand I can only think of a small handful of albums I've encountered in the last 15 years that stood on their own. Sheryl Crow (1996). Whatever and Ever, Amen by Ben Folds Five (1997). White Ladder by David Gray (1998). Our Endless Numbered Days by Iron and Wine (2004). Eye to the Telescope by KT Tunstall (2004).
Thank you, Awolnation, for proving that it can still be done.
Queen and the Bee Gees get into a dance fight. Everybody wins.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Carole and me
A woman approached me after yesterday's gig to say how much she enjoyed the music. "You sound just like Carole King!" she exclaimed.
Not surprising. Of all the people we've been compared to, I think her name comes up the most. I assumed it was because we were both singer/songwriters who play the piano. A friend insisted that it was my voice.
It took a long time, but a few years ago, while listening to Tapestry, I finally heard it. Though we don't approach singing in the same way, there's something similar in the vocal quality every now and again.
Interesting.
One of these days I would love for Cinder Bridge to open for Carole King. She does still perform sometimes. How cool would it be to meet up with her after the show and say, "So do you think I sound like you?"
Not surprising. Of all the people we've been compared to, I think her name comes up the most. I assumed it was because we were both singer/songwriters who play the piano. A friend insisted that it was my voice.
It took a long time, but a few years ago, while listening to Tapestry, I finally heard it. Though we don't approach singing in the same way, there's something similar in the vocal quality every now and again.
Interesting.
One of these days I would love for Cinder Bridge to open for Carole King. She does still perform sometimes. How cool would it be to meet up with her after the show and say, "So do you think I sound like you?"
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