My friend Paul Federici invited me trek out to Catherine North Studios in April to record guitar tracks for his new record. I’m really honored to be a part of his music, and the songs are turning out great!
Paul released the first single, “Sail On,” today! You can hear some of my Taylor guitar in the track, too. Paul’s offering a free download of the song here.
Video produced and edited by Kristopher Chandroo: http://vimeo.com/lnoyl
“Busking”
When taking chances, failure feels
Better than success unearned.
Yet here I am, sidewalk my stage,
Singing a song from my stomach.
You see, I’m obsessed with a melody,
One that came to me on a rainy afternoon,
And lives between chords molded
From the flatted thirds of minor keys.
It would leave you wondering,
“What could have been?”
As you shuffle with your coffee,
And toss pocket change in my jar.
But I won’t sing that song for you;
It’s too nice of a day for the blues,
And you seem too busy
To hear a song like that now.
April 18, 2013
Rewritten Jan 2014
Big thanks to Noisetrade.com for featuring me on their front page “New & Notable” section! You can download my song “Reaching Back” (and more) for free this week here.
Noisetrade is one of my favorite sites to check out and download new tunes as a music fan, and it’s also become a great spot for me to share some of my music over the last two years.
I’m excited to announce I’ve been selected to perform an official showcase at the SERFA (Southeastern Regional Folk Alliance) conference in May in North Carolina!
New to Folk Alliance? FA is a really cool non-profit dedicated to the promotion of folk and roots music. Their conferences feature days of official showcased music, guerilla shows in hotel rooms, featured speakers, music workshops, etc. Big thanks to Craig Carrick who introduced me to the organization a few years ago. This will be my first attendance and showcase.
Also, I’ll be organizing a tour through OH, KY, TN and NC on my way to the conference, which is May 16-18. My showcase day will be announced soon, and I’ll announce more tour-dates as they are confirmed for that week of May 11-15.
I’m excited that my tour might bring me to the doorsteps of friends, family and musical peeps along the way (especially you, Sarah and Bill!)
Other Showcase Artists at SERFA will include:
Alicia McGovern, Beggar’s Ride, Buddy Mondlock, Caroline Aiken, Darryl Purpose, David Russell, Lara Herscovitch, Lyal Strickland, Hiroya Tsukamoto, Marc Black and Amy Fradon, Rj Cowdery, Robin Greenstein, Spook Handy, Sultans Of String, Susan Herndon, The Billy Jonas Band, and The Hollands!.
When the zipper’s stuck, is your instinct to pull?
It’s always mine. I’m impatient. But that’s not the best solution, getting the zipper caught further or tearing the fabric.
Playing a section of music incorrectly is like getting the zipper stuck. I often want to rush through practicing the parts that aren’t easy.
Instead, it’s best to:
- Slow down
- Break down the music into sections and parts
- Identify the parts that are difficult
- Practice parts in isolation
- Try clapping the rhythm
- Try humming the melody or riff
- Play parts before the tricky section and after and play it all the way through
- Play the composition all the way through after you have worked out the sections
Still stuck? Take a break and come back to it.
Quick note: Sometimes you have to look at things froma new angle (especially because one can play the same note or chord on guitar in many ways.)
I often get stuck transcribing a piece of music when I’m trying to make it too complicated with the finger patterns.
KISS: Keep it simple, stupid. Find the easy answer. That often gets me unstuck.
