I am proud to present a new type of song that I have been working on for the last six months. I bought a looper (the Boss RC600) and a percussion pad (the Roland Handsonic) that allow me to layer all sorts of sounds and rhythms onto my songs in real-time.
I’m just beginning to understand everything these things can do and utilize them for new arrangements of my songs, but it’s already sounding good to me and I’m having a lot of fun making a bigger sound as a one-man band.
Here’s a recent demo of a new song I wrote for the song game called Blue Moonlight. I did not use Logic to record all these parts separately in multi-track recording software, as I would usually do to create all these parts.
Instead, I recorded each part as a separate loop and performed the song in one take, triggering different sections with the loop pedal. It’s rough, but I’m really happy with where this is going and the possibilities for making a fuller sound as a solo musician.
Blue Moonlight
I feel alive
I think I’ll sing tonight
My crystals are charging in the blue moonlight
But I can’t swim with the howlers tomorrow night
At the springs ’cause I’m sick but I might
I see my likeness
In every scene, in every screen
While my clothes dry in the moonlight on Sunset Ln
I can’t stay up for the meteor shower
I need my seven hours
or I run out of power the next day
I’m out for strides
I’m alone under the trees along the riverside
Moonlight is my only friend
Down the middle of the street
and through the trees along Blunn Creek
I lie and lie
And call it poetry and songwriting
Whipin’ up an alternate persona
That sings about anything that he wants to die
Just to get it out, at least for a while
The formula is thin, I’ll have to admit it
The camera frames a limited-edition life
So we can hear what makes us cry
My boundary detector is acting up today
I can’t get a good reading off anything you say
I thought that when you smiled it meant that we were cool
But now I’m gettin signals I broke some sort of rule
I need you to help me take some readings
help me calibrate this thing before I hurt some feelings
I need you to help me read the scene
before I do more damage and say something I don’t mean
boundaries, boundaries
surrounding me, confounding me endlessly
My boundary detector is setting off alarms
Calling for security and locking up my heart
It promised to protect us, keep us safe and sound,
But when the lines got blurred it tried to turn you down
I need you to help take some readings
help me calibrate this thing before I hurt your feelings
I need you to help me read the scene
before I do more damage and say something I might mean
boundaries, boundaries
surrounding me, confounding me endlessly
My boundary detector is learning all the signs
The tones that are closed, the invite in your eyes
Wait for me up ahead, I’m slow but I’m true
I tunin my instruments to make my way to you
I need you to help me let you in
help me understand where I end and you begin
I need you to help me disappear
let go of myself so  I can let go of my fear
boundaries, boundaries
surrounding me, confounding me endlessly
I took the photo above of street art in Lisbon in the summer of 2022. I snapped several of this artist’s continuous line graffiti faces. The street art was wonderful and this artist was one of my favorites.
I am thrilled to report that the song game is on. I had played the song game with a group that Gray was in before, but fell off and really missed it. Now Doug, Gray, Danny, and I have started our own version and I’m so grateful to have this group.
Song Game Rules
1. song and next prompt due every Mon. 8 am.
2. everyone comments on every song.
3. 8 weeks on, 4 weeks off
Basically, you have to write and record a song every week. We added the break every 8 weeks because you need breaks. It’s a tough pace for me to keep.
We also added the requirement that everyone give some nice feedback because it’s a drag when no one comments on your favorite new creation.
We’re three weeks in and I couldn’t be happier. Why?
Because it’s so cool to trade songs with such badass players and interesting creators. We’re all trying new stuff all the time and it’s entertaining, poignant, fresh, raw, and inspiring.
Writing for my musician friends motivates me to keep up, make cool music, and get to hear theirs. Accountability and feedback are built in. We learn a lot from and about each other.
And there’s nothing I’d rather be doing than working on a new song. Nothing distracts me or motivates me like making music. And it’s a great way for me to balance the stress of work with immersive play.
As sure as I am that music brings me joy and I want to share it I am often unsure of what I’m supposed to be doing. But writing new songs is always at the top of the list and it brings a sense of focus, hope and confidence.
I will be posting new song demos again. May I play the song game forever.
I took the photo above of Beck and band at Moody Center, Aug. 2023.
Our neighborhood pool, Big Stacy, turns 85 this year and a bunch of folks gathered there to celebrate this morning. I was asked to sing, so I made a local version of Woody’s classic and sang it for the crowd.
This Pool Is Your Pool
This pool is your pool, this pool is my pool
From East Live Oak street to Travis Heights Elementary School
From East Side Drive to Alameda
This pool was made for you and me
As I went swimming with my mermaid daughter
We played for hours in the cooling water
Thank god we’ve got it as the summer gets hotter
This pool was made for you and me
In 1930 they built the first one
And then the Works Projects Administration
Made it bigger in ’37
This pool was made for you and me
This pool is your pool, this pool is my pool
From East Live Oak street to Travis Heights Elementary School
From East Side Drive to Alameda
This pool was made for you and me
Thanks to the city for keeping it open
Thanks to the lifeguards for keeping it going
Thanks to the water for keeping it flowing
This pool is maintained for you and me
This pool is your pool, this pool is my pool
From East Live Oak street to Travis Heights Elementary School
From East Side Drive to Alameda
This pool was made for you and me
At our weekly meetings, our boss likes to end with a question that gets us all sharing something about ourselves. Questions like:
What was your first job?
What’s your favorite TV theme song?
What’s one of your useless talents?
I loved this last question both because it prompted such fun answers from the team and because I got to share that one of my useless talents is that I can and regularly do make a song out of anything. So after everyone shared, I was inspired to make it into a song. Here is a rough demo recorded on my phone.
Executive Meetings
Executive meeting every week
tune in and see what’s new with the veep
they’re very important in all sorts of ways
here are a few that just might amaze
Heidi can twirl a baton in two ways
Helen can match up those colors for days
Jenn can sing all of Bing Crosby’s White Christmas
Anne makes ice water like nobody’s business
Executive meeting every week
tune and hear how scope creeps
they can do things that you never knew
too many to name but here’s just a few
Darren can wiggle his ears, did you know?
LaToya can name Golden Girls episodes
Teeyia can set up your old school hifi
And Jason can sing it and make it all rhyme
Executive people, they are the best
at doing odd things that no one expects
all of this useless talent concealed
stay tuned to see what the questions reveal
