Just to be Free Video

Lyrics, song download and more coming soon. In the meantime, tell me what you think!

Out of the Kiln

Hey look up! You can buy this song if you want to! Yay!

I think I can do even better, but I am really pleased with my first new song and video. This was shot and recorded simultaneously in my new studio (aka spare bedroom). I really like the style of this video. I am going to challenge myself to do a similar style for the next song. I also am really pleased with the quality of the recording. Especially considering that I shot this all live, and didn't retouch or re-record anything. Oh, and the tapping you hear, is me tapping the wood on the guitar in between strums.

Out of the Kiln

Verse
Your hands are Gods;
Your eyes are like knives.
The hope in our deaths,
Is a means to our lives.

Pillars of stone
To hold up these walls.
The keystone removed,
And in the absence we fall.

Chorus
Cold as the clay that we're made from it's true.
Pulled from the fire, and laid next to you.
We cool as we bake in the waning of time.
If your heart is yours, it can never be mine.

Verse
The back of your neck:
The hair stands on end.
The castle's a wreck,
But still we defend.

Chorus
Cold as the clay that we're made from it's true.
Pulled from the fire, and laid next to you.
We cool as we bake in the waning of time.
If your heart is yours, it can never be mine.

Outro (not recorded here)
The mold you were made from is the same one as me.
Our roads both begin and they end where we meet.
The mold you were made from is the same one as me.
Our roads both begin and they end where we meet.

My... I have been a busy boy.

I have two new blogs/sites I am now maintaining.

Red Fish Blue Design is a freelance venture I manage with my good friend Clinton George.

Out-of-Plumb.com is a monthly cartoon published for the surveying community. I'm the creator and illustrator behind this as well.

These sites of mine are gaining popularity, so I moved them into a blog format so I can more easily update, integrate, etc. Plus, it allows comments and creates more interactivity between me and my visitors. Check them out when you get the chance. It took a lot of work.

New song coming very soon, its been too long. I'm sorry. I'm still editing the video, and trying to make it so you can actually purchase this one if you like it. So hang in there. Its coming this week!

Easter came and went.

I had my family over to my house for a little Easter get together... three days before Easter. We all have crazy schedules, but it was nice to get everybody together. I made sandwiches (fifteen too many apparently) and bought cupcakes. We hid eggs and the kids played. Good times.


The show on Saturday night went very well. For any that came out, or couldn't but still wished me well, thank you very much. Whew, it was a long time to play though. I am lucky I could still talk, much less sing by the time it was over. I played about 40 songs or so, of course some of those were repeats. I will have some video for you later this week.

Blogging has been harder here lately. I have a feeling it has met its match with micro-blogging... ie twitter and facebook. What are we headed towards in terms of communication as a whole? Texting, twittering, communicating with each other instaneously in 140 characters or less. Is this a step in a good direction, or a bad one? I myself don't know yet. I see the pros and the cons.

I just signed on to do about 35 illustrations for a historical fiction novel. So, I will have to shift a lot of my creative focus from my music to my art. I picture my creativity as a giant light in a tower. It takes a lot of work to move from one part of the sky to the other. Usually once I move it, it has to stay at one spot for a while. The beam is not bright enough to illuminate all of the sky all at once. If I try moving it all over the place, from writing, to music, to design, to illustrating, it kind of hurts... literally.

Progress

Last week I blogged about the steps I am taking for my music and website. I can report back that I have made some progress on my mini-studio. Nathan and I were able to install my green screen. And we even did a quick test, with me shrinking him from 6 ft 5 to a lil under 4 ft tall.



I have another show coming up this weekend for any locals following. I will be playing at the Courthouse Cafe from 8 to 12pm this Saturday night. I am going to try to grab some video from the show to share on my site. I have engineered a very interesting drum set; it allows me to play standing up. How fun.

My Engagement pictures

Step 1:
Find a picture on google images by searching: engagement pic.

Step 2:
Snap a picture of myself in order to place myself in the picture.

Step 3:
Do a little Photoshop magic: convert image to black and white so that it is easier to match skin tone, put my head in place of the other guy's, take out original logo and add in my friend Stephanie Simpson's logo. Viola!

Step 4:
Email my friend Stephanie and tell her about my diabolical plan; send the picture as an attachment. She does a blog post about it on her wedding and engagement photo blog.

Step 5:
Update my myspace and facebook so that appears that I have recently been engaged.

Step 6:
April Fools!

Blog Agenda

I've got a new plan for my blog, I'm getting closer to my original vision. Some of you may be aware of Jonathan Coulton. Shortly after I started my blog a friend of mine told me about what he had started. He would write and record a song each week of the year. I believe he called it 'The Thing of the Week.' Instead of a live video version, he presents his in mp3 version. He does a good job at recording and mixing it all himself. You can check him out at www.jonathancoulton.com.

Inspired by this, I have tried writing a new song each week. So far I have missed a few weeks here and there, but overall I am not as intimidated about producing a song each week. I am slowly training myself to be able to write on command. That is something at one point I thought was impossible, it use to seem to me that I had to be inspired in order to write.

While all that is good for me, I really want to give something to my potential fans. Additionally I would like to present myself and my songs in a more professional manner. So... here is the plan:

1. Going to convert my music room into both a small studio for film and audio. I have everything I need already (even including the green screen backdrop) I just have to put all the pieces together.
2. Going to do a better job with the visuals: better backdrop image, better lighting, etc.
3. Going to have a higher quality audio by recording my instruments onto recording software, as opposed to just getting the audio from the video camera.
4. From time to time I will have Jimmy (aka the singing baptist) and his cello play live with me, and other musicians.
5. The end result will be a much better looking and sounding video. Additionally, I will offer up the audio from the live songs as downloadable mp3's. Some of them will be free, and some you will have to pay for.

I really like this concept a lot, and it is where I would like to be professionally in this industry. I can continue to bring fans new online live shows each month, and I would constantly have new songs coming up. It would play into my strengths based on my lifestyle and talents. What do you guys think about this plan?

Live in the Lyrics

I wrote a poem this morning. I thought I would share it. It sounds like most of my other poetry, but at least I am consistent. The best way to market the redundancy in my writing is by calling it 'my style.' It's all about branding :)

Live in the Lyrics

we live in the lyrics
breathe in the midst of
a memory
become more than we
could ever be
our epitaph
written before we
were born

the eulogy of
our clandestine love
spoken in the absence of
your touch
and in the presence of
my lust

I am the mire of your disgust
made from flesh you can not trust
you fling me over every rail
and if passion won't prevail
if what I cleave to only busts

I'll only fall until I'm dust
I'll only grow when I can tell
the shadows from the light
the truth in all my lies
the face beyond the veil

Seven Nation Army

My video this week is a cover song, here is Jimmy and I doing our version of White Stripes' Seven Nation Army live for some of Jimmy's students. Not too many songs out there played with just cello and drums. Enjoy.

A Messy Room and a Missing Juice Cup

It has been way too long since I have blogged about my little angels. I know a lot of you find their stories absolutely adorable. Since you are not lucky enough to experience them on a daily basis like me, I should be a better friend to my blog readers and keep you up to date with their journeys.

I have two stories for you today. The first is a picture that illustrates though they are the cutest things in the world, they also can destroy like little midget godzillas. The picture below is what their room looked like after I ate breakfast, took a shower, and got ready. Keep in mind their room was perfectly clean the night before, and the amount of time they did this in was approximately 20 minutes.


Wow! Right? Is it like this with little boys?

My second story is very sweet. I need to tell you some back story about Ms. Ava before I tell you the next story. Ava is very simple to take care of, she is more like a cat than like a dog if you will. She doesn't require a lot of attention, she just likes doing her own thing, but the one thing she must always have is her juice cup. If she plays in her room then it will be in there with her, when she sleeps at night it stays on her nightstand. If she is in the car it is sitting in her lap. Think of it as her version of Lionus's blanket.

I think it was about 9:30 at night, Ava had been asleep for about an hour when she burst into my room balling her little eyes out. She had a dream that someone had stolen her juice cup. As sweet as this was, and as comforting as I had to be, it was one of those moments when I just couldn't help but laugh to myself. Most kid's nightmares consist of big dogs, monsters, dragons, etc, but for Ava the scariest thing anyone can do is take her juice cup.

Love in a Box

Quite a different style than my usual, this is a song that I have been singing in my head for years but just this week finally added some music to the melody. I like a lot of the phrases in the song, I appreciate them because I couldn't have written this song now; I would have tried to make it too deep.

Love in a Box

Verse
If you put your life on the ground,
It may not be there when you turn around.
If you put your love in a box,
You might not remember how to open the lock.

Chorus
Tic toc time moves in slow emotion.
This time I'm going to find my own commotion.
Shake of the sleep; get to your feet.
Stop making excuses for why you can't dance with me.

Verse
If you pin your luck to the wall,
There's no sense in crying when you're watching it fall.
If you put your life in her hands,
There's nothing to stop her from making her own demands.

Chorus
Tic toc time moves in slow emotion.
This time I'm going to find my own commotion.
Shake of the sleep; get to your feet.
Stop making excuses for why you can't dance with me.

Bridge
I don't know why you can't see it;
Why you won't let yourself believe it.
Only you can make your life better, baby
And maybe just a little bit of me.

Verse
If you put your hope on the line,
It's going to hurt you almost every time.
I know you put your faith in a lie,
You just want someone to hold you while they're watching you cry.

Chorus
Tic toc time moves in slow emotion.
This time I'm going to find my own commotion.
Shake of the sleep; get to your feet.
Stop making excuses for why you can't dance with me.

Updated! You can now purchase this song below.

Douche-bag Ex-boyfriend Video

I cloned myself in order to give everyone a live viewing of my song 'Douche-bag Ex-boyfriend.' It was nice taking a break from the serious songs I write in order to do this song. Additionally it was pretty fun coming up with a way that two 'Chases' could perform it. I altered my words just a little bit from the previous post when I first wrote the song, so I have the new lyrics at the bottom. The second 'Chase' singing parts are in red.

Douche-bag Ex-Boyfriend

Verse
Yeah he calls you a whore,
Even though you made his last truck payment.
He has a goatee the size and shape
of a small Arab country.
He cuts the sleeves off all of his t-shirts.
To try to make them look cool but they are really lame.

He hasn't had a job in three months,
But he does some construction on the side.
That's a lie, he's been getting high.
He has a back full of hair;
You won't admit that he's fat.
And nobody talks about his daddy like that!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Douchie, douchie, guy's a really douche.
Then we won't be able to date.
No dating with this guy here.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Verse
He uses his kid against you.
Tries to make you feel guilty.
He loves putting down your favorite shows.
They're pretty lame but that's still pretty mean.
He has a tattoo in old English.
He f-ing loves pit bulls.
And he sends you 2,000 texts in a day.
Remember the part about not having a job.

He hates your best friend Amy.
He steals money from his mom.
He wears a cross around his neck,
But never goes to church.
And nobody tells him what to do when he's at work!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Douchie, douchie, guy's a really douche.
Then we won't be able to date.
No getting in this guy's pants.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Outro
Reason one:
He'll try to beat me up.
Reason two:
He'll try to hurt himself and call you
Then you'll feel sorry for him
And you'll have sex again.

Reason three:
He'll say that I've been talking shit,
But I don't even know what that is.
Reason four:
It'll make me feel so small
When you chose him
Over me after all.

Updated! You can now purchase this song below.

In Transit

This is a very honest and personal song for me. It is soft and simple. If I were ever to do a music video I think I would film me driving and singing this song, and that would be it. It would be as simple as the song, and visually connect with the theme of being 'in transit.' A lot of my songs use the metaphors that we all recognize from southern rock ballads: 'moving on down the road.' In my own way, I am a modern day southern rocker and I am not sure why I gravitate to that theme. It's in my blood.

I am always very indifferent to songs when I first write them. The same is true with this song. That is why I utilize my friends and my blog as sounding boards. It is not until other people experience the songs that I start to draw my own conclusions about them. So as always, all feedback is welcome. Additionally, the comments on my songs in previous posts have been really good and insightful, and for those that have posted comments I really appreciate your thoughts and I take them to heart. Oh yeah, and I don't know why I sat so stiff for this song, its funny, a juxtaposition to the meaning of the song.

In Transit

Verse
With one hand untie the two.
Set my feet, and dive in you.
I fall.
Explored you all.

Build the trust and kiss your face.
Arm yourself for one more taste
Of what
Will soon be gone.

Prechorus
Don't let me sink my teeth in you.
Don't let my eyes bore holes right through.

Chorus
In transit always.
In transit always.
I am the highway
Carrying you.
You can't stay.

Verse
A subtle touch, a seamless plan.
A slight misstep, I miss your hand
And fall.
A graceless cause.

You can't want me when I want you.
What I want is what I soon
Will miss.
Fate or bliss?

Prechorus
Don't let yourself get used to me.
Prepare yourself for what used to be.

Chorus
In transit always.
In transit always.
I am the highway
Carrying you.
You can't stay.

Bridge
A launching pad, or a place of rest;
Your journey doesn't end with me.
I will set you free.
I will set you free.

Chorus
In transit always.
In transit always.
I am the highway
Carrying you.
You can't stay.
Carrying you.
You can't stay.

Jitzul

Hello again blog fans! I did an interview with Jitzul.com. Check it out: My Interview.

For anybody coming to my site from Jitzul for the first time, I apologize it is under construction at the moment. There is, however, a lot of content on my blog, myspace, and youtube channel for you to enjoy.

A Little Break

I'm going to take a break from blogging for a while. I've been pretty hard at it for the last couple months, but I have a lot of other pressing (and non-pressing) issues that have to take precedence. If this is your first time visiting my blog, there are plenty of videos and posts to check out. For the people that follow me daily, I leave you with this: a video of me making a fool of myself. Hopefully I will be back in blogging spirits soon.

Douche bag Ex-Boyfriend

Haha, this was fun for me. I have the music done as well, but probably won't have the chance to post the music right now. Thanks to Jimmy and Nathan for helping with this. I think there are a lot of women and men that can relate to this.

Douche bag Ex-Boyfriend

Verse
So he calls you a whore,
Even though you made his last truck payment.
He has a goatee the size and shape
of a small Arab country.
He cuts the sleeves off all of his t-shirts.

He hasn't had a job in three months,
But he does some construction on the side.
But all the money he makes
He uses for getting high,
Or for fixing up the system in his 'ride.'

PreChorus
His back is full of hair;
You won't admit that he's fat.
And nobody talks about his daddy like that!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Then we won't be able to date.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Verse
He uses his kid against you.
He likes cutting down all your shows.
He has a tattoo in old English.
He f-ing loves pit bulls.
And he sends you 20,000 texts in a day.

He hates your best friend Amy.
He steals money from his mom.
When you broke up the last time
He stalked you for two weeks
And punched a hole in your bathroom door.

PreChorus
He wears a cross around his neck,
But never goes to church.
And nobody's going to tell him what to do when he's at work!

Chorus
If you have a douche bag ex-boyfriend,
Then we wont be able to date.
Let me save you the trouble
By calling this off early,
'Cause you'll probably just go back to him anyways.

Outro

(A few more reasons for not dating you if you have a douche-bag ex-boyfriend)

Reason one:
He'll try to beat me up.
Reason two:
He'll try to hurt himself and call you
Then you'll feel sorry for him
And you'll have sex again.

Reason three:
He'll say that I've been talking shit,
But I don't even know what that is.
Reason four:
It'll make me feel so small
When you chose him
Over me after all.

So I'm not unbreakable? Drat!

This is Chase inserting his foot in his mouth. "I never get sick, I have a great immune system, blah blah, blah." Now tell that to your ceiling as it is about the only thing you have looked at the past three days as you have laid in your bed, what could have well been your death bed.

Whew, in case you haven't figured it out, I haven't posted in a while... reason: I have been sick. I usually get bored listening to people tell me how they are sick, its not that I don't care about them or feel bad, its just kind of like small talk. So I will give you the more colorful explanation of my pain as I described to one of my friends. This is a thought that ran through my head in the midst of my sickness:

"This must be what it feels like to turn into a werewolf. To have your entire DNA and physical makeup transform altogether into something else. Something evil... and painful... and wretched."

Haha, I'm weird I know, but keep in mind I was a little delusional at this point, and to me this made a lot of sense.

"What did you have, a cold?"
"No, I almost turned into a werewolf."

Good thing was, I was able to come out of the sickness long enough to do my show and it went very good. Gave me back some confidence in my performing abilities, and restored my love for performing all together. You see for people that don't know being a good songwriter and being a good performer are as different as say um, being a good farmer and being a good chef. Sure there are things that are relatable, but a completely different set of skills are required. I am getting better at both, and doing both more make me grow as a musician, artist, and performer. It was very fun and I thank everyone that was able to come.

I am in the process of writing my 'Song of the Week' still. Even though I am busier than I one legged man in an ass-kicking contest from being out of work so long. But in light of all this, the song of the week is going to be funny, not serious. I need a break from that for a while. And what with the economy and the wars and the sickness going around, you guys do too.

First Star on the Right

This isn't the best vocal performance I've ever done, for sure, but after being sick last week, and still sick this week. I decided to video post based on the good response I got from the words posted last week. For those of you who did not read last week's entry, I wrote this song for one of my favorite shows: 'Lost.' I kept the vocals and guitar strum in the verse softer and more dreamy, than I usually do, this helps contrast the chorus and speaks to the mysterious elements of the show as well.

Lyrics

Musical Status

A quick update on what I am doing musically. My goals for January were not quite met, but I did accomplish the following:

• Played two venues
• Recorded one song
• Maintained my blog and wrote some new songs
  
• 90% Finished with my website (have a good friend writing some more professional text as we speak)
  
• Created fan pages on myspace and facebook (with the help of Lindsey)
  
• Taken some promotional photos (with the help of Stephanie
  

I'm not going to play out a whole lot until I finish recording two more songs. That way I can use the songs to get into more venues, try and get them into some soundtracks, and have a small single I can sell at shows.

By the way, for any local blog followers: I will be playing with Jimmy (the guy you see pop in my videos from time to time) at the Courthouse Cafe on the square in Shelbyville this Saturday from 7 to 10 PM. If you are looking for something a little different to do this weekend you should drop by and listen. It should be a very laid-back, mellow time. We are playing acoustically, with minimal percussion, and the place seems like it will have a very complimentary atmosphere.

Stifled

I finished my 'Song of the week' last week, so in a lot of ways I was ahead of the game. For the the words, I decided to be inspired by my favorite show: 'Lost.' The idea is that if Lost was a movie, this song could be on the soundtrack.

So, I sit down to record my song and half way through it my 'A' string breaks. Drat.

Yesterday at lunch I get my guitar re-strung, now flash forward to last night after Lost. I pull out the guitar, go to sing, and... my voice is cracking and I am slowly losing it. I had been coughing all day, and by the end of the night I could barely talk, much less sing.

Because of breaking guitar strings and faulty vocal chords, my song will have to be words only this week. I will try to get the recorded version very soon.

First Star on the Right

Verse
Time and the space in between.
My eyes and what I've never seen.
A cold conclusion it seems:
To wait.

Home is such a long way away,
Years or even miles into space.
Your hand is a warmth on my face;
It can stay.

Chorus
Carry me,
Take me back home.
First star on the right
And strait on 'till dawn.
Carry me,
Take me back.

Verse
It's odd, it seems out of place.
The stars, the moon, and its face
Appear and in an instant erased
By the clouds

Holes for what use to be eyes.
Bright and inadmissible light.
Confused by the language of lies,
I survive.

Chorus
Carry me,
Take me back home.
First star on the right
And strait on 'till dawn.
Carry me,
Take me back.

Bridge
There's bound to be something I've missed.
Didn't think it would come to this.
There's no way to leave it as-is.

Outro
Carry me,
Take me back.
Carry me, we
Have to go back.
Carry me home.

Hannah's Song

This is one of the sweetest things of all the time. It is my daughter, Hannah, ad-lib singing to some piano and drums that she picked out in one of my recording programs. She just started singing off the top of her head, only sang for a couple measures, but it is still so sweet. Her singer-songwriter dad couldn't be prouder! Keep in mind she is four.

I have transcribed her words to the best of my ability, here is what I call 'I Have You.'

I Have You
by Hannah Perryman

I know there is that I have you.
I have songs for you can sing.
Nobody sees why you have my mouth.
I have you and long for you.

Don't forget me; I have you.
I don't want to story you.

Surveying on Mars

I could get in trouble for showing this a month before its publication, but Clint and I had fun with this and I wanted to share it. To clear up the survey jargon, canopy is any obstructions to the view of satellites, i.e. trees, tall buildings, etc.

For those of you who don't know, on the side of everything else that I do I draw a surveying cartoon for a surveying magazine. I don't expect you to find this humorous unless you are a surveyor, I just liked their little space suits.

A quick shout out to Daniel and Kevin at Hayes for helping me brainstorm.

Song of the Week: 'Cold Lies'

Cold Lies

Verse
Cold lies
A thin glass
On the other side
Of my face
Told to believe
There's a reason
For all that's been done

As I pull
The window down
In comes the sound
From the cars
That drive on their way
To the people they love
While I wait for others to come

Chorus
Tell the water to run
Despite of all the things that I've done
I can't lay down my guns
When my hands are tied at the thumbs

Verse
A bell chimes
One times nine
Through the cold air climbs
Finds a place in my ear
Evidence here
That time truly waits for no man

The swan sings
A delicate thing
On a pendulum swings
Her heart in route to my hands
Feeble plans that we make
Creatures that break into sand

Chorus
Tell the water to run
Despite of all the things that I've done
I can't lay down my guns
When my hands are tied at the thumbs
Wouldn't be too much harm
But there's just so much room in your arms

Verse
It's a shame
The oceans can't freeze
The tide that's in me
Is the same
That churns in its wake
Controlling the same
The land is the victim indeed

The rain beads
On the window now
A glimpse of how
All thoughts can bleed into one
And all I have done
A collection of what I've become

Due to the wordiness of this song, it took me about eight takes to get it right. I'm not going to do the rating thing like I did last week. It was too clunky, and besides YouTube has the ability to rate videos.

What I was trying to establish was a way to get more feedback on my new 'Song of the Week.' Thanks to all my regulars, you guys give me very good input. If you are new here, don't be afraid to tell me what you think.

'Cold Lies' to Come

Due to my sickness and traveling last week, I obliged everyone with Jimmy and I playing a version of Gangsta's Paradise instead of writing and casting a new song. It has been a struggle this week, but I just finished the new song last night.

'Cold Lies' is kind of an oddity. Once I have a good tune, it typically doesn't take me long to write a song. This song , however, took me hours to write. It's not that the ideas, words, or music is all that complicated; it's that I wasn't feeling inspired but I forced myself to write as if I was a professional.

Writers are the only ones attributed with having 'blocks', but we all have blocks. As a designer there are times when I feel as creative as brown paper sack, but I have to force my way through it and sometimes the results are just as good as those 'inspired' times.

So look for the new video later tonight or in the morning, it's a good 'Chase' song. No doubt I am forming a style.

Awe...

No new song

I spent last night sick as a dog in my hotel room. So, I was not able to release a new song this week. Tonight I am going to the Afterthoughts Cafe in Little Rock to play a few songs, so again the new song will just have to wait until next week.

Facts Versus Feelings

I have yet to write the Song of the Week, and I'm hoping to find inspiration on the road. I'm a fan of audio books, especially if I'm going to be driving alone, it really helps pass the time. Tomorrow I will be listening to Neil Gaiman's 'Graveyard Stories' as I make the six hour trek from Shelbyville to Cabot, Arkansas.

My goal for this week will be to focus on the story. As a rule I don't write songs that tell a very specific story overtly, quite opposite to writing a song for country music. In country music it is completely okay to construct a song in which it is very transparent as to what it is about.

The problem with writing so transparently, is that it narrows the audience that can relate to the story. A song about an angry female destroying her cheating boyfriend's truck, for instance, is more beloved by a scorned female than by a male who has never cheated or been cheated on. So for him, the story does nothing for him, though the music he might still appreciate.

I write with a theme or a story in mind, but I try to keep it vague enough that each person that listens can attach their own thoughts as to what the song means. Thus the song means something very personal to them. It tells not only my story, but their own. I find it is easiest to achieve this by focusing on how something feels after it happens, as opposed to what has happened itself. I will now coin this style of songwriting as 'Emotional Aftermath' writing, and you can quote me on that (or create a wiki about it).

A good mainstream example of this theory in work is 'Brick' by Ben Folds' Five. The song was indeed written about the experience of undergoing an abortion, but the song focuses more on how it feels to go through this than the process itself. So if you didn't know what the song was about, there are lines in the song like 'feeling more alone than I ever have before' that you might relate to though you may have never personally experienced an abortion.

The second nature to writing like this is it gives a song a second life. If you already like a song, and there are some intriguing elements to the song that make you guess what it is about, then when you find out from the artist what it is about then it makes you enjoy the song even more. Listening to the song now is as interesting as watching 'The Sixth Sense' a second time; all of the clues were there but the artist cleverly disguised them from you.

So onward with this quest, hopefully by Friday I will have a new song on the blog!

Gangsta's Paradise

Well, what started out as a joke, turned into one of our favorite songs to play. We thought we'd share this fun with you. Careful... its infectious.



I don't know why it is clipping Jimmy out of the scene here. You can view it on youtube here to see a better version.

Julia: Feedback

Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com

Julia: More on the Meaning

This was a very interesting song for me to write, and I'm on the fence about it really. But here is how it went down. I wrote the intro and the CODA this summer, sitting outside at the park waiting to meet a friend. I didn't really have a good place to put the few parts I liked and then this Monday I was writing a new song and the themes seemed similar so I attempted to mesh the two songs. However, I am not fully convinced that it worked.

As for the lyrics, pretty typical Chase stuff. I envision a childhood friend who you have a crush on but never tell. Then you both grow up and she gets married, and then one day you see her and miss her and play the 'what if' game. However, instead of being downtrodden about this, the song very simply states at the very end, "Wait for me next time."

The song is not indicative of any one person in my life, but rather the memories and feelings of several made into a cohesive, figurative person: Julia.

I will rate this song myself, so that tomorrow you will be able to tell me how you really feel. One a scale of one-ten (ten being the best song I could write) this is about a 3.5 for me. I feel like there are some good things about this song, but I feel like I can write a much better song than this. I am glad however, to complete my goal to write and video cast a new song this week, I feel good in accomplishing that goal.

Ava vs. the Sun

In this corner: Ava Perryman
Age: 3 years old
Special skills:

• Surprisingly good at hide and seek (both hiding and seeking)
• Eats like a champion
• Good at getting under her sister's skin
• Counts to 16 (loses it at 17 every time)

Favorite insults:

• Poo Poo Head
• Dirty Diaper Baby

And in this corner: The Sun
Age: 4.57 billion years old
Special skills:

• Radiation
• Giving tans

Favorite Attacks:

• Solar flares
• Skin cancer

The scenario:
Heading east towards the babysitter's house at 8 in the AM. Ava's car seat is facing the sun. The sun is all up in her eyes.

Round one:
She tries to shield her eyes with the hood from her coat, but gets mad when all she has accomplished is messing up her hair. In reference to her messed up hair, she exclaims, "I want it to look pretty." She curses the sun for having a hand in this, and continues to be blinded.

Round two:
Hannah tries putting her hand in front of Ava's eyes, but she can't reach far enough. Seeing this Ava tries using her own hands. As she covers up she says, "Get out of my face, Sun."

Round three:
The battle is over. We arrive at our destination, parked facing north. After wining and complaining about the sun all the way to Ms. Destiny's, the sun has won but not until Ava gets the last word: "I hate the Sun."

Julia

I have a new idea for the blog format, going to test it this week. Post a song and the lyrics one day. Then post my influences or any additional side notes about the writing of the song another day. Finally, the last day of my blogging a chance for readers to rate my current song. When I play in public I have applause and body language to help gauge the success of a song, I feel this will help me in getting better at writing as well as provide a format for songwriting fans that allows them to engage in this process with me.

Julia

Verse
Getting closer to the satellites;
We walk on hallowed ground.
How much further do you think we lack?
The moon keeps staring down.

We walk in silence,
Dream in violence,
Team in the shadows of
What once was love.

Chorus
I hope that we will find a way
To beat them all at their own
Game some day.

I know there's bound to be a better way
To get from A to B
And back to A.

It's been a long time,
But please don't let it all
Slip out of your mind,
Julia

Verse
Is that a river or the passing light
From the freeway underneath?
Either way you try to jump the gap.
You stop my breath at least.

Stay the distance,
Save resistance,
Team in the shadows of
What once was love.

Chorus
I hope that we will find a way
To beat them all at their own
Game some day.

I know there's bound to be a better way
To get from A to B
And back to A.

It's been a long time,
But please don't let it all
Slip out of your mind.

Lets keep it undefined,
As pure as the snow
That brightens our eyes,
Julia.

CODA
Julia,
I can see right through ya,
And its through ya
I feel so alive.

Julia,
Can't you see I'm talking to ya,
And all ya do is
Just wait for me next time.

New Plan

Instead of the Monday-Friday scheduled posts, I am going to make my goal each week to get a live performance on here. There will be other non-musical posts, but only as they arise. I may go back to the daily posts again, I liked that it challenged me to post everyday, and I liked the consistency. For now, however, I am just going to focus on songwriting.

Poetic Friday: "Three Times Twice"

This may be the last installment of Poetic Friday. I've had fun writing these poems, but I need to focus some more energy on the music, and just insert more poetry into my lyrics. I may come back in 6 months and do this again, but for now I'm done. Interesting tidbit about this last poem, I hear it in my head as a rap. Enjoy.

Three Times Twice

things with broken wings can't fly
you're wrapping string
with hurried hands
around threading spools
and why

we're as calm as bombs
we're as cold as hell
we're the crater, the ash,
but not the crash itself
we're the definition
of undefined
the center, the seed,
but never the rind

you brought thoughts without grounds
and words without sounds
surrounding like an army
or a funneling cloud
as I'm tunneling down
in the absence I'm lost
is this price of love:
three times twice the cost

my tenure at stake
an investment in pain
like a whipping crack snapping
the air pummeled in space
leaving all but your face
saving all but your grace
a bittersweet I can't taste
but rather remembered in haste

candle lights compete for light
dancing shadows behind
and for me and my comfort
they stand at a distance in time
as a checker boarded line
stretches out in my mind
the knight and the bishop
and the queen all decline

to finish, to start, to pause, and adjust
to be still of mind: one moment's request
to be more of yourself
requires less of your best

Live on Thursday: "Restless Passenger"

Alright, two days of fun, now its back to the stuff I feel more comfortable doing. Get ready to see my forehead and Jimmy's large biceps! A huge thanks to Jimmy for participating with me on this. It was late and I can not play the piano -oh, that's why I keep looking down- but despite the hesitance I think it turned out okay.

You can read my lyrics from a previous post here.

Restless Passenger

Words on Wednesday: Zombie Love

To catch anyone up to speed that didn't read last week's 'Words on Wednesday', I challenged myself to stop being so serious and deep all the time and write a song about being in love with a zombie. As promised...

A Love that Won't Die

Verse
Driving home alone;
I'm afraid.
As the sun sets,
Figures move in the shade.

Every shadow that moves,
I think it might be you.
Through my bullet proof glass
I dream of what I'd do.

Prechorus
Oh, just the chance to be alone,
If you'd stop gnawing on my bones.

Chorus
Our love is like a flower,
But the petals refuse to die.
The grave can not hold you,
But neither can I.

We we're driven apart
By deadly biological wars.
You want to eat out my heart,
But it's already yours

Verse
The moonlight now
Fills your eyes.
Hunger drives you
Into the night.

Is it love that compels you,
Or a thirst for eating flesh?
I see beauty, as well as bones
Protruding out of your dress.

Prechorus
Oh, the chance to look into your eyes,
And you not munch on my insides.

Chorus
Our love is like a sonnet,
That never runs out of lines.
The grave can not hold you,
But neither can I.

We we're driven apart
By deadly biological wars
You want to eat out my heart
But it's already yours

Bridge
Can't you see what you to do me?
As I push the couch in front of the door,
I wish that there was something more.

Can't you see this is killing me?
It's all in the way I feel about you in
My heart, as you consume my lower abdomen.

Chorus
Our love is like a river
That never reaches the sea.
The grave can not hold you,
And now it can't hold me.

We we're driven apart
But now you're all I adore.
You want to eat out my heart;
I want to eat out yours.

Tuesday's Photo Fun: G.I. Jesus

I give you "Nativity de la Army Men"


Clint and I made this with exacto knives, a glue gun, and three bags of plastic army men. We did this for a Christmas ornament contest at a holiday get together with friends. Just look at the attention to detail. Mary, for instance, her hair and bountiful womanliness do not come standard, we had to work a little extra for that.

Monday's Mutterings of One: "Changes"

Hang in there guys, I'm working on designing a new site integrated with my blog, youtube channel, and myspace page in effort to do a better job at promoting my music. I appreciate the support through this transition, and it should be very cool when I am done... if my ideas and the finished product mesh, that is.

Poetic Friday: "Write Down Some Words"

Write Down Some Words

A black bird abandons a brick roof
To perch above a traffic light
Do the words shape the world around you
Does the world change the words you recite

And the rain can not resemble your tears
The way that change can not resemble your heart
And the pain can disassemble your fears
The way the end represents where you start

You watch the sunset for the first time
It plummets down into a tree-faced earth
Some sights affect more than our eyes
Some words mean more than meaning's worth

You see the tail lights of a rusty truck
Disappear into the silvery sleet
You wish aloud, covet in silence,
Write down some words, and go to sleep

Live on Thursday: "Over the Lattice"

I'm really using the blog to its full advantage on this song, because this is a song I wrote about three years ago and have never been that impressed with. Honestly, I was afraid if I didn't record it I would forget how to play it, and forever lose the song (whether its good or bad) like so many songs I've written before it.

I will say this about the song, it is the most intricate guitar I have ever attempted to write/play while singing. That being said, my grievance with the song is it has never felt that catchy to me, but after all this time I still enjoy all the guitar parts.

I've never said this before on here, I'm open to negative criticism as well. If you guys hear a song or see words you don't like, don't be afraid to say, "You know, I liked your other stuff better. This is to over the top, etc." Just giving you free reign. That's a little hard for a lot of us, because we live by the "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" mantra. This is art, however, and it is subjective. I never expect every person to like every song I write, and feedback one way or another has always been beneficial to my growth as a musician.

Over the Lattice

Verse
Over the lattice, she climbs,
And over the back gate.
Into the garden, he finds
Footprints from her escape.

Prechorus
The letters that you sent
Have all returned; she's gone.
Photos lie in pieces
Where you might as well belong.

Chorus
Running,
Running,
From another man.

Running,
Running,
She thinks it's a different plan.

Verse
Somewhere her feet have now stopped.
The window her eyes retrace.
Out there he's bound to lie
Half empty, half that won't replace.

Prechorus
The letters that you sent
Have all returned; she's gone.
Photos lie in pieces
Where you might as well belong.

Chorus
Running,
Running,
From another man.

Running,
Running,
She thinks it's a different plan.

Look how far she goes.
Look how far.

Words on Wednesday: "Inertia"

A simple song, but I wanted it to be. So we'll call it a success. I draw from personal situations, emotions, memories, etc, but my goal is always to present these ideas in a format people can relate to. Before I do an unwarranted pat on the back, what about you blog readers? Is this song something you can relate to? That's the theme for this week's 'Words on Wednesday', being able to relate.

Next week we'll take a break from my deep and dark side, and tackle writing a song about being in love with a zombie. You know you're intrigued :)

Inertia

Verse
Should I want more?
Do I deserve less?
Should I explain?
Do I digress?

It's not that you're wrong,
It's just not that it's right.
It's not like I am strong
Enough to handle this fight.

Chorus
The line that I walk,
Must it always be paper thin?
Should I give up?
Should I give in?

Verse
Is this blood on my hands,
A spot I can't clean?
Are you more than a name?
Is this more than a dream?

Chorus
A life left spent to question,
'What might have been?'
Should I give up
When I want to give in?
Oh, should give up,
When this is the closest that I've been.

Bridge
I always feel more
Than the rate at which I obtain.
And I always negate
What you give, inspite of my pain.

Chorus
If you could read my mind,
Or just read between the lines therein.
Should I give up?
I should give in.

Tuesday's Photo Fun

"Well - as you all know - there is a reason we have brought you all together..."

Monday's Mutterings of One: Music vs. Words

What gets your attention more, the music of a song or the words?

I have always advocated that the most important part of a song is it's catchy-ness. Does it get stuck in your head? Take songs like the Macarina which has words most of us can't understand, yet that silly song gets stuck in your head (against your will).

Having said that, there are phrases that really leave impressions on us. They invoke emotions, or make us recall memories. "The way that light attaches to a girl" -Counting Crowes, Long December.

This quote comes from the film "Music and Lyrics," and I really like the way Sophie Fisher (played by Drew Barrymore) puts it here:

"A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physical attraction. Sex... But then, as you get to know the person, that's the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It's the combination of the two that makes it magical."

I couldn't agree more with this idea that the music is the physical attributes, and the lyrics are the personality.

Poetic Friday: "No Divisors"

This is my third poetic post (for Fridays anyways), and its becoming increasingly easier to just let it go. My latest thought on the subject of poetry is this: don't control it, let it happen, then see where it will take you. I am beginning to think this will help the words in my songwriting as well, though I would never be this abstract.

These poems are mine, by the way, I don't know if I have been clear on that yet. If anything speaks to you let me know, that's the whole point of this blog. Sharing and interacting.

No Divisors

wish the world
would stop
long enough
for me to get off

moments pause
fractions hang
on dividing lines
dividends afloat

love was once
resounding
now astoundingly
a hum

from other rooms
from underneath
from up above
and under thumb

close line pins
to hang it on
drying
photo-copied

misread cues
to blame it on
bargaining
self relenting

underwent
and overthrown
the skin we own
to keep us in

bones as bars
and eyes as locks
And waning clocks
And waning clocks