Saturday In The Park
I never got over leaving NY. I wasn’t any less in love with her when I left than when I came. So again I ask you — do we manifest our destinies? No need to answer.
My Take On “Levitating”
Songwriters COULD make an effort to be more original. But can you blame us? Algorithms, which determine what DSPs stream, are basically forcing a creative community to write familiar sounding fodder. It’s a shame. But it’s true.
Hotel Cafe
Hotel Cafe is packed. If I don’t get Covid tonight I’m immune! Good for songwriters. Good for Hotel Cafe. Good for the music business that so many ppl came. I’m happy to be here but definitely feel some personal-space anxiety. Deal with it, Shelly. It’s gonna take a minute. I need to get back to the land of the living.
Catching Up With Kasim
My friend Kasim Sulton (bass player with with Todd Rundgren for the past 45 years) was one of the many touring musicians whose livelihood was disrupted due of the paralyzing forces of the pandemic. That didn’t stop him from releasing an album, launching a radio show and starting a podcast. But now that Covid protocol seems to be in retreat, he’s back to his happiest place — on stage with Kasim Sulton’s Utopia. He and I took a moment to talk about where he’s at. Literally and figuratively. Oh and…here’s to musicians getting back to work!!
🥳🎊🎉🍾🥂
Still Co-Writing After All These Years
When I started out I was 20. Everyone else was 20. We liked to write about the same 20-something things. Now, I don’t blame anyone for being 20. It was great! It’s just that I have a wider palette now.
Catching Up With Curtis
I met a 25-year-old Curtis Stigers in 1991 when Clive Davis selected a song I wrote with Gregg Sutton for Curtis’ debut record. Then all 3 of us wrote “You’re All That Matters To Me” which Curtis JUST re-recorded for a new album dropping this week. How on earth does someone stay in the game for so long? Creativity lives loudest in those who never stop envisioning what’s next. 💯💪🔥
Hello It’s Me
Didn’t we all have that guy or that girl or that they in our lives? Someone who was more than a friend but not quite a lover? Or a sometimes lover but not quite a “love”? Or a MAD love who didn’t feel the same about you? They fill some hole. Maybe you sleep together. Maybe you don’t but you want to. You did but don’t anymore. Only Todd knows for sure. But it doesn’t matter what Todd’s inspiration was. What matters is what the song conjures up for US! 😳
Jon
Jon had a way of making me feel like we had a special connection. A “thing.” I now realize that he made everyone feel that way. I’m in no way disappointed that I wasn’t the only one. My thing with him WAS special. Unique. As was all the others. The idea that so many people wanted to cultivate a “thing” with Jon Lind says a lot about the man.
The Way We Were
We’ll always have plenty of talented tasty, clever ear-worm-worthy songsmiths. Topliners. Beat Makers whose delicious material I enjoy immensely. It’s just that when we lose all our Marilyns who’s going to write “The Way We Were”? How do you keep THAT music playing?
If You Can Teach, Teach!
They say if you can’t do, teach. I couldn’t disagree more. Why not do both? There is a season turn turn turn. If you’ve been successful in your field at some point it’s time to pay it forward. Plus, it’s good for us to keep doing things we’re not sure we can do. 🤓
Things I Learned This Year
If someone breaks your heart stay busy — Life isn’t complicated, people are — Getting your hopes up is good for your soul. These are just some of the realizations that came to me this year. I’m sure you’ll relate to at least a few. Have a Happy New Year my friends…Here’s to another chance to try. 💜
A Real Good Feel-Good Christmas Story
A few weeks ago I got a Facebook message from someone I didn’t know. It started out the way many messages via Facebook start out which is why I probably don’t check them all that often. “You don’t know me but”… And then — ”I found something I think you lost many years ago on the streets of NYC.” 🎄
And In The End — Part 3
I don’t know about you but my husband and I were bleary-eyed for days after this series. A similar-eyed friend texted suggesting we curate a support group so we can debrief, vent, commiserate, celebrate. We’d sit in a circle and pass around a talking piece. Because, we need to get it out of our system. But the Beatles will NEVER be out of our system. 😳💙
Get Back
The Beatles pulled us into a place we didn’t know existed — a world of uncontrived, un-calculated delicious madness...of minor to major to minor again, of dropped measures and bizarre segues. Yet, the absence of logic never made so much sense. Anything was possible. They cooked with spices we never tasted. It was like we were all virgins and we shall never get that flower back. I miss them. I miss something having that much power over me. ❤️🧡💛💚💙
The Fempire
The members of SONA are by no means all women. But we did start out that way. On Friday night we received an invitation to Writers Block — an event hosted by a passionate new group of creators. By Writers Block they weren’t referring to a lapse of inspiration but rather what it is exactly that’s blocking the fair share of song royalties from getting into the pockets of the writers who write the songs.
It was a beautiful evening and so, because many of us gals haven’t seen a lot of each other lately we met up pre-event at my humble abode (which I was able to purchase because of Pre-Streaming income), watched the sunset, drank some wine and talked about how to support this new coalition.
Easy On Adele
Simplicity goes a long way. Adele need not appear on SNL as a musical guest and perform in a space suit or a garter belt. She can stand there and just sing because she’s that good. That mesmerizing. That classy. No multi-media light show flashing behind her. No twerking. She’s a modern day Barbra Streisand. God knows there was room for another.
Just Walk Away Renée
I stood on the stage of The Bitter End for the first time when I was 24. Same age as my daughter is now. 24 was a good year not just because I was young but because I was fresh, fearless and pride-free. That’s what young is supposed to be. Open to falling in love with fools, not seeing the forrest for the trees. It was absolutely wonderful. But ‘now’ is good too. For different reasons. I’m wiser. Confident. I don’t need to go back. (But I wouldn’t mind visiting for a couple of nights) ☺️
A Day Without Facebook
There was a time we survived just fine without social media. We had landlines and stationary. If we wanted to promote ourselves we found a way. I know I know I know — that’s pretty hypocritical coming from me as I promote new songs, books, Grammy Noms. I’m the Queen. But I like to think I mostly converse about a world and culture that’s interesting and strange and mad and beautiful.
Separating the Artist From The Art
Once a creation is released into the universe it exists as separate energy. And entity. The writer may own the copyright but the people own the feeling. It’s out there. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
Kacey’s RecLOVEry album
I can’t help but wonder whether artists create drama in order to have new material. Break-up to make-up. Make-up to break-up. Regardless, what speaks to me about Kacey Musgrave’s new release is the authentic detail and the stuff we discover as we drag ourselves through who-won-the-breakup. If the result of the break-up is an album this stellar I’d say Kacey won.
