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Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 1:14 pm
by Nodack
Thanks guys. That is probably my favorite song I ever wrote. The majority of the stuff I have written has been collaborative instrumentals for TV background music and not really me writing what I would on my own, if that makes sense. That song was just me being myself and not caring about writing for any particular genre.

My last cmpleted writing project was my publisher buddy asking me for 10 country songs. I did them all myself again and they turned out OK. I have to admit, I am not a huge country fan but, I did it anyway to help him out. I do or did before Covid at least play in a lot of country bands and I am ok at it. My main band plays everything, jazz, country, rock, pop, dance. I love variety and hate doing one style all the time.

My parents met performing in the traveling Grand Ole Opry in the fifties. My mother and her sister were one of the acts backed up by the band. I finally heard the whole story a few years back. My father was a beer distributor in Williston North Dakota and also a guitar player. When the Grand Ole Opry came to town someone stole all their music gear and they were kind of screwed. My father had a lot of musical gear I guess and offered it to them under the condition they let him play in the band. Apparently they agreed and he went on the road with them, met my mother and here I am.

I haven’t been motivated to write any music for awhile and mostly enjoy doing gigs. I love to perform. Of course since Covid came along all the gigs have stopped for every musician in the country. I have done one gig since March 9th and that was at an assisted living place of all places. Writing music is hard and can be frustrating, especially when you aren’t really into what you are supposed to be writing.

My publisher buddy had an idea to do Yacht Rock tunes thinking that might be an untapped niche for TV. He wrote a loose bed of music for ten or so songs and gave that to me to write melodies, lyrics and guitar over. I worked hard on it for months and then so e A&R guy in LA told him there was zero demand for Yacht Rock. That project stalled. Several months later he came back and said “Let’s just knock these out and finish them anyway.” I agreed and went back to work. I am kind of new to writing lyrics and struggle with that. I wrote lyrics to one kind of sad sounding song and they came back and said the lyrics sound kind of downer and they should be uplifting. I was like, you could have told me that sooner. I spent an entire week trying to come up with those lyrics. I went back and spent another week writing uplifting lyrics and the response was, “Well, we just aren’t feeling it” That was the end of that project. I was done. Hundreds of hours spent for nothing. The songs are about 80% done sitting on my hard drive and I haven’t touched them since. Like I said writing music can be frustrating.

I have been putting guitar on a bunch of his other projects with other artists but, not as a writer on them, just a gun for hire. It is much easier and pays cash. When we ‘write’ as a team I get no cash, just my writers share if it gets used on something.

I know I am giving more info than anybody probably is interested in. I have too much time on my hands with a broken fibula and Covid.

I have started writing a new song that is just me doing whatever I feel like, not caring about being current or anything. It’s a cross between an 80’s rock tune and a weird Phish tune. A guitar player friend of mine made me go to a Phish concert with him. They are sort of like a jam band like Grateful Dead band only a little more sophisticated musically but, with the same so so vocals. I love it when Phish goes outside the box and gets weird. They will be playing a happy upbeat song with a happy guitar melody and then one by one the rest of the band starts going out there and weird all while the guitar player keeps playing the same happy melody. It starts to bend your mind because the band just keeps getting more and more out there to the point you can’t stand it and then all of the sudden Bam, back to them all playing together the happy song and you feel relieved. That’s kind of where I was going on my new song and it is fun.

Oh well,I better stop. I am sure I have bored you all to tears by now.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 1:36 pm
by Mori Chu
Wow, 'dack, that was really sweet! It sounds so professional. It's catchy and fun to watch. And I love the shout-out to the site at 3:15!! I screen-capped it and showed my wife. She told me not to let it go to my head. :-) Thanks so much for sharing it! If there is ever a more permanent version that you can post/share, please let us know. Really enjoyed it.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 1:41 pm
by ShelC
Good stuff Dack!

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 2:35 pm
by Indy
We are all stuck with Covid, so the more stories you have the better. This is a perfect thread for it.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 2:41 pm
by Nodack
If you get bored, that Country album I talked about is on iTunes along with another Smooth Jazz one. I thought the Jazz one was mastered too hot and I can hear distortion that bothers me, so I am almost embarrassed to mention it. The Country one I did everything on again and just turned out ok. I guess I have to give my real name for that.

Greg Anderson Blue Ocean is the Jazz one. Go My Own Way is the Country one. There are other Greg Andersons on iTunes that aren’t me.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 3:30 pm
by Superbone
Nodack, check your PMs. Thanks.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 5:33 pm
by O_Gardino
Nodack wrote:
Wed Jul 22, 2020 2:41 pm
If you get bored, that Country album I talked about is on iTunes along with another Smooth Jazz one. I thought the Jazz one was mastered too hot and I can hear distortion that bothers me, so I am almost embarrassed to mention it. The Country one I did everything on again and just turned out ok. I guess I have to give my real name for that.

Greg Anderson Blue Ocean is the Jazz one. Go My Own Way is the Country one. There are other Greg Andersons on iTunes that aren’t me.
Now the government know who you are, man!

Seriously, I'll check it out.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:24 pm
by Charlie Smithy!
Nodack, I have a bunch of lyrics lying around - could I hit you up for your expertise?

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:32 pm
by Nodack
I don’t know how much of an expert I am on lyrics. I have done them but, don’t feel that is my forte at all.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:48 pm
by Cap
Nodack wrote:
Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:32 pm
I don’t know how much of an expert I am on lyrics. I have done them but, don’t feel that is my forte at all.
So, Charlie’s Bernie to your Elton.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 6:10 pm
by Nodack
Charlie Smithy! wrote:
Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:24 pm
Nodack, I have a bunch of lyrics lying around - could I hit you up for your expertise?
If I were to give advice I would say there has to be a hook line in the chorus that sums up the entire song and sticks with you. The rest of the song gives all the details but that catch phrase is the #1 important thing imo.

“Don’t Stop Believing”, “Running On Empty”, “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” “I Will Survive” “I love Rock And Roll” “I Wanna Know What Love Is”

A lot of song lyric writers get an idea and in ten minutes are pretty much done with the song. Some say if you have to spend too much time on it you already failed. I don’t necessarily agree. I am writing a new song and wrote the music fairly easily. The music gives you a vibe that hopefully the lyrics match. I felt real good with where the music was going. I spent countless hours looking for a lyric hook (The catchy phrase that sums up the song) I wrote notes of ideas and ended up with two pages of words that meant nothing after a week. I have made a lot of progress on that song and the lyrics are almost done. I’m not happy with the hook line yet, which is a problem. Work in progress.

The song “All Around The World” that I posted was written right after 9/11 and is about me saying we are all the same no matter where you are from or what religion you are or what color your skin is.

“First you’re born. Then you die. All that stuff between is called your life.(Simplistic take on our lives)
The path you take is yours to choose(Not someone else‘s).
Make your own move then don’t hesitate.“ (If you want to be an gay atheist basketball player then go for it, even if dad, religion doesn’t approve but, don’t F around. Get it done.)

I’d fly , drive, crawl, around the world tonight to make things right. ( I would try to change things myself if I could), but all I know is

All around the world we’re the same you and I
All we are is born, then we try to survive. ( We are all just trying to survive in this crazy dangerous world.)
If you want to live, lose the jealousy and rage. (Stop blaming others for your problems and spending the rest of your life neutered and hating them)
Life is what you make. You’re the only one to blame.

Some are good (My tribe is good)
Some are bad (You aren’t like me, therefore you are bad)
It all depends on who your talking too.
You see it your way
I see it mine
It all depends upon your point of view

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 7:44 pm
by In2ition
Super may like this.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 8:51 pm
by Furlanfufi
Dack, great work!!

Since you posted, here's a song of mine, for the folks who like heavier things.


I posted a lot of stuff thi quarantine in my YT channel. Mostly covers with my students and friends.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:00 pm
by Superbone
In2ition wrote:
Thu Jul 23, 2020 7:44 pm
Super may like this.
I do! :D

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:03 pm
by Suns_Dave
Nicely done!

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:59 pm
by Nodack
Very nice!

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:44 am
by O_Gardino
Dang, there's a lot of talent on this site. You guys are awesome.

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 8:12 am
by Mori Chu
Great stuff!

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:30 am
by bajanguy008
My apologies if I missed something but reading through Suns News and the Game day thread
Is carey good ? :oops:

Re: Stay safe, folks...

Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:39 am
by Superbone
bajanguy008 wrote:
Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:30 am
My apologies if I missed something but reading through Suns News and the Game day thread
Is carey good ? :oops:
I hope so too. We haven't heard much from him lately.