Writing Again

After a long drought, I finally got writing again.  Sunday morning being Christmas morning, if you can believe it, I picked up my guitar and wrote a song called Sunday Morning Blues.    I had been playing around with some music on Christmas Eve and the whole lyrics came to me in about 10 minutes on Christmas morning.   I am still amazed how that happens. 

After playing the song on Boxing day, I wrote a couple of more verses and fixed up some things. 

My favourite lines in the song comes from the first verse

"Woke up on the street
On Sunday morn
Looking at my blue jeans
Where they are worn"

Wanda gave me a new Yamaha powered mixer for Christmas.  No speakers.  So today (Boxing Day) we went over to the West End Rock Shop.  Easy to get there now if we take the Anthony Henday.  under 15 minutes. Used to take up to 45 minutes, and today it would have been an hour going the old route. 

I had a limited budget, so I couldn't really splurge on speakers.    So I went with some non-powered Peavy monitor speakers.  I figured that when we play somewhere, we can always rent good powered speakers but we can use the monitors.  In my basement, the monitors put out more than enough clean sound, so it was a good fit for now.  At some point, perhaps we'll get the powered speakers. 

So new mixer and speaker set up in the music room, I got to try out the new song. Sounded good.  I like it.

Tomorrow, Ernie and Deb are having a jam and a pot luck supper.  I'll get to try out the new song for them.  Then on Wednesday, Don and Linda invited the Big Sky Glider families over for dinner and an unplugged jam.  Get to try the song out then too. 

It does feel good to get writing again.   4 days to write 4 more songs to meet my goal.   Too busy playing for that to happen.

"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. 

Queen of New Orleans

I haven't been too productive on the song writing side of things for a wee bit.  A couple of songs I've done lately are just songs.  Nothing that I particularly liked, but I finished them anyway.  I've been playing around with some music though, so I've got a few things in the works.   As often happens with me, I start playing around with a piece of music, but I just can't seem to find a topic where the lyrics flow.  Then out of the blue, a phrase or two will hit me.  

A couple of weeks ago, I had this piece of music that I really liked.  Not complicated, just a nice flow.  Last Saturday I traveled out to BC to visit with some home town friends.  The night before I was playing around with this tune and a simple phrase just stuck with me.   "I left my home in Texas,  I found my heart in New Orleans".   It didn't go anywhere until Sunday.   Sunday afternoon, my friends decided to go golfing.  I purposely didn't take my clubs with me - not much into golf these days.  So while they were out, it was quiet, and I had a couple of hours.  By the time they got back, I had most of the song done.  I played it for them, and they seemed to like what I had done.  

Monday morning I left for the 7 hour drive home.  Figured I'd turn it into a 12 hour drive.  I stopped a few spots along the way to take some photos (another hobby) of Mount Robson, some water fall photos, and a few of some river rafting,  Somewhere between Mount Robson and Jasper, I stopped off at a nearly vacant campground to have a bite to eat.   I pulled out my guitar and finished the song.  

The song is called "Queen of New Orleans".   Its about a cowboy from west Texas who gives up the cowboy life to follow his dream.  He leaves his home in Texas for a boat called the "Queen of New Orleans".  

I figured that I should record it so I didn't forget how it went.  I remembered that my laptop has a built in camera and some video software.  So I got a recording of the song.   The video quality is good, but the sound is poor.  Guess they make better cameras than microphones for lap top computers.    

I redid the song at home on my zoom.  I play this on my Blueridge guitar because it has the volume unplugged that I don't get with my Takamine.  Have a listen. Hope you like my cowboy turns sailor song. 

Have a look.  Hope you like it. 

Walking In the City - A Recording & Video

I got home tonight, intending to work on putting together the music for our show on Saturday.  Instead, I picked up my guitar and started playing around with Walking In the City.  Then I got out the Zoom,  played it several times and here's the result.  It still needs some work on the vocals, but once I do this with Don and Brian, I'm sure it will come together, and probably with a whole new and interesting sound.  Anyway,  you'll get the idea from this. 

Walkin' In the City

Since we have been practicing and playing quite a lot over the past few weeks, and with the prep work for the 'show' at Expressionz Cafe next Saturday, song writing has taken a back seat.   Until this morning. 

I had this piece of music that I've been playing around with for about a month now.  just a little kind of poppy up-beat tempo thing.  I figured if I kept playing around with it something would come out of the air.   Friday night I was playing around with it and a simple phrase came to me  "Walkin' In the City".   That not only became the core thought for the song, but also its' title.  

I was still blank on the rest of the song, so early yesterday morning I got in my car, drove downtown and walked around.  I took my camera and got some great city shots.  My favourite photo from yesterday is a shot I took through a restaurant window.  I called it 8865 - 97th Street. 

 

I then wandered down to the farmers market on 104th street and took in the sights and sounds of the morning.  Among the music and the vendors, it is a great place to people watch, which by the way is one of my favourite passtimes.  

After exhausting myself walking around, I decided to go over to my favourite coffee and gelato shop in Edmonton - the Beuno Vista.  I got a large latte, took a few more photos, then headed home.

All through this Walk in the City,  I wrote down some notes and ideas that I could work into this new song.  When I got home, I wrote down the first verse:

Walkin' in the City, this Saturday morn

The street is gritty, and the concrete is worn

All the lost souls, look sad and alone

Waitin' at the Carot Cafe

For the rest of the day, I went blank.  Had the ideas, but it just wasn't fitting together.   Sunday morning, I got up waaaaaay too early.   For some reason, quiet Sunday mornings seem to be a good time for me to write.  I picked up my guitar, played that first verse,  and a chorus line came to me, sort of like this:

Walkin' in the City  (then second voice comes in)  da da da da   day

Evenutually, I filled in some words for da da da da day.  

I then went to my notebook,  It didn't take long after that to write out the rest of the song.    lines like:

Yuppies on the corner, with a silver spoon

sippin their cup o' lattes

There's a line in the song that came from a chance meeting on the street with Dr. John on some previous walk around town.  

Saw Dr. John, I said how ya doin'. 

Another line in the song came from the notebook.  While walkin' around, I came by this fellow with long flowing hair, and wearing a long black coat with a cross belt buckle.  He mumbled something about salvation as he walked by.   The line is the song

Preacher in his collar, he's prayin' for more

It was a productive morning.  Another song in the song book.   I've lost count, but I think that's about 10 for the year so far.  so it's the 6th month, and I'm half way to my goal.  I'm sure it will get harder.  

Maybe my trip to Nashville in August will get t he creative juices flowing. 

Clever Songs

At the Heart of the City Audition, we were asked about our music style. Some wise man called it "clever".  Certainly Don's songs could be described that way.  I never really thought of my songs being clever, well unless you take into consideration what Don and Brian do with the music.  I wanted to write a song that lived up to that reputation. 

So one day a while back, I was listening to Bubba on CKUA, and he was talking about idioms.  It got me to thinking about writing a song using only idioms in the lyrics.  So I wrote the song.  It took me a lot longer to write it that most songs I do.  That was because I had to read up on idioms and do research.  I found a couple of lists that included several hundreds of idioms.  I knew I had a big task in front of me.  I had to find idioms that not only fit the music I had, but also had some relative meaning, and that would rhyme.  Sounds easy - right!.   OK, then you try it. 

So after a month and a bit, I finished off the song.  I was feeling quite clever, but ------.  I did a quick search on U-tube and there my cleverness was dashed.  The idiom song had been done at least twice before.  What to do? What to do?  I didn't want to waste my efforts, nor give up on the idea. Finally, another clever idea  - I called it "Jimmy's Idiom Song".   (maybe I should search that title - there's lots of Jimmy's out there). 

So here's an early basement recording of the song.  It was late at night and some spirits had been bottled up way too long and had to be let loose.  It is what it is, but you get the idea about how Jimmy's Idiom Song turned out.  This recording is just me and Don. Don is playing the harmonica. 

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!  

Noon Train

I've been playing around with a song about waiting on the noon train and the train is late.  It started out with a kind of, or shall we say, it was a country song.  Wasn't really what I wanted and the song just went nowhere.  Until last night. 

Friday night, I went back out to the Java Express.  Again, not many players there.  When I got there Ernie was playing with 'Bear".  Irene and Deb were there to sing a few songs. The biggest difference this week from last was there was more people to listen in.  The place was actually full.  Nice.   I started off doing my new song "Barely Hangin' On".   I wasn't in great form on Friday and kind of screwed up on the song.  Still, at the end of the night, a few folks came up to me and told me that they liked the song.  Nice to get that feedback.

Yesterday we (as in Don, Brian, George, and myself) went to an open stage at the Crown Pub.  It was our first time there, and since there wasn't a lot of players, the host (Marshall Lawrence) let us play a fairly long set.   It went OK, but it was the second day in a row that I wasn't in great form and it was clear to me we (I) really need to work on Don's songs.   At the end of our set, it was quite gratifying that some of the folks in the bar came up and talked to us about our songs and how they like what we do.  Nice to get that feedback. 

Oh yeah!  Back to the new song.   I must have been inspired by Marshall Lawrence, who is a great blues player in Edmonton.   I came home after and started playing around with some 12 bar blues.  Then I took the lyrics of "noon train', rearranged them to fit the blues, and viola.  New song.    I'm still workin' it out, so not ready to share yet - but it is a new direction for me.

Meanwhile, I can share an old song with you. This one I wrote about 4 years ago when I was sitting an an old garage in Innisfail across from the railway tracks.  I had to wait for a bout 4 hours to get a ride so I pulled out my guitar and wrote this song.  Its called Lonely Train. 

Barely Hangin' On

No one was home tonight so I decided to try recording this song on a Zoom H2 Handy Recorder.   If you don't have one of these, they are quite handy, as they claim.  The H2 is bigger than a cell phone and looks like a little microphone.  In fact you can mount it on a mike stand with the attachment it comes with.  I use it quite often when I'm playing around with a new piece of music and want to record it so I don't forget what I had going.  

Oh, the song.  It's called 'Barely Hangin' On'.  This is the song I mentioned in the previous post.  My big challenge is that I need to find someone to do the vocals on it.  For me, the song is in the wrong key and I really have to tighten my shorts to get my voice to go that high.  I should transpose to another key - maybe D, but I like the feel of the music in G.   I just need a singer.  Here's the clip with my lame vocals.   Hope you like it

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.

How A Song Can Change For the Better

Today we were working on plans and a few songs for an upcoming evening we call "Magpies Extravaganza", which is really an excuse to play music with all of our player friends. 

I was in a bit of a quiet mood and started fooling around with the song "Road to Nowhere" (see previous post).   Don started playing along on the keyboard and Brian picked up the bouzouki.   The song took on a whole new sound.   Instead of a 'rock' sound, it was more melodic and soulful.    As Don said, it better suits the song.  Same music, but a totally different feel.    

I've had a few experiences where a song has taken on a new life.   1st one was a song called 'Long Way Home" which I wrote a few years back.   When my music pals started playing it, they filled in with sounds I didn't expect and they made it sound great.   2nd time was on a song called "Green Valley Monsters" which I co-wrote with Brian and Don.   They took a simple lick and helped turn it into a great collaborative effort.   We'll debut both at the 'extravaganza".  

Old Grey Stone

This is a song I wrote about 3 years ago and performed at the Heart of the City Festival with the Magpies.  This version was recorded in a hotel room in Calgary last June with our good friend Izzy.   The version played at the Heart of the City Festival was played with an Irish Bouzouki that gives it an Irish ballad feel.   On this version, you'll only hear a guitar played in a finger picking style.  I wanted to share this version so you can hear the emotion and feeling that Izzy gives the song as it is intended to have.

Road to Nowhere

Since my previous post, I've managed to pen another song called "Road to Nowhere". This was inspired from a recent trip to Iqaluit, which is on Baffin Island. Other than a few roads around the towns, there are no roads on Baffin Island. The only road that goes out of Iqaluit ends after 5 km. It is called the Road to Nowhere, and is probably the most famous road in Nunavut.

The writing of this song was also a bit of a social experiment. I posted the tag line 'traveling on the lonely road to nowhere' on facebook and asked my friends to come up with lines, ideas, thoughts that I could incorporate into the song. And they did. after I gathered all those ideas, it only took about 15 minutes to flesh out the song, although I'm still tweaking it. Not only have a successful social experiment, I also learned there must be a lot of lost a lonely people out there. The song took on a whole new direction that I was thinking. It became more about the individual being lost in life and going on a road to nowhere. The actual road didn't even come into play.

I figured I needed to give tribute to the place of inspiration, so I did include a line about the 'northern tundra town'.

Now onto the next song. I've got one tune in progress. Music is worked out (mostly) and ideas for the lyrics are there, but I really haven't put them on paper yet. I find that once I write them out, the song starts to fall together more quickly. But, I need to get in the right frame of mind to make it work. While, that song is coming, I got another idea today in the car, so two things going on.

To achieve my goal of 20 songs by Dec. 31, I need to write (almost) 2 songs a month. so this is 1st week of march and four tunes are under wraps, so I'm still on track.