Latest Posts

The Tiniest Miracle

December 8, 2007

My beautiful chair broke a couple of months ago during an all nighter. I’d been working about  20 hours straight and leaned back. Boom. The rail that holds the back to the bottom broke flinging me backwards and skinning my knee on the underside of my desktop. Very dignified. Well, well.

I’ve been keeping the carcass behind my studio desk for no particular reason other than it hurts so much to part with a dear friend that doesn’t hurt my back even after many hours sitting on it. Some people made cracks about my pakrat behavior.

Lo and behold. Jerry Witt, owner of Motion City Films, and the man from whom I sublet my studio threw away a chair. I saw it in the trash bin. Looked twice. Could it be? Yes, I, a professional music producer, dumpster dived and fished it out. The part is a perfect match! Yay! I really love my chair. The arms aren’t a perfect match (see below). Now it has character. You can take the boy out of Tennessee but you can’t take the Tennessee out of the boy.

Happy Sitting

.chairfixed.jpg

Saturday

,

Songfight

December 7, 2007

This website, Songfight puts up a new songtitle every week (I think) and participants each write a song based on that title. Think I’ll give it a try. The new title is up – Just To Be Difficult. Due Fri the 14th. It’ll be a Wednesday’s Song, too. Oh yeah, the winner doesn’t get any prize, just satisfaction. It’s a pretty lively group over there.

Friday

Happy Holidays

December 5, 2007

It’s a holiday song. Snow and misteltoe. There’s some ukelele and sleigh bells in there, too. Oh yeah, I also play a trombone solo. It’s the real thing. My mama bought me that horn when I went off the college to get the music knowledge. I wrote that song from my own lonesome heart. It’s also podsafe for you podcasters out there.

sleighbellsanddrums.jpgphoto by Natasha Blasick

All I Want From Santa

I’ve been living on memories
Of how it used to be
I’d hold you in my arms so tight
On the cold December nights
All this work just to pay the bills
From so far across the hills
I’m stuck inside by the year’s first snow
With nowhere I can go

Hey, hey, hey Santa Clause
Whatcha got in that sleigh
Ho, Ho, Ho I wish it was
Someone that I know

All I want from Santa
All I need from Santa
All I want from Santa is you

When I get home we’ll decorate the tree
We’ll stoke the fire until it’s warm inside
On Christmas Eve I’ll get down on one knee
I’ll open my heart so wide
This love I cannot hide

Hey, hey, hey Santa Clause
Whatcha got in that sleigh
Ho, Ho, Ho I wish it was
Someone that I know

All I want from Santa
All I need from Santa
All I want from Santa is you

Wednesday

, ,

CD Pressing

December 4, 2007

My buddy Robert Oriol and I have a side project called Gymrattz where we create cardio workout CD’s. It’s an entreprenuerial endeavor. So we got volume 2 delivered. Clicks and pops in a few spaces. Arghh. Even worse after investigating, it’s my own stinking fault because it was on the duplication master that I made. If I’d listened on headphones as I’m supposed to I would have caught it. I’ll tell ya. There’s never been a smooth pressing on any release I’ve been involved with. It’s a musician’s quagmire. Anyway, this one hurts cause if I’d spent an hour on headphones it would have save precious time and money.

Lesson: always preview your duplication master before sending it out to pressing.

Tuesday

,

Studio Coma

December 3, 2007

It’s a good feeling knowing the next song is in the can. Last night I stayed up pretty late and finished a couple of days early. Yay!

House concerts are on my mind. I wanna play ’em. I listened to the cdbaby podcast about them and thought that sounds really fun. Maybe I’ll start making some acoustic Wednesday’s Songs so it sounds a little closer to that vibe. Idle thoughts. That’s what happens when you spend too much time in a room with no windows. I call it the studio coma.

Monday

Jake Coco

December 2, 2007

I want to plug singer/songwriter Jake Coco. He’s a super talented artist who I had the pleasure of producing back in August. His upcoming album is called Re-Defining Love. Jake was so easy going and positive in the studio; spontaneous even though the songs were already written. His method of working is what got me to write It’s Already Started. Musicmaking should be fun right? Some people are known to say there’s no good music anymore. Well, Jake’s CD will provide evidence to the contrary. btw If I sound like a commercial in this post it’s OK because this old dog learned a few tricks from this much younger artist.

Sunday

, ,

Remix Baby

December 1, 2007

“And What Is Love” gets a new life having been remixed by my buddy Josh Christofferson. He’s a screenwriter who rocks it up with some roughed up electric guitars. It’s a gas to hear it. Find it on the From You page.

If you’re looking to invest a few million in a movie, contact Josh.

Saturday

Depression Wins

November 30, 2007

I couldn’t in good conscience put up a holiday song before it’s actually December. The early Santas kinda bug me. So that’s why I’m putting “It’s Already Started” up this week. It’s really not depressing. Metaphysical. Depak Chopra’s new video has been replaying in my head. Metaphysics are a new way of looking at the same thing, at least for me. The thing that stuck in my brain is the idea that success should be natural and easy. The water always flows downhill following the simplist path moving with, rather than against, nature. Next week’s holiday fun should be posted in time because it’s already started. Get it? It’s Already Started.

It’s Already Started

I couldn’t let go
I can’t seem to hold on
The light turned green
Six or seven times the horns are blowings
I say to myself
Things are going to pick up real soon
I say to myself
Tomorrow’s gonna bring an end to this gloom

It’s already started
The game is in play
It’s already started
Tomorrow’s been set by yesterday

I try to break free
I keep going in circles
Each time around
I see the ways I misinterpret
I cast the first die
Set this train in motion in the rain
I look for the blame because I don’t
Want to hear my own name

Sometimes I get crazy
Sometimes I want to break everything I own
Sometimes I’ve got to fake my way
Just to make it through an ordinary day

It’s already started
The game is in play
It’s already started
Tomorrow’s been set by yesterday

Wednesday

, , , ,

Christmas vrs. Depression

November 27, 2007

I’m torn. I’ve got a metaphysical song almost done. But I wrote a note to the cdbaby podcast thanking them for their great shows. They wrote back and asked if I’ve got a holiday tune beacuse it might make it into their next podcast. The stuff of dreams. Podcast glory. So do I crank out the holiday number tonight and push the metaphysics back a week? Or do I stay the course and do the holiday song next week and risk missing out on my chance at rubbing shoulders with the intelligentsia of cdbaby?

Stay tuned to As The Hard Drive Spins….

Tuesday

, , , , , ,

%d bloggers like this: