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Post by FreeRider on Aug 18, 2012 8:40:24 GMT -5
Seems to be very different for different people. I always liked that PW quote where they asked him if he wrote ideas on napkins and he said he tired but always ended up (singing) "All these words on a napkin, and they don't make sense to me..." very true, Jer....I'm just interested in other people's habits; maybe there's something I can try that might help me. I've always tried Pete Townshend's method, which he said if your memory is good enough, you can write inside your own head. So I try to keep humming a melody line in my head until I know it and then try humming variations of it to see what I can come up with. The hard part is then trying to transfer that to actual playing, keys, figuring out chord changes,e tc...! I am amazed too at how "easy" it seems to come to others, like Paul and Neil Young. They're so prolific where as I tend to work very slowly. Things take a long time to go from idea down to a finished song. Wow, that's great. I rarely ever have been able to put a few songs together so quickly. Even rough ideas. I suppose I could force it, but then I'd be stuck trying to figure out what the chorus is if I get a verse of something, or I have the chorus but don't know how to build a verse for it at that point. I suppose forcing it and then going back for re-writes is something I should try. I thought Warren Zevon's quote from a Performing Songwriter's interview was funny. They asked how do you get over writer's block and he responded, well, you just can't force a song. So they followed up with, then how do you finish, how do you write? And he said,well, it's obvious, you force it! that sounds a lot like how Warren Zevon and Paul work to some degree....they both like phrases or wordplay and that sparks an idea and gets them going. I suppose that I should just not worry and just get ideas down, even if they are just fragments of something. I'm wondering if some of the stuff that Paul put on 49:00 or 3 O'clock Creep were just that: fragments and not fully finished songs.
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 18, 2012 8:27:59 GMT -5
[/url][/quote] go jam a pair of high heels up your ass sideways, go spam some other board.
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 16, 2012 10:18:46 GMT -5
I'll give it a shot.
The Last
would it hurt to fall apart a little lower I know I'm falling to my knees....
Happytown
the plan was to set the world on strife but it rains everyday of your life in Happytown...
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 14, 2012 9:17:27 GMT -5
Always love hearing the 'Mats songs, but at this stage Paul is entitled to do what he wants. I just don't think he's keen on touring at all, no matter what his playlist would entail. I'd be cool with a web concert too (he wouldn't have to leave the basement), but that really doesn't sound much like something Paul would do either. You know, I've always thought that if he's given up the road and live performances, is it possible for him to at least do some videos of himself and any band members doing some new tunes and releasing them to the fans. That might be the only way to see him. (Darren, are you reading this? Any possibility of suggesting it to Paul?) And I do like the idea of a web concert, but you may be correct in that Paul might be a little turned off to the idea of playing to a webcam where he can't see an audience and it not being something he can relate to....so maybe a video of him jamming with Michael B and others or something might be a more relaxed thing for him to do.
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 14, 2012 9:09:36 GMT -5
thanks for those thoughts and interesting experiences, glgbill.
I just found a place in DC that does open mic nites but it's designed for a non-judgmental crowd, other aspiring songwriters and all. Sounds like a cool place where people are encouraging you, I'll have to check that place out.
Also, how about songwriting? When do your best ideas come? Or is it random? I ask because just this morning, I dunno what I was thinking as I was getting up, but maybe I had some song or something in my head, I'm not even sure, but then a short melody line popped into my head. Since I was running late for work, I didn't have time to pick up a guitar and work something out, or even flip on the 8 track and hum a little melody line into the mic.
So, I've been humming it and running it thru my head this morning. I was even listening to some music in the car but decided to cut it off, lest I forget the little melody line that I like. I'm thinking I can use it for a chorus. Weird, huh? Just a random thing that popped into my head---and those moments are few and far between.
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 13, 2012 14:36:24 GMT -5
ha! August 18th....I remember speeding back from a big family reunion in Michigan to get to the 9:30 Club...it was really hot that day and I was too wiped out from all the driving, watching the show, to hang around and meet Paul by the bus.
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 13, 2012 14:32:37 GMT -5
i'm in trouble heyday if only you were lonely for the moment anyway. It's amazing to me that not one of the new country artists hasn't covered If Only You Were Lonely. You'd think a wanna be bad boy trying to come up through the ranks would do this one. I've often felt the same way---why aren't If Only You were Lonely and Achin' to Be covered by some country artist?
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 3, 2012 8:57:22 GMT -5
Awesome, prozach is back! ;D love the photoshop works of art
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Post by FreeRider on Aug 3, 2012 8:55:43 GMT -5
I think that is the "49:00 of your Life" digital download, the last track features a young Johnny singing on it. I'm guessing that's what the ebay seller has.
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 28, 2012 14:35:45 GMT -5
yeah, ditto what everyone else has said---still, thanks for putting the time into this and keeping the Mats alive on youtube.
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 23, 2012 11:56:13 GMT -5
ahhh, very cool! And good suggestions---I think I psych myself out when i think about it too much rather than just going out to the place on the spur of the moment to sign up. Like you said, I wind up obsessing about it in the manner of, "Should I do it this Saturday night? Should I go down and sign up? What songs should I do?"
I think that takes the fun out of performing an original tune or just a cover tune...and ironically, the only thing to do to enjoy it, is to do exactly what you suggest: do it on the spur of the moment! No thinking, no obsessing, just go down and sign up and have fun. Thanks for the insights....
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 20, 2012 14:13:01 GMT -5
Jer,
interesting! thanks for sharing that with us. but you're right---the challenge is to overcome the mental hurdle and just do it, just play one. and then force my self to do another one. I mean, I'm confident in the song, I'm confident in my ability---it's just the jitters and the self consciousness. I suppose it's easier for folks who like attention and love to be the center of every social event, but I'm not one of them. Again, it's easier when you're with a group than it is just being up there by yourself.
Have you done a solo open mic night thing? How was your first time if you've done one?
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 19, 2012 16:27:30 GMT -5
Oh yeah....that's what I've seen before, the patrons are right up close to you. I had stopped into the coffee joint just to look at the place and see where they might set up. It wasn't a huge coffee house, and I'm kind of wondering if I got unconsciously got sloppy at happy hour on purpose as a way to sabotage myself.
The only thing that I think gets me over the stage fright is the knowledge that Paul's songs are great and I'd enjoy playing them and exposing people to those songs. And having been to a few acoustic open mic nites before, I hate to say it, but the talent level isn't that great. A few are pretty damn good, but for the most part, the songs are kind of mehhhhh, or the skill level is very rudimentary....but hey, I give those folks credit. They got up and did it while I just sat there on the sidelines with my waxed up hair and my painted shoes, you know?
it's still a challenge, something I want to overcome.
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 19, 2012 8:57:24 GMT -5
Squaw,
why wouldn't you take a stab at an open mic? stage fright? join the club! I've performed before an audience but always with other people and that was quite some time ago. I kinda psych myself out and get too self conscious for an open mic nite thing because I'm aware I'd be the ONLY one up there unless I had some others to sing/play with me.
thanks for those suggestions. Interesting picks. Boring Enormous is certainly doable, and I could prolly play that in standard tuning. And I like Dangerous Boys as a choice too, I think the lyrics would definitely catch people's ears. That one is definitely in an open tuning and I'm not quite sure how to play it, but it follows a typical blues pattern.
Skyway would be a good choice, as it tells a pretty wistful story and is certainly playable, no open tunings for that one.
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 18, 2012 9:25:19 GMT -5
I was out of town for a few days last week, decided to take a long weekend and head to the eastern shore and the beach resorts where a bartender friend of mine works and lives. She moved about 4 years ago out of the city and to the shore.
So while diddy boppin' around the boardwalk, I saw a coffee shop nearby that did acoustic only open mic nites on Friday evenings. I've been meaning to do one for quite some time now just to test out some stuff and maybe drop a few Paul songs in there to gauge reaction to his songs.
Well, I got too sloppy at happy hour at my bartender friend's bar and missed doing the open mic. By 8pm, I was in no shape to get in front of a coffee shop crowd and warble out and slur my words! I was toying with doing maybe "AAA" or a not quite accurate version of " Makin' Me Go" or "Let the Bad Times..." those songs came to the top of my head when I was out there.
If you had the chance to do a spur of the moment open mic nite, which Paul songs would you try and do? And which songs do you think translate well to acoustic guitar? Which Paul songs do you think a coffee house crowd by the beach would like?
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 18, 2012 9:11:10 GMT -5
The Twins beat the Orioles 19-8 at Target Field tonight. An Baseball Network anchor just said "19 runs - color me impressed!" Of course, the O's started out strong and showed promise, and then the started their annual backslide and the Yanks took first place. 19 runs---yeesh!
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 12, 2012 8:50:23 GMT -5
awesome stuff, fritz! thanks for posting and keeping the Mats out there...
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 12, 2012 8:48:05 GMT -5
Paul, why hast thou forsaken us?!!! We miss you. 10 freakin' years....and 7 years since the Folker tour.
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 2, 2012 10:01:06 GMT -5
very cool stuff, fritz! thanks for posting....
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Post by FreeRider on Jun 28, 2012 11:51:30 GMT -5
cool, thanks for that update. I do hope Slim recovers soon; pneumonia is really dangerous for bed ridden patients. I'm hoping he can get mobility enough to sit up and get around that way.
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