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Hey y'all - I just added another verse to my epic tale of derring-do and pharmacological frenzy . . . it just felt like the narrative needed a little resolution.

James

Alex - For a first song, this is wonderful (if a bit morbid).  Don't stop now - keep the ideas flowing and have some fun playing with your ideas.

Gather many ideas and work with them.  Do it a little every day.  Do it when you feel like it - and also do it when you don't feel like it!  Songwriting is like anything else, the more you practice the easier it becomes.

happi munki - if you want to write songs, then write songs!  There are always interesting things to write about - if nothing else write about how bored you are?

Don't be too worried about what other's may think or say.  Realize that often times critical people are just jealous - tell them that when they have created some songs you will be glad to entertain their opinions regarding your songs.

It is easy to be snide and belittle other people's stuff - it is much more difficult (and satisfying) to engage in the creative process.

Hello aurelbis - Having it all on one page does have it's advantages.  However, my preference is to have the chords throughout the entire song since it is far easier for me to learn to sing&play with everything all together.

I have lots of printed songs also and I keep them in 3-ring binders.  I just take out the pages I want to play.  Having the chords throughout is also very helpful when playing with friends who are trying to learn a new song.

hello jpage-roxmysox, glad you liked the lyric to that little ditty.  I write songs about all kinds of stuff - whatever strikes my fancy.  I write my share of sappy love songs also since it is an endlessly fascinating topic.

Perhaps the best love song I have ever heard is by Paul Thorn.  Go to YouTube and search for "Ain't Love Strange".  It is a song about love, but about as un-sappy as it can be.  It is a great introduction to this artist's incredible songwriting and performing ability.  He also has a great website featuring his artwork and prose pieces (paulthorn.com).

Apparently the previous dead rock people trivia questin was just too obtuse (sorry).  The leaping figure skater in the photos is Monica Danneman.  The East German-born figure skating champion and artist was the last person to see Jimi Hendrix alive.  He died in her London flat under questionable circumstances.

Congratulations on getting a band started!  Practice time together is precious - so get in a habit of using that time effectively.  Be clear in your minds what you need to accomplish each session.

Typically, somebody will need to assume the role of 'coach' and gently urge the session along.  It is easy to get bogged down or get off track and dither away your time together.

As anotheremptyhead has stated, be professional at all times - not only in dealing with persons 'outside' the group, but also internally with your fellow bandmates.  The internal dynamic will work best if each individual behaves in a respectful and prefessional manner toward each other.

The unfortunate fact is that some people seem to lose their way in life.  It is sad when an artist who has creative flair comes to an early end.  Likewise, it is just as sad when 'regular folk' make bad decisions or edge incrementally into self-destructive behavior that hastens their demise.

Are creative individuals (musicians, artists, writers, performers, etc.) more prone to destructive behaviors?  Certainly, some flaunt their self-destructive tendancies as if they are a badge of honor.  I would suggest that an artist who respects their art form and is serious about creating would not willingly compromise their abilities.

I have seen the lives of regular people devasted by drugs and alcohol and gambling and just plain stupid behavior.  I feel more sympathy/pity/frustration for those regular folks as I do for deeply-toubled self-pitying artistic types.

gitaardocphil - not certain which festival you are referring to, but the mere idea of being a backstage festival physician is fascinating . . . quite a gig.

In response to the Otis Redding pre-crash gig, I'm stumped.  A bit of net-sleuthing didn't turn up anything other than he was on tour and had played the Monterrey Festival recently.

Is that it?  Redding's music still sounds fantastic to this day - - a great testimony to his talent and the raw energy a stageful of talented musicians can deliver.

Here is another one - who wrote "Get Together" made famous by Jessie Colin Young and the Youngbloods?

I'm enjoying this thread - gitaardocphil hope you don't feel it is veering too far from your original topic?

Excellent!  Yes, your prize is a fabulous all-expense-paid trip to your favorite room in your house to practice!  Seriously though - I'm glad you knew the answer.  An artist's music becomes even more interesting as you learn about their lives (and deaths) and times.

Howzabout this - where did Lynyrd Skynyrd play last before their plane crashed killing most of the group's members?

I would suggest that the downward spiral experienced by many performers might be due to the fact that the realities of their success are very unlike their dreams of what success should be like.  Elvis lived into his 40's, but the creative spark had been extinguished years before.

On the other hand there are highly creative and successful artists who continue to blossom anew through the decades.  I have great admiration for creative souls who are somehow able to keep stoking the burning desire to continue making something new and different.