Harshing My (Muse)Mellow

I tell you I can't get anything done, what with all this fa-la-la and ho-ho-ho and Black Friday and Cyber Monday and only 25 shopping days till Xmas, and consumption of mass quantities of various celebratory spirits,  and Christmas music (which I happen to love, by the way, but could someone please tell the local radio stations to UPDATE THEIR PLAYLISTS?). And while I'm winging the shoulderblade of Christmas music, I must add that the absolute worst, most horrible, most annoying Christmas song ever is that damned Hippopotamus song............and then of course there is my family's annual debate over whether Burl Ives is a loveable Christmas icon or a soul-bleaching, ear-burning old coot. It's all very draining and there's no room left for creativity.

I have songs to write, songs to finish, songs to start. I have songs coming in from some astral plane that are knocking at my door and if I don't answer it, they are going to just schmutz into vapor and dissipate.

The holidays are harshing my Muse-mellow

Turning my brain to marshmallow

With their salads made of fruit-jello

And incessant songs of jingle bello

The holidays kill my creative process

While dashing thru the snow with hosses

Shopping out among the mosses

I become a little crosses

I need a quite place to thinkle

The holidays make me want to drinkle

I settle for cookie topped with sprinkle

And leave a couple for kris krinkle

Do You Bring It?

Do you bring the emotion?

As a performing songwriter, there are many aspects that go into putting a song out there for human consumption.  There is the crafting of lyrics and a melody that will successfully communicate your ideas. Then there is learning to play the song -- so that eventually you know it well enough that you have eliminated all the outbursts of swearing --  and the hands and brain can switch to autopilot. This allows you to concentrate on the effective delivery of the song to the listener.  

To prepare for recording, I worked really hard on getting the songs ingrained in my head. And then there was the matter of EMOTION. Bringing emotion to the words and conveying the intent of the song is something that my producer, Gary Beard, repeatedly stressed to me as we prepared for this trip. At times, I find that the technical aspects of delivery can cause me to hover just above surface of the song instead of plunging in and immersing myself. I have to stop and reconnect with the words.  



Kenny Royster

Our final day of the Nashville trip was spent in the studio, hanging out while Kenny worked on the mix, giving our input when necessary, and basically, being present for the process. In more than one place in his studio, you will see the word EMOTION written in all caps on a piece of paper and taped up where it is readily visible. It’s posted in the booth where I recorded my vocals, too. Kenny remarked that he can do a lot of wonderful things with a recording, but he can’t bring the emotion to it.  

Ah yes - the universal circle of emotion-expression-art-emotion. I must remember that.  





I Fall Off the Wagon: Nashville Day 2

You don’t know how long I have gone without making chocolate a part of my everyday life. There was a time, my friends, when I required daily chocolate. I even convinced myself that it was “good for me” and “medicinal” and “if the good Lord hadn’t intended women to eat chocolate he wouldn’t have created PMS” and many other such rationalizations.

About a year ago, I turned a deaf ear to my fattening friend, and, except for an occasional flourless chocolate torte after a nice dinner out, we haven’t had much contact. But on the first night in Nashville, during a quick stop at a Walgreens, I just wigged out and bought a bag of Dove milk chocolates – the ones with the little affirmations printed inside the wrapper. And so it began....

We would devote the studio time on Tuesday to mixing, recording background vocals, and laying down some special acoustic guitar tracks.  I was so happy and grateful to be able to be present for all of this. And I was also a little giddy. Monday had been the hard work day for me – singing the scratch vocals and laying down the vocal tracks – I pretty much sang all day. But on Tuesday, although my input was going to be required, I wasn't going to be doing much singing.

We worked all morning and that stretched into afternoon, and we didn’t really stop for lunch. Thankfully, I had tucked the bag of chocolates into my backpack, and every time I started to feel like I was dragging, I would grab another cup of coffee and some chocolate. And the chocolate would reward me with little messages inside the wrapper, like, "Smile" and "Believe in Yourself" and "You Are Special" and "Don't Let Anyone Give You Any Crap About Eating Chocolate." And it was good.

Hearing the background vocals being added was so gratifying. It really made the project begin to come to life. Then in the evening, the acoustic guitarist, John Willis, returned to lay down a very special set of acoustic tracks. I'll have more to share about this in another blog.  

It was close to 9 pm when we finished on Tuesday night. But due to my steady intake of coffee and chocolate all day, I was wide awake until almost 1 am. I had some microwave popcorn and some more chocolate. Luckily, I was getting close to running out of chocolate.

Tania Hancheroft, Background Vocals

The amazing John Willis, Acoustic Guitar

Senor Coffee Pot - my partner in crime

I Avoid the Use of "VOX" In My Posts

There’s a movement out there, it’s a grass roots thing. A murmur. An undercurrent of dissention. It’s  similar to the backlash against using “Xmas” in place of the word “Christmas” (though not driven by the same principles, at all).  People – some people – really hate it when they see the term “vox” used in place of the word “vocals.”

Probably once upon a time, this was the cool thing to do. But I tell you it’s just not hip any more! And you know, as the years pass, it is harder and harder to hold on to any hint of hipness (we all know why – I’m not goin’ there today).  I must not tempt the gods of Hipnosity!

I actually never used the term “vox” anyway. For years, I didn’t even know what it meant. I thought it was an instrument someone was playing, as in “hey, who is playing the vox on that record?” Then somewhere along the way, I figured it out, all by myself. Lately, I've noticed hateful comments about the use of the word/term.  Typical. Just about the time when I get a handle on something, somebody goes and declares it passé.

Hipness is elusive.  It is a quality that some possess, but others do not, for no apparent reason. Hipness is like some sort of heavy vapor that clings to your clothing and wafts after you as you pass by. But you are not aware of it. You just are. Hip. If you are.

So, no “vox” in my Nashville posts, I vow. I am, however, quite lazy and I plan to continue to use the word “XMAS” no matter how many people it pisses off.

Comments: Keep Those Cards and Letters Comin' Folks!

Although I've successfully posted other blogs, for some reason, I can NOT get this blog to let me post a reply comment on your comments! This will require research, probably hours into the night.

Alas, I suspect that for the next few nights after returning home, I shall be sleeping like a baby, with visions of sugarplums - or more likely Dove milk chocolates - dancing in my head. Rest assured, my bloglodites, this issue will be resolved!
Until then, please know that I'm reading them and loving them.


FTHB, your comment on my use of the word "gangrenous" produced a spray of coffee from my lips this morning. Well done, sister!!


- LL

Hard at work in the studio

GO TIME!

You can think about it, talk about it, dream about it. In the end, you just have to go do it.

GO time in Nashville.

With input from Gary Beard, my producer,  I chose to record at Kenny Royster's studio --  it’s a small, intimate setting and I felt I would be comfortable there. Plus, Gary had worked with Kenny before, and that brought a certain comfort level from the start.

Our first session-  recording the tracks (music) that would go along with the vocals-  started at 10 am. I allowed myself one final round of nerves at breakfast. Who would love my children? My little songs – my babies – would these guys take them and love them and make them something I could still recognize afterward?

I was counting on Gary to bring his knowledge and his ear to the project, and help keep this train from derailing, sending car after car plummeting over the cliff, along with me and all my "children."

Okay,  that’s an extreme analogy. I wasn’t that worried. I didn't foresee disaster. I just really wanted the best for my songs, the hour was at hand, and I had one shot to get what I wanted. It made me jittery.

The basic process goes like this:

Everyone listens to the work tape (the songwriter’s rendition of the song, very basic version – in my case, a recording of guitar and vocal).

Everyone talks about what they are going to play, what they think would sound right, etc.

Everyone disappears into a booth or room at this point (including me)

Everybody can hear everyone else thru headphones

They start playing and I sing the song to record a vocal (I would record the final version later).

Everyone listens, and we see what works and what doesn’t and  go from there.

Repeat until as close to perfectly awesome as possible

In this case, I’m happy to say that we came away with 3 stunning tracks and 3 great vocal recordings. Oh, but we weren’t finished. That was only Day 1.  


At the beginning of the session - Jon, Dennis & Dennis: Guitar, Drums, Keyboard




Kenny Royster





Big pile of guitars

Pretending to have a clue

Gary Beard - Producer




 

Sunday Night in Crashville: Everybody Plays, Everybody Sings

It wasn't long after arrival and check-in at the hotel in Nashville that it was time to find dinner and then catch some kind of live music. Gary told me that in Nashville, "everybody sings, everybody plays" - and it surely is true. Due to the fact that the lines at the historic Bluebird Cafe were out the door, we opted for the songwriter showcase at the Holiday Inn.  

I found the sound system to be outstanding. The songwriters had varying degrees of fabulosity. In the first set were 3 very talented songwriters - a younger guy with a trendy, touseled hairdo ( I call it "The Nashville Look" because I have observed it with some frequency here), a Taylor Swift-ette, and  a seasoned songwriter who obviously felt he was beyond introductions, since he wore his hat low so that it mostly hid his face. He was more of a "this-is-a-song-I-wrote-back-when-with-billy-bob-jim-john-jones-that-was-cut-by-merle-haggard-right-before-he-decided-to-disinclude-it-from-his-historic-award-winning-record-but-I-forgive-anyway"  kind of guy.

In the next set, the songwriting sort of tapered off. One guy sang a sort of redneck song about a knife carrying gal who was just apparently really tough, with the chorus ending "She's hell's bells."  The next guy had a song that went something like, "Yadda yadda yadda - I don't know what to do-o-o-o, Yadda yadda yadda - I'm in love with you-u-uu." Or something like that.  God knows I celebrate creativity wherever I find it! GOD knows this! You may not know it, but I tell you, it is known -- so let's say the writing prompted a religious moment, in that context.

Making the evening interesting (for me) was a dude who was walking around looking like a pirate, complete with tricorn hat. Does this happen to anyone besides me? I decided I wanted to take a picture but - like a phantom clipper ship - he kept drifting in and out of sight. Finally, I asked him to take a picture with me, because it's just not every day that you get a photo op with a free agent pirate. 

It should be noted here that HE said he was dressed as a Civil War soldier.  "Uh, no. I don't think so. Not so much." That's what I wanted to say, but you just don't argue with a stranger dressed like a pirate. I mean......would you?

And anyway, I needed to get ready for a full day of recording on Monday. So while Nashville played and sang... I slept.

Yes, I Have Doubts

Daylight and coffee always make things look better.

I woke up at 1 am last night, filled with thoughts of doubt and reasons why I was obviously crazy for deciding to record my songs in a Nashville studio with strangers, no less. I mean, who just decides to go and do something like this? Who am I to think this is necessary? I'm taking time off of work, leaving my family,  and spending a lot of money to make this happen, all in the name of my "art."

In addition, I cut the tip of my pinkie finger yesterday with a big knife, and at the time it seemed like more of an annoyance than anything. But it bled profusely and I had to keep it bandaged pretty tightly all day. At 1 am, while I was assailed with doubts about my upcoming trip, that little sucker was throbbing. I found myself doing mental calculations about how I could fit in a trip to Urgent Care in the morning. A full-blown emergency room visit was definitely out - everyone knows it takes hours, and I would miss my flight. If I didn't have someone look at it, would the tip of my pinkie lose its connection with the rest of the finger and become gangrenous? Is "gangrenous" a word? When was my last tetanus shot? What if I went all the way to Nashville, assembled a studio full of musicians and then came down with lockjaw? Do people still get lockjaw? Is this an omen - a sign that what I am getting ready to do is just nuts?

I'm sporadically reading a book about following your creative path. The author says that doubts like this are just ways we put up blocks because we're afraid to go forward and -- take that leap. I have to say, at 1 am, that wisdom just doesn't fly.

Now it's morning, and this coffee is working magic - giving me the confidence I need to get on with it. The pinkie finger actually still hurts, but I've examined it in the light of day and I see no signs of abdication by the tip, so things are looking great. Onward to Nashville!

Roll Out!

Greetings, Bloglodites!

Today I’m rolling out a new blog.   I wanted to be able to talk about some of the struggles, neuroses, obsessions, rewards, motivations and frustrations of trying to keep that creative flame alive while negotiating the jungle rain forest that is Real Life.  

To start things off in a big way, I will be blogging about my upcoming trip to Nashville to record four songs for my next CD. I will be totally clueless about what I’m doing.  I’ll post pictures, and my thoughts and experiences. I hope you can join me on this trip – it will make it more fun and I welcome your comments. My trip starts tomorrow, November 13, and you can check back at this site for updates.

When you say you’re going to Nashville, it’s kind of like telling people you are on the verge of winning $20 million dollars. It’s a place that evokes just that kind of excitement – especially among fellow songwriters. I do feel that I’m on the verge of something – hopefully a big, fat creative leap. Certainly, this is a bit of a leap of faith to decide to record this way. What I hope to achieve is a finished piece of work that is as good as it can be – for the money.

I gave this a lot of thought and consideration.  I had such a great experience recording my first CD with Steve Phillips. The project was completed in baby steps that added up to a year of work. This time around, I don’t have a year, don’t have the spare time, and I don’t want to wait that long. I want to strike while the iron is hot on these songs.  I want a different kind of energy to come together for this. I want everyone working together at the same time. Everyone in the boat.

But – I’m not really going to have to do this all by myself: I have asked  KC-based songwriter, Gary Beard, to be the producer on this project for me.  Gary lived in Nashville and worked professionally as a songwriter there for many years. I’m counting on him to tell me where I’m going – both literally and figuratively.