Here's a great way to kick off the weekend: Carene Lydia is doing 2 sets of eclectic songs at the Vandam Diner, and I'm playing guitar for her. Here's the deets:
Carene Lydia
with yours truly on guitar
Friday, Feb 5, 2010
6:00-8:00PM
Vandam Diner
12 Vandam Street (C or E to Spring Street)
Come on down and hear this lady sing the blues!
On Tuesday, I attended the "Pro Studio World Tour" event that Apple is sponsoring to promote their pro video and audio applications, Final Cut Studio Pro and Logic Studio Pro. Amazing stuff. Well worth checking out. One of the most impressive new features of both applications were the time manipulation tools. The time manipulation tool in FCP (Command + J) has been expanded, with a lot more control on how it behaves in the timeline. And in Logic, you can now quantize audio regions in much the same way you quantize MIDI regions, and the "flextime" feature has to be seen to be believed.
I'm going to keep this short, because I know not everyone who reads this blog does this kind of work, but this round of upgrades is a dramatic step up. Avid/Digidesign have cause to worry.
Hey all,
It's been a long break, but summer is a crazy time, out of town, yada, yada, yada.
But we're back for another season now, so look for more podcasts and more music news in the coming weeks. Next up, the beautiful Julie Clark talks to me about her music.
See you soon.
xo,
M
My good friend and extremely talented musician/singer/songwriter Amy Clarke is in town for the weekend, and she's performing at The Bitter End on Monday at 7:30PM. I'll be sitting in and adding some guitar to her song From Here. It' promises to be a very good show. $10 + 2-drink minimum, the proceeds of which are split between an Environmental non-profit called Amazon Conservation Team, and the Artist.
You can't see much in New York City anymore for less than $20. Come down and support live music AND the Environment at the same time.
Hey y'all. The lovely and talented Carene Lydia is back doin' her thing at Mood Restaurant in Kew Gardens, Queens. Some old songs, and some new songs, and I'm backing her up on guitar. If you're in the neighborhood, or if you feel you need a break from the craziness of a Manhattan Saturday night, come out to the provinces and join us for an eclectic evening of music.
Carene Lydia
@ Mood Restaurant
Saturday, August 15, 11:30PM
Read Carene's bio and get more info below the fold.
On Thursday evening, my good friend and fellow songwriter John Raymond Pollard allowed a few of us in my songwriting group to preview his new CD, entitled simply Dreams. And what a treat it was. From the whimsical, thoughtful Living an Alternative Dream, to the austere, haunting The World of Tarot, to the final rocker The Divide (By the Time I Get to Phoenix), this is a trip worth taking. We sat in what ended up being the first hot and humid evening of this unusually cool summer season, drinking some delicious wine (also provided by John), and taking this thoroughly enjoyable musical journey.
The effervescent Terry Radigan is back with me for the third and final installment of our little studio chat. In this episode, we talk about writing for other artists, recording one's own material, tainted love, and tangos that change keys. As usual, you can download the podcast directly at this site by right-clicking here (or control+clicking on a Mac) and choosing download selected file (or similar command), by doing the same under Podcasts in the column to the left, or by going to iTunes and downloading or subscribing to the podcast from there.
, at Amazon.Sorry for the disappearance. You plan on keeping up on your blog, providing interesting material to keep people engaged, and then Life happens and you wake up and realize your podcast is late and you haven't posted a blog in more than a week. But I'm back, life is good, and you can expect the next podcast before the weekend is out.
I was in an Alexander Technique workshop recently that asked me to write down ten things I want using my right hand, then again using my left hand. I was terrible at writing with my left hand. But it intrigued me. If indeed the right hand is wired to the left side of the brain, and the left is wired to the right side (an oversimplification, but stay with me here), wouldn't it make sense that using the left hand to write with, using both hands to write with at the same time, would be a great way to integrate the two hemispheres of the brain? I've been trying it. I write in my journal with my right hand, then answer with the left. I have little conversations back and forth with myself. I suppose that's a little schizophrenic, but it's an interesting ongoing experiment.
Hey kids,
Hey, all,
The third and final episode of my interview with the inestimable Dan Manjovi.
In the annals of the history of popular music, perhaps no band has been more influential than The Beatles. You can't find many contemporary songwriters that don't claim at least some Beatles influence. If you want to learn how to write a great song, listen to The Beatles. Nowhere Man, Eleanor Rigby, She's Leaving Home, Come Together, Hey Jude, Octopus' Garden, Help!, Ticket to Ride, Cry Baby Cry, Helter Skelter, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Across the Universe, Yesterday, The Long and Winding Road, Strawberry Fields, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Here, There and Everywhere--the list goes on, and on, and on.
, is this month's Songtalk Recommendation. In the same process as the Abba-based Mamma Mia!, the story was created around pre-existing music, only with Beatles songs instead of Abba songs. And like Mama Mia!, sometimes the story gets a little thin, but the music is so consistently good that you don't care. It's a wonderful introduction to some of the Beatles' greatest hits for the non-initiated (not-yet Beatles fan). If you doubt how great these songs are, check out this film, or the soundtrack
. Manny's Music in New York City is closing its doors at the end of this month. Kind of. For years now, it's been owned by the mega music store chain Sam Ash, and now it's going to become the Sam Ash guitar store. Apparently not even the current staff is going to change much. So yes, Manny's Music is "going out of business," but it's been out of business for years. It's just now the name is gone as well. But being a good guitar player, I made my pilgrimage to 48th street and 6th Ave to pay my respects. I do eventually need a tele and would love a hollow-body, and I'm still toying with the idea of getting a more versatile bass.
Thanks to the magnanimous and monumental efforts of the TypePad tech support team, we're up and running again. Special shout-out to Jen, Brianna and Kymberlie, who all helped to resolve the issue.
As long as we're off of the songwriting topic already, I want to encourage everyone and anyone to call my State Senator and tell him how displeased you are that he is opposing fair and equal treatment for all New Yorkers.
UPDATE: I'm bumping this up to the top, just for today, to get the word out. Then it's back to Songtalk as usual.
Okay, departing from the usual today, but I have a friend who's selling their house, and it looks like it would be a very cool place. If anyone is thinking of getting out of the City and still being close enough to commute in, you should look at this place. It's 10 minutes away from Beacon, NY (just over 60 miles from midtown Manhattan). There is a train stop in Beacon, and it's around an hour 15 to Grand Central, 1:05 if you catch the express. If I could afford a down-payment, I'd consider buying it myself. Check out the "Artist Space," which could easily be converted into a recording studio.
If you're interested, the info is on the bottom of the picture. It gets a little small, so here's the phone and web address for the realtor:
Peggy Rose: (office) 845-831-3331 (cell) 845-546-2614
You can also drop Elizabeth an email if you have any questions about it. For a better view and more info, you can also click on the image below.
I sat down and had a simply mahvelous chat with the vivacious and talented (and multi-award-winning songwriter) Julie Clark. We talked for over an hour about her music, her knack for writing story songs on par with the Beatles' She's Leaving Home, her plans for future growth as a songwriter, etc. I found her to be generous, gracious, and very easy going and down to earth. And frankly, I could listen to her sing the phone book. Rarely do you hear a voice as captivating and inviting as the voice of Julie Clark. Look for the first installment of her podcast, coming in June. In the meanwhile, you can check her out at her website.
Careful observes of this blog have noticed by now that the column of links that usually appears along the right side of this blog has disappeared. For some reason, it is now showing up at the bottom of the page. I am aware of the issue, and I've got a ticket into tech support. For now, look at the bottom of this page for the "about this website" link, and links to songwriting resources, artist pages, etc.
Wish you were here.
xo, My conversation with the firecely talented singer/songwriter/recording artist/producer Terry Radigan continues in this edition of Songtalk Podcast. (right click or control+click and download linked file). We talk about touchy music reviewers, sad love songs, economic writing, fun with major and minor keys, writing from the heart, and getting your friends to confide in you so you can write revealing songs about them.
,
at Amazon. Here's another article, given attention by ASCAP in their daily brief, on the whole vexing issue of copyright protection, and by extension, piracy. Because ASCAP is promoting this article in their brief, I can only assume that I'm being asked to take it seriously. And perhaps the article's author, Willem H. Buiter, makes some good points along the way. But some of his points, and in fact one of the big, particularly "scary" points he makes, is patently ludicrous.
I'm going home. I'll be checking email sporadically, but the blog will be updated as usual. The only difference is that the next podcast will come out on Saturday, May 9th. Next up is part 2 of my terrific chat with the elegant and gracious Terry Radigan, followed a few weeks later by the next installment of my sublimely enlightening conversation with Dan Manjovi. Have fun with the writing assignment, check in for my "absentee" blog posts, and I'll see you in a week.
Thanks to my good friend John Raymond Pollard for bringing the typo to my attention: In the May songwriting challenge, the chord progression is correct the first time it appears, i.e. I--V--vi--IV
Sometimes I think Terry Christopher has more energy in his little finger than I can muster in my whole body.
Recently, Mr. Christopher (in all of his spare time) put together a CD project, called United for the Ride, which will benefit the 2009 Braking the Cycle bicycle ride from Boston to New York City and the sponsor of said ride, the New York City LGBT Center. He approached all the artists, coordinated the mastering process--hell, he even did some design work on the website.
And in honor of him and his heroic effort, I'm putting out this additional project call. In anticipation of the 2010 edition of the United For the Ride effort, write a song that could be considered for the project.
It doesn't have to deal directly with HIV or AIDS (though it could), but something "uplifting" or "hopeful" or "I will survive-ish" or...you get the idea. You'd have to be willing to donate the proceeds of the sale of the song to Braking the Cycle/LGBT Center of New York to be on the CD.
In his own words, here's how Terry describes the songs he's looking for:
I just wanted to reiterate that the message of the songs is so very vital. If you can start with Hope and Perseverance as the main anchoring message to your song, that would be awesome. Love, Sense of Self, Determination etc...are also great, positive, hopeful themes in these songs.
There is no "due date" on these songs for now. I'll keep you posted on that front. However, if you'd like to get an early jump on it, and would like more info, you can get in touch with Terry here.
For reasons beyond my control, my songwriting group is only meeting once this month. And that's tonight. The good part of that is that everyone, including me of course, had extra time to prepare a song following the current guidelines; i.e. write a song in 3/4 time. And I have one. In my estimation a pretty good one. And I also have a rewrite of last month's song, ready for a second round of critiquing. What's a guy to do? Which brings me to the point. Once a month isn't enough.
So apparently there's convincing evidence, from fairly reliable, objective sources, that say the "music pirates" actually end up buying ten times more music than listeners who don't take part in "file sharing." And in this article, of course, the big labels are all, "Yeah, right." They are mystified as to how to explain their falling revenue without putting blame on the pirates. Yet according to the article, there are at least two reputable sources saying this is the case. So-called pirates may very well also be the biggest music buyers. The Labels, in pursuing the piracy cases, may be going after their best customers.
There was a huge victory for copyright owners recently when Swedish "file-sharing" website The Pirate Bay owners were slapped with a year in jail and a $3 million dollar fine. This is probably a good thing, and sends a strong message that illegal downloads are not going to be without consequence.
But now, this is a little bizarre. This article points a finger at Google and says that they're the next big haven for piracy, because users can search for "Wolverine torrent," for example, and be directed to a site where the yet-to-be-released film can be downloaded free (and illegally).
We're entering a Brave New World. Soon, everything we do online will be traceable, if it is not already. Privacy is going to be a huge issue. This is not an urban fairy tale or a Sci-fi espionage story, this is happening. Here's two articles that go into a little detail; one from the New York Times summarizing and speculating a little about the future, and one kind of chilling story about Comcast picking up a twitter and acting on it as if they were notified by the customer.
I play guitar for a beautiful person who goes by the name of Carene Lydia. You will not find a singer with more heart or soul than Carene, nor a more eclectic song list. And she's doing two sets on Saturday, May 2, starting at 11:30PM, at Mood Restaurant in Kew Gardens. If you're in the area, or even if you're not, come out and give her a listen. You will have a good time and hear the widest variety of songs that you have possibly ever heard. Details, and Carene's bio, are below the fold.
UPDATE: Podcasts will only be available at iTunes for 60 days after they were posted, but they will always be available on the archive page here at this website. Thanks for your patience. All podcasts are now showing up in the iTunes store...and a few things I wish weren't showing up there are also for now available. Live and learn. Apparently any sound file (or pdf, for some reason) shows up at iTunes as a podcast. So right now, at iTunes, you can get a cheesy 12-bar blues progression I posted for reference when talking about the blues, and a pdf file on pornography consumption rates in "red states." Enjoy, and in the future, I'll find a way to link to those things that does not involve the creation of another "podcast."
iTunes seems to only keep the most recent of my podcasts available. I'm not sure if that's something I can fix or not. I'm researching the issue now.
But all of the podcasts will continue to remain available here on Songtalk. Just go to the archive link at the top of the left column. Thanks to you, listeners, Songtalk Podcast is starting to draw attention. I'm grateful for your support.
Songtalk Podcast is a production of Perpetrators Undisclosed Music and Songtalk.net. All music clips are the property of the artist, and are used with permission.
I sat down with Terry Radigan in her recording studio in Brooklyn for this edition of Songtalk Podcast. You can listen/download here, or go to iTunes and subscribe by following this link. You can also subscribe to the blog and podcast at the top of the righthand column of this blog.
If you go to terryradigan.com, you will discover that Terry does not yet have a website. However, you will also discover that she has such a loyal fan out there somewhere that he saw that she didn't own her domain name, purchased it, and is holding it in perpetuity for her until such time that she needs it. All I can say is, wow. That's loyalty.
Continue reading "Songtalk Podcast: Terry Radigan, Part 1" »
I think one way young songwriters (and this includes me) (and this means songwriters new to the craft, not necessarily young in age) get into trouble is that they try to keep the verse going in the chorus. In other words, the chorus follows the same basic patterns as the verse. One way to mix it up a bit is to simply make the notes of your chorus twice as long as the notes in your verse. i.e. if your verse moves in eighth notes, make your chorus move in quarter notes, or even half notes.
You might also want to make the pitches ascend as you move to your chorus, and make the notes of your chorus hang out in a higher tessitura (musical term for "average pitch range"). This in combination with the longer notes can really make your chorus take off.
The chorus should be the distilled message your song is trying to convey. Simplifying it down (by making the notes longer) is one way to get there.
Just because it's Friday, here's a picture (taken by celebrated photographer Teresa Campbell) of a sunset. Have a great weekend everyone.
A past songwriting teacher of mine, Tony Coniff, sent me the link to this clip. It's a very basic how-to video on how to write a song. Enjoy.
Discover Magazine has an interesting article on how Google is making us smarter. You can read the full article if you like (as it is an interesting read), but the gist of the article is that our environment is actually a part of our brain. In summarizing the research of philosophers Andy Clark and David Chalmers, he says:
... the mind is not simply the product of the neurons in our brains, locked away behind a wall of bone. Rather, they argued that the mind is something more: a system made up of the brain plus parts of its environment.
In other words, an iPhone is more than just an iPhone, it actually becomes an extension of the brain, because the brain assigns certain tasks, such as remembering, for example, the address of a museum or a music venue, to the device.
Hey all,
Presented my new song, Good, last week at my songwriter's event, and got a lot of feedback. I've taken much of that feedback and rewritten the song, and I have a bridge. Well, it has no words, but it has a chord progression and a melody. And now I'm stuck. In the muck. Send a truck. 'Cause I'm out of luck. I don't even know what the bridge is about. Send your creative impulses to:
Morry's Brain
Wherever It's Wandered Off To
Earth
Solar System
Milky Way Galaxy
The Universe 1MT11-476H5--42
Nick Granato writes really good songs. And he's a great singer. And his most recent release is actually called Outside the Lines
In my notebooks I don't bother with the side margin or the one at the top: I fill the whole page. I am writing for myself first and I don't have to stay within my limits, not even margins.
