Vocal Rest
I’ve been thinking about the timing of my laryngitis. It usually coincides with air travel, which I’ve been doing a lot of lately, and…as it happens, right before a performance. So what’s really going on?
The Johnny Mercer Songwriters Project
I’ve heard it said, “those who can, do; those who can't, teach.” I reject that notion. I’m enjoying “doing” (writing songs) more than ever. I may not be making as much money as I did when physical albums were flying off the shelves but is that how we measure success?
Up Close & Personal
No matter how gloriously any recording artist delivers a song, there’s simply nothing like hearing the songwriter who wrote it sing it. Perhaps it's not as glamorous or controlled but there is a primal element in the the voice of the writer from whom the song emerged and that's something that nobody else can own.
Join The Noise
If the business model of 20 years ago was as it is today, that favorite song of yours...the one you sang to your baby at bedtime ("Surfer Girl" for me), or danced to at your wedding, might never have been written because the writer who wrote it might not have been able to sustain themselves long enough to stay in the game. Well, things are about to change. Hopefully!
Will You Cross That Bridge When You Come To It?
If there is no bridge, there has to be another element that replaces the psychological function a bridge would have served, in order for the emotional arc of a song to do it’s job. Juss sayin'.
Daughters & Mothers...Mother's Day 2018
“I’m losing my lip line,” my mother assessed as she regretfully stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror. I was standing beside her looking up. What on earth was she talking about— ‘Losing her lip line’?? Where did it go? Now I understand.
But Sex Sells
In these trying #MeToo #TimesUp times, if we don’t want to be objectified why are we objectifying ourselves?
Shhh! We're Not Supposed to Talk About It!
Apparently, anyone with a platform risks losing half their community of support if they veer off that platform. Is that an excuse? Maybe. But I’m more than a songwriter. So let’s discuss….
For Love Or For Money
There’s plenty of talk about how the music business is thriving and worth billions. It's all true except that those billions aren’t making their way to the pockets of the writers who create the product that make a music business possible.
Reconsidering Nashville
I seem to fit in better now. Maybe Nashville has changed. Or maybe I’VE changed. Or maybe I used to try too hard to fit in. Now I’m comfortable just being myself. Maybe that’s the key to life in general.
Teachable Songwriting
For a successful destiny, one has to have the fire in their belly—which is usually recognized at a young age—and the desire to communicate within a 3.5 minute boundary. If these parameters are already in place then maybe one can learn to get better.
Living Room Live
I’ve narrowed a 7 hour audio book down to an hour’s worth of the best bits. I put a mic and an amp in the corner of my office and every night I've been firing up the purple lights and running through the script. I'm enjoying myself immensely. So are my cats. I'm not sure how to proceed next, but I'll figure it out. One foot in front of the other. Like everything. If you build it they will come.
Co-Writer Compatibility
Stay away from arrogance and people who make you feel like you have to prove something to them. Ugh. The worst. At this point in my career I choose to eliminate all toxic energy from my life.
Bruce on Broadway
I wonder if I could do a one woman show too…"Confessions of a Serial Songwriter." Except mine wouldn’t be on Broadway and I wouldn’t be Bruce Springsteen. Hopefully some people would come.
Musicians Having Babies
I cherish my creative freedom. I miss the days when me myself and I trumped all. But there’s no bigger love. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What's Next
Indeed, life, career, love have their ups and downs. Perhaps the lulls are necessary, albeit not as thrilling, as the excitement. I’ve always enjoyed unscheduled time to collect my endless thoughts. Examining is where we get material. We need to take time to replenish.
10,000 Hours
Sometimes I feel invisible. I am a singer/songwriter who has yet to write a hit. I go to a party and when you ask what I do I tell you: I wake up every day and write songs. It’s like breathing.
