I just finished my song submission for the ForSongSake songwriting competition! This is also my first co-writing session with Natalie! (She came up with the plot of the song after hearing my only line, “If your plane is late, I’ll still be standing at the gate, I’ll still be waiting…” and then joined in the fun of trying to write verses! )
Lyrics:
Late, Gate
Before you left we said some things
That we didn’t mean
By the baggage claim, I placed the blame on you
You placed the blame on me
Then you were gone
And I was here alone
Now your trip is done, and you’re coming home
With more than souvenirs
I’ve got the sound of your voice
Ringing in my ears
Saying, “If my plane is late,
Will you still be standing at the gate
Waiting there for me?”
I will
‘Cos I missed you
From an empty bed
I should have chased you,
You came back instead
Some think love is just a lie for lust
But I learned distance is a trial of trust
If your plane is late,
I’ll still be standing at the gate,
Waiting there for you
I will
* * * Songwriting Notes * * *
GW, the organizer, offered “Late Gate” as the title, and I found this to be quite a challenge! One version I wrote lead to become Tiny Monsters, another version was scrapped. Then, Tuesday, I started to feel the deadline approaching and luckily felt inspired by the opening riff that just happened under my fingers. Natalie and I had a pretty solid construction of the song after a few hours, but we then got stuck on how to weave in the idea that both people in the story were at fault. (The opening verse originally was, “Before you left, I said some things/that I know were mean…) We had at least two or three verses that just weren’t clicking. After an hour of a roadblock, we called it quits for night.
Anyways, I needed a night to let myself return to song with open ears and edit it to a more cohesive piece. 15 minutes of editing was all it took for the song was done on Wednesday!
“The show must go on!” We’ve all heard this phrase as audience members, but now that I’ve joined the ranks as a musician chasing paper, I know what this means: There are no sick days in the show business, just cancellations.
I’ve played three gigs with a pretty deep cut on my index finger. It’s the type of cut that only affects my guitar playing during full bar chords. For the guitar players, you now what I mean. Those chunky F chords (133211). And of course, this was a self-afflicted injury. I was cutting a bagel Wednesday and sliced my finger, clumsily. I tried playing with a bandaid on Thursday, but adhesive tape doesn’t create a nice guitar tone.
So the show must go on, or the money must be returned! Fortunately, I can play a few inversions and just limit those bar chords. For those attending our Tawas show at Mr. Jack’ss Bar tonight, don’t worry if you see a little blood on my Taylor guitar’s headstock. That’s just the signs of dedication.
Thanks to everyone who attended my Tawas shows or my gig with Jeff Pianki at Howell’s Thompson Lake! Many of you recently signed up last night, and I wanted to share my first free song for the Vialator Song Club email list sent out August 1st. To focus on releasing more material, I’ve made a goal to include one new song download with each monthly newsletter. You can find the link the left of this box!
Last night’s kick-off for Howell Melon Festival was my most enjoyable show this summer. It was inspiring to share original music and talk with many supportive attendees from Howell and Brighton. Plus, the Howell Main Street DDA volunteers and staff and Fusion Shows team made last night such a smooth ride for me as a performer.
Also, I’ll be playing at Howell Melon Festival’s main stage this Saturday from 3-4 PM. This set will be a full band set featuring Hannah Fralick and David Mosher. We would love to see you sharing some melon ice-cream at the Howell Western Wear stage!
Thanks for signing up and enjoy the rest of the festival,
Mike Vial
PS: The song attached in the newsletter is “Tiny Giants.”
Get this song for free by joining the Vialator Song Club/Mailing List!
Tiny Giants
There’s a space in my stomach where my fears go to hide
Like tiny giants growing to a bigger size
I can’t close my eyes, I can’t close my eyes
There’s a place for a smile, but I can’t find the disguise
The tiny giants act surprised, they just patronize
I can’t stop the ride, I can’t stop the ride
Like a mountain to my heart, it’s so hard to climb
I’ve gotten good at falling down
But getting back up, it takes a lifetime
I am a crazy dreamer out of control by design
I feel the tiny giants making a meal of my mind
I can’t close my eyes, I can’t close my eyes
The tiny giants won’t rest tonight
* * *
Mike Vial: vocals, 12-string guitar, piano
Recorded by Marshall Block at Real ii Reel Studios, August 5, 2011
Mastered by Marshall Block
* * *
Songwriting Notes
I originally wrote this as a songwriting challenge. I used a tezra-rima poem structure to break myself from the overused rhyming couplet patterns, and the first draft called “Late, Gate” was intended to be a submission in the “ForSongsSake” competition. Sadly, the force rhyme pattern and cadence keep getting in the way of melody line! The first draft experienced a slow, painful death on Tuesday.
Two days later, I read a film submission listing requesting “an emotional song about despair, pain, or loss from the perspective of a male teenager.” I thought parts of my first draft of “Late, Gate” could work, but I needed a new voice for the song. I freed myself slightly from the terza-rima format, spent a few hours working on new music, and made the song more abstract. The running title was “Where Fears Go to Hide.”
Still, I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere until I stumbled upon the image of “Tiny Giants” during the a second hour of writing on Thursday. We’ve all heard the cliche of having butterflies in our stomach; I always feel like I have tiny giants stumbling around my gut whenever I get anxious, worried or upset. Once I found that metaphor and continued rewriting lines, the song became much connected.
This version is still in demo format. Marshall Block and I spent two and a half hours burning the midnight oil at his studio so I could meet the film submission deadline today. All guitars are first takes. Same with the piano track! We only did two takes from vocals and cut-and-paste the best parts from both. A quick mix, a quick master and it was time to leave at 3 AM.
Special thanks to Marshall for working with me so last minute and so late into the morning.
