August 2010
17 posts
New song: My Rocket Ship
Hey guys,
I got into Copenhagen on Saturday, Aug 21, 2010 to play the Copenhagen Songwriter Festival the next day. After a long day of traveling and hauling my guitar, suitcase and gig bag through town, I picked up my guitar late on Saturday in my hotel room. This song materialized almost complete in less than an hour.
My Rocket Ship This guitar is a rocket ship takes me far away from here...
Back home
Hey guys,
the last three days in Sweden were filled with lots of traveling on buses, trains, trams, ferries & subway trains and two very nice gigs.
On Friday, Eva and I took the bus to Kalmar. A six-hour ride. The venue turned out to be a very nice restaurant/café with a great stage & good sound system. In short, everything that was needed for a successful Friday night. Plus the food was...
Rockin' in Uppsala
Hiya folks,
Eva and I had a fine time last night at Pub 19 in Uppsala. I’m learning her songs, changed my own set up a bit. We had a nice audience, they listened and bought some CDs - what more can you ask for? Folks at the Pub were also very nice (great food). All in all a very good gig. I’m hoping for more of that medicine tonight in Kalmar & tomorrow in Göteborg.
Before the...
Let's go, Sverige
Hi guys,
it rained all day yesterday so I didn’t spend a lot of time in town. Just enough to pick up the new John Mellencamp CD.
At night, Eva and I played a small gig. We had invited Esther Rose Parkes to open (I had just met her the night before). She sounded really good & original. There is something particular about the British, a different feel, a different kind of poetry.
Eva...
Lead guitar in Stockholm
Hej guys,
pretty much had a glorious day yesterday in Stockholm. Eva and I ran through the songs for the evening gig in the morning and discussed a few duets to do in the upcoming gigs. Then I took a train and wandered through the old part of town, Gamla Stan. Found an English bookstore - that always makes me happy. Also bought some presents for the ladies at home and ate pizza.
“Hey...
Hello from Sweden
Hey guys,
here’s one from the road. I flew to Copenhagen on Saturday to play at the Copenhagen Songwriter Festival in, er, Copenhagen (like I bet you would’ve guessed).
Came into the tiniest motel room I’ve ever seen after quite an arduous trek (planes, trains and feet). To avoid depression, I picked up my guitar and out came a beautiful song. I don’t know if I’ll...
Song in process, part XI
Hey guys,
thanks for sticking with me. Here’s what I think may finally be the song. Recently quite a few of you said they didn’t see the need for this unity of effect stuff I talked about in the last post. “Maybe one can be of two minds or have mixed feelings about something. Why streamline the song?” - that’s my paraphrase of the main argument. (Most of these...
Unity of effect in song (song in process, part X -...
Hey guys,
as it turns out the “song in process” keeps beckoning me to work on it some more.
Last week I had a conversation on Twitter with songwriter Jennifer Haase (that’s @jenniferhaase) and while she enjoyed the blog, it became clear she wasn’t completely sold on the song (which song you ask? It’s entitled “The Things I Know In Theory” and you can...
A song in process, part IX
I’m posting from the road, from my cell. I think I got verse 2 straightened out.
You’d think that I’d know better than to keep bangin’ on this old guitar and I sure know better than to think it’s ever gonna make me any dough But nothing else can make me fly so high or come crashing down so hard Well, I know, believe me, I know That’s a whole lotta magic that I won’t let go
It’s 1.45 am in...
A song in process, part VIII
Hey guys,
here’s what I currently think is the song (in an imperfect home demo):
The Things I Know In Theory by markusrill
The Things I Know In Theory
You’d think that I’d know better than to hang my heart on hope You’d think that I’d know better than to allow myself to think about you my regrets won’t bring no one back and don’t think I don’t know cause I do, believe me, I do ...
A song in process, part VII
Good morning, folks,
I should’ve known that after straightening out the verses, I’d find fault with the bridge.
The new bridge lyric:
What good is theory anyway? cause theoretically I’d let no opportunity ever slip away it’s only hypothetical after all sometimes I got no choice when my heart makes the call
I hope I’ll get around to recording the song once again in...
A song in process, part VI
Woohee, guys, I think this is it.
Like I suspected I had some time on yesterday’s long drive to the gig to roll the song around in my head some. I think we finally have a finished draft of the song (I’ve reconsidered in the meantime, please read the post scrip at the bottom of the page). There’s still a few lines that may or may not get ironed out when I play the song a number...
A song in process, part V
Hey guys,
I may be getting somewhere with this song, finally (read parts I - IV to catch up).
The idea is to have one verse in which following your heart despite the things you know in theory is not a good thing (longing for a lost love) and one verse in which following your heart is the only choice even though it may not be wise (pursuing music).
I think I’m hot on the trail of those two...
A song in process, part IV
Morning folks,
(read previous blog posts to catch up. This is a blog about writing a song in public.)
I did not have any time to pick up the guitar all day yesterday and I literally had less than five minutes this morning. So I figured I’d have nothing new this morning. But I just had a thirty-minute subway ride and came up with a few thoughts. Usually, I’d just jot them down or keep...
A song in process, part III
Hi guys,
sooo … thought about last night’s “finished” draft. Here’s what’s wrong with it: It has very little to do with me. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t feel like the person in the song does. Five years ago I could’ve written something truthful about that kind of state of mind (in fact, I think I did) but not today. And because...
A song in process, part 2
Hi guys,
I think I have something of a finished draft of the song I started yesterday (see previous blog post). Here it is:
The Things We Know In Theory by markusrill
I know better than to cry in my beer all night I know better than to light up another smoke I know better than to find consolation in a phrase like “everything is gonna be alright” I know, believe me, I know
I know better...
A song in process
Aug 2, 7.35 pm
Hey guys,
got a funny idea today to write a song in public. It’s an experiment.
I have no idea whether it’s going to work or whether this messing with the process is going to jinx the entire thing. Anyway, I’m planning to continue writing this song, maybe over the next few days, maybe it’ll take longer, maybe I won’t ever be able to finish it. I’ll keep posting the...
