.png.bc839067beeac7e0c9092f7c7c3ef9de.png)
Entry posted by patrickgfrank
1,218 views
I picked up my new (old) guitar at the Guitar Workshop and strummed it a few times and felt great about the new strings and adjustments and excited once again about playing and developing some new songs. These silk and steel strings sound great and with this 3/4 guitar I can recover the standard C chord. As someone, said,"The C chord's pretty important." You can tell by now that I am not a great guitar player; I am a lyricist and singer. Yet, I love to play guitar, when I can make it sound decent.
My style is country-folk-blues, the themes of my songs are social justice, poverty-homelessness, nature, relationships, spirituality,personal growth. I was born and raised in the South, but also lived in New England 20 years. So I have been exposed to a variety of styles and mental sets. In addition to songwriting, I write prose-poetry and essays on creativity, personal growth and politics.
I love a variety of musical artists, country, rock, blues, etc. Lately, I have been playing a lot of Bon Jovi. I went through a strong Ronnie Van Zant phase a few years ago. There are certain songs I latch on to and play over and over till the CD wears out, like "Collide," by Howie Day,"It's My Life," by Bon Jovi, "Born to Run," by Springsteen.
There is a saying by Pat Conroy,"Without music, life is a journey through a desert." I subscribe to that saying. Music keeps my spirit alive, when I feel like i am slowly dying inside. It provides an avenue for deep reflection on the past, as well exploration of the present and a way to envision the future.
I love to play out at an open mic at a cafe in Hendersonville, North Carolina called the ugly mug/ This is a tiny venue. You play to maybe 20 people but some great artists show up. What makes it great is the diversity: folk, country, blues, bluegrass, rock. Mountain folk, Southern folk, black, white, young, old. The variety of people makes the setting dynamic. I play-sing originals and covers.
As far as songwriting is concerned, I have about 50 songs. I have shared some of them at the ugly Mug, and plan share more.
Some people regard performance at a small venue like that as trivial or insignificant. In my view, it is far from that. It's a magic time at the Ugly Mug on a Wednesday night.
I am always looking for opportunities to collaborate with other songwriters. Strong lyrics, a good voice, not a great composer or guitar player--that's me.
But I feel good about my work. And i believe in music.
-
1
2 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now