Writing spree

I have found myself on a writing spree of late. It's both a blessing and curse to be honest, as I jump from one track to the next and back again, with ideas pouring in and I frantically trying to get them down before the horrible realization of forgetfulness creeps in. The number of times I have told myself "don't worry, you'll remember" so as not to rush to pen and paper, or to piano keys only to promptly forget exactly what sound, phrase or otherwise I was trying not to, well I can't really remember how many times ;) but believe me many. Memory, or lack thereof, has caused me the loss of volumes of great beats, rhythms, and lyrics and I can't imagine I'm alone in this respect. A good piece if advice I was given some time back was to keep a Dictaphone with me for song idea emergencies. Of course I couldn't really get into that as those things look fully ridiculous to use. So instead these days, and thankfully with trusty iPhone in hand, Voice Recorder and the Notes apps are best friends of mine. And I'm also sure I've turned many an eye and stare, hardly looking ridiculous of course, walking casually along the sidewalk, in a store, or even while enjoying a pint at the pub when suddenly I'm whipping my phone out, singing into it and then after pressing a few buttons (to make sure it's saved of course,) slipping the phone back into my pocket and carrying on as if that's the norm. I'll bet the whisper of "weirdo over there" has left lips once or twice. Oh well. Better that than to forget. Which reminds me.....

The Call [poem]

The Call
 
500 times I've heard your call,
Each night that passes another to fall,
Though you may think I hear you not,
Through dreams never-ending you call a lot,
Wondering in silence if I am still around,
Listen to the answer it's within the sound,
That I am always aware and hear every cry,
Lest another life passes before you try,
To make amends you should make haste,
Before to dust a future too late.
                                           - Geoff Mills, June 2010


As a person who believes strongly in the need to expand and challenge his own vocabulary I do my best to read and write as much as possible, especially these days as I work on the album, and continually edit the lyrics I have penned. I find a certain enjoyment in turning a thought to poem or verse, be it of simple passing or of something that lingers in my mind and as the above poem has. When I have dreams that nightly walk along the same theme, it indicates to me that I must pick up my notebook and write. The Call was written this morning after another night of recurring dream of theme, not the same dream itself, and is my interpretation of it. I have wondered many times over the years if we communicate with one another when we dream, and are just not aware of it because rarely do people discuss their previous night's dreams with anyone on a consistent basis to seek patterns or similarities. Despite what knowledge we as human beings have garnered over the years, dreams are something that we still can only attempt to interpret. We do not truly know for fact their full meanings, the reasons why or the level of consciousness that we undergo during dreams. We participate within them in strange ways and despite the interactions are upon awakening only the spectator. If a dream can actually make The Call to another; then answer.

A quickie

This weekend I am on the writing blitz. As per my previous posting I have a couple tracks on the burner and am looking forward to walking into Monday feeling somewhat accomplished, knowing that I will have spent this weekend wisely and productively. I find setting myself short term goals that divide and then equal up upon completion to my long terms goals a great way to self-manage my time and energies, given that there are never enough hours in the day it seems. It also helps me to keep perspective and positive on what needs to be done now so that I don't become lost in the rush of everything, end up overwhelmed and then have that "oh shit" feeling because something has been forgotten. The number of steps involved in this career are unimaginable, and wearing a lot of hats needs proper time and priority management. Good life lessons I'm finding out. I am happy to announce that one of the tracks I'm working on is back along the lines of the dance genre, with some heavy lounge/deep trance influences. I also intend to get some readying done - as I was reminded ;)

Stay tuned.


Have yourself a wonderful weekend.

Patience... the virtue

Time and again I've heard the expression: patience is a virtue. But is it really? And if so, what kind of patience becomes virtue?

Patience is defined as a state or quality of being patient.
To be patient is to be expectant with calmness, or without discontent; not hasty (so Webster's says.) It can also mean being physically able to suffer or bear; and even mean undergoing pains or trials without fretfulness. An awful lot of suffering and calmness requirements to a virtue it seems.

In many respects, when it comes to my ambitions and passions I'm not a patient person. I want things to happen now, not later, and I want the same energy out of something that I put into it. On the other hand when it comes to others I had found myself to be extremely patient, depending on the situation of course and with an ultimate limit. As example; I have believed in love time and again and have also been equally burnt by it time and again. I have allowed patience of self to a point where it almost destroyed me emotionally. I let it push me to the point of no return so that I could in fact discover what my true limits are, how patient I am willing to be in the future, and what I'm made of. The best part of all that, the testing of personal limits and the limits of one's patience, is that you get to know yourself very well. If you can successfully step through the pain and trials of it all you will step out the other side much stronger, self-assured and with eyes and mind wide open to life. It also teaches you new lessons and values of patience itself. A different type of patience. I no longer allow my patience to be tested as previously I had, because I now know my limits and I know without doubt that I am firm of self. That doesn't mean stubborn and not willing to change if it's for the better, but it does mean I will not compromise my values, or my heart, any longer. My patience is now for me. It is a patience to continue to grow as a person, to expand upon my interests and to allow myself to take the moments to be thankful. Patience now to me means breathing slowly in and out, taking extra moments to listen to what someone has to say, to slow down and look around at what I otherwise might have missed. This is a new definition of patience for me. Not the old anxious one that caused me endless stress and allowed others to walk all over generosity and kindness without saying a word or putting a foot down. It's not selfish to own your patience. It's yours to harness and use so that you don't miss out by running too fast. It now feels like a virtue, where before it felt like a burden.

The current album I'm writing, Back to Freedom, is both about and has been a lesson in patience for me. In order to write this album I had to undergo certain trials, attempt calmness and physically and mentally bear certain pains. It took the greatest opening of my eyes to see life from a perspective as I previously had not, in order to write words that were and are honest, raw, and meaningful. Sure I have written all types of songs in the past and they were honest to a point, but they were not truly real for me. The fact remains that I never wrote about what is, but instead I had always written about what I hoped could be. A big difference. Back to Freedom is about what I have learned. It is about what I feel, experience and continue to live by. It is an album to me of the virtue of patience and of the discovery of patience-of-self. The process is showing me that through this new form of patience, I can now fully learn about life, love, and everything I may have missed before.

Cheers.

Get the work done

Today/tonight I'm back at it again and happy to be, although somewhat unfocused. Per last posting I'm future forward so I get a little anxious to tackle a number of things at the same time when I'm no longer feeling under the weight of memory. Right now I'm closing the night off with a post here in order to get myself away from the piano and off to sleep. But productive it has been as I ran through a couple new mix-downs of the previous track to improve the EQing along with the vocal ambiance. A warmer posting of the song will come tomorrow after I've had chance to test it out on a number of different systems first. Next I began prep work on a remake I intend to do of an old song (thank you Prinny!) I won't be telling which it is or who the original artist was until it's done however, and I have the final OK to release it. Keeping this one close to the chest so to speak. Lastly I pulled a couple of other originals that I had let sit for some time back onto my to-do list for this round of production. All in all a good day. It will be a busy week, upcoming weekend and then thereafter, but well worth it. It's can be tough to play all the roles at times: as the songwriter and lyricist to the arranger, musician and player to the vocalist, and finally producer and engineer on all the songs, it certainly keeps my hands full. But I love every minute of it and will not complain in the least. 

As I finish up this evening gazing at the piano and staring into monitor, I want to let my friends know that I am thinking of you always and missing you more, especially on a sunny day like today was. Luckily my inner critic tells me to "shut it and get the work done!" :)

Peace and hugs.

The turning page.

I find most often after each song completed I tend to need a bit of time apart from new creative avenues to reflect on what was just written, the why of it and if I've actually learned anything new from the experience. The closer a song is to my heart the truer this is. Sometimes it can be a day or two if it's a simpler song in terms of emotion, perhaps extolling the joys of feeling alive, be it trivial or not but always in the positive. Other times it can take a week or more if it's a song that has required me to remind myself and relive an experience or dig deeper into the impact of something I am currently working through. The past couple of days was the tail end of the latter. Thankfully I was lucky enough to spend this time on a private island situated in a scene of serene beauty where nature abounds, in order to address this state of mind and release the last of it. During a previously short but equally recharging stay at the same place, I had discovered that I really enjoy chopping and stacking wood as it gives me time to exercise body and mind, and allows me an introspection I seldom find enough environmental silence to achieve elsewhere. Suffice it to say, a fair amount of wood was chopped and stacked this time.

I have taught and continue to remind myself as best as possible to live in the now as this is the only thing I can ever be sure of, and to see the past as lessons learned or to be learned from. Although I don't find this to be the most difficult of tasks to accomplish, letting feelings go and fade to the past is on occasion another matter completely. I feel like a method actor when writing as emotions and thoughts well up with great strength and force their way to the surface, causing me to relive things internally, some of which I don't wish to relive. That this happens is a sure sign to me that I haven't dealt with something and therefore it's coming out like it or not. A necessary thing really when writing and composing. With luck this unknowing spring turns into a positive creative flow of lyrics or prose, short story or even simple entry in a notebook that I keep with me as much as possible. With even greater luck it becomes a song worth keeping. There are times however when I fall into this introspective battle of which no clear victor is to be had. If it's to the negative an all too familiar and unwanted pull downward may creep in. Recognizing this took a very long time of hide-and-seek over the years, and I have now learned to control and deal with it as best as possible. For me it comes in knowing that anything negative can be turned to positive if only I change my perspective and approach to it. Negative feelings do not have to remain as such. If I step back from the thought, tell myself "OK that's one way to look at it but how about this?" and mentally charge myself with alternate takes and perspectives, more often than not my state turns quick to the positive. Positive mental attitude, something I have heard time and again, is in reality a better way to live. When we look to ourselves and life with positivity we attract that which is positive. Same goes for negativity. Easy choice if not always easy to practice, but certainly worth the effort.

In the wake of creativity can come a pendulum that neither gains momentum nor slows pace as a metronome ticking joy to joy, pain to pain, or from one then back again. The problem with it is that I am constantly reminded just how close to the surface some of these things are and that I question whether I have dealt with the impact truly, or have just highlighted what I have learned and told myself "time to move on." Having recently completed the track "Your Song," I realized that I had in fact done just that. I learned the lessons but did not apply them to the emotional side of my life which was still left a bit raw with questions unanswered in my mind. Thankfully after a good and much needed chat this weekend I was able to recognize, due to another's perspective, that this had happened and was finally able to put to rest a part of the past. Lesson learned. The first breath of air that filled my lungs after my shared moment of "ah-ha!" was sweet, and the sensation of peace on the exhale even sweeter. The real joy in all this is that I'm now ready to move on in all aspects. Now to the next song, and perhaps even complete a couple others that have been nagging me to finish them each time to sit at the piano. It's good to feel ready, not just on the composing and performing side but in terms of life and being fully confident that now is the time to make the final push. I am taking this as far as I can go without ever looking back again. This is what I have always wanted and it has taken a great leap in self to actually go for it as opposed to just saying so, like many do. There is something to be said for following your dream in a true and honest manner, to the best of your ability with passion in heart and spirit in hand.

This is what I have learned over the last 48 hours about myself, and I think carrying it forward a good lesson I can keep to my hip when the next hurdle arrives. Sometimes getting out of the city and spending a little time with nature can do wonders. Away from technology and endless want, where the only hum is wind rustling leaves, water lapping on shore and the occasional Loon or two calling into the night.  This page has turned and a new chapter begins.

Thoughts

Let me thank you and share with you the soundtrack to my life. Through words I write and keys I press, I am always amazed when other souls listen and find comfort. Through music I am blessed. Through happiness and pain, from moments of boundless joy to what sometimes feels like an eternity of rain, words still come and sound creates to ease my soul for my soul's sake.

A song can lift, a song can remind

Sometimes when writing a song it just flows, as the last one did. Other times they come in and out of life leaving a bit of mental havoc in their path. A reminder that there are things left to be thought about, or dealt with. Writing (in any sense,) is truly a great form of self therapy. Last night was therapy time. Occasionally some memories creep in that need putting into their place. 

---
Press-kit delivery day today. We have some amazing people about to (and others that have now,) their hands on these kits which is always a relief when you're getting close to making some life changing moves. After a great chat with a big-shot entertainment lawyer from LA last week, it's good to know that we're on the right path and heading the necessary precautions. One thing I've learned quickly and have been told by many, is that in this business you need a lawyer in speed-dial. Good advice.

The responses to date on demo and kits has been amazing... so now that those are going out the door it's time to finish up the album so we can leap to the next challenge. Almost there now with only a couple songs left to complete. Thankfully I have more songs written and in process to complete the album Back to Freedom so that means album #2 (or some in between singles,) has a couple tracks ready ahead of time. As a solo artist, the amount of time to complete each track, if even by luck the writing breezes through, is probably a lot more than most people realize. Once the musical arrangements are written and the layering of instruments begins, a lot of re-writes take place and as my own worst critic (which personally I think a good thing,) it becomes a challenge to let go. Besides, even when pressed to disc I always hear things later on that I want to change, improve upon and so forth. A song to me is never really finished. I also tend to write the music first and lyrics afterward while sitting with microphone and the record light on, despite the amount of lyrics I write ahead of time in a special book of mine. Funny they really never end up in songs as I don't try to predict what a song is about until I feel the true mood of it, and I can only feel that once I have at least a verse or two done, or a chorus that I can't get out of my head repeating on endless loop until I at last put it to keys and record it.I tend to use what I've committed to paper as reference and idea only. My method I suppose. I've always wondered how other artists do it. I should remember to ask from time to time.

I'm getting long winded...

Anyway, If I can keep writing at this pace and maintain the same level of self-criticism I'm a step ahead.
 ---

Hours later...
Great meeting team meeting tonight. Tomorrow is a big day with the delivered kits of this evening into hands that can make careers. Tonight I keep a PMA. A necessity in this industry given the hills to climb. I never would have thought the number of hours in a day could seem so little and in short supply as they do now. Much to do, but honestly I'm loving every minute of it. Tomorrow is back to the ivories. When following your passion it is really no longer a case of work to live, but fantastically becomes live to work.

Peace and sweet dreams.

A new song: Your Song :)

I love the feeling of completing a new track, especially when it comes together with ease and doesn't end up being an internal battle of sorts. So it is with a smile and a posting that my new song "Your Song" finds its way into my upcoming album. Via the magic that is social site linking, I see that it is also showing up here on the blog so I do hope you will listen, and as always provide me with any feedback you feel necessary, positive or otherwise. This week is another good push as we have confirmed press-kit receipt by two of the major labels and have also been informed that the kits have been internally pushed up to top levels of management for review and consideration. Fingers crossed!!!!


Here are the lyrics to the new track, Your Song:


It's in the way she moves
The softness to her lips
Confuses my serenity
The pleasures of her kiss
Such terrifying bliss
Hold me to my knees

So I will sing this song for you
Though it may not be much
Baby it's true, so true
And when you hear these words that I've said
Just remember the times we've had
I've had, all alone with you
It's in the way she moves
The touching of her hips
Illusions of my stability
Pressing of two lips
Such heaven in a kiss
Is holding me to her needs

So I will sing this song to you
And though it may not be much
Baby it's true, so true
And when you hear these words I've said
Just remember the times we've had, oh we've had
So when you hear these words I've said
Just remember the times we've had.

On another final note: as a World Cup and international football supporter, especially of  Italy and England (mixed backgrounds tends to do this to us offspring,) I would like to say Forza Italia and Cheers England, good luck fellas!!!


Have yourself a wonderful day...

A place to share

It has been a very long time since I blogged, and given the current schedule I'm on, I'm not sure how timely I can be at updating this. However, I do think it a good place to share songs, lyrics, moods and whatever else strikes my day as I travel each hour, moment to moment. Hello to all that read this, and to those that don't. Either way welcome to my world, and thank you for letting me into yours.

The image to left is the cover for the upcoming album :) which I am currently working on. We're about 8 tracks down (almost) with another 2 or 3 to go until completion. Some songs have been shared on the blog player (upper right.) All songs are written/composed, arranged and played, including all vocals, by yours truly. A passion is a passion.