Songwriting
Phil Simon
2002-11-23
Last month, we departed from the standard Jambands Business School concept when I wrote a feature story and interview with SONIAdada's Dan Pritzker. During that piece I found a particularly enlightening topic, and a subject that musicians loved to talk about, songwriting. If these bands that we love are like fine automobiles, then the songs that they write and the subsequent art that they produce is the fuel that drives the whole scene. Would the Grateful Dead have been so influential and compelling were not for the mastery of not one, but two great song writing teams? How does this whole thing happen? While being neither Lennon nor McCartney, I have had the good fortune to pen about thirty songs over the last fifteen years. The process can be a mixture of extreme emotions- joy, curiosity, consternation, frustration, and ultimately liberation. And the process can be a long one, taking unexpected turns as to the vision and execution of a particular song. To learn more about this process, I turned to songwriters in a variety of bands to see how they created. In talking to Dan Pritzker, whose latest songs are highlighted in SONIAdada's current studio release Barefoot Soul, I found that he had a diverse experience in writing songs. "I've written literally hundreds of songs now, so it happens all ... ways. Most times, I'm just trying to find something in myself that resonates with some accuracy, or soulfulness, or provocativeness. ...... You're trying to find this place inside of yourself where you can pull something out that is natural and musical and resonates with someone else. " Each songwriter is a Svengali to their songs, a Dr. Frankenstein that breathes life into something that previously had no energy at all. Certainly, different songwriters are going to have vastly different experiences and techniques. Below are some of the comments from different songwriters from within and outside of the scene: Jambands.com How do you go about creating a song? Gabe Johnson (formerly of Jive Talkin Robots and Soulwork): It can happen in many ways: A melody finds its way into the front part of my head and it calls for articulation and accompaniment. Or, a mood strikes me and I try to convey that mood to the best of my ability Sometimes I can't get a badass bass line or drum groove out of my head and it's so tenacious that it REQUIRES an identity . And in some instances, I hear someone else's raw idea and help to sculpt it into a fine creation in a cooperative, flowing way. Sometimes all of these happen (which can often lead to the most meaningful songs to the creators). Tim Palmieri guitar for Psychedelic Breakfast: I write lyrics whenever I can, and I write music whenever I can. I then later piece them together and will use anything in my catalogues. I write lyrics to music sometimes and I write music to lyrics too. Jambands.com: Do you complete all of the songs that you set out to write? Scott Chasolen, keyboards from ulu: I have been writing songs, in one form or another, with lyrics and without, on different instruments, for about 12 years. All in all, I have completed over 100 pieces, and fell short of completing about 100 more. And honestly, every experience was different. Jambands.com What about collaboration, how does that effect your songwriting? Tim Palmieri: Usually I prepare the song so it's almost complete and then I bring it to my band mates. But I have a few ideas that could be worked on and written into a song with their input. Collaboration is tricky... if you have a good sense of what the song should be but easy if your expectations are low or none. David Cone of Sugarcoat: There are tunes that we have birthed as a result of writing on the spot - having all of us put in our two cents - which is naturally a more time consuming and potentially frustrating process. However, those tunes can end up great too! Scott Chasolen: As far as collaborating, it is more difficult to reach that level of honesty with someone else because the human ego is fragile and self consciousness can be overwhelming. I like to write lyrical songs in solitude, and then bring my arrangement to the band. Some songs are just meant to be piano and voice. In the case of instrumental music, collaboration can be more productive due to the more interpretive nature of the absence of lyrics. I always enjoy give and take with a composition. Al Falaschi sax and vocals for Phat Phunktion: We do collaborate but not on everything we write... It is not difficult at all if you and your band mates are on the same page. If you are not, you probably should not be collaborating. Phat Phunktion has a new album out on Go Jazz Records called Higher, so Jambands.com asked Al about some of the songs on that record and how collaboration affected them. Al Falaschi "Higher" was a combination of different methods. I wrote "You and Me" by myself, wrote out parts and brought them into the band. But Tim and I wrote "Always" in the computer. We pretty much had the song completely recorded before the band "learned it off the CD" Jambands.com When I had my own garage band several years ago, I found myself being the principal songwriter in the band. I found myself writing the bulk of material during my late night walks with my dog. The quiet of the neighborhoods, the ability to mull over recent events that had occurred to me both musically and just in my personal life or in the news, all of these things combined to help lay a foundation for new material. Sometimes a set of lyrics would pop into my head, and other times a really cool riff or musical idea would demand attention. Al Falaschi: I usually come up with stuff on the road during my day job. I call my cell phone VM and sing myself a message. I usually don't have a taping device handy. Jambands.com I have listened to horn parts that Mark Berney (a recording and touring musician who has played with the Skatalites, the Klezmer Conservatory, and a variety of other bands) created through the telephone and a tape recorder. Apparently he would call his voicemail and sing a horn part from his head, and incorporating a mini tape recorder that he had he combined it with the voicemail parts and created a multi part harmonious horn song that you could listen to by listening to his voice mail. These easily attainable technologies enabled him to create a song while walking around in the world, not even in a recording studio or even instruments. What tools and technology do you use to help you in your songwriting? David Cone: I usually come up with a melody while I'm driving. Then I get to my home studio, and I lay down a MIDI sequence with basic drum, bass, keys and guitar tracks. Then I record the midi sequence onto a four track. I then begin experimenting with vocals on the other 2 available tracks on the four track, while writing additional lyrics, and conceptualizing the overall theme of the tune. Then, once my vocals are set, I sample the vocals back into my Kong Triton, and match up the sample with the MIDI sequence. From there, I can begin to alter the Sequence by creating anticipations, hits, subtle layering, different chord changes, etc... Then I burn the entire sequence with vocals onto a CD, and I hand it out to the rest of the group. It's kind of a Ghetto process, but it works for the time being - until I buy pro-tools. Jambands.com Please elaborate on the experience of lyric writing: Scott Chasolen: Sometimes I write a piece, and it would be intended as an
instrumental, and an experience I had would bring about lyrics that somehow just magically fit into place as if the two were simply supposed to be together. Sometimes I will write a poem, and weeks later an accompaniment would creep out of me by
accident and fit the vibe perfectly. These occurrences are unexplainable, but that is the mystery of writing. There is really no way to explain how it happens. It's an alignment of forces, and if you are aware enough to sense these things, you can capture them. Often the harmony would precede the melody, but then again the melody can also antagonize different harmonies. A song can change completely when you try writing on a different instrument. The guitar brings out a different side of me than the piano does. Jambands.com What considerations do you have to make when writing for a particular group? Al Falaschi: Think about who you are writing the arrangement for and write to the strengths and avoid the weaknesses of those players. In the early Phat Phunktion days, vocals were a bit sketchy, so when we wrote songs that had vocals in them, we stayed away from exposed vocals; we did a lot of gang type vocals to "cover up" some of our shortcomings. It worked great in our situation, because the crowd would see the whole band singing and think that it was a sing-a-long. We have a strong drummer so we spent extra time working cool drum parts and breaks into the songs. Jambands.com There's a great story about Alex Lifeson of Rush writing the epic piece La Villa Strangiato after waking from an intense nightmare. Have you woken in the middle of the night to write? Scott Chasolen: Personally, I hear music in my head 24 hours a day, it is
difficult to sleep, and difficult to be awake. The moment of expression is delicate, however, and the times when mind, body and spirit are aligned in unison are the times when the internal truth will flow with ease. These are the moments that a songwriter lives for--the moments when all makes complete sense and there is no division between him or her and the world around them. The moment when a song basically writes itself and is born. This is not an everyday occurrence, and once it is experienced, it can be obsessively sought after. Some songs are laborious and have taken me years to complete. Maybe the subject matter was something I was trying to avoid! I love to write about pain, but recently I have discovered pleasure too! I have learned that for me, songwriting is all about being honest, not about pleasing an audience. Different writers have different intentions. I get lost in a person, place or thing and I write about how it makes me feel. Tim Palmieri: Ideas come to me when I least expect it like pumping gas, waiting, eating, driving, shower, toilet, stuff like that. Then I record it to tape to remember the idea and essence of it. Jambands.com What aspects of your life serve as inspiration for your creations? Al Falaschi: The older that I get the more experiences I am having and the more I have to write about. (Al talked a little bit about how illnesses in his family have even affected his songwriting.) Tim Palmieri: All areas of my Life lend itself to my creative inspiration. Life is my school and songs are my essays. Jambands.com: How has being a songwriter helped you out in other areas of your musicianship? Al Falaschi: I have gained respect from other musicians that I can write good songs. I am not JUST a saxophone player. I think people see you as more of an artist than just musician that plays parts. Jambands.com What about the business of songwriting? Have you figured out how to make money as a songwriter? Scott Chasolen: As far as making money from songs, I feel that is the
wrong reason to start writing. If you write from the heart, people will get your message loud and clear. Make sure to copyright your material, (it will cost you about 30 bucks), register your songs with a writers guild (BMI or ASCAP), set up a publishing deal if you can. I have certainly made money from performance royalties. Just tell the truth!! Word. If you would like to explore the works of the songwriters above, jump into their minds by sampling their music. Here is a list of websites where you can find their music: Ulu- http://www.ulu.net Phat Phunktion- www.phatphunktion.com Psychedelic Breakfast- www.psychedelicbreakfast.com Sugarcoat- http://www.sugarcoat.net SONIAdada- www.soniadada.com
Phil Simon was a musician and songwriter in the band Freaks of Nature, is a contributing columnist to Jambands.com, and has a booking agency and publicity firm called Simon Says Booking. For more information check out his site at www.simonsaysbooking.com or email him at info@simonsaysbooking.com
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