3 Ways to Pick The Perfect Words for Your Songs

Do you ever have trouble finding the right words for your songs? Do you find it difficult to chose words that convey the meaning, mood, and connotation you’re going for and while fitting into your rhythm and rhyme scheme? I know I do. For me, word choice is by far the most time consuming aspect […]

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Monthly Music Video: Garden Spider

Dear blog reader, I hope you’ll forgive my long blogging absence. If you get my newsletter, you know that I had a personnel change in my band. The last few weeks were consumed by guitarist auditions and practicing. But things are getting back to normal now, and I have another video to share. Here I […]

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Monthly Music Video: A New Original Joins Our Set!

If you went to one of the first few shows Mark and I played, you’ll remember that we played a few Russian covers. I studied Russian in college and lived in Russia for almost a year, and I am majorly obsessed with Russian rock music. Kino, Nochniye Snaiperi, Akvarium … I love them all. But […]

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3 Reasons To Keep Writing Intelligent Lyrics

A few months ago, I discovered the Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Dessa, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. If you haven’t heard her music, look her up right now and prepare to be blown away – she’s an amazing songwriter and lyricist. I wish I had discovered her when I still lived in Minnesota. I missed […]

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Monthly Music Video Double Feature

Mark and I just played our first official live show at The Eddy in Saxapahaw! We worked for six months writing, learning, and perfecting our set. We’d had some great dress rehearsals, but you never really know how you’ll sound playing live until you do it. I’ll admit I was a little worried I would […]

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This Is What Our Rehearsals Look Like

I know I said I’d be posting videos just once a month, but Mark and I had an EPIC rehearsal last Sunday that resulted in a pretty cool video of us playing “A Grace You Don’t Deserve.” I couldn’t resist sharing it with you. Although the video’s a little blurry, it gives you a taste […]

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Introducing … Monthly Music Videos!

This week, I’m introducing a new blog series: Monthly Music Videos! Before you get too excited, let me be clear: these “music videos” will be videos of me  playing music. Don’t expect weird artsy costumes and choreographed dance scenes just yet (though who knows, I might do something like that in the future.) For now, […]

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My Number One Secret to Writing Original Songs

Would you believe me if I told you that I rarely listen to music? It’s shocking, but true. By my guestimates, I listen to at least 50% less music than the average music fan. It’s not that I don’t love music – it’s my number one passion! But I do tend to listen to music […]

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Am I Turning Into a Crazy Cat Lady?

(or: Why I Love Talking Animals) I just finished writing a new song. Woo! But … it’s sung in the voice of my cat Sally:    (who, as you can see, is super fluffy and adorable.) This is the second song I’ve written from the perspective of a cat this year. That’s more cat songs […]

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