b. No, our grandchildren shouldn't be O'ing the debt these idiots are saddling them with.
c. Obombast is not The Answer.
San Juan 24 restoration progress
The San Juan 24 Project Log has been moved to a separate file.
Posted this album of a few pictures from the 2009 CRBA Commodores Banquet.
Songwriting - Got my annual report from CCLI. At least one or more churches are using or have at least looked at using "As We Bow Down", "Halle-Hallelujah", and "Mercy Seat", which means I got a very small but still encouraging royalty check with the report. "As We Bow Down" was also downloaded/looked at in England or Ireland and a miniscule royalty added to my account for that region - to be paid sometime when it adds up to enough to bother issuing a "cheque." Also got a tax statement that shows a somewhat larger amount, more than I remember getting last year. Maybe if I got on the stick and got more songs in to them I could get a big enough check for dinner somewhere. Still, encouraging to get something, as small as it is.
The main reason there's not much progress to report on the San Juan, music, or much of anything else is that we made a 12-day trip to Syros Island, Greece (8 days there, 2 days travel each way). I went for work, and Debbie got to tag along for vacation. In summary: a beautiful island, all uphill, amazed with the marble sidewalks and stairs everywhere, beautiful churches, friendly people, but glad to be back home. The Diogenis hotel on the waterfront was quaint, very clean, but could get noisy with the ferry terminal directly across the street. The ferry terminal and hotel in Piraeus (the port area of Athens) were dismal; other than that a very enjoyable trip.
Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Brent281/SyrosIsland# and Debbie's pictures of gates, doors, and architectural details: http://picasaweb.google.com/Brent281/SyrosArchitecturalDetails#
| Here's Your Sign! |
a. Shoves the '70's radical's slogan back in their faces. b. No, our grandchildren shouldn't be O'ing the debt these idiots are saddling them with. c. Obombast is not The Answer. |
Just your normal story about a psychotic girlfriend.
Ok, I truly have no idea what backwater corner of my mind exists that these lyrics,"I Will be Seeing Henry", crept out of, about a psychotic girlfriend and her somewhat scary little brother. Thankfully, absolutely nothing autobiographical nor any connection to anyone I know. I guess I've just been reading too many murder mysteries and watching too many crime/police shows on TV lately. The trigger, in fact, was some line I overheard just walking through the den with the TV on some show I wasn't even watching. Whatever the line was, I don't even remember, it kicked off this thought about this scary-nerdy little brother, then when I started trying to play it on the piano, somehow the second part developed into big sis being just a little psycho, all leading up to a tragic ending. Disturbing, but then again, listen to the radio these days. It actually has the potential of being a popular song! Disturbing.
Port City Blues
Finally did what I've had in the back of my mind for awhile, which is getting on Google maps, listing all the port cities in Texas, and working most of them into an extended last chorus for "Port City Blues". Just kissing up to the "dozen places in-between," in case they ever hear the song.
Comment 7/2/10 - I've re-written "Port City Blues" again and spread the Texas port cities out to 3 choruses, instead of one long one at the end. I love this song - you should hear it. Somebody should encourage the guy who wrote it to buckle down and get it recorded. Or invite him to play for you.
Listening this time out, plan to return
Took a break from the boat project Sunday, Father's Day, and went to listen to Open Mic music I'd found out about on Craig's List. Gilley's Roadhouse and Dance Hall in Fetzer, Texas, south of Plantersville, north of Houston. The place is owned and run by Keith Gilley, son of the legendary Mickey Gilley, founder of Gilley's in Pasadena, Texas, of Urban Cowboy fame. I guess due to Father's day and maybe the benefit for the local Cowboy Church the same day, both the playing roster and listening crowd were pretty light this time. The music was good, but probably not as good as it may be other weekends. Keith, open mic emcee/guitarist "Luckee" (Michael Langran), and a gal with a heck of a voice, Brenda, singing over CD backing tracks, took up most of the day, with a couple of guitar player/singers and another male singer over backing tracks in between, and some duets with Keith and Brenda. Brenda can sing anything; the others heavy on the Eagles covers. Mostly OK, but I'd hoped for more singer/songwriters and performers with instruments instead of tracks. Maybe this wasn't a normal weekend, though.
I didn't bring my gear or plan to play because I've been too busy with the boat project to be "practiced-up," just came to listen this time out. It's the type of place I certainly wouldn't be intimidated playing the country/blues/folksy portions of my repertoire, though. I think I can definitely contribute quite a bit to what I heard Sunday. So I'll be back. A wedding and company this weekend, 4th of July holiday next weekend, so I'll "probably" make every attempt to be ready for the 2nd week in July. Come listen. Open Mic Sundays- signup @ 2:00PM, Music 3 - 7 PM (or later) Gilley's Roadhouse & Dancehall/Henry's Hideout 46010 Fm 1774 - Plantersville TX 77363 Between Magnolia & Plantersville (Fetzer) 281-356-4222 http://www.henryshideout.net RSVP at www.myspace.com/houstonopenmic if you plan to play.
Nothing weighs as much as empty air waiting for a love to return.
New song - Empty Air. Woke up yesterday with some vague ideas that became the verses later on; a couple of thoughts from that morphed into the chorus and first verse on the drive to work yesterday (so I got to try out a new little digital recorder I got for Father's day). The other verses came together on the keyboard last night and on the drive to work this morning. Definitely a country feeling; pretty standard country-ish tune. Posted a chord sheet in D major, but was just playing the keyboard, haven't actually sung it with the keys to make sure that works.
3 new or updated chord sheets
Two new, one updated chord sheets:
Spammy
Just took the time at lunch to download every html file on the site, do a lot of mass searching & replacing*, and upload every html file back, to eliminate every mailto: link and every @ on the entire website. Any references to email (no more clickable links), all say brent(a)jbcmusic now; if you can't figure out to replace the (a) with @, I probably don't want to read your email. Duh. Hopefully, the spam harvesters aren't already onto this trick and this will cut down on the number of emails I'm getting "from" myself "to" myself. We'll see. *[Textpad, www.textpad.com, is the one program I have on Windows at work that I really miss at home on the Mac - it made pretty quick work of a real pain otherwise.]
New ditty: Crutch
Another ridiculous little ditty out of nowhere, or who knows where? Driving into work, got the first verse in my head and tried to throw it away, but it kept coming back, then eventually the idea of "why" came along and spawned the rest of it. Lyrics, for whatever they're worth: Crutch. I like the last verse I came up with after typing in the rest.
I drink the fire of an anger that has broken every angle that the Lord wants me to go.
See what you think - Drink the Fire. I'm still ambivalent about the lyrics - kind of what I want to say, but these may not be final. I found the chorus on a chord sheet I had started typing up a couple of months ago, I think, and forgotten. Put it to some blues chords, liked it, so I started trying to think of some verses on the drive to work over the last few days. Here they are, but like I said, probably not quite where I want them to be yet. Not really trying to sound hateful or angry, but ... Ok, I am getting angry. Everything's going upside down and backward (thus the chorus makes sense). Gotta stay off the news. Country blues; I can clearly hear Waylon Jennings singing this if he were alive.
It's been that long that I've been singin' this Blues 2/22 song
I turned off talk radio on the drive home yesterday and started singing some of my old songs; got to a little ditty called "Blues 2/22" (song notes) and came up with a second verse. I know, the copyright notice at the bottom says 2000, but 2002 fits in the verse better. Has it been that long?
Past midnight - that's what it takes to get songwriting done
I promised as soon as the San Juan 24 Project was over, which it (mostly) is finally, I'd get back to song writing, singing, recording. Here's my second try with Apple's Garage Band after many months: a NEW SONG that the seed of developed on the drive home from work; now it's past midnight and this is what's developed: Google My Name (2:42, 2.5MB mp3). Not perfect - there's those vocals sounding too much like -me- again, but not bad considering I haven't done much in Garage Band, and what I have done was months ago. Since the song was only put together as I recorded it , it may change some after I play it awhile. I like it, though.
Bull frog singin' on the bank of the river, I don't care much for the life you're gonna give her.
Hey, just got this song - "Bullfrog, You Don't Know" on the way into work - I'm excited to get home tonight and put some music to it. Quick blues beat. As often happens with me, there's no part of my conscious life where the lyrics could have come from -- this one I can say is literally from the "backwaters" of my mind.
Songwriting wrap-up for the last of 2009
Songwriting wrap-up for the last couple of months:
All Lyrics, Music and content Copyright 1988-2010 Jeffrey Brent Clifton
eMail to: brent(a)jbcmusic.com
Archived 7/5/2010/jbc