Writers are born, not made. I don’t mean to say that a writer is not a slave to their craft, they are. What I am saying is that no one would ever choose to be a slave to this craft if they weren’t born to do so. See, when people say things to a musician or writer or whomever, “well you have a God-given talent”, it really is a “God-given ability and a God-given desire to work”.
Read MoreThe point of all of this isn’t just to tell you what I’m up to, but to say to my fellow artists, don’t be afraid to throw yourself a curveball. I’ve gotten comfortable working alone, but am I reaching my potential as an artist being comfortable and alone?
Read MoreAs a general rule, I don’t like to mix entertainment and politics. This is mostly because the only preaching I like to hear is on Sunday mornings. There’s a place for preaching, but it’s not in art. Art is supposed to bring awareness and ask questions. It can’t answer those questions for you. You shouldn’t give a crap what an entertainer thinks of politics, one way or another.
Read MoreMany songwriters talk about inspiration as if it is this mystical thing and we’re just conduits from some other sphere for the song. I think that’s a bit new age for me, but while I don’t think it’s mystical, it is a bit mysterious.
Read MoreI keep returning to Depeche Mode. Why? Because ultimately what I care about are songs and Martin Gore is an amazing songwriter and they have an ability to push their boundaries when needed and to show restraint when needed.
Read MoreMy reward is no longer in the finished product, but in the work itself. My reward is the absolute joy and peace I get from sitting in a dark room at the keyboard. I seek no one’s acceptance or validation. I am free from the expectations of others.
Read MoreNone of what I’m saying is revolutionary, but it’s important not to rely on this technology, just get the most out of it as a tool. There’s no substitute for a great lyric, arrangement, melody or performance. Great songs are great songs on a single instrument, but that doesn’t mean you have to write them that way. As the old expression goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat and there’s nothing better for the artist than to continually force yourself out of your comfort zone.
Read MoreRyan Adams has been so prolific dating back to his time in Whiskeytown in the 1990s that, possibly aside from Heartbreaker, his solo debut, you could say all of his records are under-appreciated.
Read MoreWhen you saw Natalie Imbruglia’s name, you immediately thought of “Torn” didn’t you?
Read MoreI grew up six miles down the road from the house John grew up in on Indiana Highway 11. Me, just north of Jonesville in Bartholomew County, and he just north of Rockford in Jackson County. Of course, he’s 28 ½ years older than me, but as I was becoming aware of music, his musical shadow was a long one in Southern Indiana. Some of my earliest memories are of driving around on the country roads and my folks having a collection of great cassettes in the car: Eliminator (ZZ Top), Learning to Crawl (The Pretenders) and Uh Huh and American Fool by John.
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