You say public recognition is fleeting. But would you have continued your path if no one was listening to your songs? – John Hi John – No, I suppose I would have found something else to do career-wise. I imagine I would still write songs, but without hope of earning a living through them. Recognition, […]
Iām a songwriter. The plan wasnāt to start painting. But in March of 2020 I started watching Bob Ross in the afternoons with my kids during lockdown. The more I watched the more I couldnāt stop watching. In a way, painting and songwriting are very similar. Theyāre both saying one thing using a confined space.
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If you donāt mind me asking, how did you go about getting your first record produced? Davis Hi Davis – I don’t mind at all. I was 22, in college studying English, playing gigs whenever I could. I really just wanted to pursue my music. But how do you do that? I didnāt know anyone
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Finding your unique songwriting voice is really just a continuation of the stuff youāre already doing, but simply editing it down and changing its form.Ā If youāre having trouble finding your unique songwriting voice, imagine your brain as being a giant rain barrel. The top is open. Everything you take ināexperiences, reading, watching TV, whateverāis
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This question comes from Phaedra (age 6) whose dad relayed her question. āDid you really do the things you sing about doing as a kid in āAmazing Incredible Thingsā? And who is Samson?ā Phaedra Hi Phaedra – Those are great questions. I sing about doing a lot of unbelievable stuff in āAmazing Incredible Things,ā donāt
Whenever Iām stuck on a song, I imagine my dad and me in the Beltrami Island State forest in northern Minnesota. Growing up, thatās where weād go on the weekends to hunt partridge. My dad didnāt own a pickup truck, but he used the family minivan as if it were one. Weād go down roads
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We celebrate Pizza Friday every week (here’ why) and Heidi makes these breadsticks. Itās her own take on the Olive Gardenās copycat recipe. Try it out and let us know how it goes! Ingredients For the dough: 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 3 tablespoons
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What inspires you to write songs? Louise (Philippines) Hi Louise – Iām inspired to write songs by many things and it changes as I get older. I think I began writing songs (age 16) to express stuff going on inside of me that I couldnāt put into words. I wasnāt a very good communicator. Plus
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My Two Favorite Definitions of Success Thereās been so much love from āBack to the Beginningā being on the Netflix series After Life. Thank you all for the kind words. Let me show you a funny graph. Itās the number of plays āBack to the Beginningā had on Thursday (spoiler alert: it was 4 playsā¦possibly
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Here’s how to play my song “Back to the Beginning.” Remember, this is just how I play it. I hope you can take whatever I’m doing and make it your own. I used to love (still do) trying to figure out the guitar parts to my favorite songs. It was always such an education about the instrument–learning
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