Laryngitis

I wrote this guitar part last month. I was unable to put words to it before the end of the month. Luckily for me Mama Kate had a song and last month was saved. The writing I've done lately has been for Secret Sage. Most of my efforts however have been  in learning songs. Now that the band is rolling our main objective has been to fill time. The obvious answer to that is covers. When I do pick up the guitar to write I have a few ideas kicking around but I haven't been able to move past this song. It felt like an incomplete sentence. Words for it just weren't coming to me. Tom has a ton of lyrics to offer but nothing had felt right for this tune. It had become quite a puzzle.
I woke up the last few days with a sore throat. I've been talking a lot all day and I've exhausted my voice.  Today's the day I need to record something for the Calendar Project. It seems serendipitous that I have no voice at the end of the month and a song with no words ready to record. I added the limited vocals on the second take and loved it.
Songs are their own  entities. It still amazes me how they reveal themselves to us. I had no idea what this song was going to be. I thought I had  an uptempo rocker with an undiscovered poem lying in the mystic. What it became was virtually an instrumental that my spent voice (in my opinion) lends an old jazz quality to. I can picture the band doing a fun version of this with lots of solos and Tom sitting deep in the pocket. The "lyrics" are few but tell the whole story.
Here's a secret. I spent most of the month regretting that I continued the Calendar Project. It had a nice ending and this year has been dominated by Secret Sage. I was frustrated that I assigned  myself another writing project when the band is so much work. Gigs, rehearsals, recording, websites and homework take up enough time. There is a lot more to focus on now then just writing. Then I lost my voice. My life completed this song. That's why I couldn't finish it last month. I hadn't lived this song yet. Turns out the Calendar Project still has more to show me.

Laryngitis

Traveling Man

I had nothing for this month's Calendar Project. Luckily my wife did. She's been diligently working on this tune while all of my attention went to Secret Sage.  I might have appeared condescending when I didn't have time to hear her song with all of the "important band homework" on my plate. Here we are at the end of the month and it's the old story of the grasshopper and the ant. Only one song really matters now with 24 hours left in the month. I was panicking. Why did I keep this project going? Didn't I end this last year? Is there anything I haven't used already? Is this where the Calendar Project ends?
I have a song I'm working on but I didn't want to force that in between band practices. I didn't want to post crap just to keep it going.Then there's Kate, well crafted song in hand, ready to record. She wrote a solid folk song. A good story. Great imagery. Five verses with only a handful of chords. The kind of song that is so hard to write when you want to write one just like it.
We had a ball recording it. We did about 5 takes. Each one got more polished but lost steam. We kept the first one because we liked the vibe of the run through. It's nice hearing Kate laugh on this take.
I'm so grateful to Kate for coming up with a song. For putting in the work. It's far better than anything I would have come up with. I'm a huge fan.
She says there is no hidden message in the song intended for me. A song she wrote while I was  at band practice. A song about a guitar  playing hobo who's life was saved by finding a woman who loves him. No hidden message at all.

Traveling Man

Whitman's

This is a very old song. I wrote it over a decade ago. I wrote it in a closet with myself and 5 other people smoking out of a hookah on 4/20 circa 2001. I named the song after the Whitman's Sampler box I kept my stash in at that time. In the early Route 9 days we refined it with the "breathe" outro circa 2008.  With the Secrets and Lies theme of this year's Calendar Project I thought April 20th this year would be a good time to put out "Whitman's." Adding to the nostalgic feeling of this holiday anthem  Erik and I recorded it on an old 4track. You can hear the dirt on this dirty little secret. Secret Sage recorded this song just a day earlier. I love both versions we got. I used the Route 9 version because we where more "inspired" when we recorded it. On the actual holiday non the less.
Here's who knows about the project as of today.
Kate, Jay, the kids, Erik, Tom and Dani.
Secrets getting out.

Whitman's

Water Into Whiskey

I've been attending an open mic ran by Brett Brumby, an old friend. He does a songwriters' night and he offered a theme. Water.
Simple, Vague, Universal.
Everybody is going to write their own song using the theme and share them at songwriters' night.
I explored it lot's of ways. I explored it by watching the documentary "Blue Gold" about corporate theft of water. I watched a documentary of Buddha and contemplated water as a metaphor for transition. However, when I picked up my guitar I was playing blues. Turn my water into whiskey. My secret. When I first started playing it I sang, "I need a drink before you take me Satan..." Well I was really feeling it and my playing was getting nasty. I honestly felt like I was playing it above my ability. Every time I came around to that line I got a little better. I had to stop.
Took a breath. Got a drink. Had a seat.
I re-framed it. Took my drink from a better cup. My playing settled way down, and then the "family reunion" line was revealed to me. The instant reward.
I told Brett this and a he said "Go with the Satan one." Kate disagreed.
Secret Sage played this song under a bridge and this random Rob jammed out on harmonica. It was an awesome moment and it got broken up by the police fulfilling a rock and roll dream. Here's to it...

Water Into Whiskey

Fragments

"Fragments" is one of the oldest songs I have. I don't think I've ever used a song this old for the Calendar Project. The only song that comes close that I can think of is "Hold On" and this tune has that beat by years. I remember playing this song in the auditorium at school. I played it under the stairs at Auburn High. I've recorded it for every "tape" I ever made. I've brought it to countless bands. I've even tried to record it for the Calendar Project. For on reason or another it never seemed to gain legs.
In the final hours of what has been a busy music month it finds it's home. A leap day baby that keeps the secret Calendar year alive. I recorded it with one open mic in the room. I ran through it twice and kept the second one. Played from the muscle memory of a kid learning to play guitar. Not much has changed.
Of course keeping with the theme of the year, secrets and lies, I'll share the song's secret. It was never about a first hand experience. In school I had a friend who was with a girl I simply loved. Everyone did. He spoke to me about staying at her house because his home life was on the rocks. As he was staying there when they broke up. Maybe it was shortly after. Details at this point have become hazy. Regardless she had proverbially kicked him while he was down. I empathized with him while becoming aware that she was now on the market. It was a delicate balance to maintain.
By "wearing his hat" in the narrative, I explored a relationship I didn't experience. Musical character acting. Just like last months song. In the end I never got the girl and he'll be remembered as her great young love. I have a song that's been under my fingers for half my life. The song is as old as I was when I wrote it. Wow. Happy Leap Day!

Fragments

The Lie

What better way to start the Secret year then with a song called "The Lie." I like it because, one it's a LOST reference. (Season 5, Episode 2 is called "The Lie"). Two it was born from the idea of keeping the project going and not telling anyone. I love the double entendre of the "lie" of the project ending and the lie in the song. I knew it had to begin in G so I could start where last year ended. I had the title before I had the story.
The story as I see it is a beautiful girl is on her cell and this guy pretends to be on his. When she hangs up he fakes the end of his conversation and makes small talk with her. She is the kind of girl that's looking for prince charming so that's what he pretends to be. He's a sly bastard and overcomes her initial reservations. Soon it's dinner, wine, one thing leads to another and before you know it, it's a relationship. He never lives up to his initial promises. She becomes jaded as she realizes no one can. They're relationship becomes a show for others. It seems fine on the surface. When they are home alone though she doesn't bother to put her phone down and he just mutters to himself and the both live the lie, forever after.
I put just one mic in front of me and did it live. It took me a million takes to get it. I like what I got in the end though. I know to make the secret work I'll have to lie to people. If you are one of those people don't be offended. It's for art!~
The Project lives for another month. Shhh. Don't tell!

The Lie

The Calendar Project 2012

I don't know what to say. I was sincere when I ended the Calendar Project. Now I'm doing a secret Calendar year. It was over when I ended it. Really. Since I ended it properly last year there is no pressure if I don't follow through. Since it's a secret no one but Kate will know I did it unless I'm successful. I hope Secrets and lies are a recurring theme for the project this year. Maybe it will give it a narrative.
I don't mean to cheapen the ending of the project. The idea of a Secret year seemed cool. I was perfectly positioned to pull it off. What if I did a year where I kept it to myself? Maybe I'll release the whole year at once. Maybe I'll always keep it to myself. Maybe I'll do one secret year. Maybe I'll like it better and keep the project secret forever. Maybe it will go into some "lost years" collection after I die. Maybe?
I'll say this. I have other ideas for future years. A live year. A year with a full band. A year recorded outside. I'm not committing to future years but I'll make this promise. Next time I say it's over. It's over. Maybe I'll take some years off. Maybe I'll always come back. But I won't say it's over until its over. Sure I've already ended it twice, after years one and five, but this time I mean it.
I intend to keep the Calendar Project tied to the acoustic guitar. I intend to uphold the deadline rule. This year I want to do as many bare-boned recordings as I can. I want to keep it feeling live. Not much room for collaboration on a secret year but who knows. You know how secrets are.