Holiday bonus track / dec 08
After having a blast calling in to the xtra 99 morning show, with dj's neil and carl,(they're playing my songs,ma) I was scheduled for another call in interview . the day came, I was up early and tried the number . busy . busy again..hmmm i tried another number and got the Dallas offices..they were not aware of me, or even them. Tried the number a few more times(ok o.c.d. mode: a few too many times) and finally got through! They were up in ears because I hadn't called and refused to play any more of my music, then added "besides, I didn't have any christmas songs". we decided that I'd call back in a week. (In my own defense, the number they gave me was being used for a contest that morning.) I hung up the phone and said to myself "I've got write something now!" I pondered: Christmas...Santa ..radio...I wrote the song over the next few days and demo-ed it here at the house. It was written, recorded, mixed and sent out in less than five days ! sometimes ,I even amaze myself. must've been the spirit of the season ..enjoy!
Click here to hear: "I wish Santa was on the radio"
Where have I been? / fall o8
I've got a studio set up in my house and am learning how to use it.
Really, I have homework! I got some great comments about the 'peanut butter fish' cd. Like the one from a friend whose son only listens to the first song. Now, I'm glad he likes it, but there's a lot more songs on that cd...
I had the pleasure of working with my older brother, Micheal, on a new song. He sent me a tape of him singing, without any music, and I played along and wrote a country version, and then a reggae version. After recording those, he said he always thought it would make a nice swing tune. So I just finished that! Three songs in one! I guess I should be more flexible...
I'm finally getting some new kid's songs written. Once inspiration hits, it's like rolling a snowball down a mountain: an avalanche! My job is to melt it down into music...
We (my band and I) had a huge performance at the Adventure Science Museum here in Nashville. They were opening a new planetarium wing and asked us to perform. It was our chance to be stars! It was a great honor and, of course, I wrote a space song for the occasion. And yes, it had Uranus in it. Like I could help myself...
I met a wonderful woman who works for the Nashville Shakespeare Company and because of her, we were pre-show entertainment for Shakespeare in the Park! I've opened for a lot of acts, but the Bard is the first literary giant. I made sure I rhymed in all the right places and used proper punctuation. We had clouds and high winds glowering over us, but the rain held off 'til we finished our set. All the world's a stage!
Another helper bee/pretend promotions manager named Jay got my music on the radio in Virginia! Very exciting. If every radio station in every town played my songs, I could be somebody! (Ok, I'm all ready somebody but I could be more like a somebody on the radio.)
I'm toying with the idea of a live dvd. But, I really want to be a cartoon...
I've also been involved with Radio Lollipop, a worldwide charitable organization that plays music and entertainment for children with terminal illness. I contacted them after my brother, Mike—where would I be without my family?—heard about them.
I ended up hearing from a gentleman in England, who thought my songs were perfect for their shows. He asked about the possibility of doing a radio voice-over/commercial. I ended up writing little reggae jingle, playing all the instruments on it (though I'll admit, I'm no drummer) and sending it to him. After quite a while, I emailed him to ask if he had received it. He wrote back and said, not only had he received it, he had given it to all the affiliates across the globe. Yipes! Maybe, I should've gotten a better drummer...
Recently, I was in Florida, visiting the Maas's and performed at Colonial elementary school. It was fun, the kids sang louder than I did! The teachers had played my cds beforehand and the kids were familiar with the songs and psyched. Now, if every teacher, in every school...
There was a little girl there named Yasmine who had an awesome voice. She practically became part of my show. Apparently, her mother had sent her to live with her grandparents after hurricane Katrina and left her there. Her story puts life in perspective: Count your blessings, people, and sing loud!
of snails and such
Rather than ask why record some songs for kids, I say, why not record songs for kids? this whole enchilada was started after my last cd came out (that went "tin", i might add...) my brothers and sister were complaining that their kids were running around singing my drinkin' and honky tonkin' songs. they implored me to write something more appropriate for young listeners. I had seen comedian drew carey when i was in cleveland years ago and he told a few jokes about snails. i thought they were hilarious.I'm waiting for somebody to write a whole snail joke book! so, years later, with his jokes ringing in my memory, i wrote (if any of us really "write" songs, or if like john lennon said "we are just the channel for the music to come through") "i have a pet snail", that led to "it was my brother". i recorded them on a demo with some other songs and sent them to friends and family. the response was very encouraging. my college friend, brenda leary sent me an email about writing a song for her peace chorus at sutter park elementary school in columbus, ohio. that led to an "artist in residence" day where i got to perform a few more of the kid songs i'd written for an actual audience. usually, by the second chorus the kids were singing along with me. i'm no marketing genius, by any means, but i thought to myself, "i'm on to something here!" i figured if i had eight songs i'd do a cd. i wrote a few more. then, one friday night at work, i was drawing a doodle on a note to one of the girls in the office (ok, i was really bored) and it looked like a hybrid of a bee and a mosquito. what rhymes with mosquito? i wrote the lyrics to "mosquito from toledo", chuckling the whole time, in about fifteen minutes. inspiration, the muse, or insanity cleared my path. my mission: i must record these songs. after looking at some local cats to play, i knew i'd need my first call multi-groove expert emmett. after lining up a different bass player, who canceled a week before the session, mike bush ended up filling in marvelously on the rhythm tracks. his bass sound was huge. i got my keyboard man, eddie, to come in, my pals from trace atkins's band, mark horne and tommy z. they are all great players and god bless 'em, they work cheap. i still laugh, recalling my recording the "whee' part in 'sleeping in the car". both shawn, the engineer and i, can get obsessively retentive about parts. there i was, blowing on a british whistle, trying to get the pitch and the swoop perfect. blow too hard, it doesn't fade away in time. blow too soft, it doesn't get high enough. all this amusement and i'm paying by the hour. there's a certain x factor here in nashville, regarding musicians. you may meet someone who says they play an instrument but you never know until you hear them play. some guys are working, but they still suck. i'd worked at ups with eddie and when i needed a piano player, i called him in. he sat down and started playing great. when i asked him to do a "little feat" style part, he nailed it. but his tasty playing on the slower tunes showed his versatility. the poor tuba player ; he was recommended by a friend of mine, but again, you never know. i figured, like me, he used to play in high school,and he'd have to kick off the rust. the guy comes in and starts warming up by playing some be bop licks on the tuba! i was like" dude i just need you to play some oompahs....". he was a tuba major at texas state. serious tuba. i still remember the look on shawn's face, mirroring mine,( our jaws dropping to the floor) after doug moffett's sax solo on "porcupine". awesome. i just wanted to hear him keep playing! i've been lucky, blessed, and honored to have these talented people play on my songs. Half the time i think they do because they know i'll hound them and beg them until they crack and agree to come in anyways. it's a new york thing...so, where do we go from here? hopefully, i'll sell some cd's and make enough money to record some more, play for some new faces, be happy and creative while i'm on this crazy ride called life.
boobird
call it a rite of passage, call it the big shot, call it " if i can make it there i'll make it anywhere ", call it auditioning for the bluebird. for songwriter's it is the mecca, the pinnacle, the historical place for every songwriter who has ever poured out his soul with a rhyme and a guitar. i'd been in nashville five years, so i figured it was time to get off the shore and swim with the big fish.
carve a nick in the history of music,tell the songwriting world that "i am somebody." first, you have to call in and get a number on the appointed day. then, they send you a one sheet application. you will have exactly one minute to perform your song. that boils down to a verse and a chorus. not a whole lot of time. one minute. but i guess there's a certain zen-ness to it. you can picture someone listening to their car radio and going "this s%#ks" and switching channels. most of my songs take about a half hour to get to the chorus so my song selection was limited. i practiced my song choice, timing it by my watch so i didn't go over. the night before the audition my girlfriend (now ex) says "what happens if you don't get in, are you finally going to get a real job then?" ah, the support. so wonderful. i am a nervous wreck come morning.
being slightly anal retentive, i arrive at the club two and a half hours before the appointed time. i am fifth in line. a huge coup for me since first come, first play. everybody is hanging out, playing guitars and talking songwriting. these are my people.i have arrived.i belong. i was buzzing on nervous energy,making jokes,teasing perfect strangers and being my usual obnoxious self. when it was show time, all hundred of us piled into the club,which holds about 85. we were all shaking in our boots now,our guitar cases banging into chairs and shins. the host came out and told us again that we have one minute on stage. she also told us that if you do pass, the bluebird will keep an eye on you.help your career, perform there again,drop your name to certain people,etc. i said to myself perfect, that's what i need, a little push in the right direction. my heart was beating like a damn sledgehammer. the first guy up plays his folk song for well over a minute. they turned off the p.a. system! the first guy gets the hook! i knew i was in for a great afternoon. a young guy from kentucky was up next he sang like a cross between keith whitley and george strait. simply a great country voice.that only added to my nervousness. but, his song kinda sucked. sorry. so, the next guy up plays a pretty ballad which i can barely concentrate on because of the blood pressure pounding in my ears. i hear my name. thankfully, i don't trip getting on stage. i adjust the mic stand, because i always have to. too tall. a friend of mine who'd heard me perform before told me i should look at the audience more. so, i used what little shred of strength i had left to look out there and see all those songwriters who think, in my mind, that i suck. i began to sing and aside from almost playing a wrong chord i think i did pretty well.my voice didn't squeak,i didn't pee in my pants and my bowels held, a wave of relief passes over me as i sit down. i think i'm in like flint. one of the girls i met in line performed after me. she's from new jersey and has been here two months. i felt like i needed a walker. her name's lisa viggiano,and she was fantastic. her music was ( i hate to compare music) fleetwood mac- like mellow pop. she sang great, looked great in a liz phair sort of way. golden. the rest of the afternoon was a smorgasbord of entertainers. one guy in chaps,cowboy hat and the always stylish handlebar moustache, sang a song about john denver.of course,he had to say that "he'd never met him but he got him high." one guy started his song about how he's always messing up but sang the wrong verse and had to start over. i told the guy next to me that if that was done on purpose, it was brilliant. i was impressed with the curve of talent. most people were pretty good singers and mediocre writers (i'm picky as hell, by the way) so i thought my song was definitely in the top twenty percent. they tell you that if you pass the audition you will hear from the club in a few weeks. long wait. i was heading back to rochester for my vacation(?) and i figured i would be gone when i got the news,huey lewis. the day i left i find a letter from the blue bird. i was thinking as i opened it, "gee, i shouldn't have heard so soon..." i didn't pass. got the form rejection letter. what?! but i'm good, dammit! so, i cried on the shoulder of my friend terri who is an awesome Appalachian singer. she told me they never pass anybody on the first time.just like getting your driver's license.she didn't pass on her first audition and that is completely wanted "uptempo positive hit love songs" they should've told somebody! or they're picking young cute females who may wind up being big stars and telling people they got their first break at the bluebird.free advertising. so, i advise all budding songwriters: keep writing and by all means get your ass down here and audition at the bluebird. it was about the most fun i've had with my clothes on in a long time. failure is a state of mind: don't live there.
nashville
my friend elizah and i were having lunch off broadway one day and after putting our names in for a table, we walked outside. there, in the doorway. was a pretty, shapely woman with long brown hair, tight black jeans and cool sunglasses. i whispered to my friend that i thought that was matraca berg. elizah, being in the music biz, says "who's matraca berg?" i roll my eyes and explain. she's one of the premier songwriters in nashville, written hit sings for trisha yearwood, pam tillis, she wrote strawberry wine for deanna carter. when i was stuck in a crummy job in cleveland and heard that song on the radio i'd think "i want to be a part of this" so, as I'm telling my friend this whole story she's elbowing me gently and i say, "what?" "she's right behind you." i slowly turn around, and at her table, which overlooks the bench we're sitting on, is miss berg is looking right at me. i'm somewhat flustered but I manage to say without my voice squeaking, "i'm a huge fan. i've got all your records." and she replied "oh, you're the one...." she's so cool. go out and buy her cd "lying to the moon".
the nashville shuffle
i was working at ernest tubb's record shop and met two guys, doug and arnie. they were musicians, guitar and bass, respectively. we spent a lot of quality work time talking music and nashville. one day, they brought in a live tape of a label showcase that arnie had played. this woman singer, i'll call betsy, was astounding. she'd performed here in town as another famous singer at the ryman. her music was both jazz and country influenced. i loved it. as i was listening to her show, i realized i had written a song that would be right up her alley. i told this to the guys and they said they could get it to her because she partied with them, at their house, all the time (they'd both done a short club tour with her, a bonding thing). i was excited, i called my friend terri who had done some demos for me before and gave her the scoop. we agreed to record the demo at doug and arnie's basement studio. i figured the more they worked on it, the more excited they'd be about playing it for betsy. we finished the recording with terri doing a killer vocal (as usual). i played one of doug's ancient guitars (with ancient strings for that old jazzy sound) and arnie even came downstairs to lay some great acoustic bass on it. i was totally psyched. i ended up taking the whole eight-track reel-to-reel machine to another studio to get a digital mixdown. the whole time i'm thinking: this is how it happens, you get to town, you meet some people who know some people, and you are in business! i played the demo for some folks at ernest tubb's (because they know country) and they agreed the song was totally betsy. as fate would have it, she was performing at the "midnight jamboree" the oldest live radio show in the country (sponsored by ernest tubb). i got to meet her (hanging around with arnie, backstage) and talk with her about the song. i brought it with me but i didn't want to impose, after her show. i figured once arnie gave it to her, at a rehearsal or something, she'd be less distracted. time goes by slowly, as it always does. i don't hear anything but i don't want to be impatient. these guys are doing me a huge favor and they don't need me bugging them. months go by and i still haven't heard anything. did i mention that doug and arnie are serious stoners? in my mind they became that commercial. where the guy's mom is yelling "did you get a job today?" as he's blowing smoke out the window. they're great players, but they can't get anything going and they wonder why. i'm all for having a good buzz, but don't be a cliche. more months later, doug comes into work and says "you know that envelope you gave to arnie to give to betsy? it's still on his dresser." he still hasn't given the song to betsy! i called him and he said he had to "wait for the right time, when she's in the mood to listen to new stuff". it's been eight months! she's doing another record by now. i actually ran into her at the store and told her who i was, and that i still had a song that would be perfect for her. i actually told HER to bug arnie about it because it was still on his dresser at home! i still haven't heard word one about the song. i don't know if she's heard it and liked it, or hated it. oh, the joys of being a nashville songwriter. i'll have to wait to see if the song makes it onto her new record. HA!