The Story I Found Myself In
The story behind all 9 songs on “Only Love” are now up on YOUTUBE.THey are numbered in the same sequence as the album.
The story behind all 9 songs on “Only Love” are now up on YOUTUBE.THey are numbered in the same sequence as the album.
Once people find out I write songs for a living, the next inevitable question is, “have you written anything I would know.” It is always safe for me to answer “probably not” in this sea of 6,000,000 songs floating around iTunes. Most of the songs I’ve written have stayed in relative obscurity. And depending on the musical pool you normally swim in, some of these songs will confuse or surprise you. Truth is, some of them I am proud of, others, less so. Regardless, it is still infinitely cool that something I helped write has been recorded by someone else. Even more cool if you have heard one of these. AND even cooler if there’s one you’ve sung along with.
I’ve never actually put the songs in one place but here are some of the songs I’ve written or co-written that have been recorded by someone other than me over the years. They’re in alphabetical order by Artist with links to iTunes.
I know this isn’t a complete list but it’s at least a few that I could find on iTunes. And of course, all of the recordings I’ve released so far are HERE.Got a favorite song from the list? Leave a comment and let me know.
Peace,
James
In the near future I think we’re going to see a huge variety of fan-funding platforms for creative projects. KICKSTARTER is the platform we chose this time. Others will come and go.
From my safe and comfy Nashville chair, it appears that one of the things we’ve dismantled in the music industry is the wall of separation between big acts and their followers / family. Call them a “street team” if you’re more comfortable. No one wants to be a FAN anymore. No one wants to stand at a distance and swoon at the mysterious rockstar dripping incoherent lyrics all over an SM58. We want to know what our favorite artists had for breakfast. We want to see video clips of the guys in a van pounding out the miles along I-40 somewhere west of here. We want to know what kind of gear they play. We want to hear them rant on tumblr about their political views. We want to read about why they wrote that song we love. WE WANT TO GET INVOLVED. That’s what fan-funding platforms like KICKSTARTER are all about. It will only grow so start getting comfortable with it.
Don’t sit in your desk at school or in the cubicle jungle and wait for some Marketing Executive to tell you what art will matter next month or next year. Get Involved. Make art happen the way patrons and benefactors of the Renaissance used to do. Not an artist? Find art that you believe in and CAUSE IT TO BE CREATED. Find artists you believe in and become their midwife; help them birth new songs, new albums, new videos. TRUTH – recording music, making videos, and touring all cost money. There’s no way around that. TRUTH – No one seems to want to pay for the music they download. Fan-funding will have to happen SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE MUSIC TO DOWNLOAD.
As a band, we don’t want fans. We want family. We want connection. We want listeners who tell us their story; followers who will join our journey. We don’t just write songs that we hope will sell. We want these songs to matter, to have a life, to have an impact. I believe in the songs on this new record that we are ready to record. I think this might be the most important song-cycle I’ve ever written. SO GET INVOLVED. Make music happen. Be our midwife. Claim an ownership stake in the creative process. Be the record producer you’ve always wanted to be. Click on the KICKSTARTER widget in this post and help us make a new record.
In a few hours I am out the door alone in my father’s car to start a back to back string of 18 house concerts over 19 nights in 7 different states cover 4500 miles. I thought I might use this self-indulgent space to explain a bit because this tour is unlike anything I’ve done before.
Normally, when it comes time for us to make a new record, the band and I disappear into a studio and re-emerge a month later with some songs recorded. Then 4 more months later we start a tour around our familiar stomping grounds to say, “here’s some new music. Please buy a copy.”
This year I’ve reversed the process. Over the next 3 weeks, I am touring around the Southeast playing this brand new set up songs to hear your feedback, work through the story arc, let you help me decide the title of the project, and determine what songs will or won’t be recorded. We started with a list of 22 songs to consider. Then with the wise input of friends, label-types, and the band, we narrowed the list to nine songs. We will probably only release 5 on this next CD.
So this tour is about inviting listeners in on the process. One of the ways we’re doing that is through Kickstarter (that nonsense to the right of this post). It’s a way you can pre-purchase this new project before we’ve even recorded it and pick up some cool bonus features along the way like a live-streaming concert from the studio and video performances of your favorite song dedicated to you or someone you love (or hate).
Most of these 18 concerts will be hosted in the homes of friends I’ve made along the way. The environment will be intimate, risky, maybe even awkward at times. I can’t wait to share these songs with you and I’m most excited about unfolding this narrative along the way.
See you along the road.