Finally - Another Song Finished

I've got a whole number of song that I've been fooling around with that I wasn't getting anywhere with any of them.   Decided today that I'd focus on one and get it done.  The song about the noon train - see entry "songs from dreams" got partly done and I'm stuck on where to take it to make it interesting.  I've save that one for a rainy day. 

Last night I started playing around on my banjo with a little thing.  that sounded OK, but it didn't lead to anything - yet.   I then started fooling around with a jazzy bluesy thing on guitar that I really like,  and I may come back to that when something inspires me that fits the music. 

So, this morning I was still going nowhere and I picked up my guitar and started noodling around.  This little piece of music started to evolve that finally got me going.  I had fooled around yesterday with some lyrics in an email to Don and Brian and without any thought about where it might go.  Well guess what - those few lyrics and the noodling on the guitar this morning led to a song that I've called "Barely Hangin On" 

1st verse

When I woke up today, in this little dirty town
I looked outside, the sun was going down
As darkness settled down, in this quiet town
And silence, and the street light just came on
and I feel like I'm barely hangin' on. 

Well, the song is now complete.   So for the record, that's number 5 for the year.  15 more to go to reach my goal.

Open Mike at Java Express

Last night Don and I went to Stony Plain to an open mike at Java Express.  1'st night of their open mike, so it wasn't overfilled with musicians.  Ernie was playing when we got their and only other guitar player was Wayne.  Irene and Deb did some vocals.   Because there wasn't many players their, we got to do a lot of our own songs.  We did some that I haven't played for a long time, like "Something in the Wind", which is the first song I wrote (1987).  Other songs we did:  Old Grey Stone, Road to Nowhere, Sittin' Here, Where Randy Rolled a Tractor, Johnson Brown, Two Feet in the Water, My Dream Automobile, and Lonely Train (Haven't done that one in a while). 

Don did his songs and, as usual, found a female (Deb) to help him out on his song "Slippin' away", a great song and one that needs a female voice to make it complete.  Its always entertaining watching Don do this song.  

The sound in the Java Express was superb.  It's a small place but has a really high roof with a hidden ceiling, so the sound wasn't bouncing around the room.   I think the best sound anywhere I've played.  Made you feel like playing all night.  

Playing the Java Express



 Me doing backing vocals with Ernie

on "People are Crazy"

 Playing "Old Grey Stone" with Don

on Mandolin. 

Me with Don and Ernie playing

"Lonely Train"