• Nationwide songwriting. Literally, as this is the tale of a cross-continent collaboration.

Just before I left for a vacation over Christmas (see pic!), my friend and former Creative Director, Dave Tutin, who lives in New York, posted the beginnings of a song on his blog. He asked if anyone out there was game to help him finish it. I jumped at the chance. Dave and I have written one song together before, and for me, the experience was great on several levels, so I wanted to do it again.

Why did I enjoy it so much? First and foremost, Dave writes killer lyrics, so I felt very lucky to be trusted by him to put music to his words. But I also liked the focus I was allowed, in that all I had to do was write music. The lyrics were done, unless I needed a few more, which, it turned out, Dave could provide nearly instantly. Finally, it made the lonely process of composition a little less lonely. Even if we were only communicating over email, I did not feel as isolated as I normally do.

Now, if you're up on tech, you're no doubt aware of the myriad collaboration sites out there for musicians, but Dave and I didn't use any of them. In fact, we've been strictly email, which works, I think, because email was our favored mode of communication back when I worked for Dave as a copywriter. Here’s how the process went:

I “finished” the lyrics Dave started, emailed them off to him, my words gave him ideas for new words, he rewrote the tune, sent it back to me and… it was great. To read all the lyrics just scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Next up, music. I started on my Strat, but soon switched to the magical Maton, and a song emerged. I programmed some drums, recorded everything, croaked out a horrific vocal, and emailed Dave an MP3. While awaiting his response, I played the song for my wife, Catherine, and she, um, well, uh, sorta, you know, ahh… Then I heard back from Dave, who was nice, but I know Dave and I could tell that, like Catherine, he was pretty far from impressed by how the tune was sounding musically. In listening to the track again, I had to agree. The music had a sameness that made the song dull, a situation I've been attempting to remedy for a few weeks now (yes, I brought a guitar with me on vacation).

Stay tuned for the final result. In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from version one of The Forgotten Place (beware, I'm singing, and I really do suck).

DAVE’S ORIGINAL “VERSE IN NEED OF A SONG”

THE FORGOTTEN PLACE

There's a need that burns like a forest fire
Scattering the casualties of my desire
From Hong Kong to London
From Bangkok to Rome
From New York to Rio
To a forgotten place called home

MY FIRST WHACK AT COMPLETING DAVE’S TUNE

THE FORGOTTEN PLACE

There's a need that burns
Like a forest fire
Scattering (s) the casualties (ashes)
of my desire

From Hong Kong to London
From Bangkok to Rome
From New York to Rio
To a forgotten place called home

But nothing grows
No, nothing works out
Because all the seeds scattered
Are just seeds of doubt

In Singapore cafés
Under cathedral domes
In hotels and airplanes
All forgotten like that place called home

(these four lines are from a poem of Dave’s that I thought would form a god middle 8)
There are some Jigsaw cities
where I may rest a while
Knowing I am safe
within the suburb of your smile

But the need still burns
Until it all lights on fire
And scatters one more casualty
Of my desire

And I go back to London
I go back to Rome
I go back to Rio
But I can never go back
To that forgotten place called home

WHAT DAVE ULTIMATELY WROTE

THE FORGOTTEN PLACE

There's a need that burns
Like a forest fire
Scattering the casualties
of my desire
In love and loss
In flood or drought
All the seeds I've scattered
Were just seeds of doubt

From Hong Kong to London
From Bangkok to Rome
From New York to Rio
To a forgotten place called home

Sparks on the wind
And a new fire starts
The ecstasy of every
Collision of hearts

From Berlin to Cape Town
From Bangkok to Rome
From Singapore to Paris
To a forgotten place called home

But the need still burns
And that wall of flame
Stops you from returning
The way you came

And with their mother's ghost
Still between the sheets
My imaginary children
Walk the streets

From Hong Kong to London
From Bangkok to Rome
From New York City
To a forgotten place called home

©2008 Dave Tutin / openDmusic

©2008 Jeff Shattuck / Cerebellum Blues Music

• What I've Learned: How to write a song.

I started this bog in 2006, when I was just beginning a STILL ongoing recovery process from a brain injury. The blog's reason for being has been to chronicle how my brain injury seemingly reawakened my long dormant love of songwriting and compelled me to finally try to make an album. Everything -- the recovery and the album -- is taking a LOT longer than I thought it would, but along the way I'm learning a ton. So, to share what I've learned to be true for myself -- and possibly for others -- I'm starting a series of posts, called What I've Learned, which I will ultimately collect and edit into a single PDF for all to download who want it. For now, this is a work in progress and your comments are encouraged!

HOW TO WRITE A SONG

How is that for a pretentious title? Preposterous even. How on earth could I, a bedroom legend at best, possibly have the right to even pen such a title, much less craft the words it sets up?

I can't. Except as it apples to me. After all, everyone is different and there is simply no way that one approach to songwriting stands above all others for all songwriters. However, if my approach helps you, great. Awesome, in fact.

So, here goes.

1) KNOW WHAT YOUR SONG IS ABOUT BEFORE YOU REALLY SET TO WRITING IT

I used to start songs all the time and "see where they would take me". The answer, for the most part, was nowhere. Sure, every now and then one of the kernels I was throwing on the page would pop into something worthwhile, but for the most part, the idea of writing my way to a destination never worked.

Rather, I need to be able to answer the question: What is this song about? In fact, I will often times write out the answer to that question as I'm working on a song, and then refer back to my answer as I craft verses and choruses. By knowing what I'm trying to say, I can really focus on HOW to best say it; further, I know when I'm veering off track.

2) MATCH YOUR MUSIC TO YOUR WORDS AND VICE VERSA

I know, this seems obvious, but it's so important, it's worth mentioning. If you have a sad song, go for minor chords, or, if you've got the chops, try setting some sad words on top of majors. Whatever you do, be aware of what you're doing. Have an intention and try to achieve it. AND PAY ATTENTION TO TEMPO AND GROOVE. Don't be lazy. Try different tempos before settling on one; if you're a guitar player, push yourself to go beyond standard strumming/picking patterns.

3) TAKE THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

More often than not, I've found the very first chords/melodies I concoct are a little expected. Yes, they just flowed out, but the reason is usually a lack of originality. So, if you've penned a nice melody over A, E, D, fiddle with it more. Try other chords with the same melody, try some sort of variation, try a turnaround. Simple is best, yes, but not if it's been done a thousand times -- and possibly a thousand times better -- by other folks.

4) SING, EDIT MERCILESSLY, SLAUGHTER CLICHÉS

Once you think you've got your words, chords, groove, tempo and basic structure together, SING. Even if your voice sucks, do your best. Need privacy? Then record a basic track and belt it out in your car. Just do it. Over and over and over. This is the only way to work out your phrasing, to learn whether or not your brilliant lyrics sing brilliantly, to decide if your song has potential or not. Because if it's a bastard to sing, chances are others are going to have the same issue, and pop songs that are bastards to sing rarely finish first.

As you sing, pay attention to your words and how they sound. Does their sound match what you're after or is there a disconnect of sorts? Do your words sound stupid, trite, corny (be honest!)? If so, change them. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite.

Did you rhyme rain with pain or again? Did you rhyme care with there? Did you sing of hair as fine as silk, eyes as bottomless as the sea, love like a rock? If so, ask yourself: "Is this the best I can do? Have I truly thought about this? Am I actually incapable of original thought?" Kill your clichés.

5) BE A MIGHTY RE-ARRANGER

If you're primarily writing for just one instrument -- say a guitar or a piano -- this bit might not apply, but if you're like me, and want to write songs for a full band, give a lot of thought to your arrangements. Should the drums be loud, soft, classic four on the floor, trickier, drop out altogether at some point? Where are your harmonies? Is a guitar solo really necessary? Etc.

6) CREATE AN INTERESTING STRUCTURE

Any songwriter worth his salt knows the classic song structures, such as verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, chorus. There are a zillion variations, but as you craft your songs, try to keep your structures fresh. For ideas, look no further than The Beatles; they were the masters of innovative structures.

For me, the structure of the song is usually the last thing I really work hard on, because I need to know the elements before I can best decide how to string them together or if I'm missing something.

7) PLAY IT FOR SOMEONE WHO'S OPINION YOU TRUST

The final step in songwriting for me is to play the song for a few people who's opinions I think matter. For me, this step is crucial for two reasons: 1) listening to a song you've written while playing it for someone else makes you a WHOLE lot more objective, and 2) unless you're writing just for yourself it matters what others think (plus, they might actually give you some good ideas).

• Will this be the year?

I'm not dead.

Yet.

In fact, I plan to do a lot before I die, and one of those things is to achieve some genuine success with my music. How do I define success?

First and foremost, I just want to be able to have some songs under my belt I genuinely like.

Second, I would love to be able to cover my expenses through music sales.

Third, I want to have a few fans who aren't friends, who just like the songs I write.

To reach success, I will be counting on this blog to play a role. A big role. To that end, it will change. Up to now, it has primarily been a "broadcast" vehicle, i.e., me blathering on about what I'm up to without a lot of regard for reader input. I desperately want this to change, because one of the many things I like so much about music is collaboration; I love sharing ideas, debating, listening more than playing.

So, going forward, I will try my best to make this blog more collaborative. I will share what I've learned, seek advice, share what others have learned (with their permission, of course) and basically do everything else I can think of to make this blog a place where songwriters and other kindred spirits feel welcomed, included and embraced.

Stay tuned.

And Happy New Year.

• Merry Christmas.

• Reflections.

As 2008 draws to a close, I'm going to take a few long moments over the next several days to add a new section to this blog called What I've Learned (I think that'll fit in my nav bar).

Topics I can think of to include are:

SONGWRITING

PRODUCING

HOME RECORDING

STUDIO RECORDING

COPYRIGHT

PUBLISHING

MARKETING

DISTRIBUTION

If anyone out there who reads this blog (I KNOW there are at least a few!) would like to see me add something to this list, please comment or email me at jeffshattuck@gmail.com

Please click the RSS Feed at the upper left of this page to be certain you'll be notified when my Magnum Opus finaly appears!

• Yield not unto Pro Tools 8. At least not yet.

Digidesign has finally unveiled Pro Tools 8, hailed by the company as an upgrade of mythic proportions. From the bits I've read on Digi's site, I would agree. The overall look of the software is gorgeous and the list of included plug-ins is long and rich. BUT...

Were you alive this summer and fall as Digi struggled to get Pro Tools 7.4 to work with Apple Leopard? It was NOT pretty. Months of delays, mysterious bugs, evil wizards, trolls.

So why should I believe that Pro Tools 8 is gonn be just fine?

I shouldn't.

So, much as I would love to load up Pro Tools 8 and just look at it -- never mind using it! -- I won't. As Tom Petty said, "The Waiting Is the Hardest Part." How true.

• A song I have ridiculously high hopes for.

This is second time I've posted about this song, but...

On November 2, the day after I got married, I woke up with a song in my head. All I had was "Happiness, won't you come on in?"

But the seed was planted. Over the next few weeks, the song grew and became something I was happy with. Very happy. Wait, is this irony? Who knows? I always misuse that word, spouting it when I mean surprising. Me and Alanis. Anyway...

After honing the lyrics for days poolside in Palm Springs, I think I finally arrived at a version I can live with. In January, I will record the song with some very KILLER musicians from LA, along with my guys here in SF, and I will have Toppe Secret sing it. Till then, here are the lyrics:

HAPPINESS
Written on the Maton and the 336
Started November 2, 2008

Happiness
Won't you come on in?
It's been awhile and you're looking kind of thin

Happiness
Can I get you anything?
Just tell me what you want because in my house you are king

And I have no pride
I will beg, I will borrow, I will cheat, steal and lie
And I will not be denied
So happiness, won't you please come inside?

Happiness
I remember you so well
Why were you gone so long, what stories can you tell?

Happiness
I know you're staying for awhile
But where are your things? You've come so many miles

And I have no pride
I will beg, I will borrow, I will cheat, steal and lie
And I will not be denied
So happiness, there's nothing to decide,
No excuses to try
So won't you please come inside?

And don't make me guess
Don't make me pass some kind of test
You know what I want
All you need to say is, "Yes."

Happiness
Don't break my heart
We belong together
We have from the start
Through any kind of weather
Can't you see
Can't you see
Can't you see we should never be apart?

• Printing pro-looking CDs, labels and packaging is no worry for multi-platinum artists, but what about us poor multi-aluminum guys?

Having spent years in advertising, I have constantly worried about the way my portfolio looks; sometimes I even worried more about the outside than the inside. Stupid, but...

So, over these past few years, as I have gotten more and more into songwriting, I regularly fret about the LOOK of my CDs almost as much as the songs that will fill them. Stupid, but...

Here's the thing: music is an image business and to care only about your music is fine, but you do so at your own peril. Bottom line, your music should, at the very least, be GREAT and your packaging, GOOD. Trouble is, most CD packaging/labeling services ask for a minimum print run of 500, or even one thousand. Hey, if you think you can sell 1000 CDs, go for it, but my guess is that most independent musicians grit their teeth at the overly high minimums and only buy because they have no real choice.

CDPRINTEXPRESS to the rescue!

This sad situation was the very one I found myself in a few months ago, but before I hit the Buy button, I decided to put The Google to work. I searched and searched and searched and searched -- and then I searched some more. Finally, one fine day, I came across CDPRINTEXPRESS.COM. Their minimum? ONE. Yes, you read that correctly, ONE. And, no, that single print does not cost a small fortune. It's a few bucks.

I ordered, waited, worked hard to quiet my inner pessimist, who was convinced that the art work would arrive sloppily cut, pixelated, crappy.

When The Package arrived -- quickly I might add and via US Post, which meant I didn't have to be home to sign anything -- I tore it open and...

ANGELS SANG.

Everything looked awesome, totally PRO.

If you are an independent musician looking for a KILLER way to do short run CDs that look amazing, check out CDPRINTEXPRESS.COM.

• A few thoughts from Ira Glass that should inspire all aspiring artists -- including songwriters.

A special thank you to Mark Sanders for pointing out this video to me!

• Gear Review: Earcandy SweetTooth 2 X 10 Cabinet

I love my Carr Mercury amp. I do. But two things about the amp have bothered me slightly since I bought it. One: it can a little dark sounding, okay, muddy. And two, because of its low power output (8 Watts) and open back design, it can be, well , small sounding. Eons back, I wrote to Steve Carr and asked if he thought an extension cabinet would transform the amp into the larger, warmer, brighter beast I craved. Nope, he replied. Sure, an extension cabinet might make the amp louder, but tonally, not much would change.

Not one to give up, I continued to hope that somewhere out there was the Yin to my Carr's Yang. So, several months ago, when I hauled my Mesa/Boogie MKII up to the Mesa factory in Petaluma, California, to have it modded ever so slightly (just some updates, improvements, etc.), I made it a point to ask Mike Bendinelli, Boogie's main dude for service and support -- not to mention a key player in Boogie's amp design process -- about extension speaker cabs. Specifically, I wanted to know about something called a Boogie/Thiele, which is a sealed, ported cabinet designed to deliver massive tone in a small enclosure, and, as luck would have it, Mike had a Boogie/Thiele in his workspace! So we plugged it in and WOW, I knew I had to have one.

But back home, I started researching Boogie/Thieles more and came across many a mention of a company called Earcandy. Everyone out there in Internet Land thought the Boogie/Thieles were great, but if you really wanted something special, you had to get an Earcandy. Intrigued, I sent an email to Earcandy and got back a super cool response from Tim, who founded the company and builds the cabinets. Over the next few weeks, Tim and I traded emails about tone, musical styles I like, amps I own, and we finally settled on a SweetTooth 2 X 10 cabinet loaded with Earcandy Heavy 70 speakers. For Tolex, I went with oxblood, for the grill, tweed, but one of the many cool things about Earcandy is that you can customize the hell out of every product.

When my Earcandy SweetTooth arrived, Catherine pronounced it beautiful and let me keep it in the living room, until I could take it to the studio for a session. Naturally I was dying to plug the thing in, but being in an apartment, all I dared do was set my Carr Mercury on 1/10th of Watt and strum a few chords. I sensed GLORY but could not say for sure. Well, yesterday, I finally took the cabinet into the studio, cranked my Carr up to full 8-Watt noise and...

ALL KNEEL FOR YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE DIVINE.

Yes, the tone is truly godlike: tight, punchy lows, warm mids, sparkling highs. I can't believe I've had to wait until I'm 45 for a tone like this. Jaime, the engineer, pronounced it "better than the Stones'" as I did my best Keith imitation. The Earcandy positively transforms my Carr, which as I said, can sound a touch muddy and because of its low power and open back, a little thin. No more. Coupled with the Earcandy, my Car Mercury produces a ballsy, bright, articulated tone that is the best I have ever heard.

There is no way I can explain the science behind Earcandy cabs, so if you're interested in why building the cabinets requires some black math, click here. Suffice it to say, though, that Earcandy's cabinet design creates the sonic illusion of a MUCH larger enclosure. I went with ten inch speakers, because I wanted som brightness, but I was worried I would a to sacrifice a fat bottom. What a fool was I. The fatness of my Earcandy's bottom would make Freddie Mercury happy.

BOTTOM LINE: My Earcandy SweetTooth 2 X 10 is the best sounding, best made, best looking cabinet I have ever owned, and it's built by a guy who LOVES his job. In fact, maybe that's what I'm hearing when I crank up the Earcandy: Love.

Have I put in my 12,000 hours?

Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers, puts forth the notion that to be exceptional at something, you must have spent at least 12,000 hours doing it. For playing guitar, I'm not even close. I figure that since I was 15, I've played my guitar for about 30 minutes a day, which works out to roughly 6000 hours. For songwriting, though, things might be a bit different. I would say that I have spent at least a few hours a day thinking about songs over my 3 decades of musing, which totals nearly 22,000 hours. Of course, there's one more factor in Malcolm's Outliers: they work at their craft for 12,000 hours with the intent to get better. Yeah, that last factor's a bastard! I have not done that with anything save writing. So maybe my lyrics are Outlier quality? Possibly, but doubtful, seeing as I have made nary a dime from them!

• A Christmas wish list for the recording songwriter.

So, I would imagine that a lot of aspiring songwriters out there are pining for many a gizmo this Christmas. If you are among the hopeful -- and you're a guitarist -- here's what I would wish for if I were you!

Computer - 24" iMac

I'm a Mac! And as such, I would NEVER invest in a PC. It's a matter of principle, you know? But seriously, the recording process presents enough challenges, and therefore is most enjoyable with an easy-to-use, non-virus-prone computer. A Mac. Which Mac? Well, I'd go with an iMac. It's all-in-one design minimizes cable clutter, alwasy a scourge on the recording scene, and, if you get the 24", it's huge screen makes editing and mixing way more convenient. If you've got coin to spare, bump up the memory to 4GB. Don't spring for a huge internal drive, though, because with DAWs, you want to record to an external drive.

External Disk Drive - G-RAID2

The hard drive world is overpopulated, no question, but in my experience, there are two brands that stand out for recording, Glyph and G-Technology. I have one of each, and the Glyph has been flakey, whereas my GRAID2 from G-Tech has been flawless. If you opt for the GRAID, which you should, bear in mind it is not a RAID drive in that it backs up your stuff; instead, it uses RAID technology to increase performance by writing to two drives instead of one. For back-up, read on.

Back-up Drive - DROBO

A DROBO drive enclosure looks like a little chest of four drawers, when you pop the front off, with each drawer not a drawer at all, but a drive bay. To add storage, you just buy internal SATA drives, which offer the most storage for your buck. In fact, I just added a terabyte drive to my DROBO for a little over $100. Amazing. Anyway, I won't labor to repeat what is already on the DROBO site, so to read more, click on the above link. To automate your back-up routine, I would suggest SuperDuper, which, despite it's cheesy name, absolutley rocks!

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) - Mbox 2 (MBox 2 Pro if you also track at a pro studio)

Man, there are so many DAWs out, you could spend months just researching them all. Allow me to save you the trouble. Just go buy a Digidesign Mbox 2, which comes with Pro Tools LE, the "light" version of Pro Tools for project studios. From everything I've read, and from all the discussions I've had, Pro Tools is the standard for a reason: it's easy, reliable and sounds killer. Other DAW boxes will tout their mic pre-amps and what not, but trust me, you ain't gonna hear the difference unless you're in the presence of an engineer who can tell you what to listen for. If you move back and forth between a pro studio and your home set-up, spring for an Mbox Pro, which can read files recorded at 96KHz, which is what the full version of Pro Tools uses.

Guitar - Line6 Variax Guitar

The magic wand! A Line6 Variax is a modeling guitar that can create the signal output of all the classic electric guitars (Strat, Tele, Les Paul, Rick, etc.), plus it can decently model several acoustics. I have a Variax 700, and it is my go to recording guitar, because it can just do so much, and all silently (critical for tracking acoustic parts at 3:00 AM in an apartment). To read about the various Variax giutars, visit line6.com, but keep in mind that the guts of all the electric models are the same. If you just want the sounds, and don't care to much about how well the guitar plays, just get cheapo Variax 300. If you've got the dough, though, get one of the nicer models.

Amp Modeler Plug-In - IK Multimedia Amplitube 2

Last year, I did a three-part post on amp modelers (which you can read here: part one, part two, part three), which are software plug-ins that model the sound of the worlds gerat amps, and concluded that of the ones I looked at (Amplitube 2, Digidesign Eleven, Virtual Amp Room), the best bang for the buck was Amplitube 2, which is what I own. It offers so many incredible variations, I figure it gives you the best chance of finding your perfect tone. Quick note: the upcoming version of Pro Tools will include a light version of Eleven, and that  might be all you need!

Microphone - Shure SM57

The Shure SM57 is a classic workhorse mic. Yeah, there are other mics that sound much better, but as far as I know, no other mic offers the SM57's ability to work on just about everything. Obviously, if you're a vocalist, you might want to spend more time finding a mic that matches your voice, but if you're like me and SUCK, just get a Shure. Also, be sure to get a boom stand.

Headphones - AKG 240

My friend Cory Verbin got me a deal on a pair of these eons ago, and I have never heard anything better. Plus, they're VERY comfortable.

Drum Machine (software) - Doggiebox

The world is overflowing with interesting, very high quality drum machine software, but for my money, the best deal out there is Doggiebox. For about $40, you get a super simple, great sounding drum machine. Yes, you have to program your beats -- no loops for the Dogg -- but the process is so easy, you won't mind. I also recommend Digidesign Strike, which I use all the time now that I have figured the thing out, but it's nearly $300, and I'm not prepared to say it's ten time better than Doggiebox.

A Bass

I have an old Fender P-Bass, but if you're just tracking bass lines to give your demos some bottome, buy whatever. I'd suggest looking on ebay for a used Mexican-made Fender.

You will notice that I have NOT listed a pair of studio monitors. The reason is I just don't think they're really necessary, a statement likely to cause an aneurysm in any engineer's brain. I dunno... get a good pair of headphones, make a mix, then play it around on different systems, tweaking as you go.

• Feeling thankful.

Nearly three years have passed since I fell in the night and caused the death of more than a few cells in my brain, a brain that could hardly afford the loss. The cells were located in my cerebellum, where one of their jobs was to keep me feeling balanced and in full command of my motor skills. My awareness of their absence is acute: I am dizzy/light headed 24/7, my hands and feet feel kinda weird, showers always start out a rain of needles neither hot nor cold, migraines are a constant worry, there are fatigue issues, etc., blah, blah, blah.

Woe is me, right?

Wrong.

At the time of my fall, I was working in a soul-destroying job, and I felt completely trapped. I could not, for the life of me, think of what else I might do for a living, and my salary was such that it would be hard to match in another industry. I was very depressed. My relationship with Catherine was in constant turmoil. I wasn't sleeping well, ever. I was probably drinking a bit too much. Life sucked.

But the fall forced me out of that job. It also forced me to focus more on non-work stuff; to realize that there is more to life than advertising, that there are soul-satisfying creative outlets in this world that offer far more joy than penning a headline. For me, my new outlet has become songwriting, probably the first creative love of my life, and a love I squelched for years in order to rise among the ad ranks.

More important, falling fundamentally changed the way I relate to the world around me. Before I fell everything else in my life came second to my job. "Where are you?" was a constant question Catherine asked me. We could be at dinner, with friends, traveling through impressively beautiful parts of the world, and I would be somewhere else, in adland namely. Well, once I was evicted from adland, I started to change, and for the first time in years I really began to focus on the people around me, especially Catherine. What I saw in her was someone I loved and who loved me, who was caring for me and sacrificing greatly so that I might be a little more comfortable. As the post-accident weeks stretched to months and now years, we grew closer, I think in large part because I was finally opening my eyes to more and more of the world. I have also gotten some help. Yup, I go to therapy, which I see as the gym for my mental health.

And so I am thankful for my fall. Had it not happened, I would still be trapped in advertising, I would not be writing songs and, most important, I would still be closed off from the world around me and I would not have gotten married. Odd, isn't it, how how of the worst can cme the best? Hmmm... sounds like a song.

• The Spleefman's question: What's the one song since Nirvana released Nevermind that really represents how rock has continued to evolve?

Man, that is a TOUGH question, but... let's see, well, um, Nevermind came out in 1991, so that means Beck is game,  and since Beck is game, I'm going to go with "Loser."

For me, "Loser" epitomizes rock's evolution in three ways:

1) It clearly takes its cue from the rise of hip hop/rap, yet remains a rock song at heart.

2) It was recorded on home gear, reflecting the rise of today's democratization of tech.

3) Half the chorus is in Spanish, demonstrating, um, well, who the hell knows, but it's cool.

So, there you have it, my best stab at answering Eric Eff's (aka The Spleefman) question. Cory? Toby? Dave? Erik? Keith Richards? Please weigh in.

• What's the holdup? Shouldn't I be a pop superstar by now?

As long time readers of this blog know, I was fully expecting to have an album out by now, to have played a gig or two, to have placed a tune on a TV show, to have appeared on Letterman (well, maybe not this last one). Regardless, I was not supposed to be still a legend in my own mind. No, at the very least, I was supposed to be a public embarrassment. What happened?

Relax, the news is good: I got married! Yup, tying the knot takes time, even with professional help, but it's time well spent and I'm glad I did it.

Now, however, it's back to the hard work of becoming Bigger Than Big, Supernatural, A Pop Sensation. To that end, since getting back from my honeymoon, I have been hard at work revamping this site, in order to create the best launch pad for my assured rise to fame and fortune.

New sidebar features:

- on the left, a search tab and recent posts have been added

- on the right, you have an RSS feed, so you can an this blog to your favorite RSS reader, buttons for heading directly to iTunes or Amazon, and a streaming widget, so you can listen without spending a dime

New top navigation bar features:

- a Lyrx page is taking shape, to which I am slowly but surely adding all my utterances

- the photo section is still there, and will be growing

- the Reviews Section is taking shape, still pretty slim pickens, but my goal is to review all the gear I own, plus some other stuff, as a way to help readers decide what to buy for their own projects

- Sites4Songwriters now has several new links including three from Berklee

Okay, okay, so the site has been worked over, uh, what about the music, dude?

Good question.

The holidays will soon be upon us, so late November thru December is hardly a good time to get all ambitious. HOWEVER, I am determined to end the year with more than one song to represent myself (Here Comes the Weather). Here's the plan, stated in public, an act that should help keep me motivated and focused.

- Finish "Love and Hate"

- Finish "Money, Money, Money" (needs some vocal and editing tweaks)

- Finish basic tracks for "I Got Drunk"

- Finish my electric guitar parts for Demons and Saints, 43@22, The Mighty Micky D's and Everybody's on the Phone

- Finish bass and drums for "Yo Yo"

- Finish demos of "Happiness", "Water Under The Bridge", and "Talking"

- Finish my electric guitar parts on Demons and Saints and 43@22

So, there you have it, the public list. It might grow, but I can't let it shrink. I'm 45 years old! The clock is ticking, folks.

• A toast to Toby. Frank would be proud.

With nary a Sinatra joke, at least not one that I remember, my friend Toby Germano finished his post wedding dinner, grabbed a mic and joined the jazz duo put together and anchored on bass by the The Mighty Sam Bevan. Now,  I will confess, some folks in the audience who know Toby were probably nervous. Would he sing AC/DC, tell a non PC joke, bite the head off of a piece of broccoli (he's a vegan)? Well, I for one was not nervous, because Toby takes family stuff VERY seriously. True to form, he belted a couple of jazz standards to the crowd's delight and astonishment (one person told me afterward, having only heard Toby do RAWK, "I didn't know he could sing like that. What a great voice!" So, cheers to Toby! And a heartfelt thank you to a great friend.

By the way, expect to be hearing Toby on a few of my tunes in the coming months! We should be heading into the studio soon.

• The Spleefman, found alive and well in L.A.

Back in college, I met a lot of great, smart, interesting people, one of whom was Erik Eff, nicknamed The Spleefman because, well, let's just say reggae music sounded darn good to him on most days. In spite of his habits, though, the man was an insanely clear thinker and probably the best writer in the school, professors included. In fact, I remember one paper Erik turned in that was graded as follows: "A. God."

Yeah, he kicked ass with the English language.

After college, Erik eventually found himself in LA where he was determined to make it in the movies and set his sights on getting into the USC Film School. He made it, but not before spending a few months living with me and my housemate, Mike Northcutt, in Hollywood, then on the beach, Morrison-style (Erik loved The Lizard King). During his time with Mike and me, he helped pen a few tunes, one of which was called Turkey Franks (I'll post it someday), plus numerous others, including White Punks Dance Too Fast (yes, I'll post it too in time). After Erik completed film school, he cruised up to SF, where I was living and proceeded to film some footage for an experimental movie he was working on. The footage starred my friend ww, and if I remember correctly, one night of filming ended with Toby's brother being tossed in the slammer. Good times.

Anyway, as happens all too often in this world with too many people, Erik and I drifted apart, he pursuing film in LA, me going for the music, then to Europe, then into the ad world. But, in this Web 2.0-enabled world of ours, I recently, on a complete whim, entered Erik's name into Facebook and presto, there he was, looking much the same. I fired off a message, we re-connected and he recently commented on my blog. And, as with everything The Spleefman writes, his comment is a killer comet of clarity. Even better, it ends with a compelling question, which I am already putting my mind to. Here, for your reading enjoyment, is what he wrote:

Hey, sorry I'm coming so late to this blog discussion, but I only just discovered it and I was intrigued by the challenge. The lists above are all really good attempts to state the impossible. Six doesn't really allow for enough categories to do justice to the many permutations of rock music. But so be it.

I guess I'd break it down pretty much the same way Jeff did although with less emphasis on the decade and more emphasis on the genre which each decade typifies. I'd have 50s-Early Rock, 60s-Psychedelic, 70s-Punk & Arena, 80s-Synth/New Wave, 90s-Grunge. . . and we have to leave it there at grunge, because what has happened in rock since then (in the macro view) has been so influenced by hip hop that it really has become a whole new beast altogether; or, it has ignored the hip hop influence and remained retro to one of the prior genres.

Having picked the genres, I would then choose songs which are most representative of each one (not necessarily the songs I like best.)

1. 50s: Chuck Berry and Little Richard are both really good suggestions for this category. I guess I have to give the nod to Elvis though and go with "All Shook Up" as a song which really captures the sound, the innocence and the innuendo of that era.

2. 60s: Can't really talk 60s without talking psychedelia. And you can't really talk psychedelia without talking Hendrix. "All Along The Watchtower" is a tempting choice because you get the double whammy of Jimi covering Dylan. But as far as psychedelia goes, Jimi has much stronger offerings. I'd have to go with "Purple Haze" because it epitomizes the sound of other-worldliness so well, and pays homage thematically to LSD which was, after all, the wellspring of the psychedelic movement in the first place.

3 & 4. 70s: This decade brought us two distinct genres--punk and arena rock. These two separate styles really mark a primal divergence in rock which manifested itself in the independent/main stream split which is with us to this day. Punk rock was the progenitor of the anti-establishment, anger-ridden, noise fest; and arena rock, for its part, heralded the promise of rock super-stardom, corporate sponsorship and pop culture domination.

So having said all that, who best exemplifies punk? Hmmm. The Clash are an excellent choice and "London Calling" would probably be the best song from them (or maybe "Death and Glory".) Still, I think, pound for pound, The Sex Pistols win the anger contest, and anger is what punk is all about. Mr. Levitin suggested "Anarchy in the UK" but I'm going with "God Save The Queen" for it's slightly higher nihilist quotient.

As far as arena rock is concerned: It needs to be big and it needs to be anthemic. A lot of bands would qualify, obviously, but I'm going with Queen's "We Will Rock You." It doesn't get any more emblematic than that. Does it?

5. 80s: I can't believe I only have two left. My heart tells me to pick either REM or U2 to define this decade, but in an effort to stick to the assignment and try to cover the breadth of Rock, I will pick something that is synth-driven and somewhat New Wave as well. Jeff and Mr. Levitin are both barking up the right tree with Prince. I think the problem with Prince is he's a little too enigmatic to be clearly representative of a specific category. That's a back-handed compliment because it means he is too original to be cliche. But the Eurythmics are not. And I'm going to let them stand in for the entire synth world with their big, chart-loving hit "Sweet Dreams." Now I know I'm going to elicit criticism for this choice because it really does cross the line in to Pop-- but so do the two Prince offerings. I think it's ok in this assignment to cross that line once because so much of what passes for rock lies in that direction.

6. 90s: Ah, grunge. I was so happy when grunge happened--if for no other reason than it meant that bands like the Eurythmics got less airplay, and bands like Pearl Jam were in top rotation. For a brief moment the paradigm was inverted and the underground became the main stream. And then Kurt blew his head off with a shotgun and Pearl Jam picked a losing battle with Ticketmaster, and that was the end of that. Up until now, I have admired Jeff's suggestions and then tossed them aside--but not this time. This time I am backing his pick all the way: You say "grunge," I say, "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

And that's it. That's where it ends--17 years ago. I guess I'll leave it there with a new challenge: If you had to pick one song since Nevermind came out, that really represents what rock has done since then, what would it be?

I'm gonna think about it.

Cheers.

Damn, good stuff, and what a question. What is the quintessential rock song since Grunge?

A toast to the wedding singers: Jeff Tuttle, John Tuttle and Eric Heegard.

For whatever reason, after I had recovered a bit from my fall in 2006, which clobbered my cerebellum, I started writing songs for the first time in years. Maybe it was finally having some time, maybe it was that my life experiences had finally added up to something I felt was worth expressing, maybe it was just that my brain got rewired a bit; I won't ever know for sure. One of the first songs I wrote, though, was definitely inspired by my accident, or, more accurately, by how Catherine and I grew a lot closer to each other as she nursed me back to health, sacrificing her budding career as a writer to do so. Later, when I finally, FINALLY, asked her to marry me and she said YES!, I decided that this early tune should be performed at our wedding, as a way to express how much she means to me. And I knew just the guys to perform it. Brothers Jeff and John Tuttle and Eric Heegaard (L to R in picture).

I met all three of these guys in college, where we joined the same fraternity (hey, young people are stupid, what can I say?), and bonded over music. Jeff, John and Eric all hailed from Minnesota, where they grew up together and sang, played guitar and penned tunes whenever time allowed, which was often back then. Well, me being the tech crazed soul that I am, I quickly introduced all three to my Tascam 8-track and throughout college, I got them to sing a whole bunch of songs of mine. Then a year or so after school, Jeff, Eric and l ended up in San Francisco with the notion that we'd form a band. Well, the band never really came together, and in time Jeff headed off to get his MBA and Eric went to med school. They both then rejoined John in Minnesota, where all three reside to this day. Me, I moved to Europe, then came back to the States to be assimilated by the ad world (willingly, but as I said before about young people...).

Several years ago Jeff, John and Eric finally formed a band, but their only aspiration was to play local cafés. Lucky for me, though, all that café crooning has kept their vocal chops tight. And when I called to ask if they would do me the honor of singing a tune of mine at my wedding, they didn't hesitate.

I cannot describe how good it felt mid-ceremony to look up and see these three close friends -- close to me and to each other -- stride from the audience, grab a guitar (the one John Tuttle made for me, no less) and play. And play they did. God, I mean, they were great. They brought so much to my song with their harmonies and soul, and it meant the world to me to have these guys, not some stranger or someone I barely knew, sing it for me and Catherine and the people attending.

Thank you Jeff, John and Eric. I love you guys and consider myself unbelievably lucky to have you in my life.

I'll post a version of the song someday, but for now, here are the words.

COMING TOGETHER (BY FALLING APART)

Life teaches us lessons I never knew I could learn
And there are pages in this book I never thought I would turn
I took too much for granted in our early years
But I learned what matters when life threw me curves

I came to and I was lying against the wall
I tried to stand but I had to crawl
I heard your voice from the far end of the hall

And sometimes it all has to fall apart
Sometimes we reach the end before we can start
Sometimes we just close our eyes
Find a place where we can hide
But you helped me open my heart

I remember doctors and all the daily routines
And I remember nights without days in between

I remember you in the corner chair
You made me laugh even though you were scared
And when I opened my eyes you were always there

And sometimes we all have to fall apart
Sometimes we reach the end before we can start
Sometimes we just close our eyes
Find a place we can hide
But you helped me open my heart

Yes, and sometimes we all have to fall apart
Sometimes we reach the end before we can start
Sometimes we just close our eyes
Try to escape from our lives
But you helped me open my heart

A rock and roll honeymoon.

On the first Monday after our Saturday wedding, Catherine and I hit the road to Palm Springs, where we would check into the Viceroy for TWO WEEKS. But before we got there, we stopped for the night in Santa Barbara, right smack in the middle of Montecito, which would be engulfed in flames about 12 days later. Not sure whether our hotel survived unscathed, but from what I can gather on google, it's still standing. Sure hope so. It was a beautiful place staffed by very nice people.

After our night in Santa Barbara, we drove on to Palm Springs, and along the way we treated ourselves to the second McDonald's meal of our 'moon (we also stopped at the Mighty Micky D's in on the way to SB), and did our best not to get stressed out as we navigated through LA's freeway maze. Several hours later, we pulled into the Viceroy, ordered room service and proceeded to live like Hollywood elite (well, maybe more like D-listers) for the next 14 days.

There were so many highlights, but since this blog is supposed to be about music, I'll focus on the Viceroy's single best feature for songwriters: a balcony. I can't begin to describe what a luxury it was to sit outside in warm air, a slight breeze, coffee to drink in the morning, wine at dusk, a Gibson 336 in my lap and pen at the ready. Songwriting is a lonely art -- at least for me -- and to be able to do it outside, with voices wafting up from a pool below and the feeling of being close to my surroundings but still apart enough to write was bliss. Having my Gibson with me didn't hurt, either. Unlike my Steinberger, which is the guitar I normally travel with, since I can place it in an overhead bin on a plane without a problem, my Gibson is semi-hollow body, which means it's considerably louder than the Steiny, key for working out vocal melodies. I also just like playing the Gibson more and find its beautiful woods and mellow vibe inspirational. The Steinberger is a tech marvel, but a touch soulless.

My routine was to sit at the balcony table in the morning, guitar in hand, coffee within easy reach, and jot lyrics that captured the essence of what I was after; then I would head to the pool to hone my lyrics and kill clichés; then it was back up to the room, where I would test out the refined lyrics against the guitar. Obviously, I wasn't super hardcore about this schedule -- hey, I was on vacation and my honeymoon! -- but I did follow it enough to finish one good tune, the lyrics to which I posted earlier (I've since tweaked them a bit, but not much).

Thinking back on my days at the Viceroy, I now understand better than ever why writers -- of songs and books -- spend so much time thinking about WHERE they write. Writers talk endlessly of their rooms, the places where they are convinced the best ideas lie waiting to be snatched from the ether. I’ve never had such a room or a place; there are a few coffee shops here in SF that are good, but most days I just don’t have the time to troop off to a coffee shop; equally important, I’d feel like one pretentious mofo sitting in a coffee shop with my guitar, and to really work out a tune, I need a guitar. The balcony of our room at the Viceroy, however, has become “my writing place”, even though I’ll be lucky if I can spend more than a few days a year there.

Unless, of course, I become a pop sensation.

Happiness.

The day after I got married, I awoke, felt happy and started this song. As I worked on it, I actually had a singer in mind -- the legendary Toppe Secret, who also sang Here Comes The Weather -- and, as a result, the melody has some leaps into falsetto that I think will be spine tingling. However, me being me, I recently wrote to Toppe with a whole bunch of advice for her career, and I was worried I had over-stepped my bounds. Thankfully, Toppe is not only one of the greatest singers on the planet, she is also one of the greatest human beings and has forgiven me my arrogance. So... if all goes according to plan, I will post a recording of this song within the month, and Toppe will be behind the mic.

HAPPINESS
Written on the Maton and the 336
Started November 2, 2008

Happiness
Won't you come on in?
It's been awhile and you're looking kind of thin

Happiness
Can I get you anything?
Just tell me what you want because in my house you are king

And I have no pride
I will beg, I will borrow, I will cheat, steal and lie
And I will not be denied
So happiness, won't you please come inside?

Happiness
I remember you so well
Why were you gone so long, what stories can you tell?

Happiness
I know you're staying for awhile
But where are your things? You've come so many miles

And I have no pride
I will beg, I will borrow, I will cheat, steal and lie
And I will not be denied
So happiness, there's nothing to decide,
No excuses to try
So won't you please come inside?

And don't make me guess
You already know what I will confess
You know what I want
All you need to say is, "Yes."

Happiness
Don't break my heart
We belong together
We have from the start
Through any kind of weather
Can't you see that we should never be apart?