We have already a fair bit interest in our next meeting, October 8th. Don't hestitate to contact me if you interested in showcasing next month or in the future: thomas.g.wilson at gmail.com
Our last month's topic "repetition" was a little vague, so I for this next month, I would like focus flip side of last year "How to write a happy song". No matter how we all love an upbeat ditty, I think there is something more profoundly lasting in explorations of suffering. Romantic comedies may make the big bucks at the box office, but it is usually tragedies win the Oscars and draw interest for years to come. The difficultly lies in writing a "sad" song well.
Luckily we have Joshua Weresch joining us on October 8th, a Hamilton songwriter renowned in our circle for delving into the morose and morbid.
Here is new work in progress that he offers us:
South Wins War
21 September 2008
Hamilton, ON
Joshua Weresch
I suppose it is simple: "You're pissing me off."
It could be the laughter, could be the cough.
You awaken at dawn with blood on your clothes
And the South wins the war again.
Don't come to this calling, twitching with guilt.
Here are bricks without straw; there's a city re-built.
You awaken at noon, take the wrong antidote
And the South wins the war again.
And it's over the concrete to take the last stand.
The poor folk are coming with fire in their hand.
You awaken at night with a knife to your throat
And the South wins the war again.
Another pianist, Joyce McAughey offers us some songs self-described as " depressing, neurotic , kicked by the world lyrics with an upbeat feel".
Nobody's Fool words and music by Joyce McAughey
c.2008
I'm nobody's fool
I'm nobody's girl
I'm nobody's favourite star.
I never thought things would turn out this way,
I guess that's just the way things are.
I'm not a footstool in your living room nor
A doormat in your hall.
I know there's so much you despise about me
I know 'cause I've heard it all.
I'm sick and tired of this
I'm sick and tired of this
I'm so sick and tired of this
I'm sick to death of it.
I stay here on my sofa
Just to pass the time
I watch the world go by me
It seems to manage just fine.
I'm sick and tired of this
I'm sick and tired of this
I'm so sick and tired of this
I'm sick to death of it
I'm nobody's fool
I'm nobody's girl
I'm nobody's favourite star
I never thought things would turn out this way,
I guess that's just the way things are
I guess that's just the way things are
I guess
That's just the way things are.
Waiting words and music by Joyce McAughey
c.2008
She paces the sidewalk
She spins and turns around
Her lipstick's been applied
With a mirror on the ground.
Chilled to the bone
Under this warm October sky
She raises a toast to the passersby.
She waits
Patiently for someone
Who never really has appeared.
Was he late again for coffee?
Was he late again my dear?
She said she saw him on the corner
With his new-found long lost friend
And she thought that he'd be waving
But he never looked back again
He never looked back.
She said the days are getting shorter now
And the seasons how they change.
As she stood in the doorway under
Cigarette haze.
Chilled to the bone
Under this warm October sky
She raises a toast to the passersby.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A couple tips
Thank you Randy keeping the everyone up to date with radio show. Here's a couple older tips that I've been meaning to post.
#25 Young songwriters can add too many notes. Don't be afraid to give your melodies space to breath. --The Abbreviations
#26 Start with a good title and build your song around that.
--Bruce Springsteen (VH Story Teller) relied by Octoberman
#25 Young songwriters can add too many notes. Don't be afraid to give your melodies space to breath. --The Abbreviations
#26 Start with a good title and build your song around that.
--Bruce Springsteen (VH Story Teller) relied by Octoberman
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
I'm listening to The Forge right now on my radio.
So I'm listening to The Forge right now on CFMU 93.3 FM. I don't know about anyone else but I think Tom's voice sounds like it should be on the CBC!
I don't know if Tom would get mad at me for saying this but I am always curious about what technical difficulty will result each week. The amazing thing is that Tom is so mellow that he never sounds flustered. I'm sure that I would be no better at learning all that technical stuff needed to be on the air. I think in a couple more weeks, Tom will have delved into every possible technical miss step and he will have no more mistakes left to make.
Tonight's guest is Dan Griffin (a great Hamilton songwriter). Dan just finished giving his songwriting tip and it and went something like:
"Try and write from someone else's perspective, or a different story from your own."
I like that one. It has taken me a number of years to get to the place in my own songwriting that I'm starting to write fictional stories, but now that I have delved into this territory it has really helped my songs. Tom just said that he is going to condense Dan's tip in his own blog entry so I'll leave him to talk about it more.
Tom and Dan were also talking about country music. Dan was saying that he doesn't think you have to be from the "country" to play country (he's a suburban boy). They went on to talk about that country has come a long way from its Tennessee roots. I think it is worth noting that the sound and look of traditional old country was often city boys borrowing the look and sound of cowboys from western films. I know that some country music has its roots in rural folk music (like the original Carter Family) but most of country music's hey day was all urban. Think about Chet Atkins, the quintessential country guitar player. That guy is the foundation of so much of country music and his sound is so very urban, almost becoming jazz.
If you haven't had a chance to listen to The Forge yet, you are missing out on a great show. I have heard rumors that it might become podcast in the future. That would be really cool!
I don't know if Tom would get mad at me for saying this but I am always curious about what technical difficulty will result each week. The amazing thing is that Tom is so mellow that he never sounds flustered. I'm sure that I would be no better at learning all that technical stuff needed to be on the air. I think in a couple more weeks, Tom will have delved into every possible technical miss step and he will have no more mistakes left to make.
Tonight's guest is Dan Griffin (a great Hamilton songwriter). Dan just finished giving his songwriting tip and it and went something like:
"Try and write from someone else's perspective, or a different story from your own."
I like that one. It has taken me a number of years to get to the place in my own songwriting that I'm starting to write fictional stories, but now that I have delved into this territory it has really helped my songs. Tom just said that he is going to condense Dan's tip in his own blog entry so I'll leave him to talk about it more.
Tom and Dan were also talking about country music. Dan was saying that he doesn't think you have to be from the "country" to play country (he's a suburban boy). They went on to talk about that country has come a long way from its Tennessee roots. I think it is worth noting that the sound and look of traditional old country was often city boys borrowing the look and sound of cowboys from western films. I know that some country music has its roots in rural folk music (like the original Carter Family) but most of country music's hey day was all urban. Think about Chet Atkins, the quintessential country guitar player. That guy is the foundation of so much of country music and his sound is so very urban, almost becoming jazz.
If you haven't had a chance to listen to The Forge yet, you are missing out on a great show. I have heard rumors that it might become podcast in the future. That would be really cool!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Radio Forge on CFMU 93.3 FM
So I was listening to the Forge radio show on my way in to the songwriting workshop at The Freeway Coffee House yesterday. It was a very cool experience listening to the show at 7 and attending the workshop at 8. This last week featured a conversation with Janine Stoll, a great songwriter that I have admired for a while. I loved her songwriting tip. Try to avoid over using the word "and." Don't use the word "and" out of context. She talked about how a lot of songwriter use the word "and" as a place holder and if you tried reading the lyrics they don't really make sense.
Tom is doing a great job hosting the Forge Radio show. If you haven't had a chance to hear it yet, it is on CFMU 93.3 FM every Wednesday evening at 7:00pm for 30 minutes.
The Songwriting workshop is on the second Wednesday of every month at The Freeway Coffee House at 8pm. Hope to see you out next month.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Lyrics: Nobody with a Good Car
I'm offering two song this meeting. the one below is brand new and on my myspace: www.myspace.com/wilsonfamilyforgery
Nobody with a Good Car
Thomas Wilson
Nobody with a good car needs to be justified
Nobody with a good car needs to be justified
You can follow any road, life is like Sunday drive
For nobody with a good car needs to be justified
Nobody with a good looking women needs to be justified
Anybody can be good looking, she need not be your bride
to escape the bonds of flesh, many have tried
But nobody, nobody needs to be justified
Bridge:
Tell me what if
A patrolman kicks
Your car off a cliff
While your neck is stiff from murdering
someone of your very mirror likeness
And then what bliss
Not to accept a lift
Or any other gift
of his or a landlady's kindness --
What blindness
is this?
I think we can see clearly now, we do not need to be justified
Anybody with a good pair of eyes, does not need to be justified
Some thought they sawme crying, well that was just something in my eye
Say nobody who knows nothing needs to be justified
Nobody with a Good Car
Thomas Wilson
Nobody with a good car needs to be justified
Nobody with a good car needs to be justified
You can follow any road, life is like Sunday drive
For nobody with a good car needs to be justified
Nobody with a good looking women needs to be justified
Anybody can be good looking, she need not be your bride
to escape the bonds of flesh, many have tried
But nobody, nobody needs to be justified
Bridge:
Tell me what if
A patrolman kicks
Your car off a cliff
While your neck is stiff from murdering
someone of your very mirror likeness
And then what bliss
Not to accept a lift
Or any other gift
of his or a landlady's kindness --
What blindness
is this?
I think we can see clearly now, we do not need to be justified
Anybody with a good pair of eyes, does not need to be justified
Some thought they sawme crying, well that was just something in my eye
Say nobody who knows nothing needs to be justified
Thursday, September 4, 2008
WED Sept 10, first live meeting of the season!
Hello Songwriters,
Our first meeting of the season is this Wednesday (not Friday as previously posted --oops!), Sept 10 at 8pm (not 7:30 like last year). We are moving the meeting time up a bit, so that I can bike from the radio show at McMaster that ends at 7:30.
Don't hestitate to contact me (Tom) to showcase. If you would like review the basic premise of the Forge (including my contact info) click here .
I have other good news: I am planning on recording this meeting and then playing selections of it on the radio show (Wed 7-7:30). Very soon, all the show at CFMU will be podcasted, which will great for the participants exposure.
Our first meeting of the season is this Wednesday (not Friday as previously posted --oops!), Sept 10 at 8pm (not 7:30 like last year). We are moving the meeting time up a bit, so that I can bike from the radio show at McMaster that ends at 7:30.
Don't hestitate to contact me (Tom) to showcase. If you would like review the basic premise of the Forge (including my contact info) click here .
I have other good news: I am planning on recording this meeting and then playing selections of it on the radio show (Wed 7-7:30). Very soon, all the show at CFMU will be podcasted, which will great for the participants exposure.
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