How it all began...
Seriously, don't read this unless you have insomnia and need a quick solution.
I have the privilege of living in Austin, Texas, affectionately called the “live music capital of the world,” a great place to live if you are into music! I’d like to say I’m a singer-songwriter, but I have no illusions about the “singer” part of that combo. However, I am striving to sharpen my songwriting/composing skills. When I say it really is about the music...* I mean that working on my music is not about achieving fame and fortune, or about my singing artistry (for sure), but about crafting words and music of songs that will touch people in some fashion.
Interestingly (to me) my songwriting interest didn’t begin
until later in life. I grew up playing the viola in middle school through
college, learning and playing the great symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms etc.
Then three years ago, at 9 PM on July 24, 2001- that fateful
day- I watched my daughter
play and sing in a country western band.
Two things hit me that night - first was a cold virus that kept me tossing the
whole night in a sleepless mode. The second thing was tunes and words that started flowing
in my mind. About 5 AM
the next morning I turned on a light to write down the words and melodies for 3
songs I was “given” that night.
That started a love affair with songwriting and I haven’t been able to stop
since. I quit listening to my classical music station (don't tell Frederick
Fennell) and started listening to
country music - which was kind of a shock. I wrote a song about that process,
"Better Late Than Never," which, with your
help (see “Help Wes”), will be the title song for my
first first album... someday.
The most interesting part, besides the creation of the songs and music itself,
is watching how they come about. I was a science major in college and I pretty
much operate in the “left-brain” mode during the daytime. But at night (this
part is really scary) –
that’s when the right brain seems to take over. Most of my songs flow out between 9 PM
and 9 AM.
So now I am working at turning my viola playing into fiddle playing, learning to
play guitar, working on sharpening my vocals and home recording abilities and
playing bass guitar in a group. Stay tuned!