I’ve been told that there are two types of songwriters: those who write everyday, and those who write in spurts.
I tend to be creative in sparks and flashes, kicking out three or more songs one week, followed by weeks of no ideas. I don’t stress about the peaks and dips now-a-days, but I still wish I could tap Muse on the shoulder more often. Be like Ryan Adams or Bob Schneider! But how do they do it?
When I try to force writing, I usually get some weak lines, play through a chord pattern for an hour, and get lost in a circle. Then, when I sit down with no intention to write, just strumming for fun, and I’ll get a song like “My Lovely Enemy” or “Only the Rain Knows Why.”
Here’s the thing: Sometimes I don’t trust a song right away. I think it’s a throw-away I won’t ever record. “Only the Rain Knows Why” was a song I didn’t really think was too strong. I played it at an open mic and my friend Mark said, “Man that one’s good!”
“Naw,” I refuted. “It’s too simple.” Then my father heard me strumming it once and like it too. “Hmm, maybe this song has possibilities?” Turns out it was the most fun song to record during the Burning the Boats sessions! Dan Achen heard possibilities of a Salvation Army styled drum beat, Mike Chambers walked a bass line, and boom. Not a bad song if I do ruffle a few of my own feathers.
But I almost threw that one away.
I guess that’s the secret for those prolific writers. They probably write a lot of crap, but the audience just don’t hear those songs left on the shelf. And the prolific writers allow their studios to have more shelves. Us who write in spurts don’t collect the bad ones. We toss them in the trash, and lose opportunties to polish a few hidden gems.
Last night I tried to force some writing but I didn’t get too far. A few verses, a few chord cycles, and after a few hours I was still spinning my wheels. I think I’ve got a song going, but it’s probably crap. It should stay on the shelf. But that’s OK! My digital shelves can store these ideas for my ears only. It was cathartic to write.
Songwriting can simply be like hopping in the car and going for a drive. It’s OK not to have a destination in mind with every writing session. Just play and write for the fun of it. Don’t worry if this song doesn’t finish itself, or doesn’t become a tune worth recording. Put it on the shelf. You might find you want to reexamine it later.
Which version of Cee-Lo’s song do you like better? The clean “Forget You” or the one featuring the f-bomb?
Last month while on a set break at the South Lyon Hotel, I argued for the f-bomb version. Nicole and Natalie told me the clean version was better. “It’s supposed to be shocking!” I said. “Censorship!”
After much hand waving, I felt I proved my point; however, I’ve recently had two encounters forcing me to reconsider their refutations. First, I played the song with Mikal at a cover gig, and today I heard the clean version while grading essays at Uptown Coffeehouse: “I see you driving ’round town with the girl I love, and I’m like ‘Forget You!'”
Crap, Nat and Nicole are right: the cadence sounds better with the three-syllable phrase!
I’ve noticed quite a few more bands and bars using Facebook events to market their shows. This is exciting for all of us as we spread the word about our performances!
However, here’s a important tip: Clarify your title so it’s easily scannable.
Consider how Fusion Shows, a Michigan music/show promotion company, writes perfectly clear titles for their event pages:
Fusion creates clarity with three simple routines:
1. They put the band name in the post
2. They put venue’s name in the post
3. They put the date in the post concisely (Month/day works well in numbers)
Recently, a bar made an event page for my performance and titled the page “Mike Vial.” This was confusing to share with others, and it wasn’t visually helpful upon first glance. Where is this event? When is this event? Don’t I already follow Mike Vial’s page? Quite a few of my friends were joking that they were “attending Mike Vial.”
Worse, aquainances and fans will ignore what is confusing.
Remember, Facebook users are getting hit up by quite a few events a month. Our fans should be able to scan their events list and know what is happening without much mouse clicking, without much thought.
So don’t forget to give the info in the title in a simple, routine fashion that fits your event!
A musician [myoo-zish-uhn] n.
1. an independent business owner: lyrics are his (and her) testimony; press kits his resumes; the songs his experiences; calls for gigs, the continual “job search”; a merch table his brick and mortar; one who lives the road life or death of a salesman.
2. an artist, one who puts his blood and soul into his work; one who is humble; thanks every person who gives his music a chance; recognizes there is no performance without an audience; appreciates criticism; savors compliments.
3. one who would do this thing called music for free, but must make a living at it; treats his instruments like his appendages; faces his mistakes with fearlessness; finds continual inspiration in the support of those most close to him.
Today, I had to remind myself that rejection isn’t failure, but proof of success. Failure is only found in giving up.
One of my friends was sharing the difficulty of staying positive while dealing the difficult job search. He wrote, “…for the most part, I’ve been really patient and really glass half full about the whole thing. Every now and again it just gets tough.”
It was easy to write back words of encouragement to him yesterday. But today, I got a taste of rejection myself. Another song submission for an TV placement through Taxi was sent back to me: “Sorry, we listened carefully to your song, but unfortunately, it wasn’t right on target for this listing…” I’ve read these words about 15-20 times these last six months. Why do I keep submitting songs only to go through this emotional roller coaster? I pondered this evening.
Today I had to reread my words of encouragement for my friend to find the answer: Getting rejections is proof that one is working hard enough.
Tbe job search is like asking a girl out at the club. We need to expect more “nos” than “yeses” in life. Not every opportunity is a perfect fit, but one must be persistent to find a match.
Are you feeling like you are in the same rocky boat of high hopes and low rejections? Keep sending those resumes, submitting those college applications, mailing those CD demos. Don’t fear the rejection letter. Do what Stephen King did in the 70s: Nail them rejections to your wall as proof that you are working.
