“Where You Been, Mister?”

November 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

This month’s free download is “Where You Been, Mister?” (Share it wiff yo friends!)

 

 

Here’s the deal: this is a song I wrote with the amazing Mr. Brad Swanson. He’s a musical dynamo and I’m beyond proud to call him my friend. I wish I could tell you more about it, but the truth is, it was just something we were trying to accomplish. In the end, we succeeded. I like the song, but really, how boring is that story?

 

Otherwise, it’s November. On the surface, that may seem insignificant. But dig a little and it’s super-exciting. Here in America, there’s voting and Thanksgiving. On the one hand, I get to practice being a citizen of democracy. On the other hand, I get to pass out from over-turkey-ing. What’s not to love about this month?

 

(On another hand – for those of us with 3 hands – there’s the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. I won’t pretend to know what any of that must feel like, for I truly cannot imagine. I can only send prayers to those in need. And be grateful my friend Winfield is safe as she rides out the recovery. I hope her power is restored soon!)

 

Anyhoo… Seriously, I love November. I may be failing to express my devotion, but this month is tops for me. And I encourage you to dig in to this month of civics, gratitude and autumn. And really, if we’re alive and at all well, aren’t we blessed – in one way or another? Yes. Yes, we are.

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“Things Become Extinct”

October 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

This month’s free download is “Things Become Extinct.”

 

 

It started with a title.

 

I began by listing friends and places that were no more. I think I was feeling sad. Or old. I don’t remember which. But then I started wondering: what else is gone that once was?

 

Opening that box exposed an endless list of extinct people / places / animals / things / experiences. I learned a lot, to be sure. (Felix Adler? “The King of Clowns”) But the most resonant list entries are the personal ones. (Tony Johnson? He was the coolest.) Compiling that list was a heavy task. All the same, it’s good to remember. And bittersweet memories aren’t all bitter. The sweet – well, the sweet matters. A lot.

 

When it came to recording, I was fortunate enough to have Mr. Dan Navarro come in and lay down some of my favorite vocal tracks ever. He was such a sweetheart, too, and wasn’t at all phased when I asked him to try completely crazy ideas. Because he was game, I was able to produce this song in a manner I had only dreamed. The vocal “round” at the song’s end is – for me – one of the highlights of this CD.

 

You never can tell from where inspiration might hale. In this instance, it was a title. And that title moved me to dig deep within, as well as without. For what it’s worth, “Things Become Extinct” is still a personal song for me. To this day, I lament the loss of so many people, places and things. But that’s just a part of life, isn’t it?

 

Yes. Yes it is.

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“Heartbreak Hotel” and Something Completely Different

September 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

 

I’m up to the seventh track on Love & Honesty. And that song is “Heartbreak Hotel.”

 

Yes, this is that “Heartbreak Hotel.” No, it sounds nothing like his version. My version is haunting. Slow. It is, I feel, reflective of the song’s lyrics.

 

Because I didn’t write this and I’ve only licensed the song, I’m not offering it as a free download this month. But don’t cry tears in your beer just yet! I encourage you to head on over to Amazon, CDBaby or iTunes and give it a brief listen. If it speaks to you, buy the durned thang!

 

Still, haven’t we had a lovely free-download-thing going, lo these many months? And free is good, no? Yes! So I’m offering up something you can ONLY get here. It isn’t on any CDs. Folks, it isn’t available elsewhere in the known universe. (How’s that for fancy!) It’s called “Will You Stand For Me?” and its inception was a bit odd…

 

Several years ago, “American Idol” called on songwriters to pen what would end up being sung by that season’s winner on the show’s finale. Mister encouraged me to give it a shot, so I locked myself in a room for a while and came up with “Will You Stand For Me?” Then I threw my tune into the ring, along with about a jillion other songwriters. Alas, I did not rank. At all. Not even a little bit. And this song went unheard – until now.

 

It was an interesting exercise, writing this. And I enjoyed producing the recording. It’s a simple and rough demo, to be sure. But there’s something about it that makes me happy. I can’t put my finger on it, nor my eardrums for that matter, but it’s there. I hope you like it, too. And I hope you tell all your friends, pets, family, neighbors and others to download it for themselves.

 

Not necessarily in that order, of course. But you knew that.

 

By the way, happy September.

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“You’re Not The One”

August 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

 

Before you cue the violins, let me tell you the inspiration for “You’re Not The One” - this month’s free download…

 

I happen to know someone who freaks out a bit when the sun is super-bright. And when those little, um, moments occur, she curses the sun. Out loud. The sun. The giver of all life. It’s pretty danged funny to hear someone cursing the sun. And it’s not something I’ve ever heard elsewhere.

 

I was moved to write something about those curses, so I teamed up with LSDynamite and we wrote this song together. “You’re Not The One” is an Americana romp, full of energy and big-time vibe. I love the grit. I love the groove. I love the song.

 

Just remember – it ain’t really about me, folks. It’s just a good time. And I’ll take a good-time-song any time I can get it.

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“My Heart Is Breaking”

July 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

This month’s free single from Love & Honesty is “My Heart is Breaking.”

 

 

I recently watched “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” a film starring Tilda Swinton. I love Tilda. She’s the reason I wanted to see this movie. I figured it would be worth it, just for her acting.

 

I was so unprepared. The movie deals with a kid who commits heinous violence and the resulting repercussions. (It’s bigger than that sentence, actually.) It sat right on my shoulder for a few days after I watched it. And I desperately wanted it to go away. Without meaning to, it reminded me of my song, “My Heart is Breaking.”

 

On April 20, 1999, my morning was spent at an automotive repair shop’s waiting area. I knew I would be there a while, so I had come prepared: I had a book, a magazine and a notebook with me. If the book wasn’t doing it, I could switch to the mag. If the magazine bored me, I could write. I figured I’d be able to ride out the service appointment, no matter how long it took.

 

At some point, I looked up at the muted television screen in the waiting area. Something terrible was going on. I read the transcript of what was being said and realized a school massacre was taking place – live – in Columbine, Colorado.

 

My heart sank. I didn’t notice my quiet tears.  I didn’t notice if anyone else was aware of the news story, or if they were affected. I only knew how I felt. Unable to watch any more of the devastation, I grabbed my notebook and started writing, “It’s too familiar, this rocky terrain…” I wrote every word of “My Heart Is Breaking” while sitting at that auto repair shop. And to this day, I can still see that room and recall the heaviness of that morning.

 

When it came time to produce the song, I knew I wanted the music to oppose the lyrics’ pain. That’s where the vibe came from, and that’s why this song, according to some, lacks musical prosody.

 

I’m okay with that. Because no matter how upbeat the song may sound, I know from whence it came. Those words were borne from true heartbreak. And no matter how long I walk this earth, I will never understand why a human soul chooses to harm another. My heart is breaking now, just thinking of it.

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“Devil A Ride”

June 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

This month’s free download from Love & Honesty is “Devil A Ride“…

 

 

Somewhere outside Las Vegas, heading south on I-15, there’s a sign that reads “Prison Area – Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers.”

 

Mister and I were driving to Vegas from Denver. It had been a long day, and the last shift behind the wheel belonged to me. We passed that sign and the creative gears started spinning. The freeway became a dusty, desolate desert road. Our modern auto became an old, beat-up Plymouth. With fins. AM radio. No a/c.

 

It was a visual experience, and the soundtrack was immediate: “Sign says, ‘No Hitchhiking,’ but you don’t pay it any heed…”

 

I asked Mister to grab my notebook and write down some lines for me. He found an envelope. It would have to do. And it did.

 

It’s hard for me to tell you how much I care for this song. Maybe it’s because I’d had the line “If you give the devil a ride, you can be damn sure he’s gonna wanna drive” in my back pocket for a few years. Maybe it’s because the writing was such a visual experience. Maybe it’s because it was the first recording I ever produced solo.

 

Whatever the reason, I love this song. It’s dark. It’s sticky. It’s ominous. And it’s true. We can’t give control to someone we don’t trust, then expect to wrest that power back. Life doesn’t work that way. We need to trust our instincts. Our guts. Always.

 

Once, a few years before writing this song, my old car was acting up and in need of a specific part. It was still running, but I had a mechanic looking for that part as it wasn’t gonna hold much longer. Anyway, I had just parked the old gal at Starbucks and was walking in when a handsome, well-dressed dude approached me. He said he liked my car and asked the usual questions (year, miles, etc.). He then told me he had an old car like mine up on blocks, that he used for selling parts. He said I should give him my number, so that he could check in, in case I ever needed something. I said I was switching phones (yeah, right), and that I’d happily take his number. He pulled out a card and gave it to me, and he shook my hand in the process. Friends, it was a “Dead Zone” moment: during the shaking of his hand, I felt extreme darkness and fear in the very center of my body. He let go of my hand, smiled and walked away.

 

I turned and went into the store and immediately tossed his card in the nearest garbage bin. On that day, the devil walked.

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“Love & Honesty”

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

 

This month’s free single from Love & Honesty is, well, “Love & Honesty.” (Here’s the link, yo.)

 

When my first CD came out, a lot of the feedback I received was from folks who thought I had really been done wrong. More than one person’s comments centered around the assumption that some man (or some men) had mistreated me in the worst way. And though no one said it, I imagine a few of those comments were aimed (unfairly) at Mister.

 

Here’s the deal, folks: I’ve written exactly one song about Mister. That song is “Love & Honesty.” This is its tale…

 

I was obsessed with “The Story,” written by Phil Hanseroth and recorded by Brandi Carlile. I couldn’t get the melody out of my head, and I really dug the idea of the lyrics’ appreciation for someone. For loving someone and the feeling of belonging with someone. My song-obsession ran on and on, and I knew I needed to get that audio-monkey off my back. The only solution I could come up with was to write my own love song. So I did.

 

My song is about Joy. Respect. Gratitude. Relationships are crazy-wavy rides. When we’re lucky, there are more crazy-wavy highs than lows. And when we’re really lucky, we get to ride alongside someone who loves us more than butter. Someone we love more than butter. And bacon. On a biscuit. With cheese. That’s what I tried to write about. The Love. The Honesty.

 

I hope you like the song, and I hope you’ll forward the link to every flippin’ person you know, as it deserves to be heard. “Love & Honesty” is a positive, light-filled endorsement of being loved for exactly who we are. And butter, bacon, cheese biscuits ain’t got nothing on that. Hallelujah!

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