Greetings earth people

[Dave]

me - well I've been in bands for yonks, plays keys, guitar, bass, drums etc. The only thing I'm poop at is singing. I know because I look like Jarvis Cocker and did my hair and joined a PULP tribute band - it didn't really work out, no ones fault, but I didn't think my singing was THAT bad!?

Like everyone I have the usual recording set up at home. As I've played most of the usual songs bands play and now need a break from the gigging, humping and hot smokey rooms. So I'm taking the opportunity to sit in my home studio and be creative! A strange experience, I'm OK with the music, playing tons of covers tends to give you a good idea of what goes not only in terms of a song but what gets the crowd going.

So now I turn my hand to song writing, the music bit is easy but the words eek! Gosh it is surprising how much stuff there is going around in your head and trying to get that into some meaningful form for others to share is quite spooky. Plus there are there social issues, Punk was to shake up the social scene at the time.

Where next?? This is getting like a social science. Anyway I'm open to ideas, weird ones preferred.

[Rudi]

Hi Dave,

There are some good lyric writters among the puny humans here. Some may advise on your own efforts and some may be easily duped into having thier brains extracted picked for experimentation collaberative songwritting.

Beware of the one called 'Steve'.

[john]

Beware of the one called 'Steve'.

hey Dave

I said welcome in a reply to one of your other posts, but what the hell, I'll live life on the edge, welcome!

Do you have any tracks online?

I found sitting doing pastiches (spelling is probably wrong) very useful to expand the styles of my own writing, and specifically for current production techniques. In particular it kick started my creative juices after a period of inactivity when I stopped playing in bands.

Collaborations can be a good way to help your creativity flowing. this can be done on a track by track basis now you're not in a band. Also look at doing some remixes.

I hope this helps!

Cheers

John

[nigel lawry]

hey dave

welcome aboard

[phantomengineer]

Welcome to the club

[Nightwolf]

Hey Dave,

Welcome to Songstuff. Post some Lyrics and we'll try to help out with honest reviews and help if you ask for it. I look forward to hearing your tunes as well.

Peace,

John Nightwolf

[ATom2]

Hi Dave,

My name is Tom and I too spent many years (25) playing in cover bands. I also puchased a home studio in the hopes of breaking away from the week-in / week-out drudge of coverbandonotomy. I did very well writing, playing, & singing in my projects for about 3 years. I then became this lonely, pathetic, tired, old, internet junkie, without the strength to create, let alone get up in the morning, type person. I have nothing to give.

Welcome and watch out for the Steve guy,

Tom (ATom2)

[john]

Tom

Is it possible you've just got bored and lost inspiration to use the tools you currently have in your musical toolkit? I don't mean hardware or instuments. I mean styles. I mean ideas.

Musicians can get by adding new sounds and equipment for a while, but my experience is if you don't keep cross pollenating styles and ideas from other genres, or at least truly learning about other styles and genres, then the ideas well will run dry. Previously this has happened to both myself and some of my other musician friends. It creeps up on you. I certainly convinced myself, in a self fulfilling prophecy, that some how that was it. I had reached a musical end.

I've now learned to recognise this way of thinking, and introduced things to stop it happening.

You are a talented musician Tom. Puting yourself down like this (and in other recent posts) certainly sounds like this might be the case. I can tell you, for me it was worth the effort of addressing it. I've written some of my best songs since it happened to me and I came out the other side. Maybe we could help you find your muse? It's better than consigning your musical career to the past. You deserve better than that.

Rather than battering on I'll leave it there for now in case I'm wrong, but I don't think so.

Cheers

John

[Nightwolf]

Thanks John, I hope that helped Tom, but it did help me!!

[ATom2]

Uhh, actually I was just trying to be funny in this post. But thanks anyway.

[john]

Tom

I thought you meant it jokingly, but as you've mentioned it a few times, in a few ways, so I thought I'd say!

Are you doing any new music then?

Cheers

John

P.S. Sorry to hijack the topic!

[Dave]

oh gosh, even eek! because I was relating to what Tom was saying!

I think it is two fold, hitting the mid-life-crisis thingy which seems to take away interest in everything! It's a biological thing so I'm just taking it as that.

Cover band too long - indeed I think you are right about this. I was getting fed up with kit humping and the idiots. I seem to be a twit magnet. If there are any stupid people at a gig they hunt me out then bug me.

One guy was a real pain, there was not much I could do because he was one of the guests at a wedding. The best man then had a go at me, mostly because his miltary training was coming to the surface after a day of boozing and high emotions from the wedding. Spooky venue though, real vintage, lots of history.

It was just at every gig I was getting grief from someone - had to stop. Maybe it was me becoming more aware of the hassles and loosing patience. Anyway I left the band and rebuilt my home studio, then thought, now what so I bought a new software sequencer package for my old computer with the view to force myself to do something.

Anyway regards songwriting, on my travels I did team up with a guy called Robbie Fisher who wrote top grammy winning song Medicine Man for Johnny Winter. Yes that Johnny Winter - do check it out it's real.

Robbie showed me much about a song, he showed me how the thing has to fit together, how the various parts fit and what their role is. Robbie takes his songwriting very seriously. In my town Robbie has much respect. He's a handful but that will be the genius in him.

Tom what's this about there not being much around in your state except cows! I like cows, I grew up on a dairy farm and am fluent in cow-ese. Has a lot to do with how you touch their nostrils.

[ATom2]

Tom what's this about there not being much around in your state except cows! I like cows, I grew up on a dairy farm and am fluent in cow-ese. Has a lot to do with how you touch their nostrils.

Ooooooh! Nostrils huh?

[Guest voclizr]

First of all;

To Dave-Welcome to our little club! Hoping to sample some of your talent soon, but if ya just wanna talk for awhile, that's cool too. Make yourself comfy!

To Tom;

Surely you jest! A guy with YOUR talent NEVER can totally burn out! Make like a computer and REBOOT!!! I just came out of a 12 year writer's slump! Take a break from it, but don't ever close your mind to new ideas. Try just jammin' for awhile. Maybe, like Johnny said, try experimenting with new genres and sounds. You're a musical creature. Something is bound to materialize! You put out alot of stuff in a relatively short period of time. No wonder you're dried up. But it WILL come back, so keep that 1680 handy! Something tells me that ATom2 ver 2.0 (or Big Sofa ver 2.0) WILL BE A MONSTER!!!

John B.

[Guest voclizr]

Dave;

I've been on this site a few months now and it's really cool. Lots of great and helpful people. There's a real nice lady named Donna, who always has encouraging words, and a really helpful guy named Didier, and a guy named Finn who'll fill you in on all the details you need. Don't worry too much about Steve. He get's some good jabs in sometimes if you're not careful, but the one you REALLY want to watch out for is H.H , but since he was trained by Steve, he too can be handled. Everybody else here is real cool too! I love it here. Best site on the net. Enjoy!

John B.

[JAGD]

Hi Dave -

I'm a urbanized refugee from the cowshed too.

I always had more trouble with the bulls though.

Welcome

JAGD