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 […]
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 […]
One Easy Way to Capture Your Song Ideas (Before You Lose Them Forever!)
I don’t know about you, but I often come up with my best song ideas at the most inopportune times. Back in college, great song topics always came to me on the days I had 20 pages of Russian reading, a ridiculously hard number theory problem set, and a huge paper on semiotics all due […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Why I’ve Never Written A “Real” Love Song
I’ve written my fair share of songs about love (“Shells”, “Letter”). But in my songs, the love is always entangled with some other topic or theme. In “Shells”, for example, I’m exploring what it means to know a person, and how its possible to love people even if you only know a part of them. […]
End of the Movie
Hello again! I’m back after a little hiatus in which I went to Brazil (!!!), got sick, and started a new semester of teaching at my college. I hope you didn’t miss me too much, but if you did, I offer you these adorable coatis as an apology for my longish absence: (aren’t they […]
3 Reasons To Follow My Songwriting Motto
Ever since I was fourteen and I started writing songs seriously, I have had this songwriting motto: never be afraid to write crap. It may not be refined, but it has served me well for three reasons: 1. Crappy songs can be hilarious. Sometimes it’s good to write crap purely for the entertainment value. Whenever […]
I’ve Got Treasure …
I’m starting a blog about songwriting and posting my songs on the internet for the whole world to hear. For me, this is pretty weird. I’ve always been a private person, especially when it comes to my songs. But then I wrote this song: Dragon’s Song You might think “Dragon’s Song” is a straightforward […]