Besides writing ad copy, I write songs. My outlet as a singer/songwriter is the rock band Jaialai. Our sound is hazy, shoegazey, indie, psychedelic, garage rock, etc., etc., though if you ask the others in the group, they may say something else. Who knows? Maybe for our next act, we take a complete left turn….wink wink. That said, aside from sonics, the lyrics cover a broad range of topics, from love to politics to social commentary and whatever abstract thoughts get conjured up when I’m sitting on my couch at 1 AM noodling around on the six-string. When it comes to songs, sometimes the best stuff doesn’t have to be too literal.
Songwriting Is a Strategic Process
My songwriting process varies, is nonlinear, and forces me to look deep within before even picking a word. It’s all based on feeling. The vowel has to be correct; it cannot be an “ah” sound if an “e” feels better at that spot. It’s a stream of consciousness; there’s no bending what feels right. As a result, I can be meticulous about the details yet respectful of the fact that true creation is the opposite of being forceful. To get into the flow state, you have to try (by not trying) to become nothing, like Bruce Lee said, become water or whatever. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how I sometimes come up with songs:
Ideation
Concept mapping
Word placement
Refinement
Tap tempo
Press record
Well, if you’ve made it to the end of this passage, congratulations. Feel free to feel free and check out some of the music I’ve worked on recently. All links on this page are original material.