Odanada

I will offer up a couple of Canadians.... First up is Stephen Fearing, a very good guitar player, singer and an interesting songwriter.. quite the talent Next up is an excellent guitar player who manages in this video to present a very depressing topic in a very cool song Hope you like them

How about the vague "I'm not sure what I want." I'm old, with a debilitating sense of stage fright. I can find joy playing at small gatherings of friends and neighbours, but the thought of open stage nights etc. is more inclined to make me stay at home than it is to spur me on. I write songs and have for a long time. Some are better than others. Some are funny, some are sad. The one people seem to like the best is in reasonably poor taste, (though it was written with tongue firmly in cheek). I write them to let them out and because it feels good to create something I actually like. I get a rush from the act of creation and also enjoy the fine tuning of lyrics, melody and hooks. My skills are somewhat limited, but I'm content with my abilities. Ultimately, I need to learn to self record better as I want to leave a copy of my songs (my musical diary, if you will) for my kids to ponder/ignore after I'm gone. Right now I am using Garage Band, but my production abilities are poor and the results suffer because of it. I am just not a knob twirler. I suppose what I want is some sort of validation that my songs have some merit. Since it's not likely I will travel the traditional route of playing my songs in front of an audience, I'm not getting the feedback that let's me know if they're actually any good. I mean, I think they're good, but that and a buck will get me a cup of coffee. Does that make any sense?

I think I write songs because it lets stuff out and lets stuff in. As a kid, I liked things that were clever. I guess I thought "clever" meant "smarter" and smarter seemed like more rarified air. Turns of phrase; hooks. The joyful dance that turns thoughts into ideas.... into something... clever. Everybody needs a hobby. When I pluck out a song that pleases me and seems clever, it just feels very amusing. If it manages to intersect with something meaningful and/or real, it's even more amusing. It's developed a bit of craftsmanship over time, and I like that too. I love my hopeless little ditties, but I don't generally share them. Is that weird?