I just need to know what happened!
My desk sure looks like fall right now. Paper everywhere, sorta like falling leaves. It’s not quite fall, but Labor Day always feels like the end of summer to me, and it is feeling a bit cooler at night- so that gets me thinking fall thoughts. It is my favorite season.
I was at Song School at the beginning of August- it’s like camp for grownups with guitars. I wrote three songs at song school. That was a great start to the month! Then I wrote two songs the next week, and last week was a Fearless Songwriter week where we write a song a day for a week. I made it to 6.5 songs.
If you can help me figure out what two friends would argue about that would get them mad enough to fight in a Waffle House parking lot, I’ll finish that seventh song. Songwriting can be like that. You start with an idea, but just can’t figure out how to finish it. Seriously, if you have an idea let me know.
Anyway, that’s a lot of output in a pretty short time. Don’t mistake me, they’re not necessarily good- just finished. Creative work is funny- sometimes you have to do a lot of work to get to something good. Generally I need 10 finished songs to get one good one. By the time I got to the end of the Fearless Songwriter week, I was feeling a bit cooked. And we played a show out in Windsor that afternoon- outside, in the 92 degree heat (we did have shade). Of course we had a good time and gave the folks a good show, but it was one of the tougher ones.
On the way home, tired and very sweaty, I had some lines for the last song of the challenge rolling around in my head. By the time I was halfway home I worked out two different chunks of lyric. I got home, left all the gear in the car, fed the dogs, got a big glass of water, and took my sweaty self to my desk and in a relatively short time, banged out a whole song lyric. Then I picked up the guitar and worked out the melody in very short order. And it turned out pretty darned good.
To be clear- it’s not always like that. I’m fairly proficient at finishing songs at this point. But just because it’s finished doesn’t mean I wrote a good song, and it doesn’t mean it came easy. But sometimes you get lucky and the muse is sitting around drinking coffee when you call and she feels like giving you a hand. I’ll take it.
No, you don’t get to hear the song right now. I promise you will in the not too distant future (come to a show in about a month, it should be in rotation by then).
In the meantime:
Tonight (9/3) I’m going to be playing some songs at the NoCo Songwriter’s Series in Longmont (GrossenBart Brewery at 7).
Friday 9/20 we’re at Mozart’s in Denver.
Sept. 25-29 I’m in Austin, TX for the SWRFA Conference.
Oct. 4 and 5 I’m in Wyoming- first Casper then Cheyanne. (this is a solo run)
And Oct 12 we’re in Loveland at Black and Blues.
You can always check the details at the Shows page, or follow me at Bandsintown!
If you have ideas for that Waffle House thing, seriously, leave a comment.
Hope to see ya out there- JS
Follow me wherever you are!
Derek Ray Kirkman
Jay, I think this obviously about the waitress… She called one “Sugar” and the other one ”Honey”.
So who’s going to be waiting in the parking lot at the end of her shift.
jsmusic
I’ll see what I can do with that!