datamusicata

Because of the demise of record stores and the rise in downloads, not to mention the ipod revolution, I had decided to not do another album. I figured I would just write a song, go into my studio and work on it til it was done and upload it for my discerning few. But in the past six months I have had a writing renaissance. I’ve been writing my brains out and, because I’ve been doing this the last forty years, it IS what I do. So I am starting what I believe will be my last studio album, conceived as a studio album. After this I’ll just do tracks and up load them…really.

And in the midst of doing this, I was also talking to Paul Kulak about his venue and thought that if all of the artists who donated their time did a live recording there, which he videos with four different cameras, we could then manufacture it and release it and give him a modest piece; then he might have another passim income stream from us to assist in keeping his dream alive. So I’m doing a live recording there a week from tomorrow. Saturday, May 24^th. If you are in Los Angeles, come on down. The website is: www.kulkaswoodshed.com and if you can ‘t come down, you can view it on line. The website gives the details.

So now, the live recording is the primary concern and the question is which songs am I going to do? Which stories am I going to tell? Do I do all new songs, like Jackson Browne did on Running On Empty or do I do a best of all the songs I’ve written? For me, the choice was simple. I have about twenty two recordings and with all modesty there is at least one great song on each release. So I am going to go through all the CD’s this weekend and choose what I think are the best songs.

Then I’m going to practice them for the remaining nine days. I will put them into an order that gives the show an arc and practice them in that order. When you practice a set in the order you are going to do it, you create an aura of authority and a sense of momentum that ideally pulls the audience along. And the more you practice it, the better it is going to be. There is no short cut to that authority but practice and then live performance. The more you do practice, the more authority you bring to the stage. I don’t mean arrogance, I mean, practicing until you have it down. And have it down in such a way, that you can relax and play with it, as opposed to just regurgitating it.

There is another thing that happens when you are prepared. You cannot help but bring a joy to what you are doing. And that joy is communicated to the audience. Watch McCartney perform. He doesn’t tell very many, if any, jokes, but he loves what he’s doing so much and he’s so prepared to do it that you cannot help but be pulled in For me I try to incorporate all that and comedy, as I love making people laugh.

As to the stories that are woven thru my set, the songs themselves all have a story the nascency of which began in the creation of that song. I don’t enjoy when an artist tells me what a song is about. If the song is good enough, I’ll know what it is about…for me. And that’s enough. I find that the story of how the song came to be, what the inspiration was, who I wrote it for are subjects that can entertain and / or enlighten an audience. Talking about exactly what I want you to take from the song limits the interpretation and, unless you are really glib, is just boring. I cannot accept being bored by someone for very long. I suspect you can’t either.

Even if it’s someone you love, they must be entertaining if they are going to go into the spotlight. If a person doesn’t recognize that and take responsibility for it, they shouldn’t be on the stage. They can write at home. They can make recordings and just sell them on the internet. But if you are going to go on the stage, BE ENTERTAINING.

If you don’t know how to do that, then go to some concerts where the artist knows how to do that. Watch the great comedians, the great singers, the great musicians. No matter how many chops they have, the real artists accept the responsibility and are not only great musicians and / or singers, but they are great entertainers.

So you all now know exactly what I’ll be doing for this live DVD that I’m recording: choosing the songs, putting them in an order that creates a show with momentum, an arc, an implied destination and the finale…the arrival. And doing it all with abounding joy. And enabling that by practicing the set in that order, knowing full well that on the night of the show, I will make whatever changes the audience, the evening, the performance and current events might require. It’s also important to be flexible. Finally, all these considerations must end up being unconscious. Not deliberate or obvious. It’s tricky stuff.