Musings from Story Jam Land

3/12/11

Nash

I'm probably no hot studio singer. The process of recording tends to stress me out. Directing the emotion of a big song into a small metal tube is a challenge to this live-lovin' performer. But, I'm making a record (yes, they're called records), so I gotta record. In a studio. This time, I opted to do it in Nashville.

So, seated next to an inebriated ex-Marine with gold teeth and billowy muscles, I amble down in a rickety ol' can of tin (thanks, American Eagle) and hightail it to Neilson. Neilson is a Mississippi fella, a touring musician, a no-kidding producer with a vibey studio in east Nashville.



Neilson Hubbard

 We meet. We talk. Music, marriage, religion, politics. Then, I sing. And sing. And sing. I sang from ten in the morning until seven at night that first day. And I couldn't wait to do it again the next day.

Maybe now I kinda get the studio and maybe it kinda gets me. Maybe one awkward flight, a Marine, the Nashville hills, a bottle of throat spray and a smart southern dude just turned me into a singer.


posted by Hipchick @ March 12, 2011  0 Comments

2/27/11

Taking Care

Being sick, which I seem to be sometimes, is often a pain in the ass and yet it's also a blessing. It's a chance to reform, renew and reinvigorate a life. I've noticed in these past few homebound days that I've strung myself along the emotional pull - from annoyance and regret to joy and hope - just to find that I am, once again, emerging a little bit stronger and hope-filled. I had been chained to a box of tissues while reading Newsweek and the lyrics of Leonard Cohen when Karen Maezen Miller's "Hand Wash Cold" arrived at a most serendipitous moment. It's a Zen-infused instruction manual (and autobiography) about enjoying the wash, the chores, the moment.

Thank you Momma Zen because today, as I am recovering, I am grateful for the chance to be home these past few days. To have gently made simple, nourishing meals for my sick family, to have had the luxury of sleep and hugs and herbal baths, and to have relished this beautiful book... 

posted by Hipchick @ February 27, 2011  1 Comments

2/1/11

Indie Wed



I was really thrilled to be an attendee at Indie Wed last weekend. Indie wed is a wedding show event that caters to unique, hip, conscious couples. I met lots of amazing people who are raising the eco-friendly bar in their floral, stationary, catering, photography, video and jewelry businesses. I also saw some great re-purposing of gorgeous wedding accoutrements and some incredibly creative green and vintage companies. I loved the inspiration and vibe. There were a couple DJs and a smattering of individual musicians (a string quartet, a guitarist, a harpist), but no band representation. This event made me really think about how I can incorporate best green practices into my work in the band. While we do use electricity and cars to lug gear, we rarely print our promo materials (we use email and pdfs a lot!). I also try to buy previously owned gear and I donate a portion of our proceeds to great organizations like Donors Choose, Kiva and the Lemonaid Fund in Sierra Leone. I'd love to find more ways to bring consciousness to my business, so please send me any suggestions if you have them!


Some of the groovy vendors at indie wed 2011:
http://layercakeshop.com/
http://www.larkspurchicago.com/
http://idofilms.net/
http://greenweddingalliance.org/
http://jfod.com/
http://lovelulumae.com/
http://vavoompinups.com/

posted by Hipchick @ February 01, 2011  1 Comments

7/15/10

Home Office



"I believe that writers are terribly sensitive to our environments. We need very much to have a desirable workspace in order to let our creativity unfold." Pamela Phillips Oland












I've been reading "The Art of Writing Great Lyrics" by Pamela Phillips Oland, from which the above quote comes. This idea-rich book, which is responsible for forcing me to whip my lyrics into shape these past two weeks, is loaded with great writing advice from an established industry lyricist. I've learned lots of tricks and tips, including how to make the song into a story and how to better choose words that get to the point rather than sound like lovely poetry (one of her major points is that lyrics are not poetry). Though some of the information is slightly dated and some of her examples of simile are a touch cheesy ("You are as tempting as an apple tree in Eden"), the book is helpful for anyone with or without formal songwriting training. In addition to all the surprising advice (it's okay to use a rhyming dictionary!), there is a chapter on the importance of one's working environment that has stuck with me these past few days.





I have always had a very personal relationship with my workplace. I cannot work until the house is clean and I require space and color, light and calm, before I can even so much as compose an email. I am in the midst of recording and finishing writing for a new cd and every song, word, idea and melody came out of my home "office." After writing songs for nearly two decades, I think I have finally gotten a workplace which both feeds my soul and functions well.


For what it's worth, my ideas tend to start at the piano. We purchased this piano at a small college sale; therefore this "writer's instrument," which I love so dearly, was formerly used by music majors. It is not a "pianist's piano" and as I am no concert classicist, it suits me well. I love its work-horse, academic-musician energy. It's something I pound on without worry of offending; a very easy, forgiving instrument. The swirly rug underneath is vintage and cost us about forty bucks. Small price to pay for so much happy.


I do most of my lyric writing and all of my editing in the adjacent room. This is my "lyric room," which is our office, bill paying dock, telephone conference room, comfy reading area, etc... It has three walls filled with windows and is very cozy.

I don't really know what most songwriters do, but I start with a song idea - usually at the grand above the swirls - and often with a recording device of some kind (lately it's been a recording app on the iphone). When I have culled the ideas on my recorder, I bring them into the lyric room for some work on the mac. Then I spend the next hours, days or maybe weeks, on and off, bouncing back and forth from computer to piano. When its ready, I load the song into my small protools setup on the mac with a keyboard and a microphone. I keep working on it until I finally bring it to the band to rehearse and possibly try out at a small gig. Quite often, the song just sits there, either as a just word file, or maybe as a protools file. 

I wonder if other people in other fields feel a kind of intimacy with their environment? Do accountants need great lighting in order to numbers-crunch? Does a chef relish in a clean floor? Would a lawyer prefer to be surrounded by books? 

I am scouring the internet for pictures of artist homes. Here are a few homes of interest...
rickie lee jones at her home in washington
tori amos in her home studio
sting at home in wiltshire
joni mitchell's home in laurel canyon, 1970's
(grand piano not visible)

posted by Hipchick @ July 15, 2010  2 Comments