New CD in Progress
Work has begun on my first CD. This will be a collection of traditional Celtic music with one or two original songs. I had also considered recording a couple of cover songs, but after giving it some thought, I decided that if I was going to pay royalties, I’d prefer to pay them to someone I have a connection to. With that in mind, I put the word out to the Dayton/Cincinnati Songwriters Workshop and the Just Plain Folks forums that I am looking for new, original Celtic-style music.
This has given me an entirely new perspective on the music industry. On some of the on-line forums, it’s common to hear songwriters complain that their material is as good or better than what is being cut by the major artists. I used to think this was just sour grapes, but that may not be the case. I have had to turn down some very well written songs.
Not all of the songs submitted were great. Some were quite bad. Others were good, but weren’t really Celtic. So far, I have placed three “on hold”. (Do I sound like an industry big wig now?) These I will record and see how they turn out and how they fit with the rest of the album.
The real surprise has been how many excellent songs I have had to turn down. Some were rejected because they were too similar to other songs I have already chosen or they just don’t fit with the theme of the album. A couple were turned down because I don’t think I could do them justice. I have more of a rough, folksy kind of voice, and I think those songs would work better with a smoother, more polished sound.
I’ve only had a dozen or so songs submitted and it has already been somewhat daunting. I can’t imagine what a major artist has to go through, wading through hundreds or thousands of songs, with hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars on the line. The pressure must be overwhelming.
Fortunately for me, my project is on a much smaller scale, and no one’s career is on the line. My goal is simply to make something available that will put a smile on the face of whoever listens. I think I can pull that off!
FAWM Recap
Well, FAWM is over and while I didn’t meet my goal, I still count it as a success. FAWM, February Album Writing Month ( www.fawm.org ), encourages writers to write 14 songs during the month of February. I wrote four. All four were in different genres. Number one was “My Muse Done Left Me”, a blues tune about not being able to write a song. I broke a longstanding personal rule for song number two and did a love song, “Now ‘Til the End of Time”, the first love song I have written since I was in high school. It was composed and performed on piano. I ventured into rap for song number three, “My Life in Rap”. I actually came up with the melody and chords for song number four on the first day of FAWM. With just a couple of hours to go before the end of FAWM, I still didn’t have the lyrics but since the powers that be allow lyrics-only works to be counted, I went ahead an uploaded it with the working title of “Memories of You”.
I have particularly high hopes for that last song. The melody is catchy and it has a strong pop/folk feel. I did a very quick recording of the song with guitar, drums, and vocals singing “doo-doo-doos” in place of lyrics, and I find myself listening to it over and over. Call me naive, but this one could be a hit.
The hardest part of FAWM was trying to turn off my inner-editor. It should have been easy to come up with one song every other day, but I found myself abandoning ideas after only penning a few lines. They say that writing every day leads to improvement, which makes sense, but I feel that if a song can’t keep the writer’s interest, why should I expect it to capture a listener’s interest. It just seems like a waste of energy.
For March, I hope to finish “Memories of You”. The title will likely change. I also would like to write at least one song each week. My big emphasis for March will be to learn more about my multi-track recorder. I have a Boss BR-600 which is an amazing machine, but the learning curve is pretty high (and I have a degree in Broadcast Production Technology!) I also need to get to work on recording a CD, but that is really dependent upon learning the ins and outs of the equipment.
I Need New Songs
I have been attending the N.S.A.I. (Nashville Songwriters Association International) workshop in Dayton, Ohio for about nine years. There are some incredibly talented writers there. In fact, I rarely attend when I don’t hear at least one or two songs that are far better than anything I hear on the radio. It’s a great community and everyone is very supportive of each other.
Sadly, during that period I have gone for extremely long periods without writing anything. It has been stressed that a songwriter should set a regular time for writing. I’ve tried it and the results have always seemed, well, mechanical and uninspired. I normally don’t let that bother me because I have always thought of myself as more of a folk singer and re interpreter of traditional Celtic music. However, at this time I am starting to feel a little frustrated. You see, I am getting ready to record a CD. I’ve thought about this for some time, and I always figured my first CD would be a collection of traditional songs. That was fine until last week when I dusted off an old song of mine, “Going Back to Avalon”, to use as my song of the week.
My daughter Caitlin one time asked me what was my favorite of all the songs I’ve written. I put on a serious face and said, “Asking a songwriter to pick the favorite of his songs is like asking a father to pick the favorite of his children…which of course would be your brother, Chris.” Of course, I really don’t have a favorite kid, but “Avalon” is my favorite song I’ve written so far.
Anyway, I’ve decided to include “Going Back to Avalon” on the CD, probably as the title cut. Having made that decision, I would like to include more original music as well as some new arrangements of the traditional stuff. Unfortunately, none of my other attempts at writing in that genre are close to being good enough. Therefore, I really have to make the time to sit down and write. I don’t hate to write. In fact, I love to write, but I do hate having to write.
I greatly admire songwriter Andy M. Stewart, who penned such songs as “Queen of Argyle” and “The Fisherman’s Lament”. Stewart was the singer for the Scots folk band Silly Wizard, and he possesses a rare talent. He can write a new song that sounds like it is hundreds of years old. When I make the attempt to write an “old” song, the result can best be described as “cheesy”. My plan for now is to take some time, inundate myself with some great old Celtic music, and see what I can come up with.
-Kevin
