Songs in the Raw! Sept 29, 2007

I live in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco. It's an eclectic neighborhood full of cool clothes stores, cafes, hippy stores and 60's memorabilia shops. There are a ton of street musicians, bums, drug dealers and college students on break asking for spare change. I walk by these people everyday as I run my local errands. I've found that the best time of day is between 7am and 10am. Before the bums get up from sleeping in the park and way too early for the drug dealers. The college students are still sleeping in their Vanagons and on their friends couches and the street is quiet and empty.

Recently, I've been walking by a guy who is simultaneously asking for change and reading tarot cards for money. I appreciate his effort. It's much better than asking for money to "buy my next beer" or "get me fucked up".

Anyway, I used him in this week's song. The only thing is that I changed him into a woman and made him blind. I think that reading tarot cards is cool, but I'd like to see it done by a blind woman. Now that would be talent.

I also thought that this song should be kind of a tribute to Ray Wiley Hubbard. He's one of my favorite song writers and this song kind of deserved his style. The song is called "Moment of Clarity". It's a story song. I rarely write these kinds of songs, so let me know what you think. I guess it's not a real story. I don't take a trip to Reno or find a bag full of money. I don't meet any crazy people or end up on the beach in Hawaii. So, it's not a real story. It's sort of a moment in time.

You can listen to the song at SONGS IN THE RAW MYSPACE
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Peace,
Jon

Songs in THE RAW!! Sept 23

I am so freaking fried right now. I don't even have any idea what I just recorded. I don't remember writing or recording the song for this week. I'm not sure what it's about. I'm not sure if I even like it....as a matter of fact, I probably don't. I don't know, I'll have to go back and check it out. Either way, it's all I can do right now....between bottles, poops, screaming and squeezing in 3 hours of sleep, I can barely manage to change clothes, much less take care of my "SONGS IN THE RAW" quest. Was that a run-on sentence?

This week's song is called "Strawberry Sunsets". I have no idea where it came from, but it ended up sort of being a reflection on sobriety and the search for self. Somehow that doesn't come across so clearly in the song....maybe it does.

I think it's about searching outside for something that has been inside you all along. That seems to be a problem with a lot of people, including me. Always looking for answers in other things, people or activities. I liked to look for answers in bottles of liquor, bags of weed and tiny bindles of cocaine. That's just me. I don't recommend that technique, but it did get me where I am today. Like I had to walk through the fire to find myself.

So what are "Strawberry Sunsets" and why do I say that I am "Burning my feet in the sand"? Well, that means that I am all the I love and do and experience and remember and want to do and experience and remember in the future. I am what I've done and I will be what I am doing now......maybe I should work out more and eat better...since I want to be some one who's in good shape and stands a good chance of living a long life.

OK...time for bed...for three hours....if I'm lucky....then more screaming, diaper changing, bottle warming and rocking back to sleep..ing.

I hope you enjoy "Strawberry Sunsets".

Oh...it's the GOOD LIFE! Wouldn't change it for the world.

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COME ON ROCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD!!!!!
Peace,
Jon

Songs in THE RAW!! Sept 20

OK...I'm stuck. I laid down the guitar part yesterday for this week's song and I have no idea where to go now. So, I've decided to write a bit about what I am thinking about and see if it leads me some where. Plus, the guitar part mutated as I recorded it and now I am in an entirely new vibe.

The idea that keeps floating around in my head is "Something to believe in". It started out as "Some one to believe in" but that might lead me to a political rant. I did that last week and don't want to get stuck in that rut. Also, the "Something to believe in" thing was done by Poison in the 80s and I can't help but go back to that image. So...where do I want to take this thing?

The second line that came out of my head was "Beside myself". What the hell is that? Of course, I believe in myself. It's the only way that I can continue to go through this songwriting exercise. Plus, in this world you really have to believe in yourself to follow your dreams. Lord knows, there are enough people along the way to try and talk you out of following your dreams. "Find a fall back plan....don't get your hopes up.....it's a tough business and very few people succeed....don't quit your day job....be realistic with your chances of success....it's just a hobby". The list goes on. Quite frankly, I'm too old to go back and try something else. I have too many tattoos to get a real job (which isn't that many) and I never liked that way I look in corporate casual, not to mention the word "slacks" (unless used as a verb).

OK, back to the business at hand. Here are some lines that might find their way into this week's song....unless it all changes tonight.
"If you're running on faith, run with your head out of you ass"
"Believe in some one, make sure they believe in you"
"Take a chance on love and love will take a chance on you"
"I find myself when I'm looking for something that I lost" - "You have to loose yourself to find yourself"
"Where would I be without loosing myself" - "Where would I be if I never lost myself"

I think there might be something in there somewhere. I like the last one the best and it might lend itself to the vibe of the song!

Now, let's see what pops out of my head tonight.

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Songs in THE RAW!! Sept 15, 2007

There's nothing like the sound of screaming babies in the back round to inspire writing. Just as I sit down to write up my blog, both babies let loose with a bone curdling scream. Let's see what I can come up with.

So, this week's song is called "Politics and Bad Religion". I usually don't write about either one of those subjects, but sometimes you just gotta let it go. There's so much crap going on in this world that it has to creep into my song writing every now and then. I'm not sure about the rest of you guys, but the clowns in charge of your political future have insulted my intelligence one too many times. At the same time, what can I do. I vote....I take the occasional poll...I donate my musical time for free for causes that I believe in...but I can't change the minds of the policy makers. I haven't even talked about religion yet. I'm not even sure where to begin there.

I'm a spiritual guy. I believe in something larger at work here. We're not just running around in pointless circles to no end. There is a reason behind everything. I just don't feel like there is an organised religion that has the definitive answer or even a vague grasp of the scope of "that which no greater can be conceived". That's all I can say about that......I won't dive into the deep end of the religious wars that have plagued our planet since the dawn of humans religious endeavors.

SO..."Politics and Bad Religion"...check it out!

ALSO, THERE'S A BONUS TRACK THIS WEEK!!
I've included a recording a song that I wrote a few months ago. Actually, I was inspired to write this song as I watched the events unfold at Virginia Tech. I was home for that few days during and after the tragedy there and I was deeply effected, as I think we all were. As a songwriter I couldn't help but writing something based on that event.

I've had mixed reviews of this song's inspiration. There are those who think that I have exploited a tragedy for my own gain...although I'm not sure what gain that is. I am not seeking fame and fortune through the writing of these songs. I am only writing songs from my view of life and the things that effect me. If I did not write about thing that had meaning to me, I would be a walking lie. I was extremely saddened by what I watched on TV for those days around that massacre. If it didn't make it's way into my writing....WHAT'S THE F#*KING POINT!

Anyway, the bonus track is called "Shattered Pieces". I hope you enjoy what you hear. Maybe you will be moved to write me and curse me....maybe you will feel that way that I do and did about this tragic event.

AS ALWAYS, go to my SONGS IN THE RAW MYSPACE PAGE

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Songs in THE RAW!! September 7, 2007

This will be the second week in a row that I have looked into a darker subject. I can't help it. I just like to get a little dirty every now and then. My mother once asked me to stop writing depressing songs. Did the arts community ask Van Gogh not to paint a self portrait? Did anyone ask John Lennon not to write songs about peace? Did they call the Write Brothers not to look to the sky? Did anyone tell Barry Bonds not to take steroids? I DON'T THINK SO!

We are who we are...we do what we do....anything else would be criminal. I'm not a sad guy. I have a lot of great things in my life. I don't spend my days thinking about death and reliving my messed up relationships. I drank enough liquor and snorted enough cocaine to fill Wembley Stadium. I don't spend all day thinking about how much of my life I lost in a drunken coked up stupor.....and it was a good chunk! I just feel like writing about the lower points in my life is a way of cleansing. It's like the Blues. It's my way of releasing the pain and moving on. As it turns out, I have a lot of pain. I must have saved myself a ton of money in therapy with my music.

At any rate, this week's song is called "To Be Lonely". It's about me..really...but I turned it into a "her" song. I based it on a relationship that failed due to my drug abuse and general lack of presence..."even when I was present". I am actually lucky to have done this in the past. It's one of the things that I use as a learning point to keep my current, very awesome relationship.

The song is based around the idea that sometimes it's better to be with some one, even if it's not the best relationship, than to be lonely. Again, I don't actually say that in the song, but that's the idea anyway.

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