Set List: Feb. 7, 2015 – Plymouth Coffee Bean
Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 @ Plymouth Coffee Bean
884 Penniman, Plymouth, MI. 48170
- Only the Rain Knows Why
- Damn Fine Day
- Little Drum*^
- I Just Want to Be Your Last
- We’re Not Here Anymore*^
- Mahogany
- Love and Be Proud
- Empty Cup
- Burning Bright*
- Tigerfish*^
- One Way Road
- Love Birds
* songs from the #PVSG song game challenge
^debut performance
“Mi-t’o Temple after thirty li. A most desolate spot…For fear of them hiding tigers, all trees and shrubs have been burnt.” – Hsu Hsia-k’o
* * *
Questions/Answers:
- What if our challenging work isn’t well-received? Let’s smooth out the edges…
- What if our song doesn’t turn out the way they expect it? Let’s take no risks…
- What if our creation gets exploited? Let’s refuse to release it….
No, we must let the tigers hide, because the best paths to take are the most challenging.
That is how we find the best art inside ourselves.
Remembering Pete Seeger, a year after he left us
When Pete Seeger died a year ago today, the world felt a little emptier.
I felt his absence when I attended Folk Alliance’s SERFA conference in May 2014. A lot of musicians shared stories of seeing Seeger in concert and meeting him in person. I felt his absence as they performed his songs and shared how his life affected them.
I felt his absence today, when I read Casey Neill’s essay, “Two Buskers: Me and Pete Seeger”( via No Depression). I felt his absence while pondering the anecdote of Seeger telling Neill at the train station, “Remember! Peace is the only victory!”
I feel his absence, now, when I recognize there is no use hoping for another “Pete Seeger” to take his place.
However, I feel Pete Seeger’s presence when I realize we can find our own place in this world, our own way of using art for social justice, for change, for peace.
I feel his presence when I write that we don’t need another Pete Seeger; we need you to be you.
Go create something good.
Click photo to read Neill’s essay about Seeger
Music Study: Being Patient and Impatient
When my guitar students are working on a difficult technique, like learning chords, I tell them to be patient and impatient.
As students, we must be patient with ourselves to avoid frustration, to avoid quitting too soon. We must also be impatient with ourselves to stick with a practice routine, to review the concepts daily.
It’s a delicate balance for learning, being patient and impatient.
* * *
I’ve been applying this concept to my own music studies.
For my set at Folk the Police, I felt intimated learning two rap songs that had 1425 words total, but I wanted to perform the songs for memory. (To compare, my original song “Made a Mess” has 117 words in it!)
I had to be patient with myself to avoid getting frustrated.
- Watch an Instagram video of my “The Real Slim Shady” cover: http://instagram.com/p/yTMJlLGb-t/
I also had to be impatient with myself, too.
I originally planned to sing “Regulators,” but I wasn’t happy with how my version was sounding. The song wasn’t gelling after six weeks of practicing, so I made the right choice, and switched to Snoop’s “Gin and Juice” two weeks before the concert.
- Watch an Instagram video of my “Gin and Juice” cover: http://instagram.com/p/
yTNa4gGbwy/
* * *
Thanks again to everyone who attended Folk the Police last night and host Matthew Alturda of Tree Town Sound! Once or twice a year, I get to perform for that many people in one spot, like last night’s sold out Blind Pig. It was a real treat!
Video credit: @b_lyfe on Instagram
I’ve been pondering–procrastinating–about what to do with all of the new music I’ve been writing and demoing over the last two years.
What’s the best way to release music in our streamed, cellphone-held, and digitally moved world?
For 2015/2016, I’ve had trouble deciding:
- Should I release a full length record; or release lots of singles, digitally?
- Should I record a solo acoustic/vocal version, as I normally perform live; or record more production with full band arrangements?
Today, I was chatting with my friend Craig Carrick, a music fanatic, about his thoughts, listening habits, favorite artists…His answers gave me permission to trust my gut.
I think releasing one song at a time–once a month, if I can afford to–is the best decision for myself, my time and my budget this year.
While the machinery of the media and radio DJs still prefer albums, the public really doesn’t. A band announcing a “CD release party/show” sounds goofy these days, doesn’t it?
With my baby on the way, I won’t have weeks of time to sit in a studio to put together ten songs, but I might have an afternoon to focus on one.
So I’m interested to hear what other songwriters and bands are considering. I’m also interested to hear about how you are listening and finding new music lately.
Either way, I’ve made my decision. February starts it. Music is coming, one at at time.
This is how Lois likes to get work done.
