Broken Flowers

Broken Flowers
Written 2011, Arranged and Recorded 2014

"Broken Flowers" was a song written in the early stages of Of the North, though this recording wasn't made until the last few months of the band. I originally wrote this song for my friend and then bandmate Tim to sing. This is probably my most successful attempt at writing "with a purpose" or with someone in mind. Typically when I try to write a song about something or someone, it turns out terrible. If I let it the process happen naturally, without an agenda, I'm much more successful. It took a long time for this song to actually take shape. The melody and lyrics have never changed, but the accompaniment always seemed to be moving somewhere else. I think this recording was my inadvertent send-off to this song, putting it to rest along with the band a few months later.

• I know there is a Bill Murray movie out there with same title, but I've never seen it or know anything about it. A flower with a broken stem that continues to grow is a clear picture and that's how the song started.
• The lyrics of this song are straight out of my childhood. There are a few lyrical images that are vivid and a somewhat bittersweet to remember. I can't go into too many details without revealing what the song is about to me. I'd rather everyone take from it what they will.
• I wanted to keep this song very simple in terms of chords and structure. The verses used to just be tonic (G) and dominant (D) chords, but for this recording I changed it for a bit more movement. The chord progression was originally only used on the end chorus as a tag.
• The original didn't have as much of a solo section as this, but it does feel more complete with it after having only two verses. However, the decision to only have two verses was intentional. I felt like I said all I needed to say.
• While this song will always have a special place in my heart, I'm happy to put it to bed and leave it as it is now. 

Leave Slowly

Leave Slowly (Both Versions)
Written, Recorded, and Arranged in 2011

These songs are an awesome example of how much my music changed within an extremely short period of time. The first "Leave Slowly" you hear is a song I wrote for a band that I wanted to start with my good friend Tim. Though Kristen and I were still in Baraboo, we knew we were headed down to the good land soon. Originally, the band was just a duo of bass and keyboards. But I quickly realized that my keyboard skills were nowhere close to where they needed to be and that I wanted more to work with in terms of a sound palette. So I added some guitar parts, recruited my old neighbor Kevin, and the Miss Misery Trio was born. The name comes from one of my favorite Elliott Smith songs, who I consider a big inspiration. There really is a mishmash of influences going on at this time.

Once we moved back to Milwaukee, Miss Misery Trio practices started up pretty quick. This was another band situation where I essentially wanted people to come with their parts memorized. There was not a lot of room for collaboration and I ran the group pretty poorly. Hindsight is 20/20. So we all did our best to replicate the recordings, but it just didn't come together. I also had problems playing parts I had written. So this first version was never played live.

After we all realized that the demos I made for Miss Misery Trio just weren't going to work, songs started to change and develop into what became Of the North. We took more of a folk approach, adjusted the instrumentation, and I went to work making new demos. This second version of "Leave Slowly" is a simple demo I made in Garageband to fit our "new direction."

• Bass was the first fretted instrument that I learned and am probably the most proficient at. After I saw the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, I was greatly inspired to bust my bass out. Throughout the movie, there are a bunch of songs where the bass is heavily distorted and somewhat of a lead instrument. I tried to emulate that a bit with these demos.
• Another huge influence throughout my life is Jack White. At this time, I remember reading some articles on how he was recording on old analog recorders as opposed to digital. A big point was that artists are getting lazy and letting ProTools fix their mistakes. He talked a lot about there being more energy in the performance because you only get one take at it, more pressure and accountability. Without access to those machines, I did my best to replicate that spirit and use only single takes. If I messed up, I did the whole thing over.
• Lyrically, this song has no real base. These are almost random sentences strung together to make a verse. And I have absolutely no idea if there is any real meaning behind the chorus. What does it mean to leave slowly? I have no clue. I think I just liked the sound of it.
• Fun fact: The line involving "the seventh seal" is a nod to a song by an amazing singer named Scott Walker (not to be confused with the political Scott Walker.) His work is bizarre and fantastic.
• Like my earlier work, the structure of the first version of the song is muddled with random interludes and variations. I believe it to be a lack of songwriting confidence, wanting to make the song as aurally interesting as possible.
• The second version is one of my first attempts at the modern folk genre. I got rid of a lot of the extra parts of the Miss Misery Trio version and stripped it down. 
• It definitely has a different energy about it. Though it was always hard to really get into the song because it has next to no meaning. About this time, I started to realize that I needed to focus a bit more on my lyrics. I knew I needed to be able to walk into the mindset of a song, and for one like this, it just didn't happen.

Tell Me

Tell Me (Early Version)
Written and Recorded 2002

This was my magnum opus back in the day. Definitely the strongest song that I'd written at the time, there is a gigantic Beatles influence in here. My favorite records were "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help," and thanks to the COMPLEAT BEATLES songbooks that my dad had, I was able to learn chords straight from those songs. That is how I taught myself to play guitar.

My first attempts at songwriting came through imitation. I remember a song that I "wrote" that was just 4 power chords that were essentially stolen from an Ataris song. It had my lyrics and a slightly different melody. I wish I had a recording of that thing. But I can't think of a better band to try and imitate than the Beatles. "Tell Me" definitely isn't a copy of any song, but the verse is mish-mash of chords that are straight out of 1964 Beatles songs.

• Fun fact: the harmonica on this song was a free gift from a car dealership that my dad gave me. 
• I love that this is a pretty simple song in terms of structure and concept. However, the verse chords are the opposite of simple. They follow the melody so it doesn't seem like too much though. 
• "Away from me, away" was a favorite line to sing. My voice hadn't quite settled yet, and I still sound like a choir boy, but it isn't that bad. I definitely gave it all I had.
• The chorus has one of my favorite vocal harmony devices. The voices start as unison then split at just the right moment. It adds a lot of depth to the chorus that wouldn't otherwise be there.
• I've kind of moved away from the 6th and 7th chords that you hear in the verses. By using more traditional major and minor chords, the music nowadays has more of a folk feel.
• The chord progression that I use on the chorus has definitely resurfaced on many songs that I've written in some way, shape, or form. 
• Over the years, I added more and more to this song. There is one version that has a two minute outro with tons of guitar lines. It wasn't long before drums, bass and distortion were added too. But I can't find any decent recordings with those at the moment. When I find it, I'll post it. For now, I'll leave this simple song as it is.

Harkening

Harkening
Written and Recorded 2013

"Harkening" is a song that I wrote, recorded, and then let die. This was one of the last that I tried to write for Of the North near the end of the band's life. At the time, I thought it would be a nice addition to a stale setlist and had even asked our cello player, Kent, to write a part for it. But the band broke up and I fell out of love with the song. It feels undeveloped and forced to me.

This song is clearly intended for a larger ensemble and needs those extra voices to disguise some of the song's shortcomings. When I'm truly honest with myself, many of the Of the North songs were OK and were dressed up/disguised because of the huge instrumentation. I'd like to think this is one of the last songs to go that route of "Part-writing" over songwriting. The band that I am currently a part of, Whiskey Doubles, is extremely focused on good songwriting and exposed arrangements. It's a wonderful challenge that has made me step up in a BIG way. But I wouldn't be where I am now without the lessons I've learned along the way. It's all about the journey.

• This demo is missing a solo over the bridge that I'm pretty sure I wanted Kent to do. I never heard all of Kent's cello part for this song, but it probably would have helped.
• The interlude section in this song is just bad. I remember wanting to not start another song with the tonic chord. So I forced it and this is the result. Again, it feels undeveloped and it just keeps coming back throughout the song. I really, really dislike it.
• Overall, I do like the verses of this song. I took extra care with them because there isn't a lot else going on there. For some reason, the lyrics remind me of the movie Angels and Demons (not the book, unfortunately.) It doesn't help that the term "harkening" is often associated with angels. Whoops.
• It's no coincidence that the best parts of this song (verse and chorus) have simple chords and let the vocals lead the way. Perhaps I could have stripped the song down to those two parts and worked with it more, but they just didn't seem strong enough to save.
• Another songwriting philosophy that I have tried my best to stick to is from Elliott Smith. In college, I watched an interview he did about the songwriting process. While most of it was not very helpful due to terrible interview questions, he did throw in one gem. He talked about how he needed to complete a song, no matter how terrible it was, before moving on. That way it's not just hanging out as some incomplete piece of garbage, maybe wondering what it could have been. You can finish it, learn from it, and put it away.

Shade of Blue

Shade of Blue
Written and Recorded 2010

"Shade of Blue" is one of my favorite songs that I wrote in Baraboo. I distinctly remember starting with the simple chords that go on throughout the song and then really going for it on the "bass-line" keyboard part. I can't be 100% sure, but I think most of the instruments recorded are from that Six-Track synthesizer. The use of these synths was definitely influenced by Julian Casablancas' first solo record, "Phrazes for the Young." I've always been a huge fan of The Strokes, but the solo record really explored new soundscapes while putting more focus on his vocals and lyrics. I probably listened to that thing at least twice a week for a good long while. I think I've only shared this song with two or three people and am happy to share it with you all now.

• Because most of the instruments are synths and not MIDI instruments, I couldn't go back and correct mistakes as easily. If I messed up, I'd have to do a whole take again, especially in that "left hand" bass part. With MIDI, you can change a wrong note or tighten up a rhythm with the click of a mouse. This was a challenge and there are still a few lingering mistakes, but it was totally worth it.
• The lyrics of this song are all over the place. Still trying to go with the Chris Cornell mentality of not editing lyrics, the images I try to convey are not quite as vivid as they could be, nor do they connect that well.
• I made a conscious decision to keep "illuminate" as the center of each verse. One reason is that it is a wonderfully positive word, and the other is that it is the only 4 syllable word that really works. It got in my head and I couldn't get it out. But I was then able to craft each verse around that line. I think it adds some continuity to the song.
• This is not the only song that features the phrase, "new shade of blue." I thought that was a powerful image on multiple levels. Each time I wrote it out, I couldn't help but think of someone reaching a new level of having the blues and/or becoming blue simply because that person couldn't breathe. The other song that has the phrase is called, "Take the Reins."
• My favorite part of the song in terms of structure is the pre-chorus while I sing, "I saw you, a whole new shade of blue." There's a huge eighth note line that goes throughout the line. It's a nice build and the having it in octaves makes a difference.
• The bridge/end of the song is pretty weak. It's not much, but it's forced. I knew that I wanted a bridge and had to make something work. It's the puzzle piece effect again. At the time, I was a little too obsessed with how songs "should" be.