I'm headed to the Durango Songwriters EXPO this weekend - which, inexplicably, is no longer held in Durango.  I know exactly one person who will be there, and I can legitimately only call her an "acquaintance".  The songwriting contest happens ahead of time, so I already know I didn't win (although the head guy was kind enough to take time to email me and tell me my songs were in the final screening process - and then a few days later told me I had broken the top 25).   I'll take it.

Networking.  My favorite.  Circling the room like a lioness stalking some antelope.  Then moving in for the kill - I mean - some conversation.  And never ever approach a group of 2 - only if there are 3 or more.  Etc.  These are the kinds of "tips" circling in my brain.  I may or may not pay any attention to them, however!  ....  Mostly I prefer the advice to simply "be friendly".

This quote seems appropriate:   "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."  - Eleanor Roosevelt

Signed,
K - Heer Goze

Ace.  The Helpful Place.  We even have pink duct tape.

Don't get me started....

Signed,
Stiep Lur Ning Kervv

These days I'm especially thankful for last month's GMA win.  That "bright spot" keeps me believing.  Keeps me dwelling in possibility.  Keeps me focused on the future.  Definitely easier some days than others....

My husband and I closed on an Ace Hardware store on Aug. 26.  I suspected the ensuing days would wreak havoc w/ my writing schedule.  Amen to THAT!  But there's still absolutely NO question in my mind that "writing" is what I'm meant to do.  I may have to take a break for a bit, but I WILL be back!  And in the meantime, I do what I can.  I write down ideas constantly.  I listen to the radio critically when I'm in the car - noticing what I like and don't like - analyzing why that's the case - and brainstorming about the next song.  I listen enthusiastically - even desperately - when my teenager wants to play a song for me.  I find myself distracted by the store's background music (today it was Taylor Swift, one of my favorites) when I'm supposed to be paying attention to the accounting software training my husband and I are going through.  I've mourned the fact that I'll miss WAJ this year (because of our first Ace Hardware convention as owners), but I registered for the Durango Songwriters EXPO in its place.  Today I sent off one of my favorite tween songs to 3 teenage girls - one in New York, one in Pennsylvania, and one in Australia.  I still faithfully read American Songwriter Magazine over my Frosted Shredded Wheat.  I actually chatted about songwriting the other day with an Ace customer, who kept coming back to find me and ask more about "which comes first - the melody or the lyric?"  I daydream about a new Ace jingle.  (Crazy, I know.)  And believe it or not, blogging is part of my "songwriting maintenance" as well...regardless of how creative or intriguing it turns out to be (or turns out NOT to be).  It may not happen as often as I'd like.  It may be less than inspired.  But I'm still here.

Here's the thing.  I'm not writing right now...and yet...I am.  "Writing" is more than working on a melody or lyric.  "Writing" is a lifestyle.  A mindset.  An identify.  A worldview. 

I am a songwriter.  I will always be a songwriter.  For now...I'm working on staying alive.

Signed,
Know Tearneen Bakk

A few weeks ago I attended Immerse 2009 (formerly Music in the Rockies, Estes Park, CO).  I didn't originally intend to, but....I'm so glad I did!  Two of my three song entries made the finals.  One finalist was "Nothing" in the American Bible Society Scripture category, which ended up taking 3rd.  And the other song did better yet:

GMA SONG OF 2009    

GMA Semi-Pro Class

“She Said” by Bev Herrema, Highland Ranch, Colo.


:)  !!!

I was totally unprepared for that to happen.  And I mean totally unprepared, folks.  (Guess I learned a lesson or two about that.)

If you want to hear the songs that made it to the finals, you can go to www.myspace.com/bevherrema.   ("She Said" and "Nothing")   Or hear the winning song in its proper "setting" by visiting my co-writers (Nikita Odnoralov & Ruslan Odnoralov of the band Everfound) @ www.everfoundmusic.com.  I actually have 3 co-writes on Everfound's new CD - She Said, Tangled, and Crashing.  Or you might catch a GMA press release somewhere or other.  Or I believe an update (and some of my crazy "story") will eventually be showing up via Write About Jesus.

It all still seems rather surreal!  I realize this would be no big deal for some of you out there.  But for me?  I'll admit it - it's kinda huge.  I feel humbled, fortunate, and extremely thankful to God for His faithfulness and generosity. 

And - just like that - one more chapter in my journey has been written.  Written - and lived.  Time to work on another song....

Signed,
Vurs Too

It's really important to me that I keep moving forward, one step at a time.  Yeah, maybe a single step doesn't seem like that big of a deal all by itself.  But those steps add up! 

Tonight I'm feeling overwhelmed by God's goodness - remembering and rejoicing in some steps He's given me the courage and opportunity to take.   Steps like picking up and practicing the guitar after so many years of piano, or learning to use Nuendo in the studio, or breaking out a new database for songwriting, or flying out for the first official Immerse event in Nashville, or attending a co-writing retreat new Louisville, KY, or braving the world of tween pop (which I happen to love), or heading downtown for some live jazz to soak in the incredible gift of music and rhythm.  Each one brings it's own challenge and occasional discomfort, but also joy!

Where have the steps of the last 5 years taken me?  One tangible result would be "cuts" this past year in multiple genres, including inspirational, Christian pop, rock/alternative and Southern Gospel.  (Yep - a surprise to me too!)  As you can imagine, when someone asks me what kind of music I write, I tend to fumble for answer!  ....  Another result would be cherished friends and co-writers I never dreamed I would know just a few short years ago - and they live all over the U.S. and Europe!  Beyond my understanding....

The thing is - it's important that I take another step each new day.  That's all God asks.  One more step.  A step in the direction God calls would be best.  But even when I'm not sure about north, south, east or west - I need to go ahead and take a step anyway!  He'll redirect me if/when I veer off course. He's done it before and I'm sure He'll need to do it again.

It's been a great day, and I'm going to bed knowing that I took a step today.  Not sure what step I'm going to take tomorrow, but I'll decide that in the morning - and then take it.  I've always loved this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt, and I've mentioned it quite a few times in the last few weeks.  But here it is again....   "Do one thing every day that scares you."  :)

Maybe you should try it!

Signed,
Lepht - Write - Lepht - Write

Two days ago I wrote a blog entry about coincidence - and how it's actually God at work.  This morning, Pastor Duane's message was AWESOME (per the usual) and hit that whole concept home big time for me.

Coincidence?

I think not.

God doing some more behind-the-scenes work anonymously?

Yes!  (And I need it.)   Gonna keep listening....

Signed,
Aye Here Yuh

Lately I find myself thinking a lot about how the music business is almost the perfect example of how God works behind the scenes.  You make goals, you work hard, you develop your craft, you network, you do your part - but you absolutely cannot "make" things happen.  It's so totally out of our control.  ....  If you've paid attention at all, stories abound of artists and writers who "got their big break" in a way they could never have foreseen.  Go ahead.  Read some biographies.  Pick up a music magazine.  You'll read stories like that over and over and over.  And that's true for both Christians and non-Christians.  (Yes, I believe God is interested in and ACTIVE in both "sides" of the music business!  I know some would prefer to leave Him out of the equation....but sorry!...He's still there!) 

Simply coincidence?  I think not!

I once heard that the definition of "coincidence" is when God performs a miracle and chooses to remain anonymous.  I like that.

Yes, the whole "God working behind the scenes" thing is true of every career pursuit.  Of every life challenge.  Of every health crisis.  Sometimes we see it more clearly than others.  But if you're even remotely involved in the music business, it's there in spades.  I guess that could be frustrating - but lately I see it as reassuring, and even exhilarating.  God's in charge!  And that helps take away some of the pressure.  If I do my part, and nothing "happens", then it's not my "fault"!  Instead, God obviously had other plans for me...plans to give me a hope and a future.

So dream big - work diligently - enjoy the moment - and hang on for the crazy ride!

Signed,
Hear Goze

I remember Mom painting her nails an iridescent pink, after they'd been filed to perhaps too much of a point, and then holding them under the "nail dryer portion" while she sat under the "hair dyer portion" of that crazy now-vintage turquoise appliance.

I remember Mom's hands loading up syringes with whatever immunization we kids were in need of, and then lining us up face down on her bed so she could expertly jab each backside as she worked her way down the line.  (Yep - she was an RN.  And also the hospital administrator.)

I remember Mom's hands fanning me in church with the bulletin - back and forth - back and forth.  Teaching me to sew a straight seam, demonstrating how to snap beans, fixing a puzzle with me and my Great Aunt Nell, applying red lipstick in front of the bathroom mirror. 

So last week we traveled to visit my parents.  Dad - with Alzheimers.  Mom - with advancing dementia.  Apparently Mom and Dad go down to dinner a bit early every day at the nursing home, so Mom can play hymns and Dad can sing along.  Reportedly everyone loves it!  My siblings and I decided to show up one day and sing along, and it's an experience I'll never forget.  Impeccable harmonies (I'd forgotten how talented everyone is).  Fond smiles as dusty lyrics sprang to life.  Sporadic applause of encouragement from a few residents.  And yes, tears.

It's funny....I lived in the same house as Mom for some 20-odd years and I knew she used to play organ in church back in the day, but I heard more music from her in that one visit than I can remember hearing in the totality of those 20 years living at home.  It's like present-day has dimmed for her (which it has) and the distant past has grown brighter.  She played absolutely any hymn that appeared in front of her eyes.  Every key signature, every time signature.  Granted, we ended up singing Have Thine Own Way Lord in the "mix" four or five times, as well as a few others....but eventually my brother figured out that she couldn't remember what we had just sung a few moments earlier, and so he began gently turning pages to something "new".  But she never skipped a beat. 

I grabbed my sister's camera and took some pics of everyone singing around the piano, and then snapped a few close-ups of her hands as she was playing.  Hands that once looked exactly like mine do today.  Hands that still look much the same, veins and all.  Hands that cared for myriads of hospital patients, that cared for me when I couldn't care for myself, and eventually cared for newborn grandchildren with practiced ease.  Hands that have grown arthritic, but play the old hymns like a pro - even though she can't remember what we talked about 5 minutes ago. 

Yes, sometimes I "see" my dad's hands when I watch my sons working on something.  But that's another topic.   For today, I see my mom's hands - Grandma's hands - and I'm amazed at the way her hands "remember" how to enter into God's presence.  I've become convinced that even if there are days when she can't focus her thoughts on her Savior, that once she sits down at that old upright, her hands remember - and they take her right into God's throne room.  And you know what?  They take my dad there too, and a whole lot of other people. 

Even at 85 years of age, with dementia wielding its worst, she has a ministry.  And she doesn't even know it. 

How cool is that?

Signed,
Aye wunnuh B. lyk herr

This morning's co-write was the exact opposite of the "we wrote an entire hit song in 30 minutes flat" scenario.  Today's project was a song we started months ago on one of my trips to Nashville.  (Actually, it's been over a year!) 

Sometimes it's hard to find the necessary opportunities to revisit inspiration, so this morning we decided to use Skype.  I'll admit I felt slightly guilty about the suggestion when I discovered my co-writer was heading out last night to purchase the necessary equipment.  (!)  But then my husband reminded me that guys are usually looking for opportunities to buy more gear. (Oh yeah.  I almost forgot.)  Anyway, it was my co-writer's first time on Skype and, true to Murphy's Law, the newly acquired webcam was acting up.  Throw in some Nashville thunderstorms, internet bugs, and spy satellites who I'm quite certain simply wanted to steal our killer ideas, and you get the picture.  But we pushed onward!  And if nothing else, my co-writer quickly became adept at redialing Bev's Skype ID after each disconnection.

Okay, so the technical aspects of the co-write didn't go smoothly  I'll give you that.  ....  But you know what?  We made excellent progress anyway, the song is gonna be awesome, and none of the rest mattered one eensy weensy bit - to me anyway!  Who cares about dropped calls and evil eavesdroppers when you can sit down together and create something absolutely brand new that didn't exist a few hours earlier?  That's a gift from God that not everyone gets to experience in life.  And it's so - much - fun!!

I think tomorrow I'll try it again.....

Signed,
Uh dikk Ted

A co-writing retreat weekend has come and gone.  I - absolutely - loved - it!!!  Got to learn massive amounts about writing - and about writers.  Faced some fears.  Stretched.  Swallowed hard.  Trusted.  Tapped into the myself, my co-writers and God.  And even experienced a few creative victories along the way.

Sometimes I hesitate to mention things like that.  Some of you were maybe there, and are thinking "Right on!"  Others of you maybe weren't, and feel discouraged to read about this kind of stuff happening "without you".  I've been there.  And I'll be there again.  No doubt about that.

So here's the thing.  One "procedure" from the event is, for me, a microcosm of the writer's entire life.  When it was time to dive into a morning or afternoon of co-writing, writers' names were drawn "out of a hat".  No one was matching you up based on genre, or experience, or perceived strengths and weaknesses.  No publisher was matching you up with an eye toward what kind of songs some artist is looking for.  No one was playing favorites and putting you with their favorite people...or vice versa.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  God was in control of that! 

That realization allowed me to enter every single co-write knowing that "God knows".  He put me here.  He knows what I need to experience in order to grow as a writer.  And He even knows what I might have to offer another writer in the room - whether that being songwriting insight, or encouragement, or something else.  He knows. 

And that's the way ALL of life is - even though we tend to forget that.  We tend to think we can orchestrate events or people to better further our journey.  We maybe wonder whose wagon we should hitch ourselves to in order to get ahead.  We think - believe it or not - that we have control over our destiny.  Ha!

Work hard?  Yes.  Take chances?  Take advantage of opportunities?  Learn something new?  Trust God along the way?  YES!  Enjoy a speck of "control"?  Absolutely not.  Just like the "hat" - God already knows.  And He knows what's best.

The image of Joel reaching into that hat (okay - it wasn't really a hat) and nonchalantly pulling out names of writers in all kinds of crazy and unexpected combinations will never leave me.  And even though Joel was reaching in blindly, I can rest in the knowledge that God is actually reaching "into the hat" with perfect vision.  He's the one putting the pieces of my life together - with full knowledge and intentionality.  So much for the luck of the draw!

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Signed,
Hiz I Deeyuss R behst

Did you know that the "smart" in Smart Car is an acronym?  Apparently the Smart car company is a joint venture by Swatch (as in Swatch watches) and Mercedes.  So....

S = Swatch
M = Mercedes
ART  = art, as in a work of art

Tada!  Smart Car! 

Did you know you can change out the panels and get a new color any time you like?  (for a fee)  Pretty cool!  I guess the "presto change" idea is because Swatch is involved.

Did you know the  color choices are year-specific?  Last year I'm told you could buy orange or yellow, and probably some other color as well (?).  This year it's red, blue and white. 

Did you know that a Smart Car is one of the safest cars on the road?  I didn't!  ....  Roll cage.  Crumple zones.  You name it....

Did you know that people stare at you a lot when you drive one?  Well, they do in the U.S. anyway, where it's only been one year since they appeared.   Smart Cars have been on the other side of the pond for 11 years now.

Did you know that we took one home today?  Yes indeed!  ....  RALLY RED.   :)  It's never gonna fly for carpool, but since it's not for me that's okay.  Scott will be driving it to work.  (But I did make arrangements to pick up our youngest from school this afternoon.  He loved it!)

Signed,
Fee Linn Inn Tellih Jent

We watched a DVD in our LifeGroup last night - part of a longer series - and this segment was called "Created to Create".  Someone commented, "Bev, this should be right up your alley."  And it was, but not in the ways I expected.  It was quite diverse, with lots of food for thought.  Wow!  We could have talked about it for hours.

It brought to mind one of my very favorite quotes in the world.  So I think I'll share that with you - then braid my daughter's hair and call it a night.

“The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Signed,
Beeyee Gladd

I thought you might like to listen in as Sir Paul McCartney speaks out on the Pirate Bay verdict. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_8008000/8008384.stm
If nothing else, I enjoy his accent.  :)   Which is just one of the many reasons I listen to whatever Simon says .... Cowell, Hawkins, you name it.

Signed,
Shall O.

I'll bet you had never heard of Capt. Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III before he landed that jetliner in the Hudson River this past January, even though he'd been getting out of bed, taking a hot shower, and going to work at U.S. Airways for 30 years. 

I'll bet you had never heard of Susan Boyle before she auditioned for Britain's Got Talent, even though she's been "Susan" for decades - and even though she's had that gorgeous, undiscovered voice for decades as well (a singing voice, by the way, which she hadn't even used for the past two years!). 

Those stories have been reminding me we serve a God of Surprises!  He's in charge!  And yes, along the way, it's unquestionably important to be diligent and faithful in whatever He's asking you to do.  (Do you really think Sully could have pulled off that landing if he'd been a slacker for the last 30 years?)

Anyway, who knows?  Maybe someone you know will experience a stupendous surprise tomorrow morning.  Maybe you!  Maybe me!  Of course, if it's something much smaller, it still doesn't diminish the fact that God could do something of that magnitude.  Big or small - that's beside the point.  The POINT is that it's GOD doing it.  (It's really not that difficult for Him, ya know?  All He needs to do is give the word...)

I stand amazed.  Again. 

Signed
Yae Gawd!

I just read my Songwriters Connection E-TIP.  I don't always take time for that, and sometimes when I do it's not worth my while.  But I thought this one had merit, and was thought-provoking enough for me to paste it in this blog.  Want more?  Go to www.songwritersconnection.com and sign up.  (Hopefully that little bit of free advertising is enough to keep me out of hot water for reprinting the article entitled "Writing 'Out of the Box'"!)

Signed,
Boks?  Wutt Boks?

***

Writing "Out of The Box"
 
One of our readers sent us a request to further define what we mean when we counsel you to "write outside the box." Since we live to serve, we three will each give you our own "schpew" (if there is such a word).
 
With this assignment I also want to do my best to remain responsible to passing along info that will help you get songs you write cut. I say that as a "starter outer disclaimer" of sorts because my point of view here is going to seem to be in conflict with itself. Sorry. Welcome to Show Biz.
 
My textbook view of "writing out of the box" is, first, having the courage to write something other than a co-dependent love song. There are so many and, yes, so many are such big hits (dysfunction beats healthy living in real life every day) (Sorry. Welcome to Show Biz). Let me define courage as it applies here. It means being patient enough to wait the time it takes to get it cut and endure the furrowed brows that serve as many the response to its performance. This brow is usually accompanied by some non-committal verbiage such as "I've never heard anything like that" or "That was incredibly...interesting."
 
Second, to use chords and lyrical references that are not: a) the same as any 27 other songs we heard this week nor b) so weird one must have a graduate degree in music theory and have researched Carl Sagan's every footnote to have a chance of understanding what was played and said.
 
Third, it is just keeping me dialed in as a listener with a story, a tune, a lyric and a turn of the phrase I haven't heard before but totally understand as it goes by.  Give me a few lines (not every single one) just clever enough I get a half smile and will use the next time I want to impress someone with a wry slice of universal, street-smart, savant philosophy (there is such a thing).
 
Need a reference point? Kenny Chesney's single "The Good Stuff." Big hit. You don't have to be clairvoyant to figure out where it's going. It's touching and charming. Perhaps most importantly it keeps you reeled in time after time after time.
 
Many times the phrase, "they just don't get me and my stuff" frankly is a writer's cover for having failed to do something new that was actually appealing. The reality is there is only so far you can go in any mainstream COMMERCIAL art form with experimentation and hope to have it be successful.
 
Need proof?
 
Tim McGraw: "Red Ragtop." Tell me what is so Satan worshipping radical about that! It is an extremely well written song about a life experience that is more common than I guess we want to admit (witness the Jerry Springer show for God's sake). It does not cast blame; it does not glorify abortion. It just tells it like it is in a really wonderful, intriguingly touching, honest way. Despite the fact it is the single of choice by one of the hottest acts in Country Music who has an avalanche of momentum, it will probably stall out before it hits number one.
 
More proof?
 
Kenny Chesney: "A Lot of Things Different." Don't get me started.
 
Point, match, set. See ya in the clubhouse.
 
Back to that "just don't get me" thing for a minute. It may be the most laughable copout I hear. There was a country comic many years ago named Brother Dave Gardner. He had a phrase I loved: "If the whole world is wrong, right your own self."
 
I am not vouching for the S.A.T. scores of everyone in Nashville but maybe, just maybe, there is something they are telling you that is worth examining when they are clear and specific with constructive criticism. You have to process it for yourself but keep your ears and mind open so mind-changing stuff can get in. You ALWAYS want to be in business with people who can change your mind.
 
For those of you who have been to one of our seminars you will know the tone of voice that goes with this allusion: "You take your canoe down to the river. If you want to get somewhere on that river, you put your canoe in the water and work the tides and currents to your advantage. Or you can stand on the bank and bitch about the course the river takes and get nowhere. In either case, the river goes where the river flows and no one is big enough to change the course of the river. Not even Chris Gaines (but God bless him for trying)."
 
Now, out of the other side of my mouth.
 
Here is the Big Secret to Life you have been waiting for.
 
Most of what gets cut is in many regards a major recycle of what is already out there. Not a plagiarism (Oh God no!!!!). Just familiar enough musically with enough different lyrical and musical twist to make it just different enough to get cut and for you to not get sued or at least prevail when you are sued.
 
By the way, if you have any real success, you will be sued so the very last part of that is the most pragmatic part.
 
How do you do this? Well this is where writing out of your own box is the key.
 
Almost without fail I hear writers complain that they are not happy unless they are writing something completely unlike everything else out there. Great. See you on seven to ten years. That is your artistic ego talking. And it has not spoken with your wallet in a while when it wheels out the soapbox, straps on the cowboy boots, hops up on Jeffrey Steele's coffee table and begins lecturing all those rich-but-talent-seeking writers in Nashville on the importance of having your artistic integrity completely intact.
 
How many of you love Mutt and Shania's lyrics? How many of you would like to have the royalties that 35 million records sold and 15 or so top-five singles in multiple formats produce? Get the connection? Whether you like their songs or not, they are speaking to a lot of people in a way that gets a bunch of them off their wallet. That, too, is art, my friends. COMMERCIAL art.
 
Let me close with my favorite creative conflict-baiter: Diane Warren. When anyone can write that many hits for that many acts in that many genres over that many years, there is no debate: she is a GREAT writer.
 
What is out of the box about that? She didn't wrap it up and pack in her unique take on codependency in 1979 after the first series of big hits she wrote. She discovered a way to profit from therapy for years, tap into generational dysfunction and make people OK with how screwed up they are. 
 
Bottom line? Mine your misery. There are hooks and song ideas in the issues you excavate in therapy that could sell lotsa records. It can make for some good & real songs. Most people are really unhappy and totally relate to songs that lay it out there with nipple twisting accuracy. There is nothing wrong with profiting from your therapy and self-discovery. How many people can turn a profit from paying someone else to examine their pain?
 
The zenith of commercial art is to express universally understood themes through small, intensely personal experiences everyone gets and is glad they heard about instead of lived. It makes them feel like their life ain't so bad after all.
 
Got some deep dark secret you'd never ever tell your best friend? Write about it and say you saw it on the Jerry Springer show. He's way out of the box.
 
Is anyone sorry this question got asked...or answered?
 
Now. Go write something that moves you.
 
John Dotson
 

What is it about a song - or a lyric - that moves one person and not another?  Hard to say. 

Miley Cyrus' song, The Climb, moves me. 

An aside:  ....  My son thinks Miley's voice is all wrong for something this pop.  I dunno - maybe he's right.  Or maybe he's simply a narrow-minded teenager.  (Oops!  Did I just say that out loud?!!)

Back to my point:  There's just something about "mountains" and "uphill battles" and "pushing on" that speaks to me.  So often I think we get overly focused on the end result, on "success", or whatever "it" is that we're chasing after.  But golly, that sure leaves out a lot of day-to-day livin', don't you think?  What about today?  What about the people whose paths crossed mine in the last 24 hours, or the last week?  What about the things I'm learning as I face daily struggles and learn to trust God just a little bit better?

Some lyrics are deeper than others.  True.  Some music is complicated, and some is simply...umm...pop.  Whatever.  I love it all.  ....  I'd really like to quote the lyric here, but maybe that's not allowed.  (I confess I get confused about all that sometimes!)  But you can look it up for yourself if you feel so inclined.  Or better yet, listen to the song.  At a minimum, I'm going to at least quote the final lines of the chorus:

    Ain't about how fast I get there
    Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
    It's the climb

Hmm.  That sounds kinda simplistic all by itself.  I guess that's why you BUILD UP to the hook. 

Enough rambling.  You get my point.  (Or if you don't, then I apologize for taking up your time.)  But I do hope you're enduring and enjoying and embracing today's climb, no matter what size mountain lies before you.  It's the climb....

Signed,
Truhj Awn

I have a note on my to-do list reminding me that I want to write a blog about something I read in American Songwriter Magazine.  But for the life of me, I can't remember what that's all about.  Uhh.  ???   I've lived with said reminder for at least a week now.  Maybe two.

Nada.

Sorry everyone.  You're just gonna have to live without that flash of insight and inspiration. 

But what really bugs me is that sometimes the "flash" also involved a song idea I wanted to write!  Boo hiss.  It's gone.

Signed,
Mae B. Nekst Thyme

I enjoy our local radio station's "mind bender" on carpool mornings.  Today's question?  They hooked up some people to wires and such, and then asked them to think about specific things.  One in particular was #1 for producing a surge of energy.  Wanna guess?   I didn't even THINK of this answer, which makes me mad now that I know.

Subjects were asked, "What is your favorite song?"  Woo-hoo!!!!

The power of music, folks!  Pure and simple.  I shoulda known.

So this afternoon I put my headphones on while I was paying bills and listened to music.  Not oldies, although that would have been fun too.  Instead, a shuffle of some of my newest favorite "top" iTunes downloads.  I loved it!!  Not sure if the increased heart rate was due to the power of music or the lack of funds in my checking account, but I felt happy - so let's go with option #1.  Music is definitely the way to go when you're dealing with the outflow of cash.  Definitely.

Signed,
Serj Awn

So......slow down a bit......and check out this quote:  Poetry is the revelation of a feeling that the poet believes to be interior and personal which the reader recognizes as his own. - Salvatore Quasimodo.  Did you catch that?  If not, slow down a bit more and read it again.

Now substitute the songwriter's life.   Songwriting is the revelation of a feeling that the songwriter believes to be interior and personal which the listener recognizes as his own.

Isn't that what every songwriter is after?  To be relevant?  To speak his or her own heart, and then - miracle of miracles - to have the listener relate?  To have the listener recognize the feeling?  I really don't think it gets much better than that.  For me anyway.

Signed,
R U whith mee