I'll Live

Time to dust off "Christmas Lonely," but I have newer and older songs to which you should listen as well. I've finally decided to call the next album I'll Live, and I've posted ten of the tracks (including that holiday song) to SoundCloud, Bandcamp, and of course ReverbNation.

A number of songs from Joy in the New will be included on the new release, though they'll all be getting a fresh mixing and mastering. A few of my already-recorded tracks are benefiting from vocal and/or instrumental tweaks; for instance, "Heavywait" finally sounds right. And then there are the new ones, such as the title track. I don't expect I'll be posting any more songs from the album until it's ready for release (I'm thinking April), but you never know.

The album was going to be called Tougher Than Flannel for years, and then I abruptly started considering I Can't Possibly Give More Than I Can Give early this year. That eventually gave way to The Unfortunate Truth (from a line in "I'll Live"), which jockeyed for position with Signifying Nothing. When I began thinking in terms of including a lot of the older material and making it a double album, I even considered using both names. In the end, though, I think I'll Live is the title it should've had all along.

This probably won't be the album art, though, just a temp

The song "I'll Live" is influenced, at least lyrically, by the Who's late bass player, John Entwistle, and the dark, sometimes macabre sense of humor he often showed in his songwriting. Songs like the Who's "My Wife" and "Trick of the Light," or his solo "I Believe in Everything," inspired me to write my own song about a guy having a string of really bad luck, for whom "I'll live" is not an affirmation but a curse.

For me, though, it feels like an exclamation of defiance. That's right, I'll live! So there! Heh-heh. I hope you will, too, and I hope you'll give my tunes a listen and give me your thoughts. Later.

The Ideas of March, the Music of June

Make Music New York is swingin' round again this June 21st, and as I have for the past four years, I will be taking part.  I don't know yet where I'll be performing, since there aren't many locations available on the site yet, but I'll be there somewhere in New York City, most likely in Manhattan, with a guitar or two!  If any of my fellow singer/songwriters are interested in trying to get a block of time at the same location, that could be fun, so let me know.

I don't expect I'll be playing the "Slime" Theme during MMNY (it'd take at least one other musician, or pre-recorded/sequenced music, to make it sound anything like the recording), but Slime the Web comic is doing quite well, thanks for asking (if you're a science fiction fan, this week's installment might appeal).  Laura and I are cracking ourselves up, and apparently making some other people laugh, too.  Geek out with us, if you haven't already.

My local ranking on ReverbNation has jumped recently, and I'm grateful for it!  I'm currently well within the top 1000, at 872 as of this writing (this obviously isn't including only Lyndhurst- or Bergen County-based rock artists), and I would love to climb higher still if possible, so please feel free to visit the page and listen to my music there, and give me a 'Like' or a +1 if you can.

I've also signed up with yet another music site, NoiseTrade, and there's a free mini-album there, called Spelled with an 'E', featuring several of my songs old and new (the above-mentioned "Slime" Theme, "For Dana," "Dangerous Babies," "Rock and Roll Day," "Human Thing" (alien mix), and "Joy in the New").  You can even 'tip' me there, if you're so inclined.  By all means, check it out and share the news, please!  Oh, and I've received an underwhelming response to my query, so tell me, who do you think I sound like, or whose music does mine remind you of?  C'mon, don't be shy!

Lastly, this Saturday marks six months since Laura and I became a couple, and we'll be going out for sushi (mmm, sushi... hey, not everyone eats corned beef and cabbage and drinks green beer 'til they puke just because it's St. Patrick's Day, y'know).  I'm also giving my baby the gift of... a song.  I started writing "So Much Happy" several weeks ago, but since we began Slime, I haven't touched a guitar very much.  Tonight, though, I picked up the acoustic/electric and a notepad and pen, and I've got about half the song worked out.  I'll at least write up the rest on Saturday (and post it with my other song lyrics, of course), but I'm hoping to have a demo or maybe even the full recording done before we head out for dinner.

Half the month is gone, but I'm keeping busy; I hope you are, too!