Dave does Radio Free Minturn!

Want to hear some of my songs and the songs that inspired them? Check out this program!

Song-a-day January 2025 Is Complete!

 

Another Song-a-day January is in the books! This is the 6th time I've done this project, and the 5th time I managed to write 31 new songs in 31 days (one year I only wrote 20). Huge thanks to all of my co-writers: Josh Elioseff, Andy Ard, Peggy Kay, Anna Yale M French, Chad Mathis, Helen Peterson, Karen Finch, Todd Hawkins, Trish Applegate-Loetz, Robby Layton and Pony Lee! And also a huge thanks to Timmy Riordan and his Fearless Songwriter program, which provided prompts and community for the 2nd week of January. (P.S., if you're a local songwriter who wants to co-write with me, please feel free to reach out).

I'm going to take a little break from songwriting and songwriting-related activities for a few days, but I wanted to leave you with this word cloud drawn from the lyrics of all the songs.

If you want to listen again to any of the songs, or get caught up on ones you've missed, here's a handy dandy YouTube Playlist.

Also, if you're feeling generous and want to help support my creative endeavors (which also includes various podcasts and special shows), please consider joining my Patreon page or sending a one time donation to me via Venmo @DaveCoile or paypal.me/DaveCoile. 

This is my favorite project to do every year, because it's a chance for unfettered creativity, but also works as outreach and community building. It's also a great to start off the New Year actually accomplishing something. Thanks for being a companion on my journey!

Congrats to the Raw Songwriting Podcast!

Hey! The Raw Songwriting Podcast came in at #16 on FeedSpot’s list of Top 70 Songwriting Podcasts list. And 2024 was a down year; I plan to put out a lot more episodes for 2025…

Writing Prompts! (T Brodzinski edition)

Looking for some inspiration? Here are some writing prompts I threw at T Brodzinski for her episode of the Raw Songwriting podcast. Which one would you choose? Find out what we chose by listening to the episode on your favorite podcasting platform, or by clicking here. 

T Brodzinski - Raw Songwriting Challenge

T Brodzinski - S5E5, Raw Songwriting Challenge

Ohio born T Brodzinski was given a child-sized guitar in the 1st grade and took lessons for several years before taking up the trumpet and joining the school band. T was captivated by her father’s 8-track player, taking in the sounds of doo wop, Janice Joplin and Bob Dylan. But it wasn’t until she turned 30 that she wrote her first song, and then, after founding a women’s collaborative music night, she formed her first band, the non-denominational string trio, Lois and the Lantern. And once the pandemic hit, she formed Ruthless Ginsberg, a band that seeks to sweep aside mistrust and grief with their anti-establishment melodies and tear-down-the-patriarchy harmonies.

Now residing in Fort Collins, Colorado, T Brodzinski crafts heartfelt narratives through her song lyrics. With a soulful voice and expressive guitar playing, her songs are poignant reflections on life's journey and her personal experiences —honest, introspective tales that weave a musical tapestry which captures the essence of both the Midwest and the Rockies, from small-town roots to the majestic landscapes surrounding her chosen home and travels beyond. Her latest collection of original songs explores themes of loss, forgiveness and gratitude, while addressing social issues and calling for activism. T Brodzinski's performances overflow with authenticity as she invites listeners into a world of musical emotion, a space in which song and strings resonate with the universal human experience.

To hear more of T's music, check out:

https://soundcloud.com/theresa-brodzinski

https://www.loisandthelantern.com/

https://ruthlessginsburg.bandcamp.com/

Raw Songwriting Writing Prompts: Ruby Ross Edition

Which prompt would you choose? 

Find out which one Ruby Ross chose on the most recent episode of the Raw Songwriting podcast!

Ruby Ross - Raw Songwriting Interview

Ruby Ross - Raw Songwriting Interview

 

Ruby Ross grew up singing and harmonizing along to doo wop and the Beatles on long car rides with her parents. Growing up in central Virginia, she was exposed to Bluegrass, Old Time and Appalachian music, then started exploring world music at Wesleyan University. After touring with some eclectic singing groups, Ross dipped her toes in songwriting, spending some time in Boston’s open mic scene, then moving to New Orleans where she spent 12 years as a singer-songwriter and in various bands.

Ruby won first place at the Bay Saint Louis ArtsAlive Singer-Songwriter Showcase in 2014, has had her music featured on Buffa Lounge’s “Live From the Back Room”, and has been a member of bands such as Trendafilka, Blato Zato, and Crossing Canal among others, and has performed at JazzFest, Lotus Fest and Tipitina. 

Ruby Ross crafts poignant stories of life, longing and love, set to melodies that refuse to leave your head. Her music will leave you feeling introspective and wanting more.

I got interviewed!

I got interviewed by Jake Douglass of Practicing Musician! We cover a broad range of topics in just over an hour, but it was a total blast! Check it out...

Lissa Scheckenburger - S5E3, Raw Songwriting Challenge!

It's a new episode of the Raw Songwriting Podcast! I got to interview the wonderfully talented and accomplished singer-songwriter Lissa Schneckenburger. We had an insightful conversation about how to incorporate politics into your music, how simple ideas can inspire the richest songs, and much more! Plus, two brand new songs written just for the show!

https://redcircle.com/shows/a37f00e9-9da9-4bc3-84b5-cd306fd2a5b9/ep/c2c42a88-00bd-4929-8be5-e691f6e5b3ab

Tim Ostdiek - S5E1 Raw Songwriting

Tim Ostdiek - E5S1 Raw Songwriting

Originally from Nebraska, Tim Ostdiek was inspired by his father’s passion for music, especially for the Beatles and Paul Simon. Tim picked up the guitar in middle school, started writing songs, and quickly progressed to doing open mics. Once he realized he could get paid to perform several nights a week, there was no turning back from the singer-songwriter lifestyle. 

Now based in Colorado, Tim has been a finalist in esteemed songwriting events such as the Telluride Troubadour and Folksfest Songwriting Showcases. Tim has also had his song “Goodbye” featured in the TV show “Road Trip Nation” and has opened for national touring acts such as Sarah Jarosz. 

Playful, uplifting, and engaging as a singer, songwriter and performer, he writes feel-good, big-hearted folk with a drop of something funky. Tim doesn't shy away from the deep and heavy, but aims to deliver songs with purpose and hope. Tim Ostdiek’s uplifting folk encapsulates the soul of the Heartland.

Check out more of his music at https://timostdiek.com

Song-a-day January Interview

Trish at Sound Bridge Music decided to do a special follow-up interview with me about my Song-a-day January project!

The Interview!

My official Sound Bridge Featured Artist interview with Tim Ostdiek is now up! Listen to me waxing rhapsodically about my influences and sharing my insights about the local music scene, all while using meandering, run-on sentences like a true artist!

Happy International Women's Day!

Ani DiFranco is one of my musical heroes. Her lyrics are deft and her guitar playing unique. She's also written more than her fair share of feminist anthems. My musical pick for International Women's Day is "32 Flavors", one of Ani's sweeter, more melodic tunes, but still retaining her lyrical bite.

The great thing about International Women's Day is that it not only celebrates women, but it highlights their diversity. Women come in so many varieties, with inner lives of wonderful complexity. It's a shame that the world still needs to be reminded of that. 32 flavors and then some...

Kurt Cobain Turns 50

Yesterday, Kurt Cobain had a birthday-- he would've been 50 years old. For people of my generation, he was a big deal. I remember the first time I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (in a video game arcade, of all places) and thinking "Hmm... sounds like Metallica actually wrote a catchy tune." It wasn't until after hearing it several times that I realized it was by a new band called Nirvana. They completely changed the landscape of rock music, taking it from party-hardy glam-rock to angsty, flannel-clad punk-metal. For probably 5 years, Grunge was ubiquitous. I remember obsessing over that particular strain of crunchy guitar-- I couldn't get enough of it.

How did you feel about Nirvana and Kurt Cobain at the time? And, if you're not of my generation or followed a different type of popular music, what was the act that changed your musical landscape?

Scott Walker: Presidential Candidate or Cult Musician?

It occurred to me that the Republican Presidential candidate Scott Walker shares a name with a guy who's actually a prettty significant, if somewhat obscure, character in the past century of music.  He sang lead for The Walker Brothers back in the 60's with gems like this:

From there he went on to do much more experimental stuff, while also being a bit loungey.

Check out my favorite of his, The Plague: https://youtu.be/NiloWOFuY08
Today he does weird stuff like this: https://youtu.be/2Ih7KzKLLWA

He's a pretty unique character who influenced a lot of musicians (David Bowie absolutely idolizes the guy). He's worth checking out...

The Cross Is In The Ballpark

Since reviewing the movie "Obvious Child",  I've been obsessing over Paul Simon's song of the same name.  The drum part of the song has fascinated me since the song was released, but I'd never really listened to the lyrics until recently.  For the most part, it's clearly about a father, followed by his son, reminiscing about the past and meditating on the process of aging.  But some of the specific lyrics are a bit cryptic.  For instance, it's not clear exactly what the singer is talking about when he says, "a lie's a lie's a lie but I say why/why deny the obvious child".  What lie are we talking about exactly?  And is the line supposed to be understood as "why deny the obvious, child" as though he's talking to someone?  Or is it more like "why deny the child, it's obvious"?  Even more confounding is the line "The cross is in the ballpark".  Every other line seems to make sense at least vaguely, but this one comes out of left field (so to speak).  Simon is on record as saying that he originally had the image of the Pope addressing his followers in a ballpark, but then decided it meant that the "crosses we bear" are "in the ballpark" of us being able to deal with them.

I think he's full of it.  After an exhaustive study of the lyrics, which involved me staring at the ceiling late at night in lieu of sleeping, I've concluded that the song is about coming to terms with male pattern baldness, which I suspect was an issue in Simon's life at the time he wrote it.  Basically, the "cross... in the ballpark" is the thin strip of hair across the scalp that divides your bald patch from your forehead.  If you look at this baldness chart, you'll see that receding hair does take on the appearance of a baseball field at an intermediary stage (the bald patch is the diamond and the forehead is the outfield).  Once you accept this interpretation, it clearer what lies he is (or others are) considering, in trying to hide hair-loss.  Why try to hide what's clear to everybody?

If you're interested in looking more closely at this, I've done a line-by-line interpretation of the lyrics and posted it on the Q&A website Quora.

I Won't Back Down, But Stay With Me Anyway...

A big story on the wire today has been the settlement between Tom Petty and Sam Smith granting Petty songwriting royalties for Smith's grammy nominated hit "Stay With Me" due to its similarities to Petty's own hit song "I Won't Back Down" from 1989.

The settlement has been handled pretty amicably-- Smith's group ponied up the credit pretty quickly, but his writing team claim that this is all a coincidence.

I've actually thought about these two songs a lot, and not just because of this incident.  I certainly noticed the similarities between the songs when "Stay With Me" first went into heavy rotation, but what stood out to me were its lyrics, which always came off to me as a blunt appeal for groupie sex.  I always get a good laugh when I hear the song, because I think it's outright shameless, especially with all the gospelly background singing and what-not-- God has told Sam Smith to bed these fan-girls in the most spiritual way afforded a one-night stand.

What stood out to me about the Petty song was also the lyrics.  "I Won't Back Down" was written about Petty's experiences clashing with music executives back in the hey-days of the big labels, but it has since been appropriated for all sorts of stand-up-for-yourself scenarios, including the 9/11 aftermath.  The song is still in frequent rotation on my local classic rock station.

One thing that never really stood out for me about either songs was the melody.  This is a pretty basic melody and chord progression.  I've always been a fan of Petty, but back when "I Won't Back Down" was first released, I couldn't stand the song.  Of all his hits, it's probably the least sophisticated melody he's come up with.  I've thought for years that the only reason it was even a hit was because of its unsubtle lyrics, which, of course, everybody wants to relate to (whether you're a stand-up guy or not).  The same is true of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me".  If there's anything notable about the song, it's the dream fulfillment lyrics and waaaaaay over-the-top production, not the melody or chord progression.  

They're both incredibly simple songs; so simple as to be obvious.  I can't help but think that, over the years, countless amateur musicians have stumbled onto the progression themselves during random jam sessions.  I bet you could dig up some pop songs from the 40s that use the same basic melody (somebody ought to get on that right away; I'll provide the moral support).  We're not talking about a wildly clever and innovative tune from the brain of Burt Bacharach here. 

All of this is to say that I can believe that Smith and his co-writers came up with this tune on their own.  But it makes me wonder how it would've panned out in court.  There's no denying the similarities, but each song feels quite different overall.  And what's the legal status of an obvious melody like that?  I'm glad they settled it-- some things aren't worth fighting over-- but it leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

Great Songs from TV Ads

It used to be that serious musicians would try to avoid doing television commercials, but that's changed in the last 15 years.  Advertisers found that using obscure songs in their commercials was cheaper and aided them in their attempts at niche marketing.  At the same time, musicians who couldn't otherwise get radio play found TV ads to be a great way to get wide exposure.  I remember discovering one of my very favorite bands (The Walkmen) in this TV ad from the early 2000's:

Since then, radio stations have continued to get stingier with their playlists, and though YouTube, Spotify and Pandora have expanded indie musicians' opportunities to get exposure, television ads are one of the few avenues that promises both exposure and a substantial payout for an emerging artist.

So I'd like to highlight some of the good music I've heard recently on TV ads.  I think commercials can be an art form of their own, but they're often quite irritating, and a good song can ease the pain a little.  So on to our first ad...

***

I think this first ad is devastatingly effective-- it manages to tell you all about their product in a stylishly fun and visual way.  James Franco brings a lot of star power, but the song by The Bahamas really brings it home.

It's a great, slow-burn soul number with electronic flourishes, not to mention a Beatlesque guitar solo-- this one's a great find.  Check out the full length tune:

***

Now, my roommate is avid watcher of Project Runway, which is a fashion designer reality show.  As a bonding exercise, I'll often watch the show with her, even though it's not really my thing.  One thing about the show is that they play the same 3 goddamn commercials at every break.  Generally, I find this obnoxious, but there's one ad they frequently played last season that I got a kick out of-- specifically because I thought the song was pretty cool.  Here's the ad:

I don't think this is as great an ad as the one above with James Franco, just because I didn't realize this ad was for shoes (I think it's for shoes) until just now.  I really like the electronic sounds, which is weird because I'm not a huge fan of electronic music (I don't dislike it, I'm just picky).  The song is "Money Rain Down" by a band called Big Black Delta, and its official music video is actually pretty cool:

***

Unlike the others on this list, this jingle from a Perfect Bacon Bowl commercial isn't a standalone song-- it's only focus is on selling this artery-clogging monstrosity.  What's special about it is that the band performing the jingle do about as good of an impression of Queen as I can imagine.  Did Freddie Mercury rise from his grave to consummate his love of bacon?  I like to think he did.  Here's the ad:

Here's a fan-made video that plays the song over footage of the band Queen, just to make clear why we love the song...

***

So what are some songs you've discovered through television advertising?  Tell us in a comment below.

Bridge Jumper And Its Successors

I lived in Portland, OR from the fall of 2012 through the summer of 2013.  During that time I fronted a blues-rock band called Bridge Jumper.  Brian Tatman and Trevor Degler were the dual guitarists who founded the band, soon followed by Tracy Johnston on bass and Rod Coleman on drums.  And then there was me, on vocals.  It was a fun group to play with, and I never felt more comfortable on stage than while sharing it with them.  Here's a taste of what we did:

Since I left, the band has split up and gone a few different directions, all worth checking out.

Brian, Tracy and Rod formed their own power trio, Navigate North.    You can check out their music here, or a video of them performing here.  When I was playing with these guys, Rod just played drums and didn't sing (at least, not very loudly), so it's cool to hear him cut loose with such a great voice.  Tracy brings her pet bass guitar, "Slink", and a huge amount of charisma to any show-- I'm glad she doesn't have to stand behind my sorry ass anymore.  And, of course, Brian brings an amazing amount of power and fluidity to his guitar work-- if you're ever cornered in an alleyway and the only way out is a rockin' guitar solo, call Brian every time.

When I left Bridge Jumper, Rick Sohler took over the singing duties.  He's got the kind of growly vocals that I never felt comfortable with, and it's drenched in the blues.  He joined up with Trevor and his precision guitar technique to form their own Blues combo called Rain or Shine.  They don't have much music posted online, but click here for a video of them performing.

Rod and Tracy also went on to form their own group, The Groove Birds, which focuses on their original tunes,-- they tend to be more tuneful rock than blues.  They've also been the rock solid rhythm section for a few other groups around Portland.

But of the group, Rod's probably been the most prolific.  In addition to being a kick-ass drummer and soulful singer, he's been writing some great original songs for a long time now.  And in addition to working with all of the above, he plays drums for a variety of other groups around town.  

These people were a pleasure to work with.  I was invigorated by their talent and dedication to their craft, and I'm overjoyed to see how they're carrying on.  If you're in the Portland area, check out one of their shows.  If you're not, take a listen to some of their music online; maybe even buy some of their recordings.  You won't regret it.

8 Songs for Halloween

Trying to figure out what to play at your Halloween party?  Check out these eight haunting songs below...

I Put a Spell on You, by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Most folks familiar with this song know the version by Creedence Clearwater Revival (or perhaps Nina Simone's), but Screamin' Jay Hawkins wrote it and his otherworldly howling and almost cartoony arrangement make it the better Halloween song.  This recording was actually the result of a drunken session that Hawkins couldn't remember afterward, but it inspired the rest of his career, going from traditional blues shouter to campy gothic showman.

Jack the Ripper, by Link Wray
Best known for Rumble, Link Wray basically invented rock guitar as we know it today-- he popularized the use of power chords and experimented with feedback and distortion before just about anyone.  At the time, his guitar instrumentals were downright scary, and the titles of his tunes reflected that.



Bela Lugosi's Dead, by Bauhaus
Bauhaus is considered the first Goth Rock band, and this is the song that broke them.  It's a long song, as far as singles go, but it has a haunting drone that will lull you into a dreadful paralysis.  If you have a Halloween party, just put this one on repeat and you have your background music.

Funeral Home, Daniel Johnston
I've been meaning to write an blog post on my love of sloppy music, and Daniel Johnston would be an eminent figure in that one.  Johnston has struggled with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder his whole life, and music has been one of his coping mechanisms throughout it all.  Lucky for us, his music is wickedly crazy, inventive, and thoroughly entertaining.

Bloodletting (The Vampire Song), by Concrete Blonde
I can't find confirmation for this, but I swear I read that this song was inspired by Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice.  It was released back when Rice's books were all the rage, and the New Orleans setting certainly supports that view.

...a psychopath, by Lisa Germano
From one of my very favorite singer-songwriters, this is the only song on this list that I consider genuinely scary.  It was written about Germano's experiences with a deranged fan and samples a recording of an allegedly real 911 call made by a woman facing a home invasion.



Vampire, by Antsy Pants
I know this from the Juno soundtrack, and it's a rather silly, but strangely moving, song.  Of course, that's Kimya Dawson's specialty...

The Boogie Monster, by Gnarls Barkley

From the gloriously twisted collaboration, St. Elsewhere, by Ceelo Green and Danger Mouse, this is just one of many songs that could work well at a Halloween party.  If you have to pick one fairly modern album this may be the best one to go with.