Fri Apr 21 2006

"Not A Little Bit Country": I'm at a pizza place, supposedly finishing a paper for my day job, but I just have to write this down. They're playing the radio station KASE 101, which is a country station, and I'm a little scared. Why? Because I'm moving to Nashville, and I have a very limited tolerance of country music. Now, I can dig country songwriting to the extent that it doesn't worship or seek to maintain some long-gone cowboy existence, and a good pedal steel player is to be honored (though, to be honest, my favorite pedal steel player by far is Robert Randolph, who makes my booty move). I think it's mainly the twaaaang in the singers' voices...and the I'm-pretending-to-be-a-cowboy thing. Anyway, I'm trapped here at this restaurant (well, I could leave but just go with me here) but at least it's only for a little while, whereas in Nashville I'll be there loooong term. ...Actually, this suggests an interesting line to pursue: Before I moved to Germany I bought audio cassettes and rented German movies and tried to prepare for the language difference. So perhaps similarly, I could acclimate myself to country music by eating here regularly, and tuning my car stereo to.....No. That would suck. Better to just cope with culture shock when it hits.

Now, interestingly (to me), I just finished watching Scorsese's documentary on Bob Dylan and folk music. I learned about things I'd heard and read about, but never "seen": Woody Guthrie, Pete Singer, protest songs, folk music vs. rock and roll... Oh and of course Bob Dylan. I rented this because I do not like Bob Dylan's.... presentation, and it's kept me from getting into him at all, even though I keep trying. As a singer-songwriter, not liking Bob Dylan is like having leprosy or some kind of social disease (I'm reluctant to even admit it...but here we go), so I've been trying for a while. And I really have tried! I bought a greatest hits 2-CD set a few years ago in an effort to like Bob Dylan. ...That effort failed. But I think after watching this, and understanding more about the context of Dylan's emergence on the scene, I'm much more able to...uh.... appreciate his stuff.

But watching this documentary has also really helped me understand something about myself, which drummer-friend Kevin Gathright pointed out at our last practice (when I expressed fear that our arrangement of``Sunshine'' might sound like ``easy listening''): ....let's say it: I...am not....a... folk...singer. Sigh. This is a sad day because I've been trying to become a part of the folk scene for a while and have been somewhat frustrated with this. But let's face the facts: I don't do protest songs, I don't focus only on lyrics but instead pay attention to melody, harmony and instrumentation. (It has to sound good and be musically as well as lyrically interesting.) I'm not at all interested in conserving traditional forms, or covering other people's tunes. I don't write story songs at all, nor do I relate to them, or particularly enjoy listening to them. I'm certainly not a communist or socialist or labor advocate...I'm not least bit political! (Probably because politics doesn't interest me... something I have in common with Dylan I suppose. That and a love for the poetry of Dylan Thomas!) As opposed to the people at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, I like rock music (though I understand Pete Seeger's wanting to cut the cables of the PA since it was impossible to hear Dylan's words....apart from which there'd be no point to listening). I rarely enjoy what I hear on...ahem...some radio station that I won't bother naming, and instead prefer (alternative rock) 101X. I like Rage Against the Machine for crying out loud! (Uh, who are/were socialist...but I block out the lyrics, honestly.) ...Although, thanks to the documentary, I can say that I might even like Joan Baez's music whereas before I...honestly found her vibrato to be a source of prohibitive snickering. Of course, people like Janis Ian and Melanie are in a different class --- they're awesome. (Janis, if you're reading this: Keep kicking a$$.)

This admission makes sense though. People at folk festivals tell me I'm a good writer but tell me I'm not what they're looking for. I never get ``in'' to the festivals, or any contests related to them. (Yes, this may also have something to do with a need to refine my craft and presentation, but not by much according to others in the 'biz who know me.) And I notice that, of the people who do get in, the ones that I like the most and think deserve further attention are rarely the ones who are chosen by the powers-that-be to ``advance'' to the next level.

Now, okay, ``singer-songwriter'' today means all kinds of things to people, and e.g. Kari Estrin told me not to worry about being ``too Rock for Folk''. I like what I do, and so do other people (e.g. the awesome musicians who play with me largely for free). So, okay. I will grieve a bit over not being that which I've pursued for a few years....my tongue-in-cheek slogan of ``Rock, trying to be Folk" has been very apt. I really do like the acoustic thing though. I think it was Michael Hedges who for many of us bridged the gap from rock back to the acoustic guitar as a powerful and interesting instrument. And writing significant, meaningful songs is...just a personal preference. Honestly, this self-admission isn't going to change one bit of what I do or how I approach it. But it will mean that I'll need to be a bit more mindful of how I (don't) fit into the genre-based ``market''. And it'll help me to stop feeling kinda...frustrated. So. It's a good day. It's always good to acknowlege and live in the truth.

So what's true about you? How can a sober estimate of your identity facilitate your living?

Sun Dec 11 2005

Tonight's music listening binge is underway with "Down Rodeo" by Rage Against the Machine. ...Man, that Tom Morello is such an inspiration. Except for his being a commie, or something. ;-) Rock, gentlemen! We thank you! Okay, they broke up years ago, but... still. I got to the coffee shop tonight cranking out to "Bulletproof" by the Goo Goo Dolls. ("cranking out"? is that a word?) ...Okay, now we're on to "Tokyo Storm Warning" by my man Elvis (Costello). I've listened to this song so many times now, the challenge is whether I know all the words. And I don't. I wonder if I'll ever get to the point, career-wise, so that some kid is listening to my stuff with the intensity and admiration that I do to these guys. That would be weird. I'd probably tell that kid, "Hey, do your own thing. You've got it in you. I can help point you toward it, but you gotta go for it yourself, your own way. And rock out!"

Had two and a half hour a phone conference with Kari Estrin yesterday morning. It was great. And germane to the current discussion, she told me not to worry about my rock leanings in my trying-to-be-folk career; it's okay. According to her.

("Japanese got Jesus robots telling teenage fortunes..." where does EC get these lyrics?)

Sun Nov 6 2005

Daaaang I love music! I'm at a coffee shop and, since my "day job stuff" is going slow this evening, I've just been organzing sounds in preparation for a new album (shhh!). I've been listening to a bunch of my clips-that-never-became-songs-but-still-rock... for a while. Just rockin' out with my headphones, boppin' around in the coffee shop. And right now I'm listening to the title track from Jimmy Eat World's "Futures" album. Again, over and over...and OVER! Dang. Those guys know how to do it!

(I feel I'm about to go on a King's X - Vertical Horizon binge... maybe even a little **Dream Theater**.)
(But I'm a folk musician, honest! ;-) )

Thu Sept 29 2005

Last Thursday, the composer and guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan played in Austin. (http://www.pierrebensusan.com) It was a truly inspiring evening, and very special for me in particular. I had the privilege of studying under Pierre at his house in France in the spring of 2001. Seeing him again recalled to mind many of the lessons about music-making that I learned and somewhat lost touch with. The emphasis on "playing from the heart" of being "totally fearless" was fully realized in Pierre's performance.

Furthermore, for myself in particular, it was great to interact with Pierre again. Since he's an international bigshot, I figured I'd have to jog his memory a bit. ("Remember me? Scott? I played ball with your son in your yard?") Such was not the case. Not only did he remember me --- he told the ENTIRE AUDIENCE a story about me, about how I suggested an easier way to play one of his songs. (Tune the second string up to a C.... but Pierre only plays in DADGAD...) He then played a song I learned, but differently from how I learned it, he would flash a funny smile my way. He pretty much played the song "at" me... The eye contact I had with Pierre during the night was great. Sometimes his expression would be "Hey, watch what I can do!" or "You're not expecting this!", and sometimes it was the expression of a teacher, "Hey! Are you paying attention, my student?"

One Pierre anecdote: I went up to talk to him before the show, but then I quickly got self-conscious because I didn't want to be bugging him right before he went on. But Pierre said, "Oh no. I want to be out here, with the people. The last thing I want to do is be 'meditating' in my dressing room." And then he looked at me and pointed a finger, saying, "The meditation occurs when I am playing." I will remember that for the rest of my life...