Liaising With Lucy… (Woodward)
Lucy has the kind of voice that makes me angry. I tell her that no matter the lessons I’ve taken, the breathing correctly (or not), or my own rockstar fantasies, there’s no substitute for being born with the equipment that allows a certain kind of magic to flow from ones lungs. I’m in awe of how that voice keeps her moving about the planet.
Songwriters: Where Are You?
Nobody stays on top forever. That’s why they call it “15 Minutes.” And when your shelf-life has diminished you might wish you did something about the future of your bank account back when you had the chance to change the system. So when the younger gens have taken over you’ll have savings. And you can stay in your house. Perhaps even buy another.
Road Trip: Destination Phoenix
This Friday it’s destination Phoenix for me, for 2 performances of Confessions of a Serial Songwriter LIVE! The last decade in the music business has been a long strange trip (no pun intended) and my one-woman hour of humorous observations about HOW it's changed promises to be an entertaining evening for those who have shared the struggle as well as for those who are simply curious about a world they know nothing about. I’m looking forward to the drive.
My Daughter Is An Artist
If a young person has a true calling and they’re willing to go out into the world and share their light, opportunities will reveal themselves.
Aloha and Mahalo-Songwriting in Hawaii with Kenny Loggins!
Kenny remarked, “ya know...luck smells a lot like sweat.” Even if he managed to be in the right place at the right time over and over I think we can agree that he backed it up with the right stuff. No one should ever feel guilty if they get lucky. Maybe luck is something the Universe rewards us with when we’ve done the hard work and believe in ourselves.
Join The Noise
If the business model of 20 years ago was as it is today, that favorite song of yours...the one you sang to your baby at bedtime ("Surfer Girl" for me), or danced to at your wedding, might never have been written because the writer who wrote it might not have been able to sustain themselves long enough to stay in the game. Well, things are about to change. Hopefully!
I Only Have Eyes For You
This Valentines day, let a secret crush into song. It’s good for your creative health.
#Us Too
When it comes to the MeToo movement, Songwriters are not immune. As sole proprietors and small business owners, we are currently unable to unionize. We have no HR departments, no sexual harassment protocols, no real recourse. We only have each other. So where does a female songwriter (or artist or composer or producer) go when a line has been crossed? SONA is stepping up.
The Room Where it Happens
I love these young faces. College campuses. Skateboards. Limitless possibility in the air. I want to be part of the movement that helps make those possibilities possible. Perhaps it’s a different road than I traveled but even a detour should eventually lead to the same bliss, sense of accomplishment and livelihood.
Small Spaces
Yesterday I was off to the “studio” of a young producer, as he offered to record my vocal for a project I was working on. When I got there I realized his "studio” was his apartment with just enough square footage for not much more than a bed.
Survival of the Richest
I’m happy here on planet digital where I get all the songs I want whenever I want them, wherever I go. I simply want my community to have as healthy an earning trajectory as the CEOs and label heads who are running their companies on the backs of the creators who write the songs that make their business possible.
Dear Santa...
We don’t need material gifts, Santa….just some shift in the Universe that gives musicians faith in the idea that we, and the young people who will come after us, will be able to sustain ourselves and keep giving the world what they can not live without: music.
Broken Record
The perception of free is a dangerous drug and the longer we believe it’s okay to use it the harder it will be to get sober.
Songwriting Camps
A few months ago, my esteemed colleague, producer/songwriter Greg Wells, who hosts a yearly event at a castle in Bordeaux, invited me to France.
Nothing Compared 2 U
If we’re of the age that somebody’s music was the backdrop to our youth, and the one who created it moves on, it's as if our youth gets a little farther away.
Glass Half Full, Please
You never know when or where you’ll find your luck. Luck has more of a chance when we believe it does. It’s as simple as that. Our attitudes are more powerful than we know.
On Grammy Eve: Sending David Bassett Ex's & Oh's
In an industry filled with egos and players and sound-alike chasers he never lost the plot!
Is My Demo Good Enough?
I anticipate the comments from writers whose songs made it passed the finish line via a voice memo. Yup. I had a few of those too. Not any more.
