Where are my muses now?

I'm in the midst of writing new material as I persist in the perennial attempt to create.  At times, there are no ideas, no thoughts, no inspiration.  And then suddenly something comes to mind & a beginning of something becomes worthy of working on.  

As I try to break from old patterns, it's sometimes like an experiment to just go with the concept regardless of whether it fits into a 16 barre format or not.  It reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book, 'On Beyond Zebra', which I loved reading to my son when he was young.  In the book, Dr. Seuss creates an alphabet with associated beings on beyond the letter Z.  Great book!  

Sometimes I wish I could somehow tap into that creative energy source coming from the muses of creativity just like I wish I could just plug into somewhere & instantly know how to speak French fluently.  A bit too sci-fi, I guess, but that's the imagination for ya.  Oh well, if it was easy, it'd be boring, right?

See ya's  

Musical Gems

In every musical community there are those players who are just simply gems.  I was fortunate in making myself leave the confines of  my home to go downtown to hear 3 of the best musicians in the Burlington, Vermont area if not the Northeast & on beyond. These were Jennifer Hartswick, Bruce Sklar & Aaron Hersey. It was an absolute delight to hear these dynamic, tasteful & sensitive musicians play in an intimate environment.  I'd been wanting to hear Jennifer for quite a while & I was not disappointed when at last I did.  I've been lucky to have heard Bruce & played with Aaron over the years which is always a supreme treat.  

Those who know me allow for my very selective & particular tastes.  These people are worth seeing & hearing.  I am all the more fortunate for knowing them personally, as well.

Thank you all.

See ya's

A Blog For All Seasons

Somehow I got on this guy's email list: E. Michael Nolan who's writing a great blog on creativity, art & the artist's struggle.  This guy has a great take on things.  His blogs are well written & insightful. No wonder he's a successful author.  

On another note, I've started working on a song with lyrics written partially in French & of course, I decided to try to record an accordion!  Fortunately, my French tutor (yes, I've started studying French again) had one in his closet & was gracious enough to lend it to me.  Man, that thing's heavy!  So, I'm slowly working on the part which is taking about a 1,000 overdubs, but the sound is just right for the Francais flavor.  We'll see...

See ya's

The Spark In The Dark

Funny how an idea or concept for a new song will come from the oddest places sometimes.  I was sitting at my desk just sort of opening my mind for something to write about & spotted the Quarantine folder in my email program.  From that I got a song! ( http://zoerobin.com/images_and_rhymes/3-quarantined.mp3 ) At other times, however, that spark in the dark just stays hidden behind the clouds.  If only I could whistle for the spark & it would come to me.  But, I try that on the dog, too, & she won't come every time either...


See ya

What rhymes with cup?

I'm currently working on a new song & was trying to find a rhyme for 'cup'.  Not much out there...up, supper, wazzup...nothing to lead me to a new, unexplored direction for a rhyme.  Finally had to settle with:

tell me this pen can write all the words you want to hear
these fingers will go to pick it up
tell me of a magic tea with leaves as fine as hair
I'll bring some in a porcelain cup

I wanted to keep 'porcelain cup' & it all works with the melody & the music, but I would've still have liked to come up with something else.  Never satisfied...

I seem to write songs about relationships & lean in the direction, like the Beatles, of writing songs about peace, love & happiness with an occasional sad song or maybe an anti-war type of thing thrown in.  But I've never been able to write a 'Lovely Rita Meter Maid' or 'I Came In Through the Bathroom Window'!  How did they come up with lines like that & make it into such a great tune?  Amazing...

I remember having a problem with a song I was working on once in which I was writing music to a poem written by my brother-in-law Dominic Hardy.  I was having trouble not only making it all work, but also in allowing myself to just write without worrying about presumed commercial viability.  My son Rama, in his professorial wisdom, said 'just think of it as an experiment, Pop'.  Essentially, just write the tune & do any & all worrying later.  Let it flow, man.  Wiser words were never spoken.  That's why we have children!

Maybe one day, one of my experiments will give me my very own 'Lovely Rita...'!

See ya's

When did I become dated?!

Too many times, I'm afraid I've received critiques on my material that the songs are good, but sound dated.  How many millennium have artists persisted in perfecting their styles only to become dated or not in favor by the marketing complex of their time.

It's ironic how Steely Dan, for example, doesn't get any air time anymore, but when they do shows, the tickets sell out in 24 hours.  When my band & I do club dates, kids are asking for tunes that came out before they were  even born!  I can't count the times I've heard the request for Freebird!  Ugh.

French Impressionism is still the biggest attraction at museums around the world.  So, I suppose one could derive hope from that.  Of course, many of those artists didn't become popular till after they left this earthly realm.

Is that my karma?  Time will tell...

See ya's

To find the unfindable tone...

Tone.  That seemingly unattainable sound that we try to get from our guitar setups.  Never ever satisfied with varying guitars & amps & pedals & speakers & changing stage acoustics; it's a frustrating & compromising situation.  We want to hear what we hear in our heads & dreams, but it just never sounds that way.  Especially when one is dealing with a limited budget.  The wife will only go so far in accepting the rationalization that a new amp or pedal will make all the difference in the world!

I've actually been pretty consistent in my career using mostly Fender amps, lastly a Twin Reverb '65 Reissue which has brought me very much closer to a sound I can live with.  I only wish there were speakers available that supported the tones but were lighter!  I gotta stay in shape to carry that thing!

I like to say my mid-life crisis was resolved after seeing Eric Clapton perform & consequently switching to a maple neck on my Strat after playing on rosewood for god knows how long.  I love the snappier & funkier sound of the Strat with a maple neck.

I resisted using a compressor on stage for the longest time.  Finally I bought one & it was a revelation!  At low volumes I'd still get sustain & response that helped my playing.  It's funny how when using a distorted setting, the response of the attack just isn't as immediate as when playing on a clean setting.  When using the compressor, it solved it for me.  Better late than never, I guess.

I just recently switched compressors & started using a JHS pedal.  It's relatively transparent for a stage compressor & has made it all the more enjoyable.

See ya's