Bedrocker

Today's mood...

One of my local favs...

I'm of the view that everything has its place, depending on the circumstances. Obviously, none of us want to be bored to death by some artist rambling on about things that should be accessible to the listener through the song itself. Having said that, I have been to concerts where an explanation has resulted in my enjoying the song more. This is particularly true where I'm new to a particular artist and their material, or where lyrics have been deliberately obscured for a reason (to avoid political repression, banning etc). It is also applicable where a songwriter may use, for what is for him or her, local expressions or jargon, landmarks, events and public figures. It's a bit like when you're studying poetry. You can read it and interpret the contents for yourself, all of which make wonderful sense - until you read the study guide and find that, as much as you enjoyed it, your understanding of the content is far removed from what the marker would be looking for. So, yes, there is pleasure in reaching your own conclusion about songs and lyrics but you may not necessarily share the writer's interpretation or intention. Being in a band which does 50% original material at gigs, I avoid giving explanations if we're playing on our home turf. There's no need to say anything because everyone understands the context. If, however, we play away from home base, I would provide a preamble to songs, where necessary. We tend to play in front of multi-cultural/lingual audiences where we do not share common backgrounds, values or perspectives. One has to be especially careful with innuendo, irony and humour as, in trying to be innocently funny, it may, at the very least, not be appreciated and, at worst, cause insult. We spend a lot of time trying to understand our audiences in the hope that we end up making friends and not enemies! We've also realised, over the years, that things that are patently obvious to us, as songwriters, are sometimes not that obvious to listeners. Some years ago, when most people were on modem dial-ups to access the internet, we prefixed the recording of one of our songs with that sound. It was at the height of the Metallica spat with Sony over music copyright, file sharing and piracy. We made the mistake in thinking that, because we were interested in this topic and followed developments closely, everyone else did, too. Wrong!! In seeking to create a connection, at the beginning of the CD, in the listener's mind between listening to music and piracy all we did was provide people with a pretext for returning our albums saying there was "Something wrong with it"! It was surprising how many people never went beyond the dial-up sounds. Those who persevered and allowed the dial-up to run into the actual song actually "got it". We think, anyway. In order to get radio play, we edited out the dial-up sounds. (I know I could be accused of mixing up songwriting techniques with production but I'm using this example to illustrate a point about perspectives and mindsets). I guess the bottom line is not to be patronising and boring. If there's a good reason for believing that an explanation will enhance the listener's experience, so be it. As always, a sensible balance is required.

1. Do you sing, play an instrument or instruments? Yes. What instruments? Bass, lead/rhythm and keyboards (if no alternative!). When did you start playing? 1974. Did you teach yourself? Mostly - bit of help here and there. 2. Are you in a band or bands? Yes. What is the name of the band? Bedrock (The Band In The Sand). What do you play? Lead. What other instruments are in the band? Bass, keyboards & drums. Do you have a band website? www.bedrockband.com 3. Do you write songs? Do you write lyrics, music or both? Yes. Do you have a writing partner? Sometimes - usually other members of the band. 4. Do you record your music? Yes. Do you use a home studio? If so what gear do you use? Home studio. Roland VS-1680. Do you use a recording studio? No. Do you have music available on the web? if so where? CDBaby, Jango and Soundcloud. 5. What other roles do you perform in the music business? None. Management? Label owner? Publishing? Promotion? Other? 6. Are you a tech head? No. 7. What country do you live in? Namibia (in the Namib desert, faraway from venues, audiences, markets, studios, radio & TV stations, technology support and what-have-you!). 8. What are your ambitions? To become a better songwriter. 9. Do you draw/paint/write stories/computer art/dance or other creative pursuit? Yes. What are your pastimes? Have always done quite a lot of writing, usually satirical. 10. What would you like to get out of Songstuff? To share - learn from others and to share my own knowledge about bands, songwriting, gigging, etc.