Here it is, July 4th, and aside from some fireworks pounding the night sky, it's the first really docile Independence Day I've ever seen. There was a small parade in town, and I mean real small. But it was nice to see people out and about, presumably sick of feeling grounded like grade school children.
Meanwhile I'm still writing rough demos like mad.
This faucet's leaking and I have no intention of stopping until the muse decides it's time. I started writing demos as far back as December 2018 when I thought I was going to record a new cd for 2019. Well, that didn't happen. So why not try for 2020? Nope. But song ideas are tumbling out of me. I almost have enough for a triple album if I was so daring.
I have 25 demos!
At the start of every album, I tell myself "I will finally write something straightforward! Just a balls-out heavy metal record." My brain and fingers have other plans. Damn it. I guess it's not in me to write something meat and potatoes. I seem to dip my fingers in the hollandaise sauce more than I care to admit. But as I always say (to paraphrase Michael Jackson), "You have to get out of the way of the music."
In the past, I would tell people about concrete ideas, only to see them fall to the wayside. I learned the hard way that nothing is set in stone until I am officially recording and then I can talk about this and that. But I can say that the songs vary greatly. Maybe it's a blessing not to feel tethered to a staple sound. I never really had a core sound, plus I was never really relevant, so it's not like I am tampering with something that's near and dear to peoples' hearts. People tend to romanticize about a particular sound (myself included) and when that changes, all hell can break loose. I wanted to be this he-man shredder metal dude but it was never meant to be.
I have a feeling that this will be another truly solo effort like LAYERS OF TIME was. Aside from one keyboard part, I did that cd by myself. It was tedious, definitely a chore but the outcome was sweet. Plus, nobody felt they were part-owner of that cd (except for the producer, maybe?) It was the first album I did all by myself (cue Eric Carmen) and it was a great but exhausting experience. If I have to do it again, fine.
Though I must admit that MARBLEHEAD was a complete joy to make. It's rare to find musicians willing to get their hands dirty and be on the same page. Like anything else, that line-up was not meant to go on for too long. Musicians come and go in my life, simple as that. I see other bands with stable line-ups and wish it was me. But I think having a revolving door of musicians works to my advantage. Keeps me from stagnating, keeps me inspired. As long as the music is recorded and heard, that's all I care about.
And I hope others still care too.
