Independence Day: The GRAMMY & The DIYer
Are only the most popular superstars worthy of recognition for outstanding work in their field? Given the current environment, that line of thinking seems antiquated. I propose we make some more room for the non-conventional self-releasing artiste.
Harmony
Do you remember where you were the first time you heard “Your Song?” I do. I was sitting on my friend Hope’s bedroom floor when she put the needle to the vinyl. I was like…What was that? Where were you?
Songland 2019
In 2016 when Songland was still just a twinkle its creators’ eyes, the submission form stated: “NBC would own all rights to use and exploit all of your songs involved in the show including the songs you submit in the initial application.” Now that the show has aired, please tell us that is no longer the case! 😫
Pomp And Circumstance
My baby girl graduated from college last weekend. What is it about the passage of time that seems like it’s moving faster and faster? I feel like I’m living in a continuous loop of ’what just happened?’
Fan-Girl
I don’t know for sure if Todd is God. Someone put forth the idea a long time ago and it stuck. But even if he’s a mere mortal, Something/Anything, the double album that brought me multiple eargasms when I was young and my heart was an open book, will be embedded in my psyche forever.
Song For My Mom
Have a wonderful Mother’s Day, everyone. Give yourself (if you’re a mom) a big hug and give one to your mother too if she’s close enough to receive it. Sadly mine isn’t. So I wrote her this song….
Songs From The Other Side
As creators , when we put forth original material we are present (if not hands-on) from beginning to end — from conception to mixing. Our songs are our babies and we want to make sure the world hears them the way we envisioned them — according to our sensibilities. So, If something happened to you in the middle of making your album, would you be comfortable with someone else fully realizing your work-in-progress on your behalf — thankful that it would be heard? Or would you prefer that it rest and never see the light of day?
Album Update
Sometimes you can’t beat a scratch vocal. There’s something about the first moment you step up to the mic and it’s so fresh and real. I’m never going to be more honest than when I’m not thinking about it. I feel it with my bones.
Men Are Lettuce, Women Are Tomatoes Revisited
Remember when country radio consultant Keith Hill made a stunning comment about female artists being the tomatoes in the salad that nobody wants to eat? Well, it didn’t go over well and became known as Tomato-Gate. Sometimes ridiculous ideas lead to silver linings that just need a little time to reveal themselves.
Love It If We Made It
I’ve heard it said that there’s no good music out there. Not true. You gotta dig deeper than the mainstream. Or maybe some of us grew up and got happy — no longer depend on music to identify or save us. Fair enough. Thing is if you want it, there is music out there that’s saving people. It saves me sometimes. Actually it saves me quite often.
Anticipation
It’s funny, when you’re too young to comprehend lyrics about the complexity of mature relationships you may still sing along. They may still feel like they mean something when you’re 12. You’re just not sure what it is they mean. But some songs just curiously resonate. And then one day, they totally make sense.
Record Store Re-Imagined
Is there room for a new Music Space in a digital world — where enthusiasts can still convene and discover…not just their favorite bands but each other. A space where common ground brings people together physically and passionately under the same roof. Like food in a restaurant. Film in a theatre. A space where hardly anyone knows your name but we all know we came for the same reason.
Have Guitar Will Travel (hopefully)
Bart Herbison, Executive Director of the NSAI, was instrumental (no pun intended), in getting a law passed which made it mandatory that all musical instruments be allowed onboard commercial aircraft. THANK YOU, BART. No more being forced to check your guitar only to find it in more than one piece at baggage claim. Things happen. Even in hard cases.
Songwriters Vs. Spotify
Spotify strokes the creative community with writing camps and lavish parties. They blast our faces on Sunset Boulevard Billboards proclaiming us a Secret Genius for writing such big hits and host award shows in our honor. Very nice. But what they don’t want to do…is pay us.
The Sound Of Silence
I was supposed to be writing this blog from the sky while on a plane to London. It was going to be about how excited I was to record 3 songs for my album with Phil Thornalley. I started packing a week ahead of time for the trip. But God says “Ha” at the most curious times.
Publishing: "Perpetuity" May Not Be Forever
If you enter into a publishing agreement which says the publisher shall keep your songs in “perpetuity” it might not actually mean forever. It could mean…only 35 years. I know what you’re thinking. 35 years? That will never come! Songwriters operate in a state of arrested development. We don’t believe we’ll ever grow up so why worry about it? I can assure you, the future always comes. We’re living in it. So listen up!
I'm Really Bummed About Ryan
I’m really bummed about Ryan. More so than all the others because selfishly, I WAS A FAN. I loved his stuff. Anyone with genius has got to be a little bit dysfunctional. And that dysfunction actually makes for material worth listening to. But everything's different now. 😞
Sparking Joy
Does the song I wrote yesterday make me smile when I recall it in the morning? Is it the first thing I think about when I open my eyes? If it’s not, for heaven’s sake, don’t waste any more time trying to polish a t*rd. 😳
Good Luck at the GRAMMYS Claudia Brant!
Let’s hear it for the unlikely nominees, the ones who were told they were out of their minds for trying. Well, apparently she wasn’t. And she’s just the inspiration we need.
NAMM
The first booth I encounter is a dude demonstrating a new vocal auto-tuning technology. He explains to onlookers that the singer riffing into the mic, whose voice is being “auto-corrected,” might accidentally ‘discover’ a melody she didn’t even mean to sing. And ta-da! Hit song by accident. Imagine that! I want to raise my hand and ask, what about an idea? Doesn’t a song need an idea?
