Songs

Songs. Music. Still gets me. I love and sometimes hate it. I am continuously intrigued with the idea of music making, writing, playing, singing...
How it’s done. Why?
For money, right? Kidding. For the love of it, right?

Hovering over all of it is that question:

What is a hit?
How do you write one?
Well, here you go. I will now clear my throat and give to you, the formula for writing a hit song...

Of course, that’s a total lie. There’s no formula. If there was, I wouldn't have a job.
Funny, I don't actually think of what I do as a job. I had a paper route once. That’s a job.
Worked as a law clerk, loaded and delivered railroad ties, knocked mortar off bricks at a construction site so they could be reused, thawed frozen pipes. Was a night watchman, sold insurance to truck drivers for legal fees, negotiated with D.A.s on behalf of truck drivers (conflict of interest? You decide.). I worked at a movie theater for a while, mostly for the popcorn and pickles. Those were jobs.

Luckily for me: I’ve been able to maintain a career in the business of singing, playing, writing and producing music for over 20 years.
Finding something that rhymes with “love.” That’s not a job.
I’ve written songs for my own band the Nixons, who signed to MCA Records in the mid ’90’s and toured and released albums for over a decade. I’ve written songs for artists ranging from Carrie Underwood to 3 Doors Down. I’ve produced artists on major labels, indie labels and no label at all.
Most recently I have focused on writing and producing from my studio in Nashville, TN.
I can tell you the one thing you DO need: a good recording of your song. Of most the songs I turn in to my publishing company, I have recorded or put together a great sounding demo. The conversation in Nashville these days is all about how some folks in town produce demos that sound as good (if not better) than some master recordings. I can tell you that I believe the reason for that is that the people involved in making major label albums are also involved in making great demos, and are attainable. They work on massive projects but you can still find ‘em if you know where and how to look.

I’ve developed relationships with a vast array of musicians, studio engineers, mix engineers, mastering engineers, producers, writers and music executives. I use them for my demos. We will be using some of those folks here at studioautomatic.com to make your demo.

There are amazing careers that continue out there for tons of folks in the music biz. Tours. T-shirts. Albums. Spotlights in arenas, clubs and stadiums. But here is the absolute truth.

It all starts with a song.

Keep writing y’all. Keep rockin’.

Not Just A Drummer

We went to see the Foo Fighters last week here in Nashville. And holy hell! This is truly the best live band we got going folks. Okay, I saw Muse last year and they were amazing. And, oh yeah, Cage the Elephant at the recent Pilgrimage Festival was next level live rock as well. Let’s just go with a three way tie.  

Having seen Grohl and company most recently, I’m going with them tops for the purposes of this little piece. Speaking of Grohl: as you probably know he broke his leg a few months ago and performed the over two hour set, on a throne. That’s what he called it, a throne, when he made mention of the incident, showing us the scribbled drawing he gave to his crew who went on to design it. The drawing came complete with Dave’s instructions to add “lasers and shit." Seated. With a boot still on. He rocked as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen Rage, Pearl Jam, U2, Sevendust…and tons more. Nothing like it.  Head banging, punishing his guitar and screaming. The screaming. I’m a singer. Fronting my rock band The Nixons, I screamed once, at the top of every show with usual opening song “Foma." A song that begins on the record with me screaming.

NOTE: When my now father-in-law asked my now sister-in-law to play some of my music. They popped in our first CD and with volume loud, he was introduced to the young fella dating his daughter (my now wife who I now scream alongside with as we raise teenage boys. My now wife who had hands in the air singing along to every song that night watching the FF. My wife who stood in line for over two hours with our son to get us tickets 8 months earlier).  

Top of the show: he screams from behind a big red curtain with the familiar FF logo, we heard guitar noise, drum booms and him.  “Are you f**king ready?!!” “How the f**k you doing?!?!” “C’mon!!!” “Let’s f**king go!!” (He said f**k a lot). He screamed throughout the show and never missed a note. Even in the non-screaming quieter moments, his voice sounded clear and powerful. He has something else though. Some sort of magical pull. Some mash-up of honesty, energy, coolness, humor, rockingness. Once he just sat there staring out, smiling with a look that said, “I am going to rip your f**king heads off ." 

He sucked all 10k plus in. Yelling at his light guy to show him the crowd. Cue house lights. He screamed at one fan who was singing along. He told the fan he was gonna lose his voice but that he could "do this sh*t all night."  I don’t know how to describe it other than to say: he’s f**king cool. Everything he does is cool. He chewed gum. He even chews gum cool. Dunno how it’s possible but it’s true. He also had a funny and endearing rapport with all his band mates, especially Taylor Hawkins (the second best drummer in the Foo Fighters).  Also, I forgot how many hits they've had. Interesting conversation with my boys about how they’ve now eclipsed the musical output of Grohl's former band Nirvana. Nirvana. Oh yeah, they were and still are one of the most important bands ever. The musical and historical mark Nirvana made cannot be overstated. But Grohl has created a new mythos for himself that I never would've seen when I saw them the first time. Flashback: My tour manager came on our bus back in nineteen-ninety something outside the club we were playing in San Francisco and, knowing I am a big Pearl Jam fan, informed me Eddie Vedder’s side project Hovercraft was playing. And the drummer for Nirvana has a new band and they're opening. I saw one of the first shows they played. It was great then. We only saw couple songs and then refocused on our own show. To see what he has built, from then to now…is absolutely unbelievably awesome.  

From “Everlong” to “The Pretender” from “Big Me” to “Best of You." Energy never waned. The band led by Mr. RAWK-n-ROLL, was one of the best live shows I have ever seen. There goes my hero. Indeed.

Influences

I get asked sometimes, “Who are your influences?”

When I was in a band and out at some radio station interview, I’d dive into the obligatory list: “The Who, Zeppelin, The Beatles” inevitably shifting to my Flaming Lips stories about seeing them in college at OU. Those shows and their success definitely inspired and influenced me (if you know my band The Nixons, you’re saying “huh?” But trust me: the lights, the show, the distortion, the hair, the sheer volume. Damn, they were loud). Or I’d ramble on about my granddad who sang country music and made sure I knew who the hell Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash were (“Okie, from Muskogee” anyone? “Boy Named Sue” c’mon).

Now, with a few years in the rearview, I see things clearer (things actually are closer than they appear). Through a little wider lens (fish-eye?). Through a little wiser tint (Fletch “Well, there we’re in a kind of a grey area." Frank “How grey?” Fletch “Charcoal?”).

Truth is: influences come in an ever increasing array of sources. A song. A book. My kids. A sign in front of a church house. The weather. A painting, photograph, joke, movie, play. That one thing, that one guy said, on that one show...

Damn, what’d he say again?!

I need all that stuff. I live off that stuff.

I write songs.

When I lived in Tulsa, on the sideline of my kid’s soccer game, people would ask “What do ya do?” 

I’d tell ‘em, “I’m a songwriter."

“Oh yeah, yeah... but I mean for your job?” 

Smile.

Now, I live in Nashville. The response is more like, “yeah, course ya do.”

A follow up question is usually centered around the amazement that I could actually wake up every day and write, or attempt to, write a song.  

But I do.

They don’t always get finished/cut/beloved by millions. But I still try. Still hold up my iPhone and listen to that idea I sang at midnight last night or on the sideline of a lacrosse game (they gave up on soccer), or in the shower (I wait till I’m dry), or in the car (if it’s raining, those are usually around the tempo of the windshield wipers), or after that one TV show (damn, how’d he say that again??).