Out Here

Out Here
Written 2014
Recorded 2015

This song did not come to be without putting a good fight. "Out Here" is one of many songs written in the wee morning hours. Long ago, I tried writing in the evening hours, but somewhere along the way I realized that I was much more productive when I woke up. I'm not sure why, as a general rule I am definitely not a morning person. Granted, that's more around those pesky people.

Nevertheless, I remember this morning particularly well. I started off noodling around on my guitar, and quickly found the verse progression. But that's where progress stopped. I was completely stuck, so I went over to our keyboard and tried plunking a few things out there. Then I had an idea for a vocal line. The problem was it felt way too simple, yet lyrics started coming. The words, "Out here," came out and I wrote them down in my notebook. Again, progress stopped. I couldn't get beyond that line. Noodled around some more and started coming up with the opening riff you hear now. Then I got the idea for "Breathe in where you've been." So I wrote it down and tried playing the progression and seeing if more words followed naturally. They did not. Up to this point, the tempo was much, much slower. So when I started finding the chords and melody for the chorus, that's when I made the move to quicken the pace. From there, it all kind of came together. I decided that a simple verse was fine as long as I added some harmony and the chorus was the glue to hold everything together.

• For being a glaring feature at first glance, I really enjoy the simplicity of the verse. This is not only in melody, but in message too.
• I was a little on the fence about the call and response style of the chorus, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It just made sense at the time and I needed to trust my gut. I think it felt a little cheesy to me when I looked at in on paper.
• The flow and structure of this song works really well. It's a very positive song as well, and that always helps. 
• Because this song was written at essentially two different tempos, it really took me a long time to start the song with the right one. The 'ole metronome (my mortal enemy in high school) saved my butt there.
• This recording is of Whiskey Doubles on our Nightcap EP. It's probably one of my favorite tunes from that batch.

A Journey

A Journey
Written and Recorded 2010

This is probably one of my simplest, but meaningful pieces that I created while in Baraboo. When I sat down to write this song and started having ideas, I knew I wanted it to be laced with as much emotion I could without bringing in my agenda. As you all know by now, those were some difficult times for me. But when I wrote this song, my original intent was to present it to family as a gift. I never did follow through with that, but I do enjoy the end product.

• Synth pads are one of my favorite tools for this kind of writing. If you find/create the right one, it can have as much weight as the human voice. They can be as delicate or strong as you want them to be.
• I go through the main progression quite a few times before moving on in melodic material. I thought it was so simple and beautiful that I wanted to explore it in a few different textures/ranges. Doing that keeps the song moving forward enough for me where I don't get bored.
• The building that happens on the 2nd progression is really nice for me. Once you get that extra low octave in there, it cues the listener that there is something strong going on. 
• My favorite part is the drop-off after the build. Both parts are beautiful, and one can't be fully experienced without the other. The intensity and the softness are both necessary for the full effect.
• This song is a soothing reminder of the beauty that can come out of painful experiences. As I've frequently come to say in recent years, "It's all about the journey."

Take the Reins

Take the Reins (MMT)
Written and Recorded 2011
Take the Reins (Last version OTN)
Arranged and Recorded 2013

This song underwent some huge changes in its time. For this blog's purposes, I'm only highlighting the beginning and the end to demonstrate the two extremes. At the end of the day, I'm glad I stuck with this song as long as I did.

The lyrics of this song are about an experience I had as a child at my aunt and uncle's old farm. I was probably about 6 years old and we had gone out to their farm to spend New Year's Eve. As you might expect, they had a pretty sweet John Deere 4 Wheeler. My cousins had tied a string of plastic sleds behind the 4 Wheeler and were headed out to have some serious fun on the frozen and snow covered fields...at night. Does this sound dangerous? Yes. Does it also sound amazing? Absolutely. So I went along, hopped up on sugar and the kind of excitement you only get when you know you're doing something fun and dangerous.

When it finally came to my turn, I went stomach-down, face-first on the last sled in the chain. It was crazy. I remember going very fast in almost complete darkness. The white snow helped as the moon was shining that night, but let's be honest, I was still a little afraid of the dark. Next thing I new, we took a really sharp turn and I fell off the sled, I just couldn't hold on. I laid in the snow like Ralphie's brother in "A Christmas Story" when he gets pushed down but can't get up in his ridiculous red snowsuit. I remember just laying there, hearing everyone laugh as they continued on, just looking up at the sky in the cold. I remember thinking, "Will they find me? Will I die out here?." But I also was very calm, no real panic came over me. Looking back, I have no idea how long I was actually out there before they circled back for me. It was probably a minute or so, but that memory is so clearly burned in my mind.

I don't know why the 23/24 year-old version of myself felt the need to write a song with these images, but it happened.

• The first version is one I recorded in Baraboo for what was going to be the Miss Misery Trio. Bass was the primary instrument and everything else was based around it. For a while, it was just bass, keyboard, and a lead vocal line. But as I mentioned in the "Sifting Sands" post, the harmonies of Fleet Foxes really inspired me to add more in. Guitar was one of the last things added for a difference in texture.
• I really play a lot with dynamics with the MMT version. It was easy going from clean guitar/bass and then adding in the overdrive here and there. That was probably the biggest strength of this demo.
• The background vocals are quite sloppy, mixing ooos and ahhhs on different parts at the same time. But I like the effect of waiting to the last line of the song to all sing the lyrics together. 
• This song went through a couple of changes during Of the North's time together, especially in the beginning. We really struggled to find a way to make it work and fit in the set. It was shelved for a while, but one summer night I decided to give it another shot. I developed a new chord progression for the verses and gave it an entirely new feeling.
• In all honesty, this is one of my favorite recordings I made (with the help of Kent and Kristen) during Of the North. It encapsulates the best parts of the band and what my vision ended up being. 
• Fun fact: I misspelled the title of this song as "Take the Reigns" until 2014 when we tried adapting it for Whiskey Doubles. Ellie was kind of enough to let me know and I gave myself a good face-palm. I was so sure! Oh well.
• One of the reasons that this song has been laid to rest and no longer used with Whiskey Doubles is the vocal range. I started to have some big issues trying to sing the chorus of the song. When I rearranged it, I changed the key so that the vocals could be more impactful and pressing. But my voice would start giving out and activating my gag reflex (sorry, I know it's gross), I would have to stop singing mid-song and try to regain my composure. It wasn't good. 
• As a song, it no longer reflects my current songwriting style. It comes close, but I actually see it as a bridge to a new, and simpler style. By changing the main rhythmic part of the verse to a chord progression rather than a riff, it helped move away from the rock and roll and into the folk world a bit more.

Tickle of My Breath

Tickle of My Breath
Written and Recorded 2012

This song has been around long enough for me to admit that I have absolutely no idea how I wrote it. Lightning never strikes twice and this song proves it for me. Nothing before or since has come close to the energy in this tune.

• Despite it's high energy and cheerful sound, the lyrics of this song can be one of two things. 1) Questioning authority/faith or 2) Spooky houses. I'm not going to lie to you, the first verse was originally written about being in a haunted house, feeling the cold presence of a ghost. Over time, I've sung this song with different intentions for different performances. 
• I really feel like I got luck with verse 3 being able to work in an echo/round style. It sounds a lot better on the Whiskey Doubles recording of this with Kristen singing it rather than me, but it's a cool effect that breaks up the usual song structures.
• Though one of the older songs in the current catalog for Whiskey Doubles, this song has been a great addition to almost every setlist for the last 3 years. It not only changes up the energy, but also the texture. One guitar and then percussion for everyone else. It can be a stark contrast to something as full as guitar/clarinet/flute/cello.
• Fun fact: this song has most often been described as "cute." Not a word I typically would use for any of my music, but still, people seem to enjoy it.