Craig's Audio Blog

Calendar Man

2011-12-30T17:26:00.000-08:00

This is it. It's been five years. Sixty songs. 65 blog posts. Countless hours. This project documented the passing of grandparents, friends and musicians. It announced the arrival of my youngest daughter and even now in it's last month it's a document of my new nephew Richard John Peloquin. It's my entire life for the last five years. I bought a barbershop. I've played with Route 9, Spoonful of Blues and now Sunshine Blue. We've moved more times then I care to admit and then finally moved into our home. I drank a lot of Rolling Rock. We had a miscarriage. LOST ended. The kids played a blues festival. The dog bit the baby in the face!
I started doing this because I was afraid that being domesticated would end my life as a musician. With work, kids, wife, house and bills where does guitar fit in? I've now proven to myself that I'll always make time for music. I kept writing for the project to battle against writers block. I've learned through experience that the only way to fight writers block is through writing. I've collaborated and I've done it alone and I've experienced the benefits of both. Most importantly I have learned that I can write songs.
I'm so grateful to everyone who over five years made it possible. Kate Lennon Riley and Virginia Morin. Erik Brackett. Uncle Anthony. Brian Onish. Sam Spofford. Eleonor Halsdorff. Bluesman Jay. I owe you all a huge thank you. One of my life's greatest gifts is being able to make music with my friends and family.
We tried to leave it all on the table this month. It's a long song. It's a little ballad and it's big rocker. It's a moody instrumental and it's dueling guitar solos. In my opinion it's a proper send off.
I had fun doing this year with Jay. He worked so hard with me and I can't thank him enough. I love the songs he gave me. I'm grateful he took the time to play and sing with me. I'm grateful he put a spit shine on every tune when we finished. He helped me with every year of this audioblog and I'm glad he's standing in the winners circle with me. Thanks a ton.
So next month for the first time in five years no Calendar Project. I'm scared and excited. I intend to keep playing, keep writing and hopefully keep growing. I love this project. It's bittersweet to have it end. I'm excited at the prospects but it was hard to let it go. It was a labor of love. Now it's in the books. Thanks to any and all who listened. Even though the Calendar Project is over I'll keep my New Years' resolution to write more songs. Peace!

Calendar Man

Lullaby

2011-11-29T18:26:00.000-08:00

November. Om is a November. That's why I hold them in such high regards. There are certain traits that make the Calendar Project what it is(whatever that is.) The deadline. The blog. The acoustic guitar. Novembers. They're unique in my mind. They are ballads. I try to bring the good stuff. I try to get the good stuff by playing from the spirit(what am doing the rest of the year?) I try to get there by bringing God in. Not every lyric in the Novembers are religious, but they are all from the spirit.
This is another old song. I know it seems like we're coasting here at the end but I really wanted these songs in the context of this project before it was over. I recorded this song once before for the Calendar Project. I don't remember if it was '09 or '10(getting forgetful in my old age.) I do remember that inspirado hit on something else and I shelved it. I lost that recording along the way(a likely story.) I've intended to return to it ever since.
After I laid the guitar down I tried to double it. I couldn't get them to sync up nice. Jay tried to add strings but couldn't get it to jive. We decided (wisely)to cut those elements out. We were left with a nice live sounding recording (with his perfect harmonica solo.) It's another great lesson on the importance of the notes you don't play.
There has been moments during the project where I feel I actually caught myself at that time in song. I made a conscious effort to give my best in November after that first year. That's not to say that all the bests are Novembers. I'm just saying I tried.
That leads us to this months song...

Lullaby

Hold On

2011-10-30T10:51:00.001-07:00

Due to the snow Craig has no power. He asked me, Bluesman Jay to write this month's blog. I didn't really think of writing a blog for the Calendar Project, but things happen. Here's my first, and I'm guessing my last blog post for the Calendar Project.

This month's song is an old one that Craig had hanging around. Actually I remember when he wrote this song. I remember at the time thinking, “Wow! I don't know if I could ever write anything like that”. The reason for that thought was during the chorus there's this little run of notes. At the time it was the most amazing thing to me. I remember one other thing about this song. Craig was playing an open mic at the Java Hut (which I don't think is there anymore) and he asked me to come along. He asked me if I would play mandolin on this song. I said sure. When we got there Craig had this cool idea that I would walk up to the stage half way through the first verse and join him on stage. That's what I did.

So when Craig said we were doing “Hold On” this month I said to him, “I'm going to play mandolin on it”. Other than that I didn't have any thoughts for the song. Craig wanted some percussion. Once we started talking we figured on the Tambourine, Egg Shaker, and hand claps. Craig recorded up the guitars, bass, vocals and then sent the song off to me. I added all the percussion and the mandolin. As I was adding the hand claps Craig called. He kind of wanted the song to fall apart into applause. So I tracked my hand claps 5 times, and had them turn into applause at the end. It was a little bit of a bitch, but in the end I think is sounds great.

So without further wanderings down memory lane, for your listening pleasure here is “Hold On”

Hold On

Darkside Of The Room

2011-09-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

Being honest. Jay is carrying me to the end of this project. I love the Calendar Project but at the end of five years I'm getting by with a little help from my friends. Jay very early in the month had this song written and demoed instrumentally. It was my task to write words and deliver vocals. I found it hard to motivate myself. Many other slices of life's pie have been taking my attention. That is despite the fact that I really want to end the Calendar Project strong. Thankfully what Jay had for me was good.
When I did finally get to work on the song the melody leaped out at me. I didn't want to make it a cliche' love song (even though the riff was begging for it.) I spent some time conceptualizing the themes. As certain lines revealed themselves to me the story just unfolded. It ended up being about a husband waiting by the bedside of his wife who is in a coma. I wanted the story to stay positive so I let her wake up at the end of the song. When that happened I needed my wife Kate to sing the wife in our story's narrative. She of course did a fantastic job. Then I laid down the solo and other little bits of lead guitar.I think what we ended up with is real strong folk song. Finger picking and a story with characters included.
I really do want the Calendar Project to end strong. Jay has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting lately. Kate really helped me clinch this month by staying up late with me and singing. It's been a great five years but I definitely couldn't have done it with out all the help of gotten along the way. I owe it to everyone who has contributed to this audio-blog to give it a proper send off. I'm gonna try with little help from my friends, to wrap this year up right.

Darkside Of The Room

It's All The Same To Me

2011-08-31T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here for your listening pleasure is another Jay classic. This song is his philosophy on life. Complete and utter disinterest. I (half)kid. It's a cool tune that when I first heard it, didn't have the many layers the end result has. We got together and laid down his guitar, worked out the vocal arrangement and overall familiarized ourselves with the song.
My family and I took vacation. Jay was left with no Craig to talk to. No Craig to share with. No Craig to enjoy. This drove him to madness so he began incessantly laying down overdubs. This gave the song a little bit of a zydeco vibe. Coming back from a great vacation where the kids and I made our blues festival debut Jay was eager to get me on the track. With the deadline upon us I recorded my bass and vocals. I sent it back to Jay, he did his vocals and a hit was born.
Jay said he already started a song for next month. That's how it goes with writing. Once the door is open they just keep coming. That was the original hope for the Calendar Project. That I would be able to kick that door open. It's cool seeing it work for Jay now. He's got an album of originals in the works so I'm glad we got him while he's hot. I better start writing something if I want to get another song in before the project comes to end...

It's All The Same To Me

Turning 30

2011-07-31T14:54:00.001-07:00

I had a birthday this month. I turned the big Three O. Everybody has one age that really bothered them. For me this was the one. I can't explain it. It's not that I'm old it's just...30. I got pretty depressed. It was a combination of many things. The Spoonful of Blues gig didn't go exactly the way I hoped. I have been having some health issues. I played with a friends band and I realized I'm not where I want to be as a musician. I had heat stoke. Car problems. Work has been crazy. Fighting with the wife, fighting with the kids, fighting with the folks, fighting with my sister, ect...
Overall I'd been feeling run down and then...30.
I asked for my birthday to be low key. I didn't want to face the world. Then my birthday was low key and that bothered me too. I had a big fight with my best friend (who named this tune) for over looking my birthday. I was nothing short of a miserable bastard. Bless my wife who putting up with me. My birthday was in the middle of the month. I quit drinking beer, coffee, whiskey, cigars, sugar, red meat and most of all music.
When we got to the end of the month I had no song and the stink of turning 30 was still all over me. I wrote this drab tune about birthday cake and death (even though I quit music.) I wrote and recorded it on the last Tuesday of July. I sent it over to Jay and wasn't very receptive. I couldn't understand why. I thought it was the most truthful song ever...Everything does die.
When I went to work on the last Saturday of the month (two weeks after my birthday) I was at an all time low. Jack and Ronnie where both leaving early for different reasons. I was pissed. perfect end to a perfect month. Working late waiting for Sam to get a haircut. The only joy I could find was knowing Sam will be 30 in three weeks. Misery loves company. I was going to go grab a taco on the way home but my wife said she made Sam and lunch and we should come home. I'm now livid. Long terrible month and I can't even have a taco. I was mean to her on the phone, hung up on her and headed home.
When I pulled up to the house there was cars everywhere. I thought the neighbors where having a party. As I pulled in I saw EVERYBODY in the drive way. Everyone I'd been an A-hole to all month. The feeling was overwhelming. A surprise party for Sam and I. There was forty people in my drive way whipping water balloons at us. An incredible weight was lifted. I must be the most loved son of a bitch on the planet. It takes thirty years to build relationships so strong they can put up with you turning 30. I can't thank everybody enough. I had some beer, I had some whiskey and some coffee. I smoked a cigar. I ate some cake, had a burger and finally played guitar. Imagine my wife's grace as I was unbearable as she planned this surprise. Imagine Jay playing harmonica on this song while ordering food and decorations for my party. I love the song now because I never want to forget what I was like before I pulled in that driveway. I can honestly say one of the best things that ever happened to me was turning 30.

This song is for Sam... Happy Birthday Brother.

Turning 30

Right Or Wrong

2011-06-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

At long last. Here it is. It took him six months but Bluesman Jay finally wrote a song for the Calendar Project. Jay and I have both been submerged in our band "Spoonful of Blues." We have a big Fourth of July party we are playing so our attention has been divided. Lucky for both of us Jay was sitting on a gem.
He sent me a demo early in the month. I loved the demo but Jay wanted to re-record it. I disagreed. I thought it sounded very much like a Calendar song. Our weekends have been band rehearsals so re-recording it got pushed to the end of the month. With only days before the big gig and countless guitars to restring we were tasked with getting the song done as well. We had a great practice at the lake where the party is and decided to leave our stuff there. Jay went home with the best of intentions of doing the tune.
The next morning he woke up and went into his home studio, coffee in hand, when he realized he didn't have a single microphone in the house. That is when Jay made the executive decision to use the demo. All of a sudden in his eyes it was good enough. It always was.
He added the guitar solo and sent it over to me. I added the bass and backing vocals. I think it's a great little song and I love the way he sings it. It has been a treat doing the band with Jay. Maybe I can get him to play this song at the party.
Only six more months until I put the Calendar Project away for a while. I want to empty out my tanks. I have a couple of songs that I've been sitting on. I want to go out strong. After the Fourth all of our attention goes to sending the Calendar Project off right. I'm just grateful Jay had a genuinely great song that was tailor made for this. Well worth the wait.

Right Or Wrong

Gotcha!

2011-05-31T18:33:00.000-07:00

I woke up on the couch at 5 o'clock in the morning. The television was still on and the news was reporting that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. I went back to sleep.
I woke up on the couch again at 6 o'clock in the morning. Osama Bin Laden was still dead. I hadn't dreamed it. Not that it is something I would dream about. Frankly, I never thought about it. I didn't have this desire for him to die. I did however take it as good news.
I took a shower, ate some breakfast, brushed my teeth and headed out. I went to an elderly man's house and cut his hair. I went to the barbershop, checked in with Joe, and headed home. Through out my morning, in every conversation someone would say, "We got 'em."
Yes we did.
I didn't realize my brain was processing this information but when I got home I felt compelled to post something fast. I wanted it up before the swelling went down and the song became irrelevant. I was surprised at having an emotional response at all. Again, I never thought about it. However, I am proud to say that I wrote the song and recorded a video of me playing it (with Kate's mad camera skills) and had it posted on facebook and youtube by noon.
It got a little traffic. I figured I should go out with it before Arnold sleeps with his maid and blows this off the news. I played an open mic with intention of riding this current event into their hearts and minds forever. It was a three song set. I decided to pair it up with "Contact" (Jan '10) and "Tomorrow Is Another Day" (Apr '11). I lead with "Contact." Well I flubbed up a little and sang a hybrid of the first and second versus as a first verse. Then I sang the second verse when it came up.
This means I sang about the Trade Towers twice, out of context with a chorus of "What goes around comes around. Our karma is going to get us." Not the meaning of the song. Not the current I intended to ride. I followed that with a "hooray we got 'em" song and they just didn't buy it. It was all over their faces. "Who's side are you on?" I played a quick version of "Rolling Rock" (Dec '09) and high tailed out of there. Jay begged for more time with his song so I said we could use this. I spent 3 hours recording a big version of it that I scrapped because I liked my live take better. Bluesman Jay hit all the "Got You's" and it was ready to ship.
I named it after the 1987 NES classic "Gotcha! The Sport!"
It's funny to be posting this now because I feel like this already happened. It was a snapshot of my reaction. A moment in time. Looking back on it it's not a strong composition. It's clever but a little harsh. It does express some very genuine sentiments though. Thank God for our troops and keep who we have lost in our prayers. We got 'em

Gotcha

Tomorrow Is Another Day

2011-04-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

I wrote this song very early in the month. I lived with it all month and recorded it at the end. I recorded all of my parts in one night. My guitar and vocals where done as one take. Then I came up with the bass line. I've been playing a ton on the low end lately so I had fun with that. The bass was recorded as one take. I did the same with the percussion. By the time I went to bed that night it was 2:30 in the morning. Cutting hair was tough the next day.
I sent the song over to Jay. He came up with what he wanted to play and then laid the guitar down in one take. He did the same with the harmonica. Because everything was played in one continuous take without punching in I think a live-band vibe was created. The two of us got to be a 5 person band. This is the first song I ever wrote with a country feel so I love Jay's slide guitar.
Truth be told this song is a true story. I lost my cool after Kate spent a few bucks more than I expected. I smashed a beer bottle on the floor. I had a little break down. And she did tell me I could "crack in my forties." Because this song doesn't put me in a good light I'm ready to move on from it. I love the honesty of it. I love how conversational the lyrics are. I love the recording but I'm ready to move past it. Tomorrow is another day, and another chance to get it right.

Tomorrow Is Another Day

Little Meanies

2011-03-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

Bluesman Jay said last month he had something for this month's Calendar song. He lied. What he actually had was a two chord vamp that was really just part of another song. The shitty part was we didn't come to realize this until almost half way through March. It was then I began to pen this month's song.
When I first came up with the guitar I was instantaneously getting lyrical ideas. I was pretty jazzed about it and called Jay. I played him the early sketches of the tune over the phone. We've been playing our guitars pointed at telephones since the phones still had chords. It's just cooler now because we were both at work, so we are now technically getting paid for it.
I put demoing it off for a few nights. I finished up the writing. I was really happy with the lyrics. I had pretty well flushed out the choruses in my recording. The rest of the song was still left vastly open. I sent it over to Jay with twenty-eight hours left in the month.
What I got back was awesome. He added all that great harmonica, subtle piano, vulnerable backing vocals and that signature midi-cello. He really rounded out the song. It totally made up for the beginning of the month.
This month's song was born completely within the month. Soup to nuts. Music, arrangement, lyrics, instrumentation and themes where all decided through an artistic process. That process involved both collaboration and a deadline determined by the guidelines set by the project. The Calendar Project brings with it both curses and blessings. The joy of this blog comes when the finished product is a new song that because part of the repertoire. I get joy from the crafting of songs. The deadline keeps me working. The curse comes when the writing and recording reveal a song that if time allowed could be recorded again far more effectively with all of my "notes" executed. I equate it to Paleontology. When you write a song while recording, like we usually do with the Calendar Project, it's like uncovering a fossil. As you clear the earth away the dinosaur within the ground begins to emerge. When you have a song you have lived with and refined it's like assembling a dinosaur in a museum. All the pieces are numbered.
I liked this song. I always like them when they're new. Jay made me love it. It's nice being surprised. I know Jay so well. Nobody has ever referred to Bluesman Jay as subtle. His touch on this song is so light yet so significant. He's still surprising me! Time to getting started on next month. We're not getting caught cramming again.

Little Meanies

Army Of Darkness

2011-02-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

This month's song is an old song of mine. It's been kicking around since my wife and I first met 100 years ago. The original inspiration for this song was an "Army of Darkness" movie poster in our first apartment together. This song has always been a long, meandering, self indulgent display. I always liked it but it clocked in at just over six minutes. I never used it for the Calendar Project because I was never able to cut it down ,even though I knew it needed it. When your the sole architect of a song, editing it down is tough. I don't think a song can ever be considered "done" but I know when one isn't complete. Collaboration truly helped this song become refined.

Bluesman Jay and I have been working on allot of music together. We are playing in a blues band together as well as doing the Calendar Project. The experiment of doing a whole year with one consistent collaborator is proving to be very fruitful. After a solid practice with the band Jay and I headed back to the house and I taught him the song. We did a million takes while whittling the song down to something better than what we started with. The end result is a live track of my best friend and I having allot fun singing a sad song.

I've had it in my head for a long time that I wanted this song to follow "All That I Got." After we posted that tune in January I knew this songs' time had come. It's nice to finally hear them back to back.

Pictures and videos of the music making process can be found on my Facebook and through rockbarber.com- shameless plug.

Enjoy~

Army Of Darkness

All That I Got

2011-01-31T06:07:00.001-08:00

The first month of a new year and I'm already finding the project difficult. This is a song I've had for years. I've always had a very clear vision for this song. I have saved this tune because I have always seen it as the first song on a CD, the first song in a live set or a January Calendar Song. I pictured it being very folk. A sparse recording with a live feel. I wanted the song to serve almost as an intro to the song I plan to do next month.
I've been toting collaboration as a guaranteed "super fix" of my stuff. This year started off as a lesson that that is not always the case. No fault of Bluesman Jay's of course. The song has been around so long and I had such a clear vision of how it sounded in my head. I think this song would have been more suited for a calendar year I do solo. There was no way of conveying what I was thinking to Jay. It's hard to describe a sound. He tirelessly reworked the ending several times and we still ended up scraping it. His harmonica is great, his vocals are great and his guitar playing is great. We just couldn't get that F***ing outro.
My initial take was slow. I play a bum bass note. I goofed the lyrics. The reality however, is nobody ever heard the song in my head. Nobody will think it sounds "off" because I'm the only one who ever heard it "on." Bluesman Jay did great. The other lesson is I need to enjoy what it became, even if it wasn't my original vision. The end product is still a nice Calendar Song. I'm ready for a years worth of lessons collaborating with my best friend. I'm posting this song in it's new "realized" virsion because it tought me a lot. Not just because it's the end of the month and this is "All That I Got."

All That I Got

The Calendar Project 2011

2011-01-23T10:31:00.001-08:00

Year Five!
It's hard to believe. Time really does move very fast. I want this year to be special. I really thought 2009 was great. That year I collaborated every month and it made for a better project. My favorite parts of 2010's posts were other peoples contributions. So quite simply, to make 2011's Calendar Project special I need to collaborate.
I don't want to just rehash 2009. I need to collaborate differently this year. Having said that this years approach is to collaborate with the same person every month. I will share the project this year. I'm giving my partner equal creative control. By staying open and given my collaborator an equal voice I'm hoping to get a better product in the end.
I also want to show more of behind the scenes. Using the rest of the website I plan to post videos and pictures of the process. That includes writing, recording, and correspondences between us.
My collaborator had to be somebody that not only do I work well with but someone who has a vested interested in the Calendar Project. My partner this year has appeared on every year of the blog. I'm excited to announce that this year the Calendar Project will be a joint effort between myself and none other than...
drum roll please...

Jeremy "Bluesman Jay" Halsdorff

Jay will bring not only his music sensibility, which includes his skills as a producer, arranger, song writer, guitar player, vocalist, harmonica player, and drummer, but also his deep commitment. Our 30 year old friendship is at the heart of this collaboration. His involvement renews my drive making a monthly deadline possible for the fifth year straight. I'm looking forward to the best Calendar Project ever.

Judgment Day

2010-12-30T20:29:00.001-08:00

Another year over. Hard to believe. We have so much to be grateful for this year. I enjoyed doing the project. I'm so glad to have had Bluesman Jay, Mama Kate, Uncle Anthony and the kids for helping me out. I said I wanted to keep going not because of my "streak", but because I wanted to keep music part of our life even as life became more demanding. The Calendar Project has kept music in our house for the last four years.
This months song is an old song of mine. Maybe one of the oldest songs I've written that I still play regularly. I love this tune. I think of this as a true folk song. It's been around so long I don't remember writing it. My wife however, does.
I knew that the basis of the song had to be a live performance. I tried recording a complete run through of the song what seemed like a hundred times. I exhausted myself and had to walk away from it. The next day I left work to come home for lunch. I gave a quick try at recording it and got this take. I'm finding you can't force this thing.
I have thought of using this song several times before for the Calendar Project but it never felt quite right. I'm glad it found it's home in December.
Thanks for listening this year. I have high hopes for next year and I'm looking forward to getting started. Happy New Year!

Judgment Day

I Don't Want To Change

2010-11-30T18:03:00.000-08:00

I've been kicking this song around since the beginning of the month. I like playing it. I like singing it. I felt good about it so it became a November. My son told me I should write a song about how I do want to change. The funny thing is, I thought I had.
The subject matter was inspired by my brother. I've always said that he is my mothers best work. He is just the sweetest person but he's always been pretty guarded. I always felt like he was keeping us all at an arms length away. He has recently become more open with the family. He's sharing with us his thoughts and feelings. Watching the sweetest person become more open is like watching hot fudge get added to ice-creme. Your seeing a good thing get better.
As I watch my younger brother make these changes I wonder if I'm past the point of no return. I've become very set in my ways. I don't like leaving home. I don't like altering my routine. I don't like "new." This is a trait that has always bothered me in older people. I am 29 years old. It's a little early for that.
I've said before the November song is for thankfulness. My wife said, "I thought this month is supposed to be your God song?" I think it is. In a backhanded way I'm thanking God that I have the ability to change before I'm dead.
Seasons, faces, music, recipes, nature, underpants, styles, every thing changes. Whether we like it or not we do too.
My Uncle Anthony helped me record this song. He got to my house at about 4:30 and he didn't leave until almost 11:00. He was a real trooper. Take after take, he hung in there. He's half of everything you hear in this song. I'm thrilled to finally get him on the Calendar Project. It was a new experience recording with a musician I've long admired. It just goes to show you, change is good.
I Don't Want To Change

P.S. Special Thanks to Bluesman Jay who I woke out of bed so he could help me post this last minute despite technical problems. Your the man Jay. Thanks sooo much.

Angels and Demons

2010-10-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's kind of a funny month "Calendar" wise. The atmosphere in our lives here at home is optimistic. I am ready to capitalize on the power of thought. I have been vigilant in my thinking. I want to be sure that my thoughts are advancing me and I feel they are.
I needed chairs for the barber shop. The waiting chairs I had where beyond ugly and they where hard on the seat. I put my thoughts to work on how great the new chairs where going to be. I was grateful in my thinking because I was positive they where in my future. Something small and trivial like chairs, but they were the focus of my thoughts. Driving home from the barber shop- four doors away from our house-exactly as I imagined them- was 6 FREE waiting chairs. My thoughts had been heard, and I was grateful.
Something small and trivial like chairs.
The universe doesn't care if our thoughts are big or small. We can wish for big things.
That's what makes it a funny month "Calendar" wise. The vibe of this song is very pessimistic. I don't feel like this song represents my mind right now at all. I don't feel torn between good and evil. It's just something I made up. So I decided to go trick or treating as a pessimist. I enjoyed half empty bottles of beer all night.
Angels and Demons

Lemonade (for Ginny)

2010-09-29T19:07:00.001-07:00

Here's how it happened. I was sitting on the porch with my guitar and harmonica holster. I was strumming though Craigy's greatest hits when Virginia came on scene. She proceeded to talk my ear off as two year-old's do. She then became upset that I had stopped playing. She began demanding another song. "Hurry hurry, song, hurry play a song." I quickly began playing. I dropped my pick into the guitar because she always grabs my hands when I'm playing and that worked it's way into the lyrics. A minute and forty seconds later my little ditty must have satisfied her because she didn't require anymore music from me. She went off to wreak havoc elsewhere as I smuggly basked in having just finished my first ever song made to order.
The rest of the month I didn't work on the Calendar Project because I knew I had this little song in the bank and it would take no time to record. Of course with only one day left before the end of the month I realized I needed to get to work. When I recorded it I wasn't exactly satisfied. At a minute and forty seconds I felt like maybe I was phoning it in. Although I liked the song, and I've posted short songs before, I didn't want to fall in the trap of just coming up with song snippets and calling it a month. I decided to push myself and come up with another movement for September.
I was brainstorming ideas for a song but I wasn't coming up with anything. Ginny kept saying "juice, juice." I was getting frustrated. "Stop saying juice, I'm trying to think of a song." The little bell went off in my head. Juice, moose, goose, loose, obtuse this song writes itself. I wanted to use the word caboose because it's a funny word but I couldn't squeeze it in organicly. I chuckled as I was writing it so I knew I was on to something good. I said the word "fiddle" in the tune and Bluesman Jay wouln't allow me to say fiddle in a song without adding one. With only hours to go before the deadline I sent him the track and he added the spice the song needed. Virginia provided the inspiration for this song so this one is hers. I love you kiddo. Hope you like your song.
Lemonade (for Ginny)

Fantasy Football

2010-08-31T17:40:00.000-07:00

This is my fifth year doing fantasy football. I've won before but believe it or not there is still skeptics. Two of my best friends have had disagreements about FANTASY football and now they no longer play together. As a result I am now in two leagues. I spent most of the off season saying I wasn't going to play but I settled on a better idea. I'm going to win both leagues' top prize this year. That's right. This isn't your usual calendar song. This is a declaration. I'm gonna kick ass in both arenas to teach you all a little lesson.

Lesson 1: I'm a fantasy football legend. Don't forget I went worst to first. The only person I'm competing with is myself. The only way to top myself is to take both leagues.

Lesson 2: It's more fun to win than to lose. I said I was coming back this year to have fun. FUN=WIN.

Lesson 3: You might not ask me back next year. When you see how effortlessly I spank your teams you might want to "scale it back next year to allow more even competition."

Class is now in session. Enjoy the football season and have my trophies ready. I want Rolling Rock as my victory drink. Go Patriots!

Fantasy Football

Seasons Of Love

2010-07-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a long stretch since my last posting. I found it difficult to find inspiration. Life has given me plenty to draw from. With the new home came many big changes. I am so happy here but have found the process of getting here all consuming. I had to force myself to sit down and work on music. That is not how inspiration works. You can't just dial it up. So what happens when you have a dead line but your muse is on summer vacation? That's where the craft comes in. By sitting down and pulling music out of yourself your opening the door for when inspiration returns. Sort of like priming the cosmic pump.

Like last month I used this drought of creative juices as an oppurtinity to take an older song that never fully completed the writing stage and gave it the treatment it deserves. I was so content with the guitar when I wrote it I never bothered to write words. I sang it so many times making up words as I went that certain lines became permenent. I just filled in the gaps around those lines gave it a spit shine and I was on my way to posting in July.

The space to work on the Calendar Project here in the new house is very comfortable. A great place to make music. Now that I have the PC set up and all my guitars and wires and various recording junk easily excessable it's just a matter of time before another little folk song will be born in my cozy corner of the house. I'm eager to get to work on August and keep the creative energy flowing. The pump is primed. Insperation come on in.

Seasons Of Love

Junebug

2010-06-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Transition. That's where I'm coming from this month. Our apartment is in boxes. The pictures are off the wall. These are physical examples of what we as a family are going through. Change brings allot of feelings and responsibility with it. We are so excited to have a yard, so scared to have a mortgage, so stressed from moving, so proud of progress. Responsibility comes in the forms of taking care of the house, leaving the apartment in great shape, changing our address. The larger effects of transition reach far beyond where you hang your hat. It's the changes in your character that each transition brings that matter most. I know the house will bring character changes within me. I hope to feel more secure. More inviting. More driven. Children experience transition masterfully. My kids have been wholly committed to change since the notion of moving was first introduced. It's nice having them to teach me things throughout this experience. I keep my mind open for them because I know how hard it is to raise good parents.

"Junebug" is about transition. The transition into the after life, the journey into your own future. These are inevitable transitions. I wonder if I'd know myself if I was able to look ahead. Would that journey's effects on my character make me unrecognizable to myself now? I just hope Future Craig is anything close to what I'm aiming for. I'm aiming to be somebody who handles transition well.

I recorded the song in an empty apartment. The tracks I sent Bluesman Jay to work with sounded like an empty apartment. When he sent it back with his contributions it sounded like a house I'd like to call home.

Junebug

LOST Theories Revisited

2010-05-23T10:14:00.000-07:00

In March of 2009 with the help of Bluesman Jay I posted some of my theories as to what was happening on LOST up to that point. I ended that blog posting with questions. Who is Jacob? What is the Monster? Why is Locke back from the dead? We now know the answers to those questions. Jacob is the guardian of the source which is the heart of the island. It's not what is the monster but who. It is Jacobs brother who became the smoke monster when Jacob through him into the source. John Locke isn't resurrected as we once believed. It's the Man in Black who has taken Locke's form as part of his plan to kill Jacob and destroy the island. In light of all that has taken place since "LOST Theories" was posted Jay and I felt that we should revisit the song and take a look at what those theories turned out to be. Once again Jay did the backing vocals and added the sound effects from the show. This time he also laid down drums. It was an awesome television experience and I doubt we'll ever see anything like it again. If you missed it or just want to take the journey again check it out on DVD or Blue-Ray. You can also watch full episodes with limited commercial interruption on abc.com

Tonight is the last episode so we wanted to have it posted today. Making the song with Jay is part of the fun of watching the show for me. Maybe the'll make a movie and I'll get to write a song about it. Namaste!

LOST Theories Revisited

Happy Birthday Riley!
5!!!!!

The Nicest Guy In The World

2010-04-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what the universe is up to. Life has been so busy unfolding lately I'm not sure if I'm living it or just witnessing it. It's every facet of life to boot. The barbershop has been experiencing some growing pains. My daughter seems to have turned into a young lady. Our goals of a home are inching closer. Our dog is crippled with arthritis. Route 9 has decided to take a break. Most importantly my Grandmother passed away.
These aren't all bad things of course but life, good and bad, can be exhausting. It's no mystery to me why I've hit some writers' block. After loosing Jaime last month I posted a song early in the month. With all the living I've been doing since then it feels like an eternity since I've posted a new tune. With that said I did manage to come up with this little ditty.
With the end of the month approaching I started laboring on adding layers to the song. This grossly over complicated it. I decided to start over with another live take. As I was recording Lennon came into the room and started singing with me. She brought to the song what I couldn't, an honest optimism. I decided to post that version with one small overdub because I felt that moment was very candid. She sang because she felt compelled too. The finished track is charming. When we got Lennon's school picture I was surprised by the beautiful young lady I saw in that photograph. What happened to my baby? That's the same way I see this recording. A snap shop of a young girl coming into her own.
That's the magic of watching life unfold. In the same month I lost one of the most influential, amazingly loving women I'll ever know, I see my daughter start to become one.

~This month's song is dedicated to Janet Bowden 1931-2010
I love you more than tongue can tell.

The Nicest Guy in the World

I So Love You

2010-03-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

Got some terrible news yesterday. Don't know what to say. Words couldn't touch it. I send my love and prayers but that doesn't scratch the surface.

In Loving Memory
Jamie A. Pavao

I So Love You

Craig 2.0

2010-02-27T13:36:00.000-08:00

I worked all month on an instrumental. It is in an alternate tuning so my guitars are all in open D. I am getting more accustomed to that tuning just because every time I go to play that's the way I'm already tuned. I was still tweaking the instrumental when it came time to record it. The end of February has a way of sneaking up on ya. I was doing allot of playing as preparation for the recording. It was already the 25th and I didn't want to do a rushed recording of a song it took so long to perfect. I was messing around with this finger picking riff and decided to make it a song. Twenty-four hours later the February song was written, recorded and awaiting post production and posting.

I double tracked the guitar. Punching in would have been tough with a song like this so that meant I had to play it beginning to end perfectly, twice. I was about 81% through the song the first time when I mouse ran across the floor right in front of me. I fought the urge of screaming and jumping on my chair and instead kept playing and captured the right take. I got 81% through the second track when the damn thing ran back the other way. I again held my composure and captured the take the song needed.

There is a sweet line in there for my wife. She puts up with allot when I begin to feel the pressure of the deadline. She liked the "Craig 2.0" idea. I always know if the song I'm working on is any good by her reaction. My goal every month is to surprise her with what I'm working on. Better get to work on March.

Craig 2.0

Contact

2010-01-31T06:07:00.001-08:00

As I embark on another year I feel energized and excited. This month took me the entire month to write. I'm not handing my homework in at the last second because I've been slacking. The song started as a concept. I thought about the notion that if the end is nigh this would be the most exciting time to do your existing. The signs of our times made a strong argument that we might be. With Katrina, modern politics, alleged alien visits, technology, 9/11, the recession, wars on multiple fronts and the recent tragedy in Haiti our generation has already seen more than our great-grandparents could have imagined.

I then began work on the instrumental aspect of the song. I didn't begin working on the lyrics until the song worked beginning to end as a solo guitar piece. This is a departure from my normal approach. I usually allow words and melodies to change the guitar part and the arrangement. It wasn't a conscious decision to do that at first. After I had it worked out musically I then decided it was to strong to get changed by the lyrics.

I recorded the song's guitar and then used the recording to write my words. I recorded the vocals as I finished writing each section. I had a decent version to build on from that and began working on some overdubs. I then started playing the song live to get more comfortable with it. It began to flow better the more I played it. Kate commented that what I played in the living room sounded better than the recording. On the last day of the month I decided to scratch the recording I had and try to capture the song the way it had progressed. The re-recording went very quickly and I got my overdubs in, a clean recording and some help from Kate. 2010. Sounds like the future.

Contact

The Calendar Project 2010

2010-01-21T17:09:00.000-08:00

This project has been one of the most fulfilling artistic experiences of my life. I love doing it and I love looking back. It's been a journal documenting my place in life as it has continually changed. I can listen as my perspective, children and musicianship grow. It started as a new years resolution to write more songs but has grown into a conviction to keep writing even as life has become more demanding. Many people put their guitars down when kids, work, bills and all of the responsibilities of adult hood take over. I don't want that to happen to me.

I feared last year that I was keeping the project going only because I didn't want to "end my streak." This is not a good enough reason to write a song. I want to feel inspired. I need to feel compelled to pick up my instrument and hammer out ideas until the song is born. I have to feel restless until the song is finished. You can tell what months are phoned in for the sake of keeping it going. I won't do that this year. I've decided to keep the project going, but not because of a streak. I am doing it this year because I made a promise to myself to not get to busy for music. I'm going to make time every month to pick up the guitar and express myself. It's a renewed resolution to write more songs. As I get older I have more to say but less time to say it.

I want to make this years Calendar Project a commitment to myself to be a better song writer, a better singer, a better guitar player and hopefully a better dad through the process. This has been a great release for me and I'm excited to see where this year will take me. Thanks to all those who listen. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Rolling Rock

2009-12-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

Another year complete. I have to say I am very proud of this year. Collaboration made it a better project. I'm grateful for the friends and family that contributed to 2009. Between Route 9 and this years Calendar Project I have had allot of influence from other musicians this year. I have been reminded to keep my cup empty and allow their influence to make the music better.
This months song is as collaborative as it gets. Erik worked diligently on the music, words and arrangement. He helped shape this into a Route 9 song. We drink Rolling Rock religiously and now we have an anthem. I believe this tune is gonna knock 'em out when we're playing in bars.
It was a great year and I think capping it off with Erik was the perfect finish. I'm excited about the future of Route 9. I'm stoked about the future of the Calendar Project. I'm excited about the future in general.
See you in 2010!
Happy New Year!!!

Rolling Rock

Route 9

The Best Said Is Nothing

2009-11-30T13:42:00.000-08:00

I felt a ton of pressure this month because I like my other November songs. I have set a precedent of a ballad with a religious subtext. "Om" and "Fingerprints" set the bar. I decided to bring in Bluesman Jay to help me with this one. I figured who better to help with my quasi-religious tune then my only reverend friend. Also Jay just finished up an entire album of gospel and spiritual songs so he was already in the zone.
I had done a demo of a riff a few weeks prior that I thought might be the basis of a November tune. Jay and I got together and reworked the riff and created the arrangement. After stealing a pizza we called it a night.
This song gave me a real hard time lyrically and melodically. Their was no obvious melody which posed a problem for the vocals and the scrapped guitar solos alike. The twelve string gave a really lush sound and Jay filled that out with the string arrangement. He achieved the strings by using both his keyboard and a midi-guitar that he rigged up for the cello lines. When we couldn't get the guitar solos right we figured that sometimes the best said is nothing. Pretty funny taking away the bluesman's guitar and making him do orchestral arrangements though.
We just had the kids baptized @ the end of last month so the time for this song was right. November was mad for thankfulness. It's really not hard to remember.

The Best Said Is Nothing

Craig: Guitar, Vox
Bluesman Jay: Strings(Keyboard, MIDI-Guitar)

Maybe It's Maybelline

2009-10-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

This song is fiction. I was playing bass @ the barbershop one morning and I started working around this progression. I sang some words and happened across her name. Maybe I was thinking of the makeup. Maybe I was thinking about the Chuck Berry song. No matter what I was thinking I knew that was her name as soon as I uttered it. When the time came for me to actually sit down and write the song I @ least had her name.

It got closer to the end of the month and I knew I had to sit down and hammer this one out. I recorded the guitar and felt that it was very spirited so that became the arrangement. That gave me the framework I needed to write words. I knew needed three trips through the progression and a solo.

I started to see the three verse/chorus pattern as 3 acts to a play. The first verse had loosely given me the setting. This dude was either perpetually abusive or maybe things just got out of hand once. Either way he lost her and she was now with somebody that's probably awesome and treats her like gold.

To continue the story I used a muse, Ms. November 2009. Kelley Thompson's age and measurements where used for imagery. This established that Maybelline is young and hot. He really blew it. He's older than she is, I picture him in his early 40's, and the chance that he'll ever get a girl like this again is slim. She made him feel young and I get the feeling he really loved her.

In the final act I think we see that his actions have destroyed them and the guilt is heavy. On top of that the pain of living without her is taking it's toll. He knows he doesn't deserve her and actually wants her to be happy. He starts drinking heavily and his future looks uncertain. The saddest part of all is he has no one to blame but himself.

Erik laid down the solo needed and gave my some nice flourishes over the end. I hear the lead as the sound of a man crying over a glass. Then he grooved on the conga and rounded out the tune. Jay put a spit shine on it by tweaking the levels and adding some reverb. I dig how it came out and I love how rootsy it sounds while being a little poppy. Only one problem. We couldn't name it Maybelline. I would never step on Mr. Chuck Berry's toes like that. It would be crime against rock. It was Erik who suggest the name we settled on and I think it's perfect. Very tongue in cheek. A pretty cool tune overall.

Maybe It's Maybelline

Route 9:
Erik Brackett- Lead Guitar, Conga
Craig Morin- Guitar, Bass, Vox

thanks Jay for making it sound so good

"33"

2009-09-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is the thirty third song ever released as the Calendar Project. I love this song. I wrote it in the wake of my grandfathers death. It is incredibly personal and I am immensely proud of it. When I wrote after his passing I decided to hold onto it for December because he loved Christmas. When it occured to me that September was the thirty third month of the project I knew that's where it belonged. I wrote the song for the Calendar Project but Route 9 started playing the song regularly and it got to a point that I can't even picture it without Erik on there.

The notion of everyone being the same age in the after life isn't mine. My friend Steve was the one telling me about that idea. I chose the number thirty three because it was on my beer. Every bottle of Rolling Rock has the number "33" painted on the side of it. Rolling Rock is the official Route 9 beer.

Erik and I need a little work on recording songs in pieces. Our entire CD was recorded live with no overdubs. Since "33" is a song we where already familiar with it seemed like a great opportunity to work on the recording process. After we laid it down in pieces we felt it lacked a quality that our live takes possess.

We got together again and did several live takes of the song. They where good performances but we didn't get the cleanest recordings. I decided to revisit the first version that we had worked on. (the one recorded in pieces.)
I found that with very little post production, like tweeking volumes and tack outs, that we had a really clean solid version of "33". It just goes to show that sometimes you have to step back from something and then come back to it with fresh ears. That's a luxury you don't always get when you're releasing a new song every month.

I wrote this song with my grandfather in mind. I like it because in the face of death it's still an optimistic song. I am also grateful that it's a song that was honed by being played live. My favorite thing about the tune is that I get to play it with a friend. I love how Erik can take a song about death and make it sound so alive!

"33"

Route 9

Optimism/Time Moves On

2009-08-31T13:37:00.000-07:00

The Sam riff in G that I mentioned last month came quicker than I expected. Sam came out to see Route 9 play on his birthday and before we left I stuck a microphone in front of him. He quickly and effortlessly laid down the riff that would have gone on the end of "Sad Bastard." By tacking it on the beginning of this song it will now be heard after "Sad Bastard" as it was originally intended when you listen to the 2009 project in order.
I then asked Sam to play for three minutes off the top of his head and recorded him again. Three minutes later I had a perfect recording and arrangement of a nice little pop song. The melody seemed obvious to me. I could hear it sitting between the chords. Sam later told me that he had demoed this song before and played the exact same melody on his guitar. I sat in the barbershop listening to his recording over and over until I finished the lyrics. Because Sam recorded it on his birthday I went with a "time moves on" theme. Erik sang the title with me giving the vocal track some depth. I love the end result. Not only is this song Sam's first calendar appearance since 2007 but it's also the first time he and Erik have been on a track together.
I really consider this month and last month a 3 song medley, meant to be heard as one piece. Sad Bastard/Optimism/Time Moves On. If "Optimism" didn't play into "Time Moves On" well I wouldn't have included it. I'm thrilled with the outcome and feel lucky to have Sam's contributions. Go back and listen to last month then give the new tunes a play. It sounds like we planned it!

Optimism/Time Moves On

Sam Spofford- Guitar
Craig Morin- Vox
Erik Brackett- "Time Moves On Guy"

Sad Bastard

2009-07-31T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is the shortest song in Calendar history. It wasn't my intention to write a short song. I knew the tune was a bit of a bummer and I didn't want to dwell in that space any longer than I already had. I asked my cousin Sam who hasn't been heard on the project since year one if he could write a really optimistic sounding instrumental piece in the key of G. I had a vision of calling the song "Sad Bastard/Optimism" and blending the two pieces. I had another song I was only beginning work on about how I had out lived many of my musical heroes by turning 28. That song was also in G. When I realized that the time constraints wouldn't allow me a chance to work with Sam I started looking at that piece to see if it could become the second half of my Sad Bastard song.
I wanted to work with somebody with a fresh perspective so I called in the Mob third, Brian Onish. We haven't heard him on the project since year two. I showed Brian both songs and explained my intention to combine them into one song. He felt that the song about turning 28 wasn't very strong. He loved the hook on Sad Bastard and assured me it could stand on it's own. I still didn't want to dwell in that negative space so we decided not to stretch the song.
If it wasn't for Brian's contributions on this tune it may have been scrapped all together. Collaboration allowed me to put down my paint brush and call the piece finished. Mr. Onish's voice sounds great and he brought allot to the table. This song is really more of a sad little diddy but even as short as it is I wouldn't change a thing. Maybe some other month we'll get to her the Optimistic instrumental piece in G Sam wrote.

Sad Bastard

Craig Morin- Vox, Guitar
Brian Onish- Vox

No One's Ever Heard Of Me

2009-06-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

The reason I named this song what I did is because those words excited me. I was playing with the guitar riff singing off the top of my head. When you repeatedly sing over the same progression you may spit out some nonsense like "I like words that start with 'B" or "I once met Ron Jeremy." Sometimes you'll sing something you kind of like. For example, "This is not like me" or "Am I where I was meant to be?"

In the experience of this song I sang "No one's ever heard of me." It came @ a pivotal moment in the tunes development. The song was so young. I had no structure. Just loose guitar parts and a melody I enjoyed singing. I wasn't pumped for the song enough to commit to finishing it. When I sang that I knew I had hit a nerve. I had something to say. In my opinion if you don't say something, not necessarily lyrically, then you don't have a song. Structure and dynamics usually come pretty quick after that.

I played the song till I had it flowing. As soon as I had that lyric I began bouncing it off friends. Erik came into the studio and helped me realize some of my ideas, improving on some. Bluesman gave me some pointers so I took a stab at some post production (I'll try again next month). I'm thrilled with how it came out. Who doesn't love a 3 minutes and change acoustic rocker.

No One's Ever Heard Of Me

Route 9:
Craig Morin- Guitar, Vox
Erik Brackett- Vox

~One of my earliest memories is listening to Michael Jackson's Thriller. I can vividly remember opening the album and seeing him in that white suit holding that tiger cub. I have perfect recollection of conversations about specific songs I had with my mother. I loved it so much she bought it again on cassette so we could listen to it in the car. I was maybe 4 years old.~

Michael Jackson. The King of Pop.
1958-2009 R.I.P.

Oh Please

2009-05-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

My wife is an incredible human being. She keeps her head up and her eye on the ball. She swings @ every pitch life has thrown @ her. I've even pitched relief when life grew tired of throwing her curve balls. Life gave us a tough loss but she turned it into something positive. Coming out of that event she wrote this song. This song is a personal triumph in my opinion. Not many people know Kate plays guitar. Fewer people know that she has written songs. I love her voice. Her voice is one of the things that made me fall in love with her so hard. Kate has musical desires and this song is the realization of one of them. I'm very lucky to be with a girl like her. She's cool, she's kind and she rocks pretty hard.
I love the version we got. She said it was "very hard exposing myself." From the outside looking in I was blown away by how easy she made it look. I thought I was going to have to pull music out of her. As soon as I said go she just turned it on. I look forward to hearing what else she's going to come up with. I'm her biggest fan.
We did the song very naked. We just set up two mics and record our guitars live in our office. Then I set a microphone in front of Kate and she just sang her heart out. It's a very sad song but I get so happy listening to her share it with me.
My last thought about Kate will be the same as my fist thought about her.
What a woman!

Mama Kate: Vocals, Guitar, Whistle
Craig Morin: Guitar

Oh Please

Words and Music by Kate Morin

Banananana

2009-04-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

When I played this song for Bluesman Jay he told me I was turning into Shel Silverstein. Whether he meant it as a compliment or not I took it as one. I love kid songs. If the Calendar Project is a journal in anyway then it's in songs like this one. People always say wright about what you know. I know 3 year-olds.
The thing that really seals this song for me is Riley. Both kids did a great job on it but Riley never comes across as assertive vocally. (Especially with an Alpha type older sister!) Hearing his voice on this song caused me to swell with pride. He is every thing you could ever ask for in a son.

I played this song to my grandfather who is the single greatest musician I've ever known. I played it hoping to get a chuckle out of him. When I finished he said he "loved it" and that it was "perfect." He told me it should be on the radio. Not sure what stations he's been listening to but I took that as a compliment as well. He passed away the morning of this post. I'm glad this months song is light-hearted. He didn't want everything to be dreary. I told him this was the April song. I'm thrilled I got it done in time so I wasn't made out to be a liar.

The song sounded slightly disjointed @ first. I don't usually play percussion but I found this big conga drum in a thrift store and had to use it. I layered in maracas, hand claps and a bongo. Bluesman Jay called me out on my percussion tracks not lining up quite right and did his own edit of the song. He removed the bongo and hand claps taking out the clutter. I thought he was crazy and intended to move forward with the original mix. However when I heard his edit I knew he was right. That's the thing about collaboration. You usually end up with a better product. I Think percussion and the kids chatter gives the song a cool "Give Peace A Chance" feel. Except instead being about peace it's about sandwiches.
I'm not really a fan of Fried Banananana Sandwiches but if they where good enough for Elvis then they're good enough for me.

Riley Morin: Vocals
Craig Morin: Guitar, Vocals, Percussion, Bass
Lennon Morin: Vocals

~This song his dedicated to Richard Bowden 1931-2009
Thank You for the two greatest gifts I'll ever receive. Family and Music!

Banananana

Lost Theories

2009-03-25T16:45:00.001-07:00

Here it is. This song states my theories on the exceptional television program LOST before the start of season 5. Now some of these theories may not hold water but they're worth debate. The funny thing is this song has been kicking around since January but I needed Bluesman Jay to catch up on the show before we laid it down. He watched four and half seasons and did hours of online research before he got involved with the tune. Jay is the one who put all the sounds of the show into the song. It was nothing short of tedious. I repeatedly would send it back to him to make adjustments and he never seemed bothered by it. He also laid down the backing vocals. We have people over every week for the show. I know I say "GodSpeed" instead of "Goodspeed" but remember in the episode "Cabin Fever" Horace says "God Speed John." Hence my reference isn't wrong... yours was. We usually have big gatherings on premiers and finales. I feel like an early christian. I've gotten @ least twenty people into this show. Erik is right now getting started season 3. My DVDs have been around the block a few times now. It's the greatest show in T.V. history and if your not watching it your wasting your life. Who is Jacob? What is the Monster? Why is Locke back from the dead? ABC Wednesday @ 9:00pm. Destiny Calls.

Bluesman Jay- Sound Effects, Editing, Backing Vox
Craig Morin- Guitar, Vox, Bass

LOST Theories

What Jerry Did

2009-02-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

Greetings. This months tune is based on a true story. About three weeks ago Jerry nipped @ the baby. Jerry is a good dog and has earned his place in this family but that's a pretty steep crime. In Texas, murder one and dog bites carry the same sentence. It was around this same time Riley and Virginia had a little scuffle. Tensions where high in the Morin household.

I had this riff and Erik and I have been kicking it around. After what Jerry did every thing just seemed to come together. He has been receiving more of the attention he needs. We also realize that keeping a calm house for everybody's sake is a group effort. Musically every thing clicked as well. The song came together very quickly after that.

I did my recording @ home this month. I find that fitting since home is also the setting for the song. I laid down my guitar and vocal and then sought collaboration. Kate, my blushing bride, was the first to add her voice. It's cool watching someone you love getting to know their own voice. I've always enjoyed her voice. It is one of the first things I dug about her.

The next to join the fray was my fellow Rt. 9er. Erik came over and added his vocals. Then he laid down all the sweet little guitar nuggets that give the tune lift.

Lastly as I was putting some finishing touches on the tune Lennon was singing it around the house. I love how she builds intensity as the song climbs to it's crescendo. She's a natural.

Over the past few weeks things have calmed down around here. I think the song is a perfect snap shot of February 2009 @ home. I have a song that spells out my theories of the excellent television program "Lost." I couldn't do it this month because Jay was getting caught up on the show and I didn't want to spoil anything for him. See you next month.

Lennon Morin: Vocals
Craig Morin: Vocals, Guitar, Bass
Erik Brackett: Guitar, Vocals
Kate Morin: Vocals

What Jerry Did

Keep On

2009-01-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

The first song on this years audioblog is a special one. First of all, it's the first song on ANY Calendar Project I didn't have a hand in writing or sing lead on. Second of all it's the first official release by my new band Route 9. Erik Brackett a good good friend of mine and I formed an acoustic duo. If your reading this chances are you already know Erik and I have been rocking out weekly at T.J. O'Brien's. Erik is a nasty guitar player but told me he never finished writing a song. I was cutting hair one day when he came into the shop and told me he wrote not one, but two songs that day. "Keep On" is one of those songs. If this is his first outing as a song writer I can't imagine what else he's gonna cook up.
Recording the song was tough. My pc is lets just say temperamental. Erik was hard to get in front of the mic to record vocals for this at first but after a few beers he loosened right up. Nailing down the bass was the hardest part for me. I'm stoked with how it came out so it was all worth it in the end.
To me it's the perfect song to kick off the third year of the project. Collaboration is our theme this year and this song definitely has that. We both put in long hours on this one and we tried every idea once. I think it made for a better track. Ultimately though it's the title and the message of the song that drive it home for me. I'm gonna keep on keeping on with the Calendar Project. I just hope you keep on listening.

Route 9:
Erik Brackett- Vocals, Guitar
Craig Morin- Vocals, Guitar , Bass

Keep On

The Calendar Project 2009

2009-01-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's 2009 and The Calendar Project is still going. As I said last year, If I'm ever going to stop posting month to month I would do it after I finished December but before I post January. That way each year is a complete thought. I'm excited that after 2007 I decided to continue. Life has been so good to me there is always new inspiration to write about. The project is allot of work but an object in motion tends to stay in motion.

Every year has it's own rules. The first year I tried to make each month sound like the month it was created. I also wanted to say the name of each month in each song. I forgot to say "July" in July but at least I said it in August. The most important rule however was the deadline. The songs had to be posted by the last day of the month.
The second year I tried to work without rules with one exception: the deadline. I tried to push myself and write not just typical Craigy songs. I wrote two children's songs, two instrumentals, a political song, a slow burner, and a bluesy backwater jam with a rap! I'm pretty happy with the results but after doing most of the year alone I'm ready for a new year with new rules.
Going into the third year I want it to be all about collaboration. The rule this year is a song isn't done until it has the input of someone else on it. I want my friends and family to feel that the Calender Project 2009 is their outlet too. I don't want to spend the year recording music by myself at the shop. And of course one rule remains in tact. The Deadline!

I want to thank Jay, Kate, Erik and Brian for playing on the '08 edition. The best months are the ones where my friends are in the playback. That's why '09 is all about collaboration. I look forward to jammin' with friends this year. We have a date to make music, put it on your calendar!

Stoneville Pond

2008-12-31T17:48:00.000-08:00

Here I am on New Years Eve posting a song for the Calendar Project. It's a really good feeling finishing a second year. It was a New Year's resolution, I need to write more songs. I feel I've delivered on that resolution. Last year I wasn't sure if I was going to continue for another year but going into '09 I have no doubt I'm doing another year. Not only did I continue to write and record a new song every month but I began writing and recording with friends this year outside of the audioblog. I learned what made last year stand apart from this years project. Collaboration. Working with other people gives you a fresh perspective on what your working on. I intend to keep the Calendar Project going next year with input from other people.

Working with Erik and Brian as Mob 3 is a great example of what collaboration can do for the writing process. Stoneville Pond isn't the same song I originally wrote. their influence and playing style shaped the song beyond the structure I came up with initially. After countless hours over several months Stoneville is the only audio representation of the work we've done as Mob 3. I feel this song is a nice segway into a collaborative Calendar Project next year. 2009 is when the doors open. Come on in friends and bring your guitar!

Mob 3:
Erik Brackett
Craig Morin
Brian Onish

Stoneville Pond

Fingerprints

2008-11-24T19:12:00.001-08:00

November is a big month for the Calendar Project. Last year was "Om" which I feel to be one of my best songs. The pressure of following in my own foot steps one year later was getting to me. I had what I thought to be some throw away riffs. Mob 3 has been playing at a bar in Sturbridge and I made friends with the bartender on Myspace. Her "about me" section caught my attention:

"I am a married, Christian woman. My husband and my kids really are awesome! So blessed, really, truly thankful.. I love what I do for work, I bartend and waitress, good stuff!I love nature, I really can't understand how people can deny that God is real! Take a look around you, his fingerprints are all over everything! It blows my mind!!"

I loved her wording. It screams faith. I put some of those phrases to music and organically came up with a song I am proud to post. Jay suggested the piano. The best thing about this song is my backing vocalist. It's nice to finally have my wife's voice on the Calendar Project. Kate made it a special month. Maybe after eleven years I'll release all the Novembers in one collection and call it 11/11. Food for thought. Enjoy!

Fingerprints

(wake up) Sleepyhead

2008-10-31T16:41:00.001-07:00

Lennon,
Riley
and
Virginia

You are the reason Mom and I get out of bed in the morning.
We love you.

(wake up) Sleepyhead

LeRoi

2008-09-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

As I stated last month this song is a tribute to LeRoi Moore. He was the saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band. I was really saddened when I found out about his death. He was one of the greats.
I had written the riff and had started referring to it as my "Dave Riff." I had the chorus down but didn't know what to sing in the versus. When I got word of LeRoi's passing it became obvious. I then started to put together the words. Every line in the versus and bridge references a title from a DMB song. The chorus is about striving for that level I believe LeRoi operated on. This is a memorial. I'll miss LeRoi's playing and contributions.
R.I.P.
LeRoi Holloway Moore
September 7, 1961-August 19, 2008
LeRoi

Believe It

2008-08-31T20:39:00.001-07:00

Here I am last minute again. Cutting it pretty close this time. The month is up in fifteen minutes and I I've just finished recording. It's been an insane month. We've moved, have had 3 separate automotive events, and I've started a new barber. And of course it wouldn't be August if Riley wasn't splitting his head open. This year he was inspired by the Olympics and did a triple header back flip off the couch and caught it on the coffee table. Five Staples!
This song has a close relationship with chaos. I was involved in the reforming of my old band H.M.S. We we're all going to bring new tunes to the table so I found myself needing to come up with 3 songs above and beyond the calendar project. The timing was off but I ended up coming up with one and a half songs. The completed one was Believe it. In the midst of all the chaos this month every time I had a chance I picked up the acoustic at the shop and busted it out. I knew this month I already had believe it in the bank so I just needed time to lay it down. Here I am on the last day of the month getting it done. Perfect. It's in this song's blood to be done in a whirlwind. It's a straight up live take. I even brought the shop guitar to our new home to lay it down.
The other half song has since become "Leroi." It had already been referred to as my Dave Matthews riff (sometimes Rush?). When I heard Leroi Moore died it really hit me. The guy was awesome and his music and presence will be missed. More on that next month.
Two minutes to spare.

Believe It

Wedding Bells (I Do)

2008-07-31T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last year my July song was very rushed. Even though I liked it nobody else did. I to this day think it was because the recording was hurried more than anything else. My only complaint was I forgot to say the word July last year. I tried to make it up in August but I guess I never recovered.
Having said that I felt a great deal of pressure for this year's to be better. This is actually one of my oldest tunes that I never could quite finish. One day I was jamming at the barbershop when I stumbled upon the missing pieces. It's the only song since the inception of the Calendar Project that is in an open tuning. I also thought it was fitting since Kate and I celebrated our 5th anniversary this month.
The recording was still done last minute but I think it's much better than last July. My only concern is that it will come across as a poor man's "Om". More Roots than Mercury. I had technical difficulties during the recording process but got the job done.
I'm proud of it. I hope you enjoy it too.

Wedding Bells(I Do)

Chew Your Food Good

2008-06-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

Chew Your Food Good
This month I was working on a riff one day while the kids where eating their lunch. Riley has a tendency to shove allot of food in his mouth @ once so I started to play something completely different. I started singing "chew your food good" and it was one of those moments where the song only took as long to write as it did to play. The kids liked it so I knew I had something. This is a sincere effort in writing something they would enjoy. I also like how a kids' song is not something I've done with the Calendar Project yet.
Recording it was fun. I got the kids to sing and even play a little percussion. That's them shaking the summer squash out of the tambourines. Their little voices kill me. They are just too cute. Ginny watched on while Lennon and Riley helped Dad express the importance of Chewing Your Food Good.

Each year, more than 17,000 infants and children are treated in hospital emergency departments for choking-related incidents, and more than 80 percent of these occur in children aged four years and younger. Airway obstruction death and injury are especially prevalent in children under age four due to anatomy (small airway), natural curiosity and tendency to put objects in their mouths, and incomplete chewing. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, choking in 2001 was highest in infants. (taken from http://www.answers.com/topic/choking?cat=health)
So please Chew Your Food Good!

My Fathers Day was made good by spending it with the three best kids in the world, making music. Thanks Lennon, Riley, and Ginny.
Happy Fathers Day all you dads out there!

Chew Your Food Good

Bigger Things

2008-05-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Last month's song wasn't received the way I had hoped. I considered it a political satire. It would more accurately be described as long. This is the song I had intended to put up last month. I wrote it in April but then I got excited about "W." I should have maybe stuck with the song I meant to post and allowed myself time to digest the notion of venturing into politics. Regardless both songs found there way to the audioblog and I like how dated April will sound because it is a "calendar project."
I think this song is a better offering. When I shared it with my friend Russ he said that he liked how lyrically it starts sounding like it will be a downer but the message actually comes through as pretty optimistic. I honestly didn't think about it. I just needed words that fit the meter.

This month is dedicated to Erlinda Boyles Espiritu and her family.
Bigger Things

-W-

2008-04-30T20:53:00.001-07:00

-W-
Oh George you've hurt us so
But it will soon be time for you to go
You may have let your people down
At least you made your money while in town
So even if the country suffered
At least you know your ass is covered.
just wait and see cause i surely bet ya
the hand of karma is gonna getchya

W

ShamRock

2008-03-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well I think this month I have one of the strongest riffs of any Calendar Project song. The problem is I never made a song out of it. It's pretty solid musically so I had a hard time trying to write words that didn't follow it exactly or a solo that really worked. I ended up getting pretty sick so that ate a week as well. All in all I like it but the project as a whole is going to need to start getting a little more interesting. April was a turning point last year so lets see what next month brings.

ShamRock

Friction

2008-02-29T04:50:00.000-08:00

Today is leap day and I have to say I was a little upset I didn't do many haircuts until I relized that this day didn't exist last year so every cut I did just goes into the void. That's how I feel about this months song. I could have a little fun and write about "friction" because when all is said and done...this song was done on a day that next year doesn't exist. It's like a free pass. A lost weekend done in a day. It's a good day to do something a little unlike yourself. No one can be blamed for taking a leap on leap day.

Friction

Open Mondays

2008-01-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

Well lets get started.
There will be differences. I'm getting rid of all the arbitrary rules I put on myself except one. I don't need to say the name of month. In fact I don't need to say anything. I won't worry about dating my music with birthdays. The only rule I intend to keep is one song a month. Good bad or indifferent. I just want to continue my musical journal a little while longer. I have plenty of good news to report.
This song is called "Open Mondays" because I intended to record it my first Monday at the barbershop. Hung out with friends all day at work instead so I ended up recording it on Tuesday. It's an instrumental which the rules would not have allowed last year. I like it. Just a little progression I recorded with a crappy little microphone. Then I soloed over it. Just two tracks, Two acoustic guitars and the spirit of a slow Monday (on a Tuesday).

Open Mondays

The Calendar Project 2008

2008-01-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

I had allot of ambitious ideas for projects to come after last years calender project. I felt relief when I finished December because it was like a completed thought. If I did another song for January I would be starting all over again and wouldn't be able to quit until next year. That's an overwhelming responsibility now that I know the work involved. That's when I began coming up with other ideas like a Willy Dixon research paper inspired cover album. I thought about doing one Beatles song a day until I've done all of them. I thought about doing one live performance a month and recording a new song for the blog at each show. By the time I racked my brain for almost a month I realized I had this nice little progression that I liked and nothing to do with it. That's when it hit that whether I noticed or not, I had already started the Calender Project 2008.
I'm excited because most of my other ideas didn't involve writing. I do feel after last year the flood gates are open. Life right now is too good not to write about. The shops doing well, new baby, Pats headed for the Super Bowl, and Lost returning to ABC on Thursday nights. What's not to enjoy.
It's going to be a great year.

December

2007-12-31T19:39:00.000-08:00

well here it is. this is the new year's resolution to write more songs. I started this song last year on new year's eve. how fitting I should end my 2007 finishing a song I had a year to get done.
I can't say enough about bluesman jay and sam. you guys make me sound better. thanks for doing all the sweating and leaving me the glory. if it wasn't for jay at the helm ever month would have been january.
I would also like to announce the arrival of Virginia Rose Morin. she was born on 12-22-07 and was 8lbs. 12oz. she's good and healthy. her and mom are both doing great. pretty cool I got to document the year leading up to her arrival in such a fun way.
I really did love doing this and love the results. endless thanks to jay and sam. also thanks to my wife for her understanding when I keep running of to the barbershop to record. 2007 was very good to me. 2008 will be better. hope you got yourself a new calendar.
Happy New Year!
Home Sweet Home(12-31-06)

November

2007-11-28T15:39:00.000-08:00

If one song out of every 12 i write is as satisfying as this one I'm on to something. The writing of this song was almost effortless. I wrote the music at the shop while my friend Jack was giving a haircut. The words i wrote at home in what was essentially a meditative state. I love it because it's open to interpretation. To me it's the thoughts that run through my head during meditation. I'm simultaneously reaching out to God and the baby we have coming any time now. This entire project documents the year we spent leading up to your arrival. The Om ending is the moment of enlightenment. Zen.
Recording this song was a different story. To much to tell here really. Lets just say this song had several failed attempts on it's way to tape. I had a clear idea of what i wanted it to sound like and luckily Bluesman Jay saw that vision clearly.
When i finally did get the recording done it came real fast. This song is the quintessential example of how these kind of things can't be forced. It happened when it happened.
The harmonies at the end we did at the barbershop. It would not have been possible without Sam's ear. There is 10 vocal tracks in this song. The most I've ever done. Sam told me what notes i needed and then stood next to me and hummed them so i got them. If you heard it before Jay performed his "magic" you would swear it was done on a 4-track. I said i want this song to not be over produced but have Big harmonies. I said "organic Queen." This is obviously an asinine statement and earned me the nickname "Roots Mercury."
As always my friends made me sound better then i really am. Thanks guys.
This song means allot to me and I am so glad it got out of my head the way I heard it. This is for the new baby. This is your song. Every day is Christmas Eve until you get hear. "All that I've heard, all that I've seen. Zenya is the song inside of me." Your the music in my heart and I love you.
Om(11-5-07)

October

2007-10-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

Here it is! The weirdest tune I've ever worked on. This song is the complete result of a shared vision. Bluesman Jay and I began our discussions on this song on the 1st of the month. He wrote the organ intro real early on, on his own volition mind you. I had the idea for the music before it was "legal" to touch the fret board, and I didn't touch.
When i say it's weird I mean it. Even it's arrangement is so off. I got to play with toys which is always good. The sounds in there are all from the kid's room. Something that couldn't have happened if I didn't do my vocals @ home, which i never do by the way. We did use the shop of course. After Jay recorded the organ part He made an appointment to get his haircut. Jay programed the drums at the shop while I worked and then we laid down the acoustic guitars. It went pretty smooth except the for the invasion of man sized farm animals.
Jay laid down the Electric @ home while I laid down the bass @ the shop. I went with a fretless tone after reading the Jaco biography and it fits perfect. I came home for the vocals and that's where I put in the sounds of a burger king toy, a talking baseball bat (GO SOX!!!!), and Darth F*cking Vader! The best part of all is Lennon and Riley nailed their part. I'm really excited about this one. We had fun doing it and I had fun living it...October i mean. The Red Sox won the world series...Ya Heard!
Congrats Pendragons
Trick or Treat(10/29/07)

September

2007-09-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

This song has been waiting to be written since June. The objective in that month was to write a song that could be come an entirely new song by being played backwards. This is the backwards installment. June is symmetrical in it's arrangement. A-B-A-C-A-B-A. So of course this song is the same arrangement(backwards). Elegance's words I was proud of so I felt pressure to get it right this time around. Both songs start and end with the word "Elegance." Sam's solo in June is backwards followed by being played forward. In this entry it's the opposite. The rhythm remains intact. It was interesting from my standpoint to see how the same progression played beginning to end and end to beginning lends it's self to different melodies and bass lines.
This month was done completely virtually. Sam, Jay and I didn't get together to record this. Jay did the drums then emailed it to Sam, who Killed the guitar and sent it to me. I sang and played bass and sent it back to Jay. He laid down the harmonica and mixed everything. When Every level was set he posted it and I did the blog and linked it. Making music in the 21'st century.
Sam hurt his hand when he was going to record the guitar which delayed him a week. Last month my son Riley took a hit in the head. This project is getting dangerous.
I Listened to both songs back to back and feel pretty pleased with them. It's fun because if it wasn't for this project these song are songs I never would have written. Rock!
I can't give enough credit to Bluesman Jay and Samson. Sam's guitar is the foundation of this tune and Jay holds the whole thing together. I probably would have blown this resolution if not for them. I think of these 2 songs together as some pretty good H.M.S. work. You're genius.
I just play the bass.
Lastly, this song is dedicated to Virginia DeWitt: the most elegant woman there ever was.
Elegance 2(9-28-07)

August

2007-08-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

This month I decided to go in a different direction. Me and The Bluesman wrote this song from the bottom up. We first laid down the drums. Then we got together weeks later and started building on that foundation. Bass, then a guitar, then another guitar, then another, then another. Before we knew it it was time for the words. Little did we know we had created a song so melodic it was nearly impossible to write something that didn't follow the guitar exactly, but we did it. This rocks a little hard for a Craigy tune. You can tell Jay was at the helm by the production quality. He is a master. I like it because of how different is. I loved July but i guess im pretty alone on that so i hope this is a crowd-pleaser. My son suffered a pretty good head wound during the making of this tune so it better be. One final note. I didn't say July in last months song so I snuck it into august. I make the rules so i can break them. I couldn't have done it without you Jay. Thanks for giving me the whole day.
Teach Me (8-26-07)

July

2007-07-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, Here we are. It's July and my song is due. It's literally last minute again but this time i enjoyed it. The song is about not only how though it might be late I'm not defaulting on this project, and how my barber shop is going to succeed no matter what. I like this months tune. I called it campfire jam cause I'm litterally jamming with myself and that's the vibe my wife got. I was so happy while making this tune. My family was close. i was at the shop. And if you listen real close you might even here the kids. Enjoy it as much as i enjoyed making it.
Campfirejam(7-31-07)

June

2007-06-30T18:45:00.000-07:00

This tune is a big concept. I wanted a song that worked forward but would also make another, all together different tune backwards. On a writing level I'm pleased with it. I just honestly don't think it was executed in the recording. The tempo changes are to drastic, my vocals tack out and there is a ton of white noise. I wanted to just redo it completely but couldn't get everyone together twice. Even when I went back to re-sing it i ran into technical difficulties. I guess i shouldn't be so hard on myself. I mean it is a writing project and I like the song we wrote. Next month I have to put the effort into the recording. I don't want the quality of the production to go down month after month. I'll stop bitching so you can enjoy the song as is. Sam's solo is perfect and i like the call and response with Bluesman Jay's harp at the end. There's some positives to focus on.
'till next month
Elegance(6-20-07)

May

2007-05-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

My father keeps asking me if I am ever going to do a happy tune. Dad this is it. Good news is abundant. We recorded this at the barbershop, 3 acoustics around a mic. Then by two best friends traded solos. Played some poker. Drank some beers. Went to McDonald's and was denied hamburgers....They're the real Hamburgler! Fun night.
Then...the waiting
I couldn't get it together to do the words. I have plenty to say...but I didn't know how to say it. The deadline is really what motivated me at the end. I like how it came out. It was like writing a good paper the night before it's due. It's a blend of spontaneity and method.
It's in under the wire. So you can't take points off my grade.
Five(5-31-07)

April

2007-04-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

It's been an absolutely crazy month. I couldn't even begin to say it all here. I do think this tune sums it up without saying much at all. I knew I wanted April to have a rain theme, but the title "When It Rains It Pours" is just to perfect. The feeling coming across as well as does can solely be contributed to Bluesman Jay's influence. He understood what I was going for and produced it for me. He brought it closer to my original intention then I ever could have.
The sounds of the storm are all completely organic. We used rain sticks, banged on heaters, got pieces of metal from a printing place all in pursuit of April showers. Jay's wife El can shake a mean rain stick. You may also detect a little bit of that Sammy flavor. He played both lead guitar and lead heater. All in all this was a fun one to make. Drinking beer and making music in the back of a barber shop. Norman Rockwell would have loved it.
And if it wasn't a perfect enough afternoon, before we where through it actually rained outside.
~This months song is dedicated to Howard Morin who passed away this morning. God Bless.
When It Rains It Pours (4-28-07)

March

2007-03-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty pumped about this month's tune. It has Sammy all over it. I was trying to make it in like lion, out like a lamb. It turned out the best way to do that was I wrote the music to the "lion" and Sam wrote the "lamb." He made adjustments to my half and really made it blend. We had fun arranging it because of how complicated it is(or how complicated i made it seem!) That's Sam playing the guitar on the recording. It is so clearly his touch. He also plays the second solo, or the Lamb solo as I've been calling it. The slide solo is Bluesman Jay. He has been so crucial in keeping me on track with the original spirit of the project. There isn't a single musical idea I've ever done without bouncing it off him first. Jay and Sam are the band.
-An interesting side note. Sam and I got together on the eleventh to write the music. It took me a full eleven days to write the words, which is unprecedented for me. I see 11:11 twice a day on clocks. I see it on Licence plates, in print, math, conversation, everywhere. I can't escape it! It seems so fitting to me that a song this polar would have been created on my numbers schedule.
It's an 11/11...how cosmic.
Jeckle & Hyde(3-22-07)

February

2007-02-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

I tried on the first of the month to sit and write a song for two hours. I ended up with nothing but 3 pages of bad lyrics. Then today (the fourth) i picked up the guitar and this little tune, words and music, came out as quick as I could write it down. It's funny how songs reveal themselves. I would also like to mention getting it to end on 2:28 wasn't exactly the easiest task for me. Enjoy.
Light My Way(2-4-07)

January

2007-01-29T08:40:00.000-08:00

The song i wrote this month is "I'm Cold." I am still learning how to record with the pc so bear with me. There is allot of background noise in there. If you listen closely you might hear some "Fairy Odd Parents" in there. You can definitely hear the little ones running around. That's life with kids.
You can keep tabs on me and other artist through The Chainletter Theory
I'm Cold

The Calendar Project

2007-01-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

I only wrote two songs in 2006. I really wanted more than that so it's a new years resolution, I need to write more songs. I intend to write a new song, demo it, and post it as an audioblog by the last day of each month. It's discipline I could use.