So, for the few hard core friends who are interested in this sort of thing, here’s what I’ve got:

• Sketch #1 Acoustic (Here’s an electric version for grins.  Can you tell I was recording late at night?)
• Sketch #2 Acoustic
• Sketch #3 Acoustic
• Sketch #4 Acoustic (I think this sounds like a european folk song, but don’t ask me why…)
• Sketch #5: 6-String, 12-String, Gibson Electric, Telecaster

The last one presents the most imagery to me when I play it.  I picture dancing in cobblestone streets into the wee hours of a humid night and rum-soaked kisses.  But that’s just me.  I tried the different guitars because I think they all lend a different flavor to the music – from some sort of Spanish\Latin thing through to 60s surf music.  I think there’s a chance that it might stay an instrumental after I work on it a bit.

Will any of these become full on songs?  That remains to be seen, but I’ve been known to carry sketches around for a decade before they turn into anything more tangible.

Thanks for indulging me…

it’s not you, it’s me

Yes, that’s a whistle solo in the middle.  I recorded this in one take and whistled in place of what was intended to be a guitar solo, but the whistling is growing on me.  Maybe I’ve been inspired by Andrew Bird.

That makes 6 solid new songs in the hopper since the last album with a few more that are marinating.  I think a new album is in the works for 2009…

Photo Credit: Goofing around in Joshua Tree with Christopher Bost behind the camera

Broken Wings – Electric

For reference, here’s the more polished acoustic version:

Broken Wings – Acoustic

Hmmm… still not there.  But closer?  Eh, at least it’s fun to sing.  I think I’ll work on some new stuff for now and come back later.

Here’s how anti-anything-pop-culture I was in 1985.  I had no idea a song titled Broken Wings was a #1 hit for Mr. Mister until I did a search on the title just now.  Apparently Nothing Left to Lose is a relatively more recent single by Mat Kearney.  Thankfully, it looks like no one has written a woman-killing song titled Micheline besides me, so I’ve got that going for me.  It’s all good – according to the New York Times’ songwriter’s blog, we’re all rip off artists anyway.

Photo Credit: James H.

Nothing Left to Lose – Electric

Here’s the more produced acoustic version for comparison’s sake:

Nothing Left to Lose – Acoustic

Ideally I could get this to the point where it sounds as stark and beautiful as the Up to the Mountain arrangement Patty Griffin used the last time I saw her in concert.  It was the highlight of the show for me.  Here’s a recording somebody posted on YouTube:

Patty Griffin - Up to the Mountain

I think I need to be a better guitar player to make this work.  And a better singer.  And a better songwriter…  **Sigh**  Patty Griffin is so lovely. 

As if twang was a bad thing.

So when you listen to this one, close your eyes and see if you can hear some heavy pedal steel guitar in the background.  That’s how I hear it when I play it.

Further to Fall

Broken Wings

I originally wrote this on the telecaster with a real dirty, bluesy electric guitar part.  Maybe that’s what’s missing?  Or maybe it needs another stanza?  Or a really good bridge?  More to come…

Gwendolyn

So I submitted this to Nashville Songwriters Association for a song evaluation right after I wrote it.  As part of your membership, the NSAI allows you to send in a tape of your compositions.  A “professional” will listen to the song, record their thoughts on the tape and send it back.  All in all it’s a great service and one of the main reasons to pay your dues.  When I first completed this one I was a member and dashed off a recording of the song, anxious to get feedback.  When the tape came back, the reviewer said it was the worst song he’d heard all day.

It was then that I realized I wasn’t mature enough to handle criticism of my music.

It’s Complicated (6 String)

This guy sounds better with the 12 string, but I can’t seem to capture a good recording of that guitar.  Judge for yourself:

It’s Complicated (12 String)

And yes, I know this sounds a little bit like an Eagles song.  Maybe Don Henley will be flattered.

Nothing Left to Lose