Slow Drip from an Empty Head

Posted By Darryl on March 9, 2010

Sometimes you just gotta write a fun song. You know — one of those songs that don’t make much sense or have a deep meaning. A song that has a good back beat or a groove and is fun to play and sing is always a good addition to any singer-songwriter’s set list.

This song was born out of the phrase: “The girls at the bar…”. I was thinking about the type of girl that comes into a bar after a day of work so she can flirt and dance and have some fun with her friends. But then also that same girl that is here night after night – gets a little dark if you think about it. These are the regulars, the ones who come in to escape the everyday grind and try to figure things out with their fellow drinkers/dancers.

And then there’s me. Where do I, the singer, fit in to all of this? I’m the guy in the corner or on a small stage singing to the lonely few. My little songs of desperation that are meant to lift the spirits of these people. Uh, right. They really just want some background sound to go along with the mood lighting. Then again, the regulars would know me (thank you Billy Joel) and they would glance up every once in a while to acknowledge a song they like.

All in all we would be in that place together sharing an experience. Trying to make sense of it night after night.

This is a first draft acoustic version. I intend to flesh it out with a band and some nifty guitar solos and a bass breakdown. But until then please let me know what you think!

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In Here

I’m sending this one out
To the girls at the bar
A simple song of love
Delivered straight from the heart
They hang out every night
Spending their hard earned wage
Laugh a little, dance a little
They never act their age
- But that’s OK – Yeah that’s alright

‘Cause in here we’re all just
Trying to forget the world outside
In here we’re all together
Trying to make sense of it all
Night after night

I’m sending this one out
To those lovers in the night
An easy backbeat groove
That makes it all feel right
They may not even know it
They may not even care
But it’s love that makes the world go ‘round
So pass some over here
- And turn it on – Yeah turn it up

Me? I’m playing to the lonely few
Playing songs of desperation
And this microphone smells like cigarettes and beer
I look out at the crowd
No one’s paying much attention
But the girls at the bar know that I’m here

I’m sending this one out
To the last ones through the door
15 minutes to closing time
And they’re asking for one more
Too early to go home
One more dance one more drink
The girls smile at me
‘Cause they know I’m gonna sing
- One more song – Nothing wrong

Category: Acoustic/Groove/Folk, Creative Drips, Rock Songs | 2 Comments »
Tags: acoustic, Darryl Gregory, fun, guitar, indie, Jason Mraz, Jimmy Buffet, lyric writing, lyrics, musician, singer-songwriter, songwriting

Posted By Darryl on February 22, 2010

The Buddha said that attachment leads to suffering.

How many times have we, as performers, gone into a gig with expectations and an attachment to dreamed of outcomes? You say to yourself things like: I’m going to sell a ton of CDs tonight, I’m going to have all the people I invited show up, they’re really gonna dig my new song I wrote this week, I’m gonna sing every song and play every song perfectly. Then the show is over, you’re packing up and you go over the evening in your head: sold three CDs, only six people showed up, someone laughed during my new song and boy did I clam a few chords on my opening number. All of the negative things from the show keep running around in your head and they get stirred up and mixed around until you can’t see through the muck.

I just played a series of gigs that I could have easily thought of in negative terms and gotten really bummed about, but instead I chose to look at the little victories that were hidden in plain sight. Two of the gigs I recently played were crowded with people that weren’t exactly there to listen and there were a lot of small children running around the coffeehouse (my son being one of them). While it was a bit annoying at the time I made a conscious decision to play my more up-beat songs and engage the kids. My son even got on stage with me at one point and played along. I was also playing a little more aggressively than I usually do and I think it came across as impassioned playing because a few people came up afterward to say that I played with emotion.

At both of those gigs I could have stayed focused on the fact that I thought no one was listening to me and my music – my art. That was, of course the farthest thing from the truth, people were listening. My wife took a great video of my son on stage with me and it has gotten a lot of attention. I passed out a bunch of CDs and got some great sign-ups and made some decent cash. My expectation of a listening audience could have very easily gotten in the way of me seeing these great outcomes. I could have easily said – Yeah I got a few sign-ups, some nice video, but NO ONE was listening to me.

At my last gig I was confronted with the opposite situation. I was told by the venue owner that they got great crowds on Saturdays and that I should expect to make a lot of money. At the beginning of the gig there was nobody in the place except for me and the two baristas. I even said to them that I guess I’ll be playing to just you two – and they giggled and replied that that would be amazing. Well people did show up, and there was a total of ten people in the audience sipping coffee and conversing. I started playing, got their attention and started talking to them and telling stories about the songs. It turned out to be a great evening – almost like a house concert – very intimate. Everybody took a CD that I gave to them for free and everybody signed my email list. I made a total of $5.00, but had a blast.

Here I could have gotten really upset at the owner for “leading me on”. I could have been pissed about the money and the lack of a crowd. Instead I got some quality sign-up that I believe will come see me again because I engaged them and I made an impression with the girls behind the counter who will tell the owner what a great evening the patrons had and I’ll be asked back I’m sure.

When I lived in NYC I always tried to be present when I walked down my street and my mantra was: Be aware of what’s on the sidewalk – dog shit, barf, garbage, piss, beer – then choose your path carefully. You can clearly see the dog shit and other debris and you can clearly make a decision to avoid it or step right in it. People and fans can usually tell when you’ve made the choice to step in it.

Category: Articles & Drips | 3 Comments »
Tags: Buddha, Buddhism, Darryl Gregory, gig, indie, love, musician, noble truths, positive outlook, singer-songwriter, songwriter, songwriting

Posted By Darryl on February 16, 2010

~ Don’t Use It If It Doesn’t Make Sense To You

I’ve been using a capo on my guitar for what seems like forever. It’s just a tool that’s a part of my kit when I play. over the years I’ve learned to use it for more than just the obvious aspect of changing keys. I use this simple machine to half capo across the neck and to get specific sounds out of my guitar that you can’t get when you strum it open. But when I first was introduced to a capo I didn’t know what to make of it. I understood its capabilities, but not its applications. I was aware of it and when I got to a tipping point in my guitar playing, I saw the personally relevant application of the capo.

I’m beginning to see that a lot these days. I come across a new widget/doo-hickey/whatchacallit thing and while I understand the simple purpose of it, the personal application is not apparent. At least not immediately.

Let’s take this blog for example. I’ve been writing in this medium for about a year, posting songs and ideas, but prior to that I didn’t have one and didn’t really want one. I knew what blogs were and I read them and subscribed, but they didn’t have any practical personal application. But blogs were making my head crazy because I was told that as a musician I should have one. I see why, but why for me? Storm like this swirl around when we come in contact with a new medium. The storm of: You should be doing this because… fill-in-the-blank. Yikes, I have to have a blog and I don’t. I’m yesterday’s news, I’ll never succeed as a songwriter. Rats. of course that’s not true. There are millions of artists out there that don’t have blogs and they’re doing just fine. For me, it just wasn’t relevant; that is until the concept slid into place in my brain like a puzzle piece and I knew what I wanted to write about and share with you my faceless audience.

There are a lot of these storms raging out there. If you don’t have a blog-Twitter-Facebook-Reverbnation-CDBaby-website-Bebo-Flickr-flamalamadingdong, well brother… you’re just shit out of luck. But I say again – If it isn’t personally relevant, then why bother?

This really hit home with me when it was strongly suggested that I should start using a contact management system. I was happy with my calendar and proud of my simple spreadsheet list of names. Well not really. I understood that my system was flawed, but when I started trying to use contact management software I balked. It didn’t make sense to me even though I understood the concept. Then, after I had downloaded the same software for the second time I did something with it that just clicked in my brain and it was like the whole application suddenly snapped into focus. I got it and the software made sense.

The point to all of this is that we do not need to use every new thing that other people scream about. If you understand the social aspect of Twitter and how it can connect you to fans, but just don’t see how you can apply it to your artistic world, then don’t. Everyone screams: Make a video and put it onYouTube. You say – Yeah, I see other musician’s videos, but making a video just doesn’t click with me right now – then don’t do it. You gotta start using a capo. Yeah I see lots of people using them, but I don’t see where it fits in to my playing – then don’t use it.

But, you should walk this path with your eyes and ears wide open. If enough (normal)people are screaming loudly about something, you should at least turn around to see if it’s someone waiting to hug you or an axe murderer. At least take a look at the New Widget On The Block to see if it fits with your world. I would also suggest that if the screaming persists you should revisit the concept to see if that new something has changed or perhaps see if you’ve changed and now that thing that you thought was irrelevant is now the most amazing tool in your kit.

Have you had something laying around for a long time that just recently made sense and became a part of your tool kit? What new thing are you ignoring that you think may become relevant later? Leave a comment!

Category: Articles & Drips | 1 Comment »
Tags: acme, acoustic, Bebo, blog, capo, CDBaby, Darryl Gregory, Facebook, Flickr, guitar, indie, Indie Band Manager, musician, Reverbnation, singer-songwriter, songwriting, tech, tool kit, Twitter, video, website, you tube

Posted By Darryl on February 9, 2010

I was thinking about this recently as I was getting ready to go to play at a coffeehouse gig. What to wear? What to wear? And it just popped into my head that it shouldn’t matter whether a gig is at Madison Square Garden or the local coffee shop, one should dress to look like they are the center of attention. Or, if you’re not Lady Ga Ga, at least in a manner that makes you feel like you’re the one that everyone will be staring at. You don’t want to blend in and people should be able to recognize you as “the performer” even when you’re not on the stage.

Which brings me back to shirts and boots. For me, feeling like I’m on stage performing means a nice clean shirt that I don’t wear all the time: a gig shirt. Preferably a black one, but I also have a rust colored one that I really like. And boots. I have several pair: black biker, brown cowboy, black cowboy and a pair of what I like to call my George Harrison boots. The Harrison boots are actually shoe boots that I got from Kenneth Cole and they remind me of the boots that Harrison is wearing in the movie ‘A Hard Day’s Night’. Pants are almost always jeans, so I don’t really think or worry about those. Although as I get older the jeans get looser and more comfortable.

It’s the little things that make me feel at ease on stage even if the stage is 4’X4’. A nice shirt and boots, my mala beads on my left wrist, easy fit jeans and I’m all set to go. What do you wear that makes you feel good about performing? Leave a comment.

Category: Articles & Drips | 2 Comments »
Tags: acoustic, boots, clothing, Darryl Gregory, gig, indie, shirts, singer-songwriter, songwriting

Posted By Darryl on February 1, 2010

Here’s a song I wrote quite recently that is giving me problems. It’s one of those songs that has certain parts that I like, but then there are also certain parts that I’m not sure fit quite well or that don’t play nice with other parts. What to do? I don’t want to just throw it out. And it’s difficult to rewrite because I’ve created this deep notch that I keep falling back into; I stray a little this way or that and I just come right back to where I began.

Let’s talk about what the lyrics say and maybe we’ll figure this out together, huh?

[The first two stanzas talk about how the singer feels that everything is against him: the world and his age. I have a food/eating metaphor going on. All's well, I like these lyrics.]

I Surrender To Your Love

Sometimes I feel
Like the world’s a hungry mouth
With an appetite
Cold and unsated

Sometimes I feel
Like I’m about to be swallowed up
Just an afterthought
Old and outdated

[Now I introduce the lover/wife/companion who will come to this guy's rescue after a long day of fighting the world and he surrenders to her love. Nice... ok I buy it.]

Then you come to me
You pick me up
You clean and dress my wounds
You whisper softly of better days
And in the pale light
Before the morning comes
I see no difference between the moon and sun
All my wars have been fought and won

Now I surrender to your love
Now I surrender to your love

[Now what happens here? Does she turn on him? She forsakes him? hmmm. But I like the way it sounds. Also he gives in to her and we get that surrender metaphor again. The music picks up a little here as well and drives along in a minor mode for a bit.]

I’m tired of carrying
The weight of this life
I’m tired of running on
The edge of a knife

Lies are forgotten
Lying underneath the truth
Your eyes have forsaken me
I fly a white flag of truce

[This guy is pitiful - He's kind of making excuses for needing to be picked up off the floor. But then again he could also be saying that he's done the best he could, he's tired of fighting and he just wants to sit on the couch and watch Sport Center.]

I’m coming home
I’ve laid down my arms
I never asked to be your hero
And in the pale light
Before the morning comes
I see no difference between the moon and sun
All my wars have been fought and won

Now I surrender to your love
Now I surrender to your love

[Here we are back to the first theme. I like these lyrics a lot. This guy is dreaming of what he really wants out of life materially and spiritually.]

Sometimes I want
Just a little more than what gets me by
A rich man’s dessert
Tasting so sweet

Sometimes I want
What a wise man holds to his heart
An hallelujah
Simple – pure – complete

[But then he comes back to who and what really props him up in life - his companion/lover.]

Then you come to me
You pick me up
You clean and dress my wounds
You whisper softly of better days
And in the pale light
Before the morning comes
I see no difference between the moon and sun
All my wars have been fought and won
Now I surrender to your love
Now I surrender to your love

Do you see what I mean? Maybe I’ll just let this ferment for a year and come back to it? I’ve been playing it at gigs and people say they like it. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

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Category: Acoustic/Groove/Folk, Creative Drips | 3 Comments »
Tags: acoustic, Darryl Gregory, ennui, guitar, indie, love, lyric writing, lyrics, middle age, songwriting, surrender, tired, weltshmerz