Having almost given up on my dream of becoming a songwriter I took one last breath and dove in. Yes, I was scared. Yes, I was nervous and anxious and all of those things. Yet, something inside was screaming don't give up. How many of us have that one thing that we need to explore in order to fulfill ourselves? How great would you feel if you dove in and had the chance to say, "At Least I Tried." This project started out as a bucket list item. Along the way I've learned there are so many people willing to positively contribute to your journey. I owe a wealth of gratitude to every musician, producer, engineer that contributed to this project. Needless to say this starts with friends and family. Their support allowed me the time to contribute to the process. This album is titled ALMOST UNSUNG. It is dedicated to all of us who had a dream and placed it on a shelf. Wipe off the dust and start working. You will be amazed by yourself and others. Incidentally, a portion of the proceeds of these songs will provide a scholarship for The Learning Ears program. I program that uses music to help children and adults overcome Learning Challenges.
Music is the best avenue to communicate the deepest emotions and leave a lasting impression.
Write songs and have others perform them. I'm a songwriter at heart. There is so much I want to say and really want others to learn from my mistakes and lessons.
For my day job I own a company called Learning Ears. In this program we use specialized music and voice training to help children overcome learning challenges. I would start with providing this to every child that needs it.
Baker Street is probably the most memorable song.
This is probably the most difficult question ever asked. We can walk through every decade starting with the 70s. Paul Simon, The Eagles, move into the 80s with Depeche Mode and Genesis, over to 90s with Pearl Jam and enter the 2000s with hip hop. Too many to name.
I've learned some hard lessons and music is my only way to express what I've learned. It comes from deep inside and the more I learn and understand how to tap into the melody and play instruments the more clearly the message can be delivered.
There is something lasting about a good melody and a simple chord construction. Music doesn't have to be complex, it has to breathe. Steady rhythm and strong lyrical content is always my goal.
At first, like many, I'm nervous and a little scared, but it comes from not having great confidence in my playing and my voice. The crowd doesn't make me nervous ironically, it all comes from inside my head. Will I remember the words, the chords, the order? They say competence leads to confidence, I guess that is never more true than on stage.
It is a blurry field. I think producers are today's performers. They have tremendous skills and the artists would be floundering without production talent. There are so many talented people out there with nothing to say and talented writers with much to say. I'm hoping the two will come together, so writers can have a voice in all genres like they do in country music.
So far it's been an excellent experience.
Having a melody in my head that I don't yet have the musical skills to bring out.
I support the local scene, but I have small children and two jobs and time is scarce. I'm contributing more online than anything these days.
You have to have some marketing skills. There are a lot of platforms to get your music out there, but if you don't know how to engage your audience you won't hold their attention for long enough to listen. You have to be active and consistent. They say you need a 1000 people to follow you and believe in you. That is not a small number. Do something everyday. Say something twice a day. Do something big once a week and let the world know it.
Heyden Gary, Montel Moore and Yoed Nir and Christian Erik are all individuals I met on SoundBetter and Fiverr. They have done great work with me and many others.