Here
are some free things to download! The live set is a minidisc recording of the 2nd trio (Dan Siakel and Nick Morrison) and includes music by Plastic Boner Band and a collaboration as well as tracks from IWACaSC & The Cottonwood Leaf, Fallen, Likens To a Rat Having Died, for the latter of which we are recording some final material in June. Friends who helped with the studio tracks below are listed in the file info and include Rodney Lee Jones, Jon Douglas, Sara Johnsen, Steve Manuszak, Dan Siakel, and Nick Morrison. Dust was mixed by Loren Jan Wilson. Thanks, |
|
|
It Was Almost Certainly a Small Child (2008)
|
demos 2002-2005 (rar)
|
all
material © 2002-2008 Health&Beauty / Brian J Sulpizio
except Murmur
set © 2008 Plastic Boner Band/Health&Beauty
Here is the "short" "film" Dust,
created by the cunning + beautiful
Ryan William Sigg, pictured below.
Visit his web site, please.
Some people say they can't get it to work,
and I don't know what to do about that.
It's mostly Ryan's deal.
Even if it will work for you, it'll take a really
long time to download. It's like 35MB.
^click on that thing right there, and give it
some time. it's a BIG file. like 35MB.
^ryan sigg (left) pictured with noah gurney
photo by health&beauty
© 2007 Health&Beauty / Brian J Sulpizio
HOW
I WRITE MY SONGS Some of the methods I use to write my songs will be found in the following examples. Everyone has a song in him or her. Writing songs is a basic human trait. I am not saying that it is easy; like everything else worthwhile in this world it requires concentration and hard work. The methods I will outline are a good way to begin and have worked for me but they are by no means the only methods that can be used. There is no one set way of writing your songs, every way is just as good as the other as Kipling said. (I am talking now about the lyrics; we will talk about the melodies in a little bit.) The important thing is to put true life into your songs, things that people know and can recognize and truly feel. You have to be open to experience, to what is going on around you, the things of daily life. Often little things that you don't even think about at the time can be the basis of a song. A knowledge of all the different types of songs that are commonly accepted is helpful. To give you an idea of the various types of songs there are I am going to tell you how I wrote various of my own, including "Rudelle," "Last Night," "Sad Dog Blues," and others—how I came to write these songs and where I got the idea and what the circumstances were, more or less, so that you will be able to do the same thing. Just remember, there is no substitute for sticking to it and listening to the work of others who have been down this road before you and have mastered their craft over many years. In the case of "Rudelle" I was sitting at my desk one day with my pencil and yellow legal pad and I had two things that were irritating me. One was a letter from the electric company that said "The check for $75.60 sent us in payment of your bill has been returned to us by the bank unhonored etc. etc." Most of you who have received this type of letter from time to time know how irritiating this kind of communication can be as well as embarrassing. The other thing that was irritating me was that I had a piece of white thread tied tight around my middle at navel height as a reminder to keep my stomach pulled in to strengthen the abdominals while sitting—this is the price you pay for slopping down too much beer when your occupation is essentially a sit-down one! Anyhow I had these two things itching me, so I decided to write a lost-my-mind song. I wrote down on my legal pad the words:
This is more or less a traditional opening for this type of song. Maybe it was written by somebody originally way long ago and who wrote it is forgotten. It often helps to begin with a traditional or well-known line or lines to set a pattern for yourself. You can then write the rest of the song and, if you wish, cut off the top part, giving you an original song. Songs are always composed of both traditional and new elements. This means that you can rely on the tradition to give your song "legs" while also putting in your own experience or particular way of looking at things for the new. Incidentally the lines I have quoted may look pretty bare to you but remember you are looking at just one element, the words, and there is also the melody and the special way various artists will have of singing it which gives flavor and freshness. For example, an artist who is primarily a blues singer would probably give the "when" a lot of squeeze, that is to say, draw it out, and he might also sing "baby" as three notes, "bay-ee-bee," although it is only two syllables. Various artists have their own unique ways of doing a song and what may appear to be rather plain or dull on paper becomes quite different when it is a song. I then wrote:
You will notice I retained the traditional opening because it was so traditional I did not see any need to delete it. With the addition of various material about Rudelle and what kind of woman she was, it became gold in 1976. Incidentally while we are talking about use of traditional materials here is a little tip: you can often make good use of colorful expressions in common use such as "If the good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise" (to give you just one example) which I used in "Goin' to Get Together" as follows:
These common expressions are expressive of the pungent ways in which most people often think - they are the salt of your song, so to say. Try it! It is also possible to give a song a funny or humorous "twist":
You will notice that the meter here is various and the artist is given great liberties. Another type of song which is a dear favorite of almost everyone is the song that has a message, some kind of thought that people can carry away with them and think about. Many songs of this type are written and gain great acceptance every day. Here is one of my own that I put to a melody which has a kind of martial flavor:
When "Last Night" was first recorded, the engineer said "That's a keeper" on the first take and it was subsequently covered by sixteen artists including Walls. The I-ain't-nothin'-but-a-man song is a good one to write when you are having a dry spell. These occur in songwriting as in any other profession and if you are in one it is often helpful to try your hand at this type of song which is particularly good with a heavy rhythm emphasis in the following pattern
where some of your instruments are playing da da da da da, hitting that last note hard, and the others answer whomp, whomp. Here is one of my own:
Well, you see how it is done. It is my hope that these few words will get you started. Remember that although this business may seem closed and standoffish to you, looking at it from the outside, inside it has some very warm people in it, some of the finest people I have run into in the course of a varied life. The main thing is to persevere and to believe in yourself, no matter what the attitude of others may be or appear to be. I could never have written my songs had I failed to believe in Bill B. White, not as a matter of conceit or false pride but as a human being. I will continue to write my songs, for the nation as a whole and for the world. |
