Archive for July, 2010
Current Listening- Punk and Noise Central
Current listening is where I post about artists I am listening to.
Mekons- A first wave (and first rate) Punk band, started in the late 1970s. They are still playing together.
The Replacements- Minnesota Rock and Roll with Punk leanings. Their bassist was still in High School when they went on a tour back in 1984. Great songs that more people should know.
The Velvet Underground- Lou Reed’s original band; Catchy tunes, good noise.
Ponytail- A great live band, I saw them at the Black Cat, opening for Yeasayer. Sounds like very energetic Noise Rock from Mars.
When is the new album coming out?
J RAUD & THE FIRING SQUAD’s upcoming album is about 70% complete. The title is Dance of Words. Its projected release date is sometime in the Fall of this year. Most of the songs were written between September 2009 and May 2010. Ryan Minton is producing, with assistance from Bryan Bowman and me.
Songwriting Process
When I write a song, I like to work quickly. My lyrics and music are usually finished after about 15-45 minutes. I edit later. Artistic clarity is brief. I usually write after an epiphany or a summation of thoughts I’ve had over the course of days or months. The songs are helpful to me (that’s why I write). I also hope others can discover something from them and be a part of them.
The songs for Dance of Words were written while I was sitting at a desk, guitar in lap, and typing out lyrics on my computer. I would look out the window. The words just came to me like epiphanies do.
More updates to come…for your reading pleasure, lyrics for “The Ego Song” from Dance of Words are below.
The Ego Song
I’ve been going through day to day
Waiting for a change
Wait could make me new, not stay the same?
I live in a world where humans are robots
And robots stay the same
Have I lost all feeling? I’ll be lucky when I’m blue
Chorus:
Take my money, take my clothing, take my car
Take my status, take my ego too
Take my blindness, take my narrow-mindedness
Take my heartache, take my selfish nature too
-
It’s a matter of sane
This day to day
What could make a change?
Though my heart stays the same
I live in a world where humans are robots
And robots stay the same
Have I lost all feeling? I’ll be lucky when I’m blue
(Repeat Chorus)