Middle of the Night

Last Sunday, I got so bored that I wrote a song. I shouldn't wait until I am bored to write, but that is how that one happened. I had recorded a little snippet of an easy chord progression with a melody a few weeks ago, fooling around in the morning on the guitar..... I have lots of these little riffs/melodies/progressions/ideas on my phone, computer, tablet.

Sometimes they turn into songs.

My favorite way of writing a song is to have one of those little riff/melody things going around in my head until I start hearing the words or a phrase that fits the feeling of the music..... I have written a few songs that way, by LISTENING to the music tell me what it wants to say.....

Sounds crazy? maybe it is...... and maybe all art is crazy....

But my new song is 'Middle of the Night', and what really was fascinating about the process of writing the song is that that phrase fit PERFECTLY into the original melody that I was singing a couple weeks ago.... and I wrote the song in less than an hour. It has had a couple tweaks, but over all, I think it will continue as it is. I played it at the Folk Jam in Malden Bridge this past Friday, and got some real nice comments, so it goes into the 'keeper' category.

I did record it, but there are some embarrassing mistakes in the recording (made just for me to remember the song when I am old and can't recall it....lol) so I will have to do it again..... or maybe it will have to wait for the next record.... yep, gotta start planning that too......  :)

LISTEN HERE (changed my mind about re-recording it)

SPRING TIME!!!

Gosh, at least it LOOKS like spring out there...... going out there is another story though... my yard is desperate for cleaning and I really should be raking.... but here I sit, in my warm house, typing on my blog about music again.....

Last night I had the experience of meeting a 'fan'. I thought I knew all my 'fans', since they are mostly my friends and family and people with whom I make music. Of course, I have always HOPED I had real fans (people who I don't know, but who know about me, follow my music, and talk about it to other folks) but I never KNEW until last night.

I played at the Open Mic at Peint O Grwr in Chatham last night.... I bet it has been over a year since I last made it to that OM. It is unique in that there is a house band who will back you up and generally do a great job of it (However--last night I had the experience of being backed up by people *I* didn't know and neither did the other musicians that I DID know..... note to myself:  If people want to back you up but they look at you with blank stares when you are going through your chords before the song, have the guts to say 'Why don't I play it alone this time', LOL!!)

As always though, people at that open mic are kind and supportive and complimentary as you get off the stage, and, well, it was what it was.....

So back to my story...... My friends and I stayed until another beer would have been too many and we saw most of the show and we gathered up our things and walked out.....

On the sidewalk is a young woman who stops me and says 'Marilyn! NO! I saw you in there and was just telling my friend here about how you sing Neil Young songs and I really wanted to hear you and you are LEAVING?'  Turns out she was a frequent flyer at REV Song Circle nights and had noticed they were gone and was wondering, and SO GLAD to maybe hear me again, and so on..... so I told them about the Song Circle at Red Dot and listened to her again tell her friend about my songs, how I love Neil Young, where I have traveled to see him and play Neil Young songs with other people out in California, and all sorts of things that it never occurred to me that people who don't KNOW me would know ABOUT me!! I literally do not remember ever seeing or meeting this woman, but she knows so much....

What a freaky (and yes, complimentary) situation.... it does kinda twist the head around a bit.

Well, the sun is shining out there, the yard is calling, and I really should get out there and work. Hope that you all have some interesting, freaky, complimentary situations this weekend to add a little zip to your lives....