Writing Notes

Focus more on the writing

Don’t try too hard to make it easy

Go with what you think is good

Don’t wait for a spark

Most people naturally want to either over complicate or over simplify…dig in there

You might not need a new chorus, maybe just a new chord right before the chorus

You might need a better chorus

Don’t hold the rhythm and melody too tightly in the verses

If you write a song so good that you make one solid, clear, emotionally connecting point, you’ve won. Don’t try to make more than one point.

Your voice is the portal of connection

Fun to sing doesn’t necessarily equate to fun for others to listen to

If you believe in it maybe they will too

Your belief is a gift to you and to them.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Exactly The Way You Want

The best thing about a solo freelancer is getting to do it exactly the way you want.

But perhaps the worst thing is the solo part.

A little help is fun…and definitely less lonely.

You’ll have to give up some of the exactly the way you want. But that’s the beauty of it.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Something Different Than We Had Before

When you have a solid, cohesive, connected group of people and you...add others to it…

It’s easy to think you’re simply building on the greatness you already have ‘if this is good more will be better’…but it’s much more likely you’ll have to redefine the group from the ground up.

or if you subtract people…

If you have five great people and one leaves it’s easy to think that you’re operating at eighty percent of your identity and you just need to build back that twenty…when in reality you’re probably going to have to start back at zero and rebuild the identity from scratch.

When we have a good thing we want to invite others.

When a good thing gets shaken we want to repair quickly.

Both things are possible and can be done…but both will result in something different than we had before.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Order The Coffee

When the person you’re with orders coffee and you’re more of a tea person…sometimes just order the coffee.

‘We’re drinking the same thing at the same time’ can be more satisfying than getting the tea.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Headliner Chant

If you’re on stage as the opening band it’s not a great sign if the crowd starts chanting the headliners name.

You probably really wanted the gig. It was probably really hard to get the gig. It was probably a lot of work to get everyone on stage.

So two things…

- Hopefully you wanted the right gig.

- It’s so much work to get the gig that it’s easy to run out of energy to put together a show good enough to make the audience forget about the headliner.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

The Styx

A real conversation in a hotel elevator in Atlanta with two older gentlemen…

Old guys: What’s the name of your band?

Us: The Kicks

Old guys: The Styx?

Us: No, The Kicks

Old guys: Kix??

Us: No, The Kicks

Old guys: Styx???

Us: Yes, we’re in Styx

Just give them a thrill

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple