Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

Great candid songwriting videos from BMI

By • Dec 18th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration

If you are looking for some inspiration, you got it. BMI has a gigantic collection of songwriting video clips on their site with interviews and commentary from some of the greatest names in songwriting. Yolanda Adams Bill Anderson Sherrie Austin Dallas Austin Steve Azar The Winans It would be nice to see these clips up [...]



Songwriter Nick Daugherty aims to get a record deal in 365 days

By • Dec 6th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration

In the spirit of the 4/4 challenge and the Thing A Week project, Nick Daugherty also placed some hard deadlines on himself to accomplish his goals. Check out this video about his quest to get a record deal in 365 days. His self-appointed deadline is July 7, 2007. (By the way: I love how the [...]



John Mayer blogs about the return of his songwriting muse

By • Dec 5th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration

Say what you want about the man, but John Mayer put up a really cool blog post yesterday. I have the hardest damn time linking to specific posts on his blog (Hey John, how about some Permalinks??), so here is the blog entry in it’s entirety: “I can’t really explain what happens when, as an [...]



If you want to be a songwriter, it’s never the right time

By • Nov 29th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration, Songwriting Articles

Although I have had it told to me hundreds of times in my life, I am going to keep this thought at the forefront: “It is never the right time.” Too many people hold off on their dreams until “things are right” – whether that is family, job, inner peace, whatever. I have realized there [...]



Tom Waits songwriting interview at Pitchfork

By • Nov 28th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration

This was such a great interview I thought it deserved it’s own page on Blogging Muses. With the release of Tom’s 3-disc monster titled, “Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards“, he let’s Pitchfork in on a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes of his songwriting process. Some choice quotes I enjoyed: On working [...]



Amos Lee discusses songwriting (video)

By • Nov 8th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration, Songwriting Tips

One of my favorite songwriters talks about the songwriting process and his evolution as a songwriter between the first album and his new album, Supply And Demand. This was #4 in a 12-part podcast series. View the whole series at iFilm.



My songwriting challenge. An update.

By • Oct 23rd, 2006 • Category: Inspiration

Last Friday I announced a small songwriting challenge I gave to myself. I won’t re-explain the challenge, but you can read about it here. In short, I decided to complete 4 songs in 4 hours. Here is what happened: Hour 1: Beautiful Lies I finished up the verses but was completely stuck still on the [...]



Giving myself a songwriting challenge

By • Oct 20th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration

My recurring problem is I have great fragments of song ideas but never follow them through to completion. That will change (for today at least!). After reading about Jonathan Coulton’s Thing-A-Week Project, as well as the songwriting tip contributed by Ruth Greenwood I have become increasingly inspired, and decided to submit myself to a challenge. [...]



Interview with songwriter Colin Meloy of The Decemberists

By • Oct 18th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration

The Decemberists are one of those “Indie” bands that has been overhyped by all the music blogs in the past year or so. The difference? The Decemberists ACTUALLY deliver on the hype. I am totally in love with this band at the moment. Awesome songwriting, both technically and from the perspective of a casual listener [...]



Songwriters – Get Out of Town Part III

By • Oct 16th, 2006 • Category: Inspiration, Songwriting Articles

(From contributing blogger Ryan Galloway) So it’s time to report in on some of the results of my own little open mike tour, while I bounce around the country as a traveling consultant. In my last blog on the subject, I had told you about Don Mak’s idea for booking an “open mike” tour using [...]