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?

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.

'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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Monday's Mutterings of One

I accidentally discovered a really good hook for a country song. I went to say to a friend at work that I needed to start my car so it will be warm when I get in. Instead I said 'heart' instead of car. Within no time I had a country chorus:

I'm gonna start your heart,
So it'll be warm when I get in.
It's been out in the cold so long,
It's been blowing in the wind.
You've been lost inside your mind;
You've been looking for a friend.
I'm gonna start your heart,
So it'll be warm when I get in.

Pay attention to this next time you hear a country song, they always repeat the first line of the chorus at the end of the chorus. One small example:

I'm carrying your love with me
From West Virginia down to Tennessee.
I'll be moving with the good lord's speed,
Carrying your love with me.
It's my strength for holding on,
Every minute that I have to be gone.
I'll have every thing I'll ever need;
I'm carrying your love with me.

Almost every country song I can think of follows this simple pattern. Give it a try!

Happy Holidays!

I will be taking a break from blogging for the holiday season. Thanks everyone for keeping up with me. I am very thankful for all the support of my friends and family. Have a great Christmas everyone!

Monday's Mutterings of One

"I like Bush (the band) but I also like lyrics. So we will call it a conflict of interest."

For those of you who both remember and appreciate there was a period of time in rock music (most of the 90's) where lyrics simply did not matter. Perhaps this was spurred in part by Nirvana's abstract, gritty, and metaphoric lyrics; or maybe in part from the fact that no matter how hard you tried you couldn't hear a word of Eddie Vedder's (Pearl Jam) lyrics. Whatever the reason, lyrics flew out the window.

Great bands like Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Radiohead put their focus on the music and the mood, and thus began the battle for the most ridiculous lines. One of my favorite bands from that time were one of the best at ludicrous lyrics, Bush. Here is an example from Razorblade Suitcase (that was the name of one of their albums).

These are excerpts from 'Strait No Chaser'

...Abscess memory with broken fingers
All the fallen down angels, Raw pain distress

...Climb inside you away from strangers
Building a system of alleys and motorways

...Keep on driving, hair left morning wet
There's nothing like losing you

Now keep in mind I love this song, but how can one relate to this? "Hair left morning wet?" So me and my friends had a little fun this weekend talking about this and we started a competition to write a Bush song. I'll leave you with the best lines we came up with.

Spider transexual, spaghetti fingers.
A bold-faced pony tail, cryogenics.
Comotose aliens, your hand in my brain.
Armodilla mustache, a must-have turtle neck.

Swordfish bed pan, paper mache.
Tera forma tundra, woodgrain heart attack.
Jerry-curl window pane, sun shines your eyes.
Peppermint trash can, for staking my money on.

It is really fun, you guys should try it!

Chase goes all political on you... Sorry

I missed my Tuesday's photo fun, I apologize. But for now I would like to do a very special political announcement. I don't usually do this, but since this blog is more for myself than anyone else, it would be nice to reflect one day on how I felt this morning after such a historic night. This may be political suicide for my campaign for presidency in 2020, but this is my message to America:

"Whether you are a republican, a democrat, or vote independent; whether you are white, black, Hispanic, or Asian; all of us in this great melting pot are unified by one thing: we are American. It is for America that we must let our party stances and cultural differences go, at least momentarily, to reflect on the great achievement that all of America accomplished in yesterday's presidential race. As a people we have decided that race is not an issue in who is fit to lead this country.

Being a white American the impact this has on me can not be as great as the impression it leaves on the minorities in this country, especially African Americans; but this does have a resounding effect on all of us. It's a true acknowledgment of the American way. It is a statement to the world of how powerful our democracy is; that any son or daughter of America has not only a chance to better their life, but that they can lead this country in the highest elected office.

To think that only two centuries ago it was black slaves that built the white house, and now a black first-family will reside inside its walls. This is a testament that America can evolve; that its leaders can reflect its demographic and highest ideals. Once again the world watched America last night with hopeful eyes, as we again showed them the true might of our democracy.

The challenge now will be for us as Americans and our political leaders who have become complacent with the wars, the economy, the suffering health care programs, and the waning job opportunities to not rely on what initial resides inside parenthesis beside our names, but to embrace ourselves as Americans. The change the country needs will not come because of one man, or one party rule; equally it will not come swiftly. However, we can be proud again, actively help create a country that will lead the world, and leave this country a better place for our children and our children's children."

Citing the stars and the sea

I notice in my work I use outer space and the sea a lot to form poetic analogies. This is a common theme in writing, but it was very apparent to me in the song below. Why do I think these themes crop up in my work?

There is a certain romanticism and mystery to both space and the sea. These vast bodies exist outside of our land dwelling comforts, and in comparison are giants dwarfing the world in which we regularly reside. And, as in often times, I write about my experiences with the opposite sex. Well for me they can be as elusive and as dwarfing as both space and the sea.

Again (structurally) an odd song so I have organized with three parts and a bridge. I enjoy the internal rhyming in this song, it was fun to produce. I also played with (if I remember correctly) assonance and consonance.

On Arrival

Part 1
The clouds look photo-shopped in;
The damage is on the outside-in.
If I awake first then I'm certain to win,
But as for the prize,
Surprise me.

In the light you seem slimmer;
My hands appear weaker,
As we dance to the drone of
A busted out speaker.

We stand as still as statues
And wait for the shutter to close.

Are you alive?
Am I a ghost?
Have we arrived yet?

Part 2
The sound is a lifetime away.
It echoes around like a radio wave
Traveling through the absence of space.
Can you hear it?
It's all around us.

In the dark you seem brighter;
My wit becomes sharper.
It cuts through your clothes
Like a boat through the harbor.

The covers all flap on the bed
Like waves cresting the coast.

Are you alive?
Am I a ghost?
Have we arrived yet?
Nobody knows...

Bridge
Maybe the truth is irrelevant.
If I could use my hands to get
Inside your mind,
No telling what I'd find.

In our youth we are compelled by love,
But now its waning on the passage of
Our time,
And no one seems to mind.

Are you alive?
Am I a ghost?
Have we arrived yet?

Part 3
Now the colors are all changing their hues;
A subtle difference in all of the blues.
You tilt your head but you get the same view,
Just perpendicular
To the first one.

In the day it seems duller;
By night a strong hunger.
It feeds off the feeling:
"Why can't I feel younger?"

If the moon and the stars and the planets
All align and explode...

Are you alive?
Am I a ghost
Have we survived this?
Nobody knows.

My Role Model: the Serial Killer

That is a scary title I know, but sit tight I'll explain. I love the show Dexter. And for those of you who don't watch Dexter the first season is on DVD. You should ask yourself, "Why am I not watching this." The basic premise is this: Dexter is a serial killer that works in forensics. He kills people who (and the general public would agree) deserve to die. I look up to him for the following reasons:

• Everything he can accomplish in a day
Work, his 'normal life', his killing. That's a lot to get done. Not your regular
work- eat-watch tv-sleep routine we all fall victim to.

• His ability to compartmentalize
He separates work from family, family from killing, all without breaking a sweat. He has to maintain his cool to the people around him or they will suspect something. I couldn't imagine hiding a secret like that and being able to put it aside to play with his girlfriend's kids.

• His confidence
Sometimes when I am walking across a parking lot I hear the theme music to Dexter and wish I could walk as cool in slow motion as he does.

• His cool demeanor
The guy is just too cool, but not cocky. He is charming and lax with people, it helps dissuade them from thinking he is a killer.

But that is it. The killing part, not so much. I can't wait for the third season to start.

My Inspiration

A recent Commenter asked me a very profound question:

"What inspires your songs?"

It is profound because as much as I enjoy writing, as much as I commit to the process, the answer to this question did not come immediately. Questions like "Why do you work?", or "Why do you eat?" have a simpler, more conclusive answer. I thank the anonymous commenter for making me do some serious introspection.

My Process: I will attempt to answer the above question below.

Music First

Regardless of whether or not I have an instrument handy, the music is always written first. Even though now most of my songs are written in the car (driving from point A to B) I still need a melody and a rhythm if I am to write and then remember the song later. After an initial chord progression intrigues me, or a snappy riff, I let the words fall where they may.

Stream of Consciousness

Sometimes I can base an entire song off the very first line. And sometimes that first line may be complete nonsense, or a non-meaning if you will. Other times it has to develop after a while. The important thing is to find a catchy melody. That melody can only hold so many syllables, now I have to find words and phrases that can fit in that space. And at first I am not picky.

Example: For "Two Hearts" The entire song was based off of these
first words:

"A cigarette case and a well pressed suit."

It wasn't until later that the song evolved, had a plot, touched on human emotion and commonality. But I don't let any of my own creative inhibitions stop me when starting a song. I let my subconscious dig deep. "What is the music telling me? Where is this story taking me?"

Confidence

A lot of it is about trust. Trusting yourself, trusting your words. Not going "Oh, this is stupid." I let it play out. Sometimes the hook to my song is actually found ten lines into the song. Once I find it, I rewrite the other "generic" words to suit my new, better theme. Such was the case with "The Giver." After finding this line:

"The giver of life and love is just, I've got another chance to go
for bust."

I went back and re-wrote the song to fit the mood. The concept of that particular song hovers close to the old saying "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."

Patience

I also don't rush anything. I try to let everything come to me. I want the words and the chords to appear like they were meant to be together. As we speak I am writing 4 different songs in my head. I have a good chorus on one, two with a nice verse or two, and one fully assembled but awaiting a bridge. Each will come in their own time.

People Person

I accept and love people despite their faults. This is important because so much of my work is not personal experience. I use other people's lives as a catalyst for my stories. But I have to connect to them, I have to truly commit to who they are, or how they feel. And sometimes that means I am absolutely nothing like them. But I have to find a way to love them, love their story, create the art.

Phrase Finding

The other thing I do is I keep my eyes and ears open. I document phrases I find interesting 'Pouring salt on the wound', 'The elephant in the room', etc. I have a special file in my head that keep these phrases, you never know when they will work perfectly. Especially if you modify them a bit.

Example: Chorus from "Pour the Salt"

Pour the salt on

Pour the salt on

I've got another wound

There's nothing to hide from

Its clear that I can see

The elephant in the room

That song is about seeing an ex with another person after a break-up. The entire story was based on two phrases.

The Images and the Ordinary

I keep my mind on imagery. I look at things, mundane every day things, and I describe them to myself poetically: the way that rain distorts images as it pours on glass windows.

I describe the way simple things feel: Morning dew on bare feet, A course rope as it violentlyslips out of your hands. I do this because so much of who we are and what we feel is everyday,and ordinary, but we feel them in extraordinary ways.

Editing

Lastly I refine everything. I edit. I put the criticism I would use towards anybody else's art and apply to my own.

Overview

So that is a long answer, here is the shorter: If my inspiration was a flow chart it would go as follows:

The drive to be an artist, the want to create>>

Finding the Music>>

Finding the words (chosen at a subconscious level)>>

A story/theme derived from life experience (or other people's life
experiences)>>

Imagery, mood, word choice (chosen based on, and to enhance, the
story/theme)>>

Editing (based on practice, experience, and constructive criticism)[]

That's all I can think for now. I hope that was a sufficient answer. Because I do love my small little crowd of readers, and I do appreciate you spending the time to read and listen to my songs.

I wrote a song

I haven't posted in a while. So here, I wrote this today. I haven't even touched a guitar yet to put music to it. Enjoy!

"The Diamonds and the Coals"

At the bottom of the quarry
There's a rusty chain in coils,
An access to perdition,
To the victor go the spoils.
Careful where it leads you,
The gravels falling at your feet.
Clouds blocking the moonlight,
There's more of this that you can't see.

It's the shattered glass that gives the best reflection.
It's the hottest iron that leaves the longest impression.
If the heart is the mind, if the mind is the soul,
Then you'll find yourself
Amongst the diamonds and the coals.

You walk with your eyes closed
And think before you speak.
The armor that surrounds you
Is as thin as cotton sheets.
Stacked up in the distance
Are the buildings of your past.
And even though their still standing
You fail to see how this could last.

It's the shattered glass that gives the best reflection.
It's the hottest iron that leaves the longest impression.
If the heart is the mind, if the mind is the soul,
Then you'll find yourself
Amongst the diamonds and the coals.

They're closing in.
When does the daylight come?
When does the night time end?
And you're blurring the lines
Between who you are,
And who you want to find.

It's the shattered glass that gives the best reflection.
It's the hottest iron that leaves the longest impression.
If the heart is the mind, if the mind is the soul,
Then you'll find yourself
Amongst the diamonds and the coals.

Good Enough to Lose - Explained

As compared to my last two songs this song's meaning and message is a little more simple. From the perspective of the person telling the story: they feel completely opposite from the person that loves them. They also feel that they have done nothing to better the life of the person that loves them, where as everything that the other person does is pure and true.

So the only justification for the storyteller is that he or she is undeserving of this kind of person and love. Undeserving because they have never been loved in this way, never been shown how to live in this way, in essence has never had anything good enough to lose. Meaning, everything else they have experienced if they were to have lost it, no big deal. But in this case it was actually something good enough to lose, to miss, to feel pain and regret for.

So in its own way the song is an apology and explanation to the person who has loved them so much. Also, I'd like to believe that because our storyteller has experienced love now, and has realized his or her shortcomings, it is a step in the right direction for this person to find happiness. As if facing this cruel truth is the first step to accepting their self and their future. But the last part is me finishing the story after the guitar and singing have stopped, the sequel if you will.

See, simple. I wrote this song about a year ago, and it still gets stuck in my head from time to time.