I was in the audience at the festival last year and had a blast. This year, they’ve added a second stage and booked more acts, so come on out and listen to some great music. And me.

Be sure to check out the festival website at http://metamoramusic.pbworks.com

Information about Metamora can be found at http://www.metamoraindiana.com

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!

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.