Lots Of Coffee
I envy those who can write a song at the drop of a hat. Those who write year-round, no matter where they are. Those who have mastered the art of balancing discipline and inspiration. Those who do justice to the term "song-writer". I think I'm a bit of a higher maintenance song writer. I need peace, quiet, solitude, and blocked-of time periods to write well. Oh - and lots of coffee. I also have come to rely on the tools I have at home to make the process more seamless. I have everything I need in my home studio to produce a great demo, with all the instruments a rock band could require. And things have come up a couple notches since the songs on "Thunder After Lightening" were demoed.
It has become a tradition - or more, a habit - that after finishing an album approximately every 2 years, I put down the ol' pen for months at a time. I believe I went almost a full year after recording "Wide-Eyed" without writing a single song. We (Jason and I) managed to write some of our best stuff for "Ending Is Beginning". But I wonder how much better it could have been had I exercised the muscle of writing more faithfully and regularly. Sure, a guy needs a break, and I thrive on the diversity of what I do for a living, i.e. writing, recording, performing, traveling, etc. Keeps it interesting for sure. But they say an artist lives and dies on their songs, and you wouldn't know it for the amount of time I put into the craft... proportionally speaking.
The crazy thing is that the reason why I take those long breaks is precisely because I take those long breaks. Follow me? The way I've functioned as a song-writer for the past decade is feast and famine - mainly out of necessity. I wait until the record label gives me a deadline, so that our management can block off "writing weeks" on the calendar. Then I gorge myself on writing with every free moment I can muster for 6-8 months. Then, hit the studio, record for a couple months, and come out the other end completely exhausted from the process, not wanting to think about writing again until I absolutely have to. So I/we have kinda cornered myself/ourselves into this endless cycle.
I've always had a tendency towards procrastination, and we've all heard the studies showing how procrastination adds so much stress on life that could easily be avoided by planning ahead, blah blah. (Yet, somehow I manage to remain pretty mellow.) Easier said than done, though, with all the days we spend in a 15-passenger van. Then again, I often write some of my best stuff under pressure! So what's the answer to this conundrum? To each their own? If it ain't broke, don't fix it? Apply for a government bail-out? The deadline for the next album is now in sight, so if any changes are made, they will have to come after the next record is in the can... and after I've recovered from the process again... ugh. You SEE??? (Don't get me wrong. I do love it.) Until then, I'll be writing my little tail off. One bright spot on the horizon this time around is that, thanks to many kind and generous people, we are getting into a bus soon. This could be conducive to on-the-road writing, which would be new territory for me. Yusssss! Here we go!
Your prayers are coveted.
Marc
It has become a tradition - or more, a habit - that after finishing an album approximately every 2 years, I put down the ol' pen for months at a time. I believe I went almost a full year after recording "Wide-Eyed" without writing a single song. We (Jason and I) managed to write some of our best stuff for "Ending Is Beginning". But I wonder how much better it could have been had I exercised the muscle of writing more faithfully and regularly. Sure, a guy needs a break, and I thrive on the diversity of what I do for a living, i.e. writing, recording, performing, traveling, etc. Keeps it interesting for sure. But they say an artist lives and dies on their songs, and you wouldn't know it for the amount of time I put into the craft... proportionally speaking.
The crazy thing is that the reason why I take those long breaks is precisely because I take those long breaks. Follow me? The way I've functioned as a song-writer for the past decade is feast and famine - mainly out of necessity. I wait until the record label gives me a deadline, so that our management can block off "writing weeks" on the calendar. Then I gorge myself on writing with every free moment I can muster for 6-8 months. Then, hit the studio, record for a couple months, and come out the other end completely exhausted from the process, not wanting to think about writing again until I absolutely have to. So I/we have kinda cornered myself/ourselves into this endless cycle.
I've always had a tendency towards procrastination, and we've all heard the studies showing how procrastination adds so much stress on life that could easily be avoided by planning ahead, blah blah. (Yet, somehow I manage to remain pretty mellow.) Easier said than done, though, with all the days we spend in a 15-passenger van. Then again, I often write some of my best stuff under pressure! So what's the answer to this conundrum? To each their own? If it ain't broke, don't fix it? Apply for a government bail-out? The deadline for the next album is now in sight, so if any changes are made, they will have to come after the next record is in the can... and after I've recovered from the process again... ugh. You SEE??? (Don't get me wrong. I do love it.) Until then, I'll be writing my little tail off. One bright spot on the horizon this time around is that, thanks to many kind and generous people, we are getting into a bus soon. This could be conducive to on-the-road writing, which would be new territory for me. Yusssss! Here we go!
Your prayers are coveted.
Marc
posted by glennlavender at 9:03 AM
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