Love It If We Made It
I’ve heard it said that there’s no good music out there. Not true. You gotta dig deeper than the mainstream. Or maybe some of us grew up and got happy — no longer depend on music to identify or save us. Fair enough. Thing is if you want it, there is music out there that’s saving people. It saves me sometimes. Actually it saves me quite often.
Anticipation
It’s funny, when you’re too young to comprehend lyrics about the complexity of mature relationships you may still sing along. They may still feel like they mean something when you’re 12. You’re just not sure what it is they mean. But some songs just curiously resonate. And then one day, they totally make sense.
Record Store Re-Imagined
Is there room for a new Music Space in a digital world — where enthusiasts can still convene and discover…not just their favorite bands but each other. A space where common ground brings people together physically and passionately under the same roof. Like food in a restaurant. Film in a theatre. A space where hardly anyone knows your name but we all know we came for the same reason.
Publishing: "Perpetuity" May Not Be Forever
If you enter into a publishing agreement which says the publisher shall keep your songs in “perpetuity” it might not actually mean forever. It could mean…only 35 years. I know what you’re thinking. 35 years? That will never come! Songwriters operate in a state of arrested development. We don’t believe we’ll ever grow up so why worry about it? I can assure you, the future always comes. We’re living in it. So listen up!
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.
New Year's Resolutions 2019: Simple But Real
At the beginning of every new year I make a few promises to myself. I like to keep them simple but real. No ridiculous diets revolving around resisting cheese (never gonna happen) or intentions of completely changing my ways. It’s the little things that seem to effectively shift my spiritual journey anyway.
Winding Down
For me, December is about reflection, taking stock, disengaging, rejuvenating, cleaning out closets & giving away items I purchased in haste. Making room for the new. Donating to those who lost a home in a fire. Maybe taking time off is the best thing we can do for our creativity. A recharge is an investment for the future.
Becoming Curator
Something not so coincidental happened recently because, I believe, the Universe has been witnessing my Renaissance with music: Pandora asked me to be a curator — that’s a songwriter, producer, blogger, or music enthusiast with a desire to connect with their followers through well, music.
I definitely have a desire to connect. :)
Thank G*d For Music
Today, whether you’re deliriously happy or morbidly miserable, Thank God for Music. Whether you’re afraid to go to yoga or your place of worship Thank God for Music. Whether you found your true love or lost the only one you ever had, whether you’re welcoming your child into the world or burying a friend, whether you’re still waiting to hear your first single on the radio or celebrating your fifth #1 Thank God for Music. Turn It Up!
Grown-Ups Making Records
For so many years I made a living as a professional songwriter who only wrote songs for others to sing. That’s been great. But now I’m yearning to re-connect in a more personal way with my love of that 3 minute enigma that got me hooked in the first place. It had nothing to do with getting signed or making money but with the euphoria I felt expressing myself on my own terms.
Rethinking Taylor Swift
I sincerely hope she didn’t share that post because it’s “good for business” but because she’s growing up and feels the need to stand up for what she cares about — whatever it is she cares about — because it matters. It matters as much as the music.
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.
Why Can't I Get This Song Cut?
We’ve all written one. At least we think we have. You know…that song that’s just so good, you can’t figure out for the life of you why nobody has recorded it.
Happy Birthday, Kay Hanley
Age is relative. I have friends who are 70 who are younger than others who are 40. They never lose their sense of wonder, curiosity and the capacity to be inspired. Their imaginations are alive and well. They’ll be young forever, at least at heart. I want to be one of them. Like Kay!
Filling The Empty Nest
I wouldn’t exchange a minute of my mommy years with songwriting sessions I turned down, or didn’t get called for because I skewed...too mature. Feh. And even though the empty nest has it’s advantages I still stand in Layla’s bedroom and take in “the shrine” — artwork, nick-nacks, photographs and memories. The only thing that’s missing is her.
SongSex Gone Wrong
Every co-write is a like a blind date. You were psyched about that session. You had this killer idea—at least you thought so—one that made your heart beat faster. Sadly, it just didn’t have the same effect on your co-writer. So what do you do?
Bebe Rexha is a Classy Mess
Inquiring minds have been inquiring and the answer is yes. Meredith Brooks and I received co-writing credit on Bebe Rexha’s “I’m A Mess.” The writers, Justin Tranter, Jussifer & Bebe herself, felt the hook on Mess had enough of a likeness to “Bitch” to offer up a piece. Most writers would have gone into denial and skipped merrily along onto their next co-write.
