Oh my god....it's been sooooooo long!

Well....I think that I might be back! I'm a little dazed and confused but...I'm still alive. Let's see! Since my last post, I toured the UK, released my record and moved my family across the country (2500 miles with 9 month old twins in the back seat). Still I feel bad that I have not been on line to share that series of events with everyone.

I have been keeping up with the writing, but keeping up with the recording and posting. These days I'm feeling like I'm ready to get back to work. I find little chunks of time in each day to write and record. So...I've got the basic tracks (guitar and bass) down for 5 songs and have about 4 more to put down. Then I'll get to work on the vocals and post 'em as soon as they're done!

I thought that, in the mean time, I'd share a little bit about my thoughts on Nashville songwriting. I have several writing appointments in the next couple of weeks. I've also been meeting (mostly calling) publishing companies in the interest of securing a publishing deal. But...let's get to that later.

For now..co-writing....a strange and yet frequent occurrence in the industry of writing songs. You get the awkward first date vibe and the awkward co-worker you don't know very well vibe all mixed into one. Plus, you're trying to be creative and cool while getting to know each other. Strangers sharing feelings and ideas on the first date....maybe third date. Things that you're not sure that you're comfortable with, but are topic of conversation and become fodder for material. Some could describe it as having sex on the first date. Sort of, "let's get this done and see how we like it" type of thing.

Anyway, I've always had a good time writing with other people. There's something exiting and the creative energy that is born of two (or three....or more) people focused on an idea and seeing it come to fruition. It's like painting a fence. You work hard with your nose to the grindstone and before you know it, the fence is done and it's Miller Time!

I wrote with a young woman named Hollie Jett yesterday. We came up with a nifty little song called "Prayer for Hope". While the title sounds uplifting, the song itself is more on the depressing side. We started talking about seeing people crying...in their cars, on the street, where ever you happen to witness and breakdown. It happens every now and then. You're at a stop light and you happen to look over and notice that the person in the car next to you is balling their eyes out. What happened that made them break down in the car? What was the turning point? Was it a phone call as they left the house? Was is something that had been festering for weeks? months? Something incredibly sad they just heard on the radio?

"Prayer for Hope" was born out of that conversation. I pleased with the end result. I don't think that we wrote a hit song, but that's not for me to decide. It's our job as songwriters to write songs. It's up to other people to like them...buy them...take them some where.

Look for another post soon! I am writing more and more and will be posting new songs every week!

Peace,
Jon