I used to work with this cool lady and she would always take an interest in my songwriting. Every Monday, she’d ask how the weekend jam sessions went and if I’d recorded anything new. The weird thing was, anytime I had something uploaded for her to listen to, she’d listen to it through, and then tell me that it’s “not her kind of music” which is fair enough, but it always bemused me that she would take such an interest if she didn’t like what I was making.
One day, I decided to write her a song that she’d enjoy.
Spotify and Apple Music were playing at work all the time, so I knew what sort of songs she was into. Classic Rock. Australian Pub Rock in particular. She was a single mum in her 50’s, a strong, hard woman, an Aussie battler.
I wrote Proud Woman in a weekend, and recorded it at home on borrowed equipment. A mate I regularly jammed with did the vocals for me and when it was done, I uploaded it to my SoundCloud and gave her the link when I got to work.
She liked it.
The experience taught me the value of an audience of one. Even though the recording is rough, the focus on writing a song for one person with the aim that they - that person in particular - enjoys it, I think gave me a different perspective than when I was either writing purely for my own enjoyment, or simply going with some random song idea.
So I wrote Stupid in my late teens and would play it on occasion in company. The usual first response is "You don't actually think you're stupid, do you?"
I didn't really know how to respond to that. The song is about myself, yes, but I don't think I'm stupid... most of the time. Because, sometimes I was made to feel stupid, because I'd forget stuff, or be absent minded. In fact, all the verses are about how others sometimes made me feel. I didn't know it at the time - it was decades later that I made the connection - that I was writing about ADHD.... I assume... I've never gone and got diagnosed. Anyway, shut up, I'm not stupid. Here's my song I just re-recorded. If this was a new song, I'd wait till it was released before tooting it, but an old, terrible version has been up on Soundcloud for over two years. It's gone now, and this is the new updated version. I'll have to pick a date in February to release it to all the streamy places.
Edit: Date picked. Stupid will go live on all the other streamy places on the 16th February, 2024.
If anyone is planning anything for Weed Day this Saturday, 20th April (4/20), and you’re looking for something to put on your Weed Day song playlist, I have something that may just fit the bill.
Gettin Stoned (feat. Andre Louis) will be coming out this Friday on Apple Music, Tidal, Spotify, and all the other streamy places, just in time for you to add it to your Saturday playlist. Be sure to give @Onj a follow!! He did an awesome job on the drums for this track and is a general, all-round legend!
As all #Dgarheads know, the original, full-quality wav file for every #DgarMusic track is available for download from their respective Soundcloud page, which you can then convert to your favourite format and play it on any device you choose.
Want to listen to it now? Okay then! Here it is on #Soundcloud!
If you have an #introduction toot pinned on your profile that you’d like boosted, #comment “IntroBoost” below, and I’ll give you a #boost to help you connect with the community.
Shout out to @nigelharpur for buying my two songs on Bandcamp yesterday! I was having a day full of frustration and self-doubt as I work on my latest track. Thank you so much for reminding me why I do this; you made me feel like a rock star.
#Dgar Now listening to:
Splinter In The Mind’s Eye
~ Dgar
The first song I recorded and mixed. Also first song I published and I made a mistake where an earlier mix got published and the “good” version can only be found on Soundcloud.
It's after 10pm here on a Saturday night, and my music-finding post is finally done and posted! ⚡
I know we all find music in different ways, and I wanted to write a bit on it. These are my methods and tools. Comment away on your own methods and tools-- I'd love to see everyone else's process, too!
I'm always so curious about the ingredients of a great #playlist. Music curator extraordinaire Kasey Gelsomino, the creator of "Oat Milk Lattes in the Mountains" on #spotify and Kasey's Playlist on #tiktok, shared her secrets with me in today's podcast conversation for @Flipboard:
I just moved to Wandering Shop from another instance. I'm within months of self-publishing my first two novels. Sci-Fi. I moved here in the hopes of connecting with more writers and readers.
In addition to writing fiction and screenplays, I also love hiking, drumming, songwriting, and absorbing as much human creativity as I can.
I love how many creative people there are on Mastodon! 🥰
If you have an #introduction toot pinned on your profile that you’d like boosted, #comment “IntroBoost” below, and I’ll give you a #boost to help you connect with the community.