There is more to songwriting than writing a song. Let me give you some examples of other stuff I have done in the last week. I finished writing a song called Three Minute Song. After finishing it I had to change hats and become a recording engineer. I had to record three or four versions of the song and pick the best one. This is easy to do. The best one is usually one where you are able to, (at least) sing the correct words. Even though I am looking at the lyrics as I sing. ( Hint- it helps to know how to read) lol

       The next step is to master it. This is when I tweak the EQ's, make sure the vocals are loud enough but not too loud, and get it sounding good enough so my buddy Bryton can hear and feel what I am looking for in the song. 

       Now I need to get the lyrics ready to send to my demo maker. I make two copies. One copy has just the words and the second copy has words and chords. Also I send him a copy of my rough demo.

        The best part of songwriting is getting a finished demo back. Songwriter Heaven is what I call this. Christmas in October. It is especially sweet when the song turns out better than you could imagine. Maybe that is why it is like heaven.

      Next it is time to get it evaluated. I am not a good judge of my songs. Neither was my Mom. I then share my song at NSAI meetings and with and NSAI evaluator for feedback and suggestions to improve the song. Of course, all of these processes take time. It is just part of being a songwriter. It's time to write another song. 

    I remember the first time I heard that phrase. Jeremy and I were at Highland Body shop and he was picking out a color to paint his Mustang. The color he chose was Corvette Blue.

It was a 94 mustang, that needed fresh paint 

gonna get it done, with money I saved 

mowing baseball fields, and chalking base lines 

cause I wanted it done before school starts 

Took it to the body shop, got an estimate 

on what it'd cost, got the time and date 

when to drop it off, when to pick it up 

had a color in my mind that I liked 

Corvette blue, oh, oh, Corvette blue 

Corvette  blue, oh, oh, Corvette  blue. 

Well theres so many colors, that I didn't know 

you got primary colors don't forget the rainbow 

metalic paints with ceramic crystals 

change in the light and different angles 

Corvette blue, oh oh Corvette Blue

Corvette blue, oh oh Corvette Blue

 I love an ocean view and my baby's eyes 

then and there I realized 

I knew the color, I was gonna choose 

I wanted something cool, like 

Corvette blue, oh oh Corvette blue 

Corvette blue, oh,oh Corvette blue 

Someday gonna get me a different ride 

get me a chevy with a 327 

a convertible, make it a 69 

Can you guess the color? 

Corvette blue, oh, oh Corvette blue 

Corvette blue, oh, oh Corvette blue

    Writing songs is about practice. No, this song isn't going to be a hit but it means something to me. (Maybe Jeremy) This is one of those songs that will live in a notebook or in a computer file. So today it gets a chance to be seen and tell it's story, Jeremy's story,  or my story. Corvette Blue.

    I played a twenty minute set at The Stage 11 at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival. Stage 11 is a small tent (stage) in the Elm Grove camping section. I signed up for a twenty minute slot to play some of my songs. I played my songs to the best of my ability. I played five songs and the crowd clapped after each one. (That is a good thing.) lol 

    After playing I was headed back to my camp and I felt defeated. I felt like I had just lost a fight. I didn't even know I was in a fight. I asked myself, " Where is this feeling coming from? "  I decided it was how I was feeling after my performance. I wanted to know "Why am I feeling this way?" It took me awhile to come up with the answer.

    The songs that I played were personal songs. What do I mean when I say personal songs? I can give you two examples of songs that I played. The first song I played was called Polaroid Memories. It is a song about my Grandma. Every holiday and family event, she was there with her Kodak camera taking pictures and telling us to smile for the camera, and everybody say cheese. 

     The bridge of Polaroid Memories takes a different turn. Here is the bridge-

Grandma's gone but the clock never stops, except in the photos that Grandma shot.

To me that is a powerful description of a photograph. When I look back at photos and see a young Jim. I will never be as young as that picture because the clock is still ticking. The next photo I have taken I am going to be older. ( and grayer)

      Another song that I played in my set was Best Friend. It is a song about my Mom and her best friend. I am proud to be able to say that my Mom's best friend was Jesus. After my Dad died she lived alone in her apartment. That is a terrible feeling to be alone and lonely. She was not alone. She talked to Jesus. She told him alll her concerns, her problems, and all of her children and grandkids problems also. What a great thing to know that you have someone who is praying for you. 

      These two songs are part of my life that I am sharing with strangers. I am exposing myself, here I am, here is my life and that is a tough thing to do. I was making myself vulnerable. Some people say that being vulnerable is a sign of courage. I don't know if that's true but being vulnerable gives meaning to your songs. (Unlike most pop songs) 

       I am going to keep writing songs and being vulnerable. I may not like the feeling but I hope that others can relate to my songs. Be vulnerable.  

    I am on vacation this week. I want to pack as much into a week off as I can. This is a busy music week. Today, I have two co-writing sessions scheduled. One this morning and one this afternoon. They are always fun. Especially if you are writing with your friends. 

    Tomorrow, I need to get everything packed and ready to go the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival. It is in Winfield, Kansas. It is a couple hours from Topeka to Winfield. I am going on Wednesday but the actual festival doesn't start until Thursday.  I am going to a workshop from 10-4. It is called- Take control of your performance. It is taught by Juni Fisher. 

     Thursday I will be playing my song Polaroid Memories on stage. I was one of the winners in the songwriting contest. The prize for winning the song contest is getting to play on stage and getting a medal. Not everyone that sends in a song gets a medal. This is like the old days when we had winners and losers. I have been a loser more than I have been a winner. We all need to learn how to lose. It builds character. Yeah, I don't want to do that again.

     Friday, I will see if I can play on a stage in the campgrounds. I will have lots of time to practice while I'm at the festival. I might need to  dust off some old songs or learn some newer songs that I haven't played to a crowd. It is a great oppourtunity to see how the crowd likes m songs. It will be a fun week. 

     I like one word song titles. I wanted to write a song about hope. We all need hope. Can you imagine a world without hope? I hope that never happens. lol I used to love to write blogs or tell stories about a song before I played it. The truth be known- sometimes my stories were better than my songs. Trying to keep the focus on the song and let the song speak for itself. Here is a song that I wrote with my friend Fletcher. Hope you like it. It is great to know that God keeps his promises.

Promises 

Wiping a tear from her cheek,she remembers she’s not alone 

She’s looking fear in the face, and she knows she can choose to be strong 

Her body’s been weak 

But her faith ain’t gone, 

the good news she’s holding on 

Promises heard , Promises read 

More than words written in red 

He rose from a grave, to do what he said and she knows 

no more doubting, she trusting he’s keeping promises 

Every step of the way she walking ,He’s by her side 

All the ups and the downs she’s livin’, he will provide 

Strength in surrender - its all in his hands – 

she’s always known and he understands

Promises heard , Promises read 

More than words written in red 

He rose from a grave, to do what he said and she knows 

no more doubting, she trusting he’s keeping promises 

So she laughs at the hard times 

Cause she’s found her place in the 

power of  his amazing grace. 

Promises heard , Promises read 

More than words written in red 

He rose from a grave, to do what he said and she knows 

no more doubting, she trusting he’s keeping 

Promises heard , Promises read 

More than words written in red 

He rose from a grave, to do what he said and she knows 

no more doubting, she trusting he’s keeping promises.