Songwriters Are Artists Too
We songwriters are just as noteworthy as the pop-stars who record our material. We need each other. We are partners. We'd be nowhere without someone to deliver our message. And that someone, if they're not a contributor themselves, would be nowhere without us. We are the Unsung hero. The Unfamous. The Unfamiliar. The Unknown. Just because we’re behind the curtain doesn't mean we should have a lesser title.
A Songwriter's State of the Union
There is much work to do and it’s not going to be easy, but if we don’t try we can forget the idea of a next generation being able to make music and earn a living like many of us did. And then music will be written by amateurs, imposters, and the uninspired.
Coast To Coast
I'm going to meet Layla for a Mother's Day weekend in New York. When she first suggested we rendezvous I was all like...r u kidding? I have Too much to do. But then of course I said yes. Life gets one day shorter every day.
On Mother's Day 2017: For all the Little Girls
I’m sure all mothers will agree (no matter how we voted), we don’t ever want our daughters to buy into the idea that their gender will be an obstacle. Even if there’s some truth to it, believing in ourselves can over-power reality.
Beatles Trump All
In my mind, the collision of these 4 particular human beings is to music, what the big bang theory was to the configuration of the Universe. Unlikely. And although there are bands and artists I can't imagine having grown up without—The Eagles, Pretenders, Stevie (both of them), Elton, (omg, Elton!), even, forgive me, Prince...in the end, for me, nothing will ever compare.
Hope
When your work is in a creative field it’s hard to keep going back to the water to cast yet another line when it seems like forever since you caught a fish. But you know what? Just sitting in that boat gently rocking back and forth and waiting…that’s a thing…an experience. You might write your best song while you’re waiting for that g-d damn fish.
The Year of Losing Things
You may say this wasn’t my fault. But it was. I was constantly fidgeting with that stone and I recently I noticed that it was... well loose. When I tapped it, it made a little clicking sound. Not a good sign. I knew I had to have it fixed. What was I waiting for?
Does Ed Sheeran have Cryptomnesia?
Cryptomnesia (or inadvertent plagiarism), occurs when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognized as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original.
Slow Down The World
Last week in Nashville, I ran into someone I wrote a song with over 20 years ago and I remembered the whole hook. But songs I wrote a year ago? Forget it. Why?
What's It All About?
Barbra is an actress who sings…that’s how she thinks of herself…she has to understand the lyrics in order to know what she’s supposed to be feeling.
Rolling With The Changes
In the age of hashtags and ampersands what can we do if we’re a gifted musician but clueless when it comes to self promotion? And what if we can’t afford to hire someone to assist us but our success hinges on quantity of followers?
Help! I Need Somebody, Help!
I believe great songwriters are born with some kind of songwriting DNA. But with hard work and guidance even those who weren’t given an ample dose at birth, can nurture what they were given and improve. Even go Pro.
Rest Peacefully, Tommy Page
He was like that little boy from “The Alchemist”—the one who had a vision he believed in so strongly it caused the Universe to jump into the current and conspire with him to make it all happen.
Life After The Voice
Winning is something. But it’s not everything. Perhaps it's what we do with our almost that counts.
A Songwriter's Dilemma
How do we, as songwriters, make peace with the idea of patronizing a business model that undercuts the value of our work?
The Little Yellow School House
Giving back is good for the soul. Even if it means having to miss pre-Grammy week festivities in Los Angeles.
You Say You Want A Revolution
It may feel like the Eve Of Destruction out there but it's an important time to be a songwriter.
Small Spaces
Yesterday I was off to the “studio” of a young producer, as he offered to record my vocal for a project I was working on. When I got there I realized his "studio” was his apartment with just enough square footage for not much more than a bed.
Survival of the Richest
I’m happy here on planet digital where I get all the songs I want whenever I want them, wherever I go. I simply want my community to have as healthy an earning trajectory as the CEOs and label heads who are running their companies on the backs of the creators who write the songs that make their business possible.
