"Thunder Rolls" - Another New Song

I've started playing around with a new tune during the folk festival.  Must have got some inspiration from somewhere.  Perhaps it was from the rain on Saturday night, or perhaps it was from the players at the festival.  More likely the latter. 

The new tune is called "Thunder Rolls".  it uses a muted G and C chord throughout to give it a sound of pending drama.  The drama of course is lightning, thunder, and rain.  Lyrically, it isn't a great piece of work, so I don't consider it a complete work.  This may take some time.  I do have lyrics, but they are not what I hope them to be when I'm finished. 

I won't post a sound track of the song until I'm finished and feeling secure about it.  Till then, this is just another song on the pile.   Can't wait to hear what Don and Brian will do with this. 

Collaboration

This is a music only clip for a song that Izzy wrote the lyrics for and I came up with the music.   Somewhere there is a recording of Izzy singing this, and when I get a copy, I will share with you.   The song is called "Standing at the Airport"

Writing Songs In Saskatoon

This past week, I was in Saskatoon at the SWANA Northern Lights Chapter Annual Conference.   We had started a tradition in my hotel room a few years back when we held the conference in Edmonton.  A few of us bring our guitars and jam.  Our good friends Izzy and Dick now bring their sound system and last year the annual informal jam was a big hit.  This year, several delegates kept asking where the jam was. 

Izzy set up her sound system in their hotel room on Sunday, so that's where we jammed.  Apparently some other guest in the hotel weren't entirely happy and the hotel security shut us down sometime after mid night.  On Monday, they let us play until 11 pm.   On Monday night we had about 4 guitar players and Dave was playing his accordion.  The room was jumping.  At one point I turned at looked around the room.  It was packed shoulder to shoulder.  Someone brought in 2 kegs of beer and the party was on.  a few got to dancing. 

Monday was banquet night and the organizers included us on the evening entertainment schedule.  Played on my own music.  There were a few folks there that wanted us to play top 40 covers.  I'm getting to the point in my music where I don't even know how to play cover songs any more.  Lately, I've only been playing the Magpies music, so that's what I played. 

Now, for the real important part of this story.  Izzy has been working on writing songs and since she doesn't play an instrument - her instrument is her beautiful voice - she hands me her lyrics, and sings a few lines.  Then somehow with her singing and me playing guitar, we work out the music.  Last November she had a song called "Scotch Flavoured Kiss" that we put music to.  On Sunday evening, she showed me a partly written song called "Waiting at the airport".  By the time the evening room party began, we had the music worked out and she finished the lyrics.  It is a great tune, as is Scotch Flavoured Kiss.  Of course, Izzy's great voice makes these tunes a hit with everyone who hears them. 

Reworked Song

A few weeks ago, I had this verse going through my brain.  "I was standing at the station, by the railway track, waiting for the noon train, to bring my baby back".   I put it together with a 12 bar blues in E, but "I just wasn't satisfied".   

The other day, I was playing around on my Blueridge guitar and started playing a rift with E and B.  I figured it should go somewhere else, so I added in a C#m and an A.  Interesting combination of chords. 

Been playing with the music and the lyrics all day today.  Finished late in the afternoon.  So another song in the book.  

What's that 7 for the year?  I forget already.   so 13 more to work on!  

Song from out of the blue

I was down in my music room playing one of my old guitars that I haven't played for a while.  My son came down and got on drums for a bit.  He left and I was playin' some of my more quiet tunes that I wrote.  Kind of in a relaxed mood I guess. 

After a while, I started playing around with some finger pickin'.  Started playing this thing that I had done before and it sounds a lot like an old familiar folk song - still can't recall what it is though.   That got me to playing Walk Right In.  

After a bit, I started fooling around with a C, Em, F, G, C.   Kind of an interesting chord progression.   It started to sound like something I can work on.  So now I need an idea for some lyrics.  

A Good Place to Be

My song writing has stalled.  I think I hit a wall (maybe that's a line for a song).  See how desperate I've become.  Actually, the problem I'm having is that musically, I'm looking for something different and as for lyrics, I'm just not having any productive ideas.   But then, part of  the reason for writers block is that rather than thinking about song writing, we've been focusing more on playing and preparing for upcoming music events.  Right now, that's a good place to put our focus.

Last night we were having a debate about what songs to include in a 30 minute showpiece set of all original songs.  Two years ago, that was a fairly easy task and there wasn't much debate.  Last year, it was a bit of a task to pick the songs we liked, but there wasn't a lot of debate.   This year, it is a debate.  I'm not even sure the debate is over.   You see, the problem is that we have about 50 songs to choose from.    Not only is the debate about what songs, but what order should they be played.  All through this debate, we thought about the paying customers, the audience, the fans.

What's the intent? How do we build emotion in the set? What image do we want to present?   Where do the best songs fit?  Where do the soft songs fit, or the uptempo, or the 'rockin' songs.    These are very tough things to figure out.  

Why are we having a debate this year that we haven't had before?   As of late our music has taken on a whole new direction and ranges across several different genre's.    We use a mix of instruments that is presenting a whole new and sometimes unique sound.   AND:  We have somewhere around 50 finished original songs to choose from, and who knows how many unfinished songs.   This is not an bad debate - it is a good debate.   It is a sign that our music is maturing.  

This is really a good place to be.