Sometimes as a songwriter, you go through periods when the writing is just not happening, so it’s been a great feeling recently to be writing lots of new Americana Songs.  Not only does it fill the void of creating for me as a writer, but it really does get my band into a wave of creative freedom and exploration as well.  One of my favorite parts of writing songs is to see how my band will respond and feel inspired to come up with creative parts for my new tunes.  I love the feeling of trying out different ideas and everyone working hard to get the best sound for each song.

The new Americana Songs I have been working on for my next record have really been fun to work on with my band to get ready to perform and record because we all have a new level of freedom and openness.  While I feel my best writing comes from somewhere inside and is generally something I do alone, after the songs are done,  I love the interaction that happens as other artists start to create their parts and I figure out the perfect balance to build a great song that the listener will be inspired by.

Like the Shakespeare quote says, the play’s the thing.  Well the same is true about writing music.  The song’s the thing.  It’s not about instruments yet, or vocals, or anything else.  It’s all about the songs.  When it came time to decide what Americana Songs were best for my second record, Trip to Horizon, it was a tough call.  I had made the decision earlier that Sally Browder would be the perfect producer.  She had produced some very edgy artists like X, The Plimsouls and Young Dubliners.  Since my first record was more folk oriented, I knew she would be perfect to take my music into a more Americana/Roots Rock feel.

I had about 30 rough tunes to choose the best Americana Songs I could for the record and just a few weeks before the start of tracking.  After getting feedback from Sally and some trusted friends and fans, it was clear that about 6 songs were on everybody’s list.  That meant picking four more from the rest.  Not an easy task, believe me.  As we went to track the record, we had whittled it down to 14, but couldn’t decide which of the last four to cut.  After a while, we made a compromise and cut two.  I pushed hard that day and convinced Sally that All Around Me and There’s A Girl both had special meaning to me and had to be on the record.  So, the twelve Americana Songs were chosen and the exciting journey began to the “Trip to Horizon”.

I was asked which of the Americana Songs I’ve written that I liked the best and why.  That’s a tough question to answer because they all are like my own kids, so it’s hard to say I like this one more than that one.  But, if I’m looking at it from an Americana perspective, I would say “All Around Me” from my second record, Trip to Horizon would be right up there.  I like it because of how it came about.  I was hiking in Topanga Canyon during what directors call ‘magic hour’ when everything was all golden light and the breeze hit the tall grass just right and it just came to me.  “All Around Me” is very vivid and tells a story that true love has no boundaries and is timeless.

“There’s a Girl” is another of my Americana Songs that has very special significance for me because it tells us to not overlook the daily wonder of those most important in our lives.  It has this Van Morrison vibe that came about because the lyrics are just so uplifting and I think the result is a song that makes you feel so good

The third of my favorite Americana Songs from Trip To Horizon is “Yard Cow” because of how the song evolved.  I happened to be playing “Black Bird” by Paul McCartney when the ideas started to happen very fast.  “Yard Cow” was written in what seemed like minutes and is a very magical and fun ride to take.  It has this cool southern charm and gets you tapping your foot and wanting to have some biscuits and gravy.

After a number of shows, I kept having people urge me to do a live video of my Johnny Depp Song (it seems to be a lot of people’s favorite song). I had been thinking for a while of the best way to get some really great video of my band, so I started doing some planning.  First, I knew that to get really great sound and video, the location would need to be one that we could control. Clubs are tough because of all the craziness that goes with them. The answer was right in front of me.  We would do it as a house concert. We would be able to get the exact shots we want, sound, etc. and have a lot of fun too. I also thought, what a great way to say thanks to some of my strongest fans, by inviting them to my house concert and performing for them.

After setting up some stage lighting, hanging some drapes and string lights, we had a nice stage to work from.  We were pretty sure my Johnny Depp Song would be the one to put on the internet first, so I made it the lead off song of the set to get the show kicked off right.  We actually had to play the Johnny Depp Song twice because the audience kept requesting that we play it again.  It’s a great feeling to know that people like my music enough to request hearing it a second time.  We had such a great time at the house concert that we are having another one next month.

Whenever an artist decides to do a record, they know they will have to spend at least a year after it is finished promoting it by touring. As I was finishing up mixing my second record, “Trip to Horizon”, I knew I would have to have an incredible Americana Band to support the record for playing live shows.  I felt that the first person I had to find was a great lead guitarist. My music is very guitar oriented because for the most part, that’s how I write most of my songs.  After auditioning many lead guitar players, I came upon the most amazing young guitarist, Mario Gorito, who really seemed to understand the feel of my music right from the start and had the ability to play anything. It has been a great relief to  have such a wonderful talent in Mario and the right person for this critical role in my Americana Band.

I made a decision early on that the musicians in my band would have to not only be great players, but would have to be people I could trust and get along with because we would  be spending a lot of time together on the road and rehearsing.  That was a major reason for choosing my drummer, Bobby McBride, who had toured with me to support my first record.  Not only is he a fantastic drummer, but he is also a great songwriter and lover of Americana music. I knew that the final piece to my Americana Band, the bass player, would have to be able to match up to the quality of the other musicians. I am so glad that I found an incredible bassist, Luca Spanio, to round out the band.  It is critical in a band that the bass and drums be ‘in the pocket’ to allow the lead guitarist and vocalist to move freely in the music and Bobby and Luca have that gift.  It’s always difficult finding and keeping good musicians in a band and I am very happy to have the right players for my Americana Band.

I guess every songwriter has a story about the influences that shaped who they are as an artist.  For me, I was influenced very early on by some great Americana Music writers who had the ability to create great music within a wide range of musical genres.  I remember sneaking out my bedroom window to go see a Bob Seger concert with several friends.  One of my friends even made it up to the stage and shook Bob’s hand.  Well, that was all it took, I knew I had to be an Americana artist.  I couldn’t wait for the next Springsteen or Tom Petty record to come out and would be first in line to get my copy. 

I think the thing about Americana Music that gets me most, is the stories that the artist tells.  When Bruce talks about Rat meeting up with the Barefoot Girl across the Jersey state line in “Jungleland”, it’s like watching a movie in your head.  Or, in “American Girl” when Tom Petty sings about it being ‘cold that night as she stood alone on her balcony’, you can just feel the chill.

I had an assignment once in a photography class to take pictures of a live performance, so I went to see Emmylou Harris and Chuck Berry, a couple of great Americana legends, and got right up to the stage.  I am forever influenced by Emmylou’s amazing, angelic voice and Chuck’s showmanship.  I still have the pics and they are incredible!  I knew even as a young teen that if I wanted to write like these great artists, I would need to play guitar, so I worked hard with my guitar teacher on many great songs by music stars like Dolly Parton (Jolene), Roy Orbison (Blue Bayou) and Gary White (Long Long Time), which gave me the drive to try to create like they did.

I feel lucky to have been impacted by such amazing Americana Music artists and to have worked on their music with a great teacher because it helped make me the writer I am today.  Maybe we should work on some songs.

I recently had someone ask me what my top three favorite Americana Songs are.  That’s a tough one though, to break it down to just three.  When I thought about it, one of the first that jumped right to mind was “Second Hand News”, by Lindsey Buckingham off of one of the great rock records of the 1970′s.  Many people think of Fleetwood Mac as pop/rock, but Lindsey is as Americana as it gets.  This song made me want to be a singer-songwriter and artist.  As the opening song, it set the tone for the rest of the record.  I knew one day I wanted to write a lot of Americana Songs and Second Hand News made me want to achieve that.

As my second choice, I would say it’s a tie for every song Buddy Holly ever wrote.  This guy was a songwriting freak who wrote all classic Americana Songs, but I guess if I had to choose it would be “True Love Ways” or “Oh Boy”.  I did a version of Oh Boy and had so much fun with it.  When I work on a Buddy Holly song, it always inspires me to write and try to do my best.

Lastly, I would have to say “Ring of Fire”, performed by Johnny Cash and written by June Carter-Cash.  June Carter tapped into the total essence of Americana Songs when she wrote that.  When she writes, ‘I fell for you like a child, oh but the fire went wild’, I am completely swept away by this song.

Johnny Depp Song – House Concert Video