I'm like a shark and have to keep moving. The delay in the mixing of The Long Road means that I'm spending more time at home writing and I record the new songs in the most basic of digital manners - with a single, mono microphone plugged into my computer's sound card, captured by Windows Media Encoder.
As of June 2005, I've recently upgraded to a ProTools LE setup which makes the quality of new recordings better.
In my basement, I've recorded all new songs that I've written since January 2003, and included some earlier songs as an archive, along with some alternate versions of songs that I've recorded in larger studios. All songs here are candidates for my next larger recording project.
The new songs are about as fresh and unpolished as they can be, frequently made the day the song was completed. These are really just simple reference/demo versions so I don't forget melodies and general arrangements.
2006
The Road Is Waiting - I got the 30-year Anniversary remaster version Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run for Christmas, and right about that time Deirdre saw a sign that read "The Road Is Waiting". Those two things combined with our love of the open road and the nearing five year(!) anniversary of our epic adventure of living in a van for almost a half year, traveling 20,000 miles across North America meant the time was right for this song. It makes me want to leave again.
2005
What I Love About This World - My friend, Michael Murphy, stopped by on his way home from Vancouver about a week before I recorded this and requested that I write him a song for use in a travel video he's making on location in the Galapagos. He gave me the title and I had a week to write and record it before his departure. This is a final mix that I'm posting at 3am deadline day. It's also the first recording with the upgraded setup at my Off Center Studio.
Six Minutes ' Til Midnight - This is a song about songwriting, mostly autobiographical. I spend late nights working on ideas because it's the time of the day I can finally get some quiet. I don't mind that it's late at all and wouldn't trade it for an earlier time. I wrote this in 6-8 meter, which was fun as well. Isabel helped me pick the write key to play and sing the song. She's always a great help.
Nothin' But Love - Isabel and I co-wrote this song. She took the lead; it was all her idea. She got the idea from "just a word". All I did was help her get the idea into a more finished form and help with chords and arrangement. It was a fun, collaborative effort and the first song we've completed together in over three years.
Southbound Train - This is a song about hope and dreams and getting off your ass to do something about it. I wrote this after a recent train trip from Seattle to San Diego and it turned out exactly as I wanted it to, although it took a bit more work and a few more revisions that I had expected. My daughter Isabel is always great for soliciting feedback on new ideas and songs, and she's a big reason why I capo'd up 2 frets on this one.
Blind Man's Bluff - This is a song about the war in Iraq from a soldier's point of view, inspired by three things: 1) the swimming pool game "Marco Polo", Sherry Sontag's book of the same name on the subject of Cold War submarine operations, and a very good PBS documentary on a company for front line soldiers in Iraq. I suggest watching the program, which is available online. I actually wrote several more verses which I ended up cutting because I didn't want a 10+ minute song. The expanded version does definitely develop the character much further than this edited arrangement, but I still think this version works well. This rough acoustic version is nothing like what I hear in my head - electric, crunch, rockin', intense, and a lot more dynamics.
Any Other Way - I had finished writing "Blind Man's Bluff" and was closing my journal up from writing on the way to work. I wrote "I can't clear my head to start another song right now. That's OK. That's all right, that's OK." The idea was born. It's a simple song about someone who has bad luck but keeps his head up.
This Is How It Ends - This is a song about endings which force new beginnings, which incidentally I find to be a very exciting process. Of course, the course is not always as expected, but with enough experience, one can get better at sniffing them out.
2004
Lemonade - I've had some things happen in my life recently that have been less than favorable, but I'm always looking at how to make the best of things and turn a problem into an opportunity. That is exactly what this song is about.
Graceland - I was thinking back to a long road trip we took three years ago that led us to Graceland and wrote this in finest "Swine" style. I hadn't written a song like this in probably five years. It's always good to keep a sense of humor.
Could It Be Love - I found myself listening to pop tunes on iTunes and came up with my own snappy one. This one went through several edits to get to where it is. The last two verses are radically different from where they were when I started. It's always fun to write a love song.
One More Day - Written on Leap Year Day (February 29th), I was inspired by the "extra" day this year and finally came up with my first complete song in three months. This is a song about chasing dreams and never giving up on them.
2003
Forget About Me - My attempt to get back into my 20's and write a punk/pop song. I hear loud, crunchy guitars like Green Day or Stiff Little Fingers. I wanted to write something with a twist as it fits the style - "I want you...I want you to forget about me." I got the idea from Lit's "Miserable". Glad I'm not 25 living through this!
Chance Meeting - I'm always rushing to the bus after work and occasionally pass some friends that I've formerly worked with or other acquaintances. I never have time to do more than wave or exchange a quick "hello" because of the rush for the bus, so this is the fictional story of a meeting that never happened - and won't because it doesn't refer to anyone in particular. This is partially a product of listening to too much Ryan Adams.
Your Valentine - I've wanted for years to write a Valentine's Day song for Deirdre and I finally did it. Isabel made some catalytic comments that allowed for me to get the right perspective and finally write the song as a Valentine's Day gift. I'm very happy with the result. I added blues harp on June 1, 2003, and played it at my friends' wedding on July 19, 2003.
America in Black and White - Another political song that challenges a lot of the simplistic sloganeering that we're hearing these days. People have gotten very comfortable with binary choices, so much so in certain cases that maybe they'd be better off being computers. I hope not, although some need a wake up call.
Who Ya Gonna Trust - Commentary on problems on Wall Street and White House regarding credibility and trust. I started this song back in October 2002 and finally finished it in February 2003. I struggled with the melody immensely until I ditched the original music and wrote something else. It was essentially the result of the collision of two ideas. Boom.
Ninety-Nine - A simple classic Americana song that could either be about a train or a girl. My English teacher would say that it was a fine use of metaphor. Do you hear a snare drum shuffling in the background, or is it my ears acting up again?
All That Matters - I started writing "She's An Angel" on the bus one afternoon and was going to continue it the next morning, but I couldn't remember the melody so I wrote this song. It's for my wife, Deirdre...that's all that matters.
She's An Angel - Deirdre is convinced that this song is about a hottie on the bus, but if she ever rode the 76, she'd know this isn't so. I actually wrote most of this on the 41, which is probably even worse. It's really a song that I should have written when I was 22 - a simple rock song about a daydreaming guy, nothing else. It's a counterpart to "She Doesn't Have Me".
Was It You - Drew introduced me to the music of Jason Mraz in early April and I took the first three words from the first song on his album and turned into my own song about unconditional, rock-solid friendship.
She Doesn't Have Me - Material Girl vs. True-To-Life Boy. Boy kind of wants girl but decides against her in the end. He's better off finding a more suitable match, anyway.
A Fairy Tale - A broken hearted song about a poor young girl who doesn't find what she wants in life, but I think she doesn't give up. I'm not sure the melody is unique - I wrote this after playing with my friend Rick Smith and I think one of his melodies stuck in my head. Rick, if the melody is yours, please forgive me and let's share the songwriting credits!
Once Upon A Time - I guess I've read too many children's books recently and had "Once upon a time..." stuck in my head, then messed it up with a "Broken Dreams" kind of treatment. I thought long and hard about writing a second version of this song with a more positive bent but couldn't get out of the pensive state. Once again, this is another piece of fiction.
My Birthday Yes, Happy No - Rick once wrote a song titled "All Alone On Christmas". This is the same thing only on a different occasion. I find it difficult to write cliché songs for common occasions. It's much easier to write about something that's gone wrong.
Sister Teresa - A couple of years ago while riding the NYC subway, someone was passing out fliers for a southern spiritualist who was "doubly-guaranteed" to solve all problems. This song was begging to be written and I finally got to it.
The Spirit Of The King - the last in a trilogy of my Elvis phenomenon songs, this is about Elvis impersonators, inspired by a sign that I saw at the Stardust Hotel. Nowadays, to "impersonate" Elvis, one doesn't need to look like him (I've seen black, Asian, blonde Elvii) or sound like him.
Blue Daddy - I have a clothing tag taped in my journal from a few years back that reads "BLUE/DADDY" with a note under it "Deirdre says I should write a song called 'Blue Daddy'" - so I did.
That Side Of Me - It's about the private vs. public persona that people carry. Not bad, not about me or anyone in particular, just an observation. I just find it easier to write in the first person. Someday I will write a good character narrative, but this isn't it.
Earlier
I Could Fall (2002) - This is a solo acoustic version of the song I recorded in Jared's studio in late 2002. I played it at a wedding in Germany in October 2004 and wanted to recapture the arrangement from the live performance This is similar to the Trillium Lane version without all the "extra" instruments.
I Could Fall (Alternate) (2002) - This is a solo acoustic version of the song I recorded in Jared's studio in late 2002. I frequently try different arrangements and versions of my songs as part of an experimentation process.
The Long Road (2002) - I've been playing with this song in preparation for recording it with a full band. Again, I made a solo acoustic recording of this at Jared's a few days after I wrote it in November 2002.
Oh, Montana! (1996) - This is a song I wrote for The Swine after the Freemen and Unabomber made the news in the same month. I still enjoy playing this from time to time although the topical nature of the song dates it.
Shoot Dan Quayle (1989) - I wrote this song while playing with Reckless X. We always meant to record it as a band but broke up before we had the chance. It was inspired by a joke told by Massachusetts Senator John Kerry (a 2004 Democratic presidential candidate) on November 16, 1988: "Somebody told me the other day that the Secret Service has orders that if George (H.W.) Bush is shot, they're to shoot Quayle." I took it and ran with it.
The End of Time (1990) - I used to get the week between Christmas and New Years off and traditionally would write a song on December 31st while Deirdre was at work. She left to go to work this morning and I took the "leaving" idea, the "end of time" from the end of the year, and came up with this love song.
The Great Escape (1990) - I was listening to Steve Earle's "Week of Living Dangerously" and something similar by John Hiatt and came up with this.
Last Night (1994) - A Friday night and Saturday afternoon of wandering the French Quarter in New Orleans led me to write this. I had heard so much 12-bar blues and A-A-B traditional blues vocal phrasing that I had to write one myself. I wanted to do this since 1989 when I saw Blind Bryan Lee play an incredible blues set at the Old Absinthe House Bar on Bourbon, before it turned into a slushy drink bar in 1998.
Two-Faced Jack (1990) - I resurrected a song I wrote in 1990 about liars. I think this song has weathered the time pretty well so I'll consider recording it with a band. This is recorded with my small-body 1967 Gibson LG-0 instead of the 1996 Gibson J-100 Xtra southern jumbo that was used on the rest of the songs in the basement.