Here’s a different version of my song, The Cove. The original recording is on the Flying Dream CD. I sang this one in a lower key, to leave room for two harmonies above. I found some adventurous harmonies, especially ninth intervals. I’d like to make a movie of this one; it lives deep in the…
The chorus of Be Love is solidly in major territory. The chords are I, V, IV, the classic backbone chords of the major scale. The verse, however, is going to be back in the Northwest — I, bVII-, IV. I have to get back over there somehow, and I want to lead the ear strongly so…
After two years of working mostly with existing material, I’m happy to be writing songs again. This one took me over completely for a few days, and then I spent another couple of weeks recording it and animating it on the lattice. Be Love is a simpler song than Flying Dream, and I think it…
I had the great pleasure this spring of singing with Tribe of Dreams, a traveling band that creates musical community everywhere they go. They left behind, in San Francisco, a wake of connection and increased musical collaboration that is still rippling outward. One of my fellow transient tribe members has been the ethereal Froukje van der…
A few weeks ago, I unexpectedly recorded a charming version of Real Girl. I’d been plugging away at the song all afternoon, taking videos to watch and critique, when my housemate walked in. She and I always make each other laugh, no matter what is going on. I don’t know why, we just look at…
I wrote this song during a long weekend visit with an old and dear friend in Coupeville, Washington. We did laundry, and then went for a walk. I vividly remember the day, the view out over Puget Sound, the texture and color of the grass we were walking on. Somehow, suddenly, this melody was going…
More fun with the Q2HD. Bug Zapper is a co-write with my friend Scott Bryson. I’ve reworked it endlessly, and this is where it sits right now. For years, there’s been a major II chord in the chorus, clinging like the kitten in the “Hang in there, Baby” poster. I finally got over it and…
A few days ago I got myself a Zoom Q2HD recorder. It’s a good stereo sound recorder with fixed-focus HD video, great for quick ‘n’ dirty live recording. I cracked it out right away, and recorded a couple of living room videos, one in San Francisco and one in Shell Beach. Here they are. Hope…
In the late 90’s and early 00’s, I recorded a number of song demos for promotion to music publishers. Around ’02, I compiled the recordings into a CD, Flying Dream. I’ve burned, sold and given away hundreds of these CDs over the years. Last year, I decided it was time to give my poor CD…
Sacred Grounds Cafe in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood has had an open mic of some sort since the late 60’s. In its current incarnation, it’s hosted, every Thursday, by local music teacher and multi-instrumentalist Mr. Natural, who thoroughly looks the part! There’s a fun crowd of regulars and it’s a warm, accepting and inviting atmosphere….
