Hello all!
thought after that little bit about secrets and choosing not to disclose anything just yet, I would go the opposite route this time… Kind of…
A few months back I did an interview with a buddy of mine for a project he was doing for a class at his college. He mentioned something about it maybe getting published in a magazine, I think. But I won’t hold my breath… Anyway. It talks about my song writing process and what inspires me and stuff like that… If you are interested, read it below…
HIM: How long have you been composing your own songs?
ME: I’ve been composing my own music since I was about 13. So about 9 years.
HIM: What first got you interested in making your own work?
ME: I think I was really fueled by envy. I really enjoyed the music I was hearing prior to me actually writing my own stuff. All of it inspired me to take what little I knew at guitar and at writing music at the time and make songs I could call my own.
HIM: Who has currently or previously inspired you to write music?
ME: If we are talking about other musical acts, then early on I would say bands like MxPx, Blink-182 and Fenix TX were what really inspired me when I started to write music. I use to be into a lot of pop-punk back in the day. That’s the kind of music I use to write. These days, the music that inspires me changes from week to week. But bands like Incubus and Minus The Bear have remained constant inspirations for me throughout the last decade. Another notable artist is Nine Inch Nails. I was never a big fan of them until the album “Year Zero” came out. And then Mr. Reznor and crew released “Ghosts” and “The Slip”. I was sold at that point. The music on those records and the way they were released were really intriguing and inspiring. I got to say, I also love listening to classical acoustic instrumental music from artists like Phil Keaggy and Jason Truby. Classic rock bands are huge for me as well. Bands like Yes, The Beatles, Boston and Led Zeppelin all inspire me.
HIM: Describe your song writing method.
ME: When I first started writing music, I just wrote endless amounts of lyrics and whatever I really liked, I would figure out some music to. As the years went on, the songwriting would kick off with a guitar part I came up with. From there I would figure out other guitar parts that I felt went well with the original idea. When I felt the music was done, the lyrics and vocal melodies typical followed shortly after. That process would take anywhere from a few hours to a couple weeks. It’s similar these days although I have a lot of recording tools at my grasp as opposed to having just an acoustic guitar and a pen and paper. I’ll usually make a drum beat on a looping program and jam out to that for a few hours. The ideas that I like will typically be recorded and then pieced together to make a song. I find that process the best for me right now. I get ideas down quicker that way.
HIM: How do you get inspired to write music and lyrics?
ME: Honestly, when it comes to writing music, I get inspired by listening to other music. I love being entertained. It is easy for me to get inspired to pick up my guitar and make my own music when I’ve been entertained. As far as lyrics are concerned, it typically stems from something that has been on my mind a lot. I try and put those thoughts down in the form of lyrics. I’ve always seen that process as a way for me to put whatever I’ve been thinking about to rest and move on. Sometimes I do get an urge to write music and lyrics when I see a movie or maybe see a piece of art or a really interesting photograph.
HIM: When do you know a song you write is finished?
ME: That is a interesting question because it’s something I ask myself everytime I write a song. Having recording equipment, I tend to record music while I’m still writing it. So when the music seems close to finished and the lyrics and vocals are done, there are times when I’ll kind of sit back and ask myself if there is anything I could still add to the song to make it sound even better. I think when I have come to a point where I don’t know what else to add to it, I have reached the end of the writing process for that song. Sometimes I’ll have every part laid out in my head. At which point it’s all a matter of recording what I’m thinking about. But the funny thing is there are some cases where I’ll feel like I have completed a song 100% and then weeks or months will go by, and I’ll come back to it and add more to the song or change things entirely.
HIM: What are your favorites amongst your own songs?
ME: Sometimes I feel like the appropriate answer to this question is you can’t ask me to pick a color of that rainbow. Every song I write holds a special place in my heart. They all snapshot specific moments in my life. But I do feel like I’ve come to a point where I really genuinely love what I’m creating. At this moment it would have to be a new song called “Dangerous Game”. It’s probably one of the most intense and fastest song I’ve written and I like that. I think people over the years have pegged me as the guy who writes soft acoustic numbers with songs of mine like “Line Of Fire” or “One Man Show”. but I think people are starting to see that I can go heavier and faster and I think they are enjoying that. There is another song I definitely dig of mine called “Invasion”… I wrote that after seeing the teaser trailer for the movie “Cloverfield” back when it was simply known as “1-18-08”. I, like most everyone who saw that trailer, didn’t know what it was about. It’s funny to me how the lyrics parallel the plot of that movie a little. The song kind of is a tribute to that movie, more or less. It’s fun for me to picture that movie when I listen to that song…
HIM: What is your drive/motivation for performing?
ME: It’s actually been a while since I’ve performed for people. Up until about March of this year, I played at a restaurant in Lake Oswego on a weekly basis with my brother and my buddy Chris Guard. I did it because it was a great opportunity. Not to mention it was a nice chunk of change in my pocket every week. It never felt musically and personally rewarding though. I really enjoy performing for people who are there to be entertained. Back when I was in high school, I played at this coffee shop in Camas with Chris all the time. We would advertise it all week and, come friday, play for a bunch of our friends. It was almost like having a party and we were kind of the main focus. That’s what motivated me then and I hope I can have experiences similar to that the next time I perform. Everyone always had encouraging things to say afterward. I dig hearing what people have to say about the music and our performance. I remember about a year ago, I played at this place called The AC. It was basically a school gym but it was by far the most professionally set up show I’ve ever been a part of. I was nervous for that because I hadn’t played in a while and playing for as many people as I did that night was scary. But the response afterward was great. Everyone had such great things to say. That’s what typically drives me is the audience response.
HIM: Describe how the crowd can affect your performance?
ME: I mean the audience can be really into it, kind of into it, or not into it at all… Obviously. I’ve definitely experienced all sides, believe you me. You always want to play the best you can for whatever audience, but I’ve always felt I put less of my efforts into it when the crowd isn’t even responding at all. Call me a bad sport. Call it being negative. Call it whatever you wish but it’s true. When you put time into writing this batch of songs and you play that music for people and you get absolutely no response back, it’s kind of a blow to your self-esteem. You kind of start second guessing if what you’re writing is able to capture the listener’s ears. But when I can tell people are getting into it when they’re watching and listening intently and occasionally singing along, that’s when I tend to play my best. I mean even when the audience is kind of digging it, I play the best I can.
HIM:If a beginning song writer came to you for advice, what would you tell them?
ME: I would recommend they get a good handle on whatever instrument they are using to aid them in their song writing. Practice that instrument as much as possible… And never stop writing. Both music and lyrics. Write as much as you can. It doesn’t matter if you only know three chords on a guitar or you’re the next John Mayer. If you keep writing songs, and you push yourself harder each time you write, you are likely to progress your ability to compose, perform and anything else that may fall in line with that. And find a means to record your music. If it means recording onto cassette tape with a karaoke machine or with the mic on your mac laptop, just utilize what you have. If you don’t have that kind of stuff, find ways to save up for it. It will help out in the end. It helps that progression. Finally, I would say let people hear what you have come up with. I think that’s an easy way for a song writer to make that jump into being a performer. But honestly, just never stop writing music. It’s like something I read on a shirt once. “Music is food for the soul.”
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So there it is. Not wildly interesting. No stories about hookers or coke. Just little ol’ me writing songs.
Anyway. back to secrecy and all that jazz. I have three things to lay on the world and I shall when the time is right… Hopefully the time will be right sooner rather than later…
