The Song Fight Bulletin Board

I was composing a long introverted answer to KA review of my "Anomaly" and I hit upon a question I thought would be good for QoTD:
Where does your instrumental/lyrical/melody inspiration come from? Learning new songs? The world around? Mother nature? People watching? Crack pipes?

OVERALL INFLUENCES: I usually spend almost no time learning anything new, therefore when I do, my "inspiration" and "influences" come in waves. For instance, on <a href="http://www.philwages.com/music/AlbumUhW ... mp3">Dylan With a Twist</a> | <a href="http://www.philwages.com/music/AlbumUhW ... xt">lyrics </a> <i>(which address two of the AAW optional challenges to do a song that was basically in tribute to an artist AND to do a song that uses the chords from a well-known song)</i>, I learned more or less the whole of Nirvana's "Come As You Are" (ironically, this is the first song I ever learned a riff from, but I've only recently attempted to learn to play the whole song..12 years later!), and also spent some effort to sing like Dylan (as you know, a lifelong goal of mine). Between those two influences, I've gained some insights that perhaps I did not have before. Such as becoming comfortable with repeating the same phrase over and over again (which I have tried to avoid like a heart attack; Example: "Dylan with a twist" in the chorus bit) and singing while also playing a riff (the verse bit of "Come As You Are").

MELODYWISE: For better or worse, usually whatever I'm singing along with will have an influence on vocal style and melodies on my current songwriting. Sometimes I will go back to a song months later and can't seem to match the vocal styling I was using. Wonder why?

LYRICALLY: I typically will just sit down and think "I want to write some lyrics". Then I think for a few moments, analyzing the thoughts that come to my mind and pick out one I don't think I've written about before.
Or, I might look around the room and focus on some detail and expand it into something more.
Or I might go into the kitchen to get some OJ and I'll start singing lounge style (think Richard Cheese) WHATEVER comes out and it usually rhymes...mostly.... (incidentally, this is where track 14 "<a href="http://www.philwages.com/music/AlbumUhW ... .mp3">It's Been Real, It's Been Fun</a>" on my AAW came from.
Or (on rare occassions) there is something on my mind I already wanted to write a tune about. Whatever the case, once I start my lyrics are written in about 15 to 30 minutes. It's more three-dimensional than that, but I gotta cut this off somewhere!

What's in your inspiration? (say it like "What's in your wallet?")

Wages wrote:I was composing a long introverted answer to KA review of my "Anomaly" and I hit upon a question I thought would be good for QoTD:
Where does your instrumental/lyrical/melody inspiration come from? Learning new songs? The world around? Mother nature? People watching? Crack pipes?

Well, seeing how I have no musical ability and very little musical tendency, I don't think this question applies to me... :(

In other news, spammers have decided to spoof my domain name, and I am getting a horrendous avalanche of bounce messages and spam rejections. :(

QotD:

Overall Influences/Melody: When I learned guitar, I was a huge fan of Blink 182 and the Ataris, so I find a lot of power chords and octaves finding their way into my harder stuff. I was learning Dashboard Confessional on acoustic, so there are a lot of open chords/rhythm to my style (see my Anomaly as a simplified example).

Lyrics: I was very emo as a teenager, so Dashboard again would be a good example, using big words and such. Another band I've always appreciated lyric wise was Spill Canvas. I was on a huge rush of cheesy, dumb lyrics that were just me writing poetry or prose, so that wasn't really influenced by anyone in particular. My better songs were based against the two mentioned bands here.

My inspiration comes from having no free time. My production comes from having it. As such, I dream up tons of ideas, and get none finished right now!


When I started SFing, like most, I was decently prolific, having been involved in a modest 50 or so projects, but since I moved to the city (for most of you this "city" is a town...hah) I have had a much more difficult time about it.




That being said, today is my TENTH wedding anniversary, and it's 13 years to the day I met Dana. WHOOO!!!!!! I'm stoked. Best part, my kids are acting like it's the biggest day of the year, how cool is that? It's pretty damn special when your kids want to celebrate your anniversary!!!

Tonight, we're going for dinner... then.. tee hee hee.


Back to the question of the day: A common source for me is to try and twist something...for example, my idea for Thank God for Memphis was to write an apocolyptic story about arramgeddon.... that was thwarted by a small group of renegade Elvis impersators... fuck I like that idea. Oh well,. no time.

Oh... wouldn't it be cool if a whole bunch of the old school SF'ers ( I mean OLD school) did a side fight... hehhe... that would be interesting!!

I'm extremely hung over today. Feel like shits.

Another day at work. Tonight I'm playing at Gilligan's Restaurant in Moultonborough, NH.

Leaf: Congrats!

MC Wino: Was it the Scotch?

QOTD:
My inspiration comes from images, stories, videos, thoughts, etc. When I see or hear about something or someone that in someway relates to my own personal struggles, laughter, happiness, sadness, etc, then it opens the flood gates and I write.
My "Thank God For Memphis" song is a good example. Because we've had more time, I've been able to put a bit more of myself into it. I started with a simple idea of Memphis culture and the Tennessee whiskey history, the coal miners, their tragic lives and the connection between it all. It has now taken a personal turn from a historic piece of Tennessee culture, to a person comparison of the way my issues relate to theirs. A way of life that's passed down generation after generation. Ah, whatever, it's only rock and roll, but I lykz it.

Today I finally submitted an offer on the Piedmont-ish condo. I should hear back pretty soon whether it's rejected or counter-offered. In some ways I kind of hope it's rejected since now there's a bunch more properties on the market which I'm interested in as well, and I'd hate to think I rushed into something suboptimal, even though rationally the unit I am bidding on is perfect for my needs.

qotd: My inspiration comes randomly. My best songs seem to come to me in a dream. Usually I'll get a melodic fragment or a chord structure just popping into my head and then the words flow naturally from that. Sometimes I'll overhear random conversation fragments and those get turned around and become weird lyric things.

Fluffy, my way of thinking when you are looking for a place to live, is this.
#1. You have to be able to walk out in the backyard/patio/balcony, what ever the case may be, and feel good and energized by the view/sounds/smells/aura. It may be City lights to one person or a view of the mountains to another, etc.
#2. When you come home and you walk onto your property and walk to the front door, you need to feel good to be home. I like to go door shopping and find the perfect front door. My front entry area has to be mood lifting. As you enter your door, you need to feel like you are entering your own personal retreat.

Everything internally can be redesigned and altered to fit your personal needs. IE: Furnishings, appliances, knock down a wall, etc, but the surrounding atmosphere is what it is. Do you want the sun rising or setting at your front door step? Where is the moon in all of this?

Oh, I'm sure I'll be happy in this place. I care mostly about having the space itself as my own; view isn't that important to me. Privacy and floor plan are what matter. And this place has plenty of both. I just can't help but wonder if I'm going to miss out on an even more perfect spot which goes on the market tomorrow, or whatever. But, hey, carpe diem.

You sound very practical.
...and a what iffer.

Legs had her regular heart specialist appointment yesterday, so we spent a good 5 hours in the hospital. Fun!

All up, everything 'seemed as usual' although there were a few irregualrities. Since they haven't done one in seven years, they are doing a 24 hour heart monitor of her, which means Legs has to get around until 2 o'clock today with these things taped to her, and a tiny heart monitor. She looks like a living Playstation accessory.

I hope no one mistakes her for a bomb!

QOTD: Good question. Lets see... huh. I don't really know. Stuff that happens to me every day is the stuff that my songs are about, so I guess real life inspires me. There are a multitude of artists that inspire me to write songs, but none that inspire me to play in a particular way. I prefer my own shoddy, half-arsed attempts.

Leaf wrote:my idea.

i just want to say that i didn't see your post until after i wrote my lyrics!

starfinger wrote:

Leaf wrote:my idea.

i just want to say that i didn't see your post until after i wrote my lyrics!

Awesome.. I look forward to it! (great minds... cliche... or... ummm. YEah, cliche. )

Leaf wrote:

starfinger wrote:

Leaf wrote:my idea.

i just want to say that i didn't see your post until after i wrote my lyrics!

Awesome.. I look forward to it! (great minds... cliche... or... ummm. YEah, cliche. )

It's cliche enough that you can just say GMTA. :)

well, don't get your hopes up!
it was done in atlanta on saturday, and it was a bit ... improvised

-craig