Day 4 - of love and music

Just rediscovered a really rough copy of a song I recorded with a good friend of mine about four years ago. His name is Gerhard Bothma, and he wrote the song for his wife, whom he met after a break-up with another woman, which almost killed him. His wife saved him, and you can hear that raw emotion in his voice when he sings. I just did backing vocals, but it turned into such a nice song, I think it needs to go onto my album of originals, to be relased this year.

Anyway, it's Saturday, so today's entry will be short. I'm going to a friend's house later for a meal. She is my biggest fan (loves my voice, loves my music, loves my albums), and that's why we've become such good friends! She's just returned from holiday in New Zealand, where she was visiting her two sisters, and she took them copies of my Christmas album. Yay, so now I have international fans!

Went through a whole bunch of creative ideas I had stored up on my laptop - other rough recordings and ideas for songs that I had come up with - not sure if that's cheating... guess they're just song ideas, so if my muse is still on holiday I'll use existing ideas to spark the genius of creativity. In the interim, I'm thinking about poignant words that are meaningful to my existence (sounds so deep!), that I can maybe use as lyrics... At least the processes are in place and I'm making steady progress. I'm on the equivalent of about Recipe 3!

Days to go: 361.

Day 3 - a new song!

YAY!!!! I've finally come up with a new song idea - so far only the melody line for the pre-chorus and chorus, but at least a new idea. Benny & Bjorn say they almost always find a melody line first, and then Bjorn goes home to work on words after. My writing style is very similar.

The song is called "No Regret" (a very Edith Piaf title). Of course we all have them, but I've realised that we cannot let our regrets consume us. Actually the idea came for the song after I watched Oprah's interview with Whitney Houston. Here's a woman who ostensibly lost a decade of her life to drugs and put her career on hold. She was on top of the world when she fell. But when Oprah interviewed her I saw a woman who is grateful for the second chance she's been given, and has decided not to let possible regret get in the way of her new beginning. So when I thought of the song, the female POWER BALLAD came to mind, and it has definite undertones of a Whitney Houston song in it - hope that doesn't make it too 80s/90s - but I also heard some of her new stuff, and it has that flavour to it. In any case, a classic is timeless, right?

So, songs to go: 49. No gigs yet, no CDs sold (actually I've just had a call from a CD shop telling us to come pick up our stock since it hasn't sold - CRY!). Well, I'll just take my burst bubble with me and march on...

Days to go: 362.

Day 2 - time to learn Cubase

Nina always brings out the artist in me...

Today I'm busy cleaning out my study as I listen to Nina Simone sing Summertime by Gershwin. A procrastination technique, you say? Yes, quite possibly... But there is method to my madness. I want a clean work area, so that I can start composing properly. I have to set up my Cubase and make space for my keyboard and all the other stuff, and then I have to learn how to USE it.

I've never been much of a producer, but if I hope to create music more regularly, I can't be hooking up with producers miles away who are too busy to help me - besides which, it's cheaper to DIY - and it will give me good music, songwriting and discipline skills.

I am reading Benny and Bjorn's book about Mamma Mia (love their music, hated the movie, never saw the show) for two reasons:

1. They speak about the creation process that they go through to write songs - Benny, for example, goes into an office when he's in Stockholm and tries to write a little each day. I spoke to a music publisher a couple of years ago who told me Stevie Wonder used to go around to functions introducing himself as "Hi, I'm Stevie Wonder, I write a song a day." Derek Sivers reminds us that the more songs you write, the greater your chances of creating a hit. So if I wanna be a successful singer-songwriter, I'd better be writing more.

2. The Purr Factory is a musical that I co-wrote in 2008/9 with a great friend of mine, Corinne Farber. I thought I'd read up on Mamma Mia to learn the tricks of the trade and see how we can incorporate them into our show. It's very exciting, because the show will debut at the University of Johannesburg Arts Centre in September this year. Our hope and prayer is that it will go onto Broadway and the West End... Anyway, that's one of the CDs that I'll be releasing this year - the music of the show. Very exciting stuff!

Well, back to cleaning and setting up my Cubase. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have learnt how to use it!

Days to go: 363.

The Julie/Julia Music Project - Day 1

Happy 2010!

50 new songs. 5 album releases. 100 gigs. 1000 CDs sold. 365 days. There will no doubt be spelling mistakes...

Okay, so I spent the holidays with my mom and sister as always, and we watched Julie & Julia. Loved it!

Inspired, I've decided to do my own version. It's obviously about music, not food, so instead of cooking 524 recipes in 365 days, I've decided to write 50 new songs, release 5 albums, perform 100 gigs, and sell 1000 CDs in a year. It's a huge challenge for me (I'm not Madonna yet), but I decided it would be good for my music career.

This is what I'll endeavour to do:

1. Blog each day (massive technological difficulties and EMPs notwithstanding) - if I'm unable I will make it up the next day...

2. Write 50 new songs, which basically means one a week - failing which I will have to do two or three in a week if I fall behind... (do I hear excuses from myself already?)

3. Release 5 albums - I have been reading about fellow musos like the Beatles, the Stones and Elton John and KISS - they sometimes released as many as four albums a YEAR! My plan is cheating a bit:
a. Some of my albums will be covers.
b. Some of my albums are co-writes (with already existing songs).
c. I'm not doing this through a major label - yet...
d. More about the various albums and songs in days to come...

4. Perform 100 gigs. Paid, free, charity, don't mind - as long as I reach my goal... But preferably paid!

5. Sell 1000 CDs - this feels like a challenge, but hey, my two major income streams at this point would be gigs and CD sales. Some people would say, "A thousand! Is that all? WIMP!"

It's not a new idea, of course - Jonathan Coulton did it back in 2006, writing a song a week for a year, very successfully, and there must be at least a million other bloggers out there doing the same thing, but what the hell, right?

All of this will be over and above my "day job," which I'm very happy to say is not as dreary as Julie Powell's was. While not blogging/composing/releasing/singing/selling, I will continue teaching music business courses at MBAC and Soul Candi, and continue teaching singing students. That alone is a great reason to get out of bed each morning!

So: 364 days to go.

Till tomorrow then...

I've become such a square

My cat Moto (as in "Hello Moto" - we inherited him from other folk...) is sitting on top of my big fat book with my dissertation, biting my hand as if to say, "Why the hell are you studying on a Saturday night? You are so dull and boring." Truth is, if I want to continue with my doctorate next year I need to submit some work by Monday... Maybe I'm just becoming a boring old fart, and I sometimes wonder if that's good for my music career. How will having a doctorate help me make hits to burn up the charts and win millions of adoring fans? Truth is, I dunno... Okay, so the study IS about music, but I'm reminded of a quote from Elvis Costello: writing about music is like dancing about architecture. I think I should go write a song rather.

Mind you, I did have a great gig this past Monday night (got the crowd rocking) and I did go out partying with a friend last night, so maybe when my work is done I can have a life. Truth is, I'm sociable but I don't need to be at a party every week to have fun. We age, we sage... Go figure...

Well, Moto has inadvertently worked his way into The Purr Factory, that musical I co-wrote which debuts at the UJ Arts Centre next year. He's such a lovable brat!

Lessons from Eminem

Just recently finished Eminem's autobiography, "The Way I Am." Here's a link where you can buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/Way-I-Am-Eminem/dp/052595032X.

I never thought I'd say this, but as an artist I am truly inspired, primarily for two reasons that are completely different to the reasons other people like him:

1. He writes that when he was 18, he wasn't sure which direction to take with his life, because he was good at basketball. Both basketball and rapping were long shots, but he knew he wasn't that great at rapping. But he also writes that he and his best buddy Proof wanted the dream, so they dropped the basketball and went for the gold, as he calls it - the rap dream.

I can so relate! I really only started listening to my music voice in my 30s (way past 18), even though I had been doing music all those years in between, and music was a faithful friend that had never left me, even though it feels like music didn't always love me. But I also knew that I had to make the switch or die.

2. He goes on to write and say that rap was a pipe dream for him, but it was all he had, so really, what was he going to do with his life? He then goes on to speak about his first album, Infinite, which he released in 1995. It sold about 70 copies and it didn't get great feedback, says Eminem, because he hadn't found himself yet. But he had an album out, and at least he could say that.

Again, I can SO relate! My first album was released last year, a collaborative effort with my very good friend Tzipora. It hasn't even sold 70 copies, and the feedback has never been that great either, though I believe one or two of the songs have potential. But at least I can say that I have an album out, even if it's not a great one. I also, in hindsight, think that I haven't found myself yet (although I'm a lot older than the 23 young years when Eminem released his first album), which is why my first solo album of mostly original stuff is to be called Finding My Own Voice, because hopefully by the time I release it to coincide with the big party I'm having for my 40th birthday, I will have found that elusive voice of mine! It is to be preceded by at least two albums of covers (the first, All Wrapped Up This Christmas, will be available from CD Baby in time for Christmas '09; the second, The Spirit Within, hopefully in time for Easter '10).

So there you go... I never thought I'd be able to learn anything from Eminem. I was wrong.

I keep realising that you don't need talent to succeed in music (not that I'm implying everyone's favourite white rapper isn't talented). What you need most of all is heart, which will drive your work ethic. John Lennon, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin and David Bowie all made Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. Technically speaking, they all suck as singers. But there's no denying their amazing talent. Heart, baby. Heart.

I walked away from some serious money in the marketing field to pursue my passion, mission and vision of a full-time career in music. I want music to define me, to be what I stand for. Not that I'm ever planning something as archaic as an epitaph on a tombstone, but if I was, I would want it to read: "Here lies Rob Rodell, a man who loved music even on days when it didn't love him back, and who made music his career, because that was his purpose, his very reason for existence." Kinda like Gregory House, who lives for medicine (even though he's also a really good musician). I love House.

Some people would say I'm nuts. My response: The Way I Am...

Piracy

Here's my version of music piracy:


This past weekend my sister's car got broken into, and they stole the master CD of my Christmas album out of the car. Initially I thought, "How strange!" But then I realised that music does actually have VALUE! As a musician, I sometimes forget that music is emotional currency and that people desire it. Now of course, it depends on whether or not the thief/thieves are part of my target market or not. If they're not, they will listen to the intro of the first song and chuck the CD away. If they are, they might well listen to the first track and be overcome with remorse and mend their ways - since the first track is O Holy Night!

Sometimes ya just gotta laugh at life...