Production

First Monday of the Month, new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple

When I heard the Ava Maybee song and put it on the playlist, I was blown away at the creativity in the production…because my guess is this song started as a regular old strummer. A song played on an acoustic. A campfire song. Kinda static.

And then someone (or someones) brought this song to life by cranking up the drama, cranking up the vibes, playing with dynamics and sounds…and just making it so pleasing to listen to.

Production is a valuable skill.

Yes the song is king. The song informs the entire movement. But the production is able to breath life into the smallest of details, exposing the brilliance of the song.

»» As always the Hum Love Archive is available on Spotify and Apple

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Feeling The Push

We spend a lot of time only taking the risks we know will work out.

Sometimes it pays to run up against the big scary giant so you can feel the push. To feel your own strength, going as hard as you can…and then to feel the intense push in return. But to know that you went nose to nose with the beast…and lived to tell the tale.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Rockstar Costume

A few years ago I went to a Halloween party. The theme? Rockstar Halloween. Typical for a Nashville halloween party.

So many amazing costumes. I was Keith Richards.

The most interesting part was that no one had to ask anyone who they were. Everyone knew.

The hair, or the shirt, or the glasses, or the hat, or the shoes, or the face paint…something immediately recognizable about the different costumes.

‘Immediately recognizable’ is the key. What do you have that is?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Expensive Subtlety

To add subtlety is to spend extra time, energy and money on an aspect of the project that (by definition) won’t be specifically recognized by most people. But subtlety can make all the difference.

‘Felt, not heard’ as we say when adding the fine details to a song.

The average listener doesn’t care about the top end of the snare, the vocal reverb decay time, the guitar panning, or the tambourine EQ…The average listener is simply asking, ‘Do I like this song?’

Subtlety, while expensive to add, increases the chances that their simple answer will be Yes.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Re-Winning The Crowd

When performing on stage and you’re fifty seconds into a song and it’s not working…you don’t skip to the next song.

You have to figure something else out. You have to do something you didn’t think you were going to have to do in order to sell the song. Change the melody, change eye contact, change the volume, change your position on stage…

It doesn’t always go how you think it will. Sometimes you really gotta work for it. This is why playing live never gets old and why the skills of playing live can always be refined.

Professionals have figured out some things that pretty much work night after night…but the thrill of having to win the audience all over again within the scope of a three minute song…that keeps professionals professional.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Like Mike

Michael Jordan was the best in the world.

And Michael Jordan had a coach. Actually a bunch of coaches.

His coaches weren’t better at basketball than he was but they knew how to make him better.

If you wanna be like Mike you need to find coaches like Mike.

»» Shout out to Brad for this one.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple