There are only twelve months in any given year. A dozen different containers of days in which we live our lives divided up equally into four seasons. Each month, its own thing of beauty.
I’m sure at some point, when these months all first got together, there must have been arguments over which of them was the greatest.
I can just picture January bragging about how he’s always been first and should therefore be considered the greatest. The first one to bring in a new year. The first one where resolutions are made.
Then February would chime in about being the lover’s month. June would counter by saying he’s the greatest because of being the month most weddings occur in. And I’m quite certain December would put in her two cents because of the whole Christmas thing.
Not one to brag or voice discontent, October would just smile and watch the others bicker. For you see, he already knows which month is the greatest. As do I.
October is the GREATEST month of the year and here’s why:
1. October is National Breast Cancer and Rett Syndrome Awareness Month: Thirty one days in which to raise funds and awareness to help find cures.
2. Columbus Day: It’s the day America was discovered.
3. Oktoberfest: Time to get your drink on.
4. October is the only month where Count Chocula, Frankenberry and Boo Berry cereal are all readily available in stores.
5. For baseball enthusiasts, October means only one thing: The World Series.
6. October is the month when fall colors are at their peak. Sure, the Autumnal Equinox “technically” starts in September but leaves are still green for the most part in September. And by November, the foliage is a dull brown color. For those of us in the northeast, the best days of all are actually when the weather is overcast with a threat of rain. Seeing these bright-colored leaves beneath the gray sky is one of the most beautiful sights there is.
7. Halloween. Nothing more needs to be said. The final day of the greatest month of the year is the only day where it’s ok to get dressed up and scare the shit out of people. It’s also the only day of the year where you can go walk the streets and beg for candy and not get arrested. Trust me, I’ve tried.
But the absolute real reason October is the greatest month of the year does not lie in days of awareness, cereal consumption or trick or treat. No, October is the greatest month of the year because of what happened on the 5th day of it back in 1969….
Broken Bones is the eleventh studio album from the band Dokken and one that features a refreshing return to the signature sound reminiscent of such albums as “Under Lock and Key” and “Back For The Attack”. With songs like “Empire”, the title-track and “Burning Tears”, Don Dokken’s vocals are stronger than ever and guitarist Jon Levin, now entering his second decade with the band, continues to unleash guitar fury solidifying his place as one of the true metal greats.
I spoke with Jon about the different approaches he used for recording guitars on “Broken Bones” as well as his long-standing relationship with Charvel. He also shares the story of why he decided to become an attorney and how he landed the role of a lifetime with Dokken.
Read more of my Guitar World article and interview with Jon Levin here.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about from being a songwriter it’s this:
Inspiration can be found almost anywhere.
But sometimes though, we as writers tend to get complacent or hit road blocks. Situations where we just can’t seem to find anything to write about or get tired of using the same, dull songwriting formula we’ve grown accustomed to. It’s times like these when the search for inspiration can become almost fruitless.
So what are some of the things you can do to break out of your “comfort zone” and find that inspiration? I’m glad you asked. Using my love of 80’s music (and metal, of course) along with several of my past interviews, I’ve compiled a list of four things to help inspire that creative spark.
So the next time you’re about to hit the wall with songwriting, pick up your guitar (or whatever other instrument you have lying around) and give one of these a try:
Eye Of The Tiger (1982)
1. Watch a movie, read a book or attend a sporting event for inspiration.
Stuck in a rut? Try one of the above mentioned suggestions for instant inspiration. Visual stimulation can sometimes work wonders for a songwriter. You never know when a scene in a movie, a passage from a book or a touchdown toss might awaken something inside you.
Back in 1982, songwriters Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik of the band Survivor were given a rough cut of a movie to watch as inspiration for a song. After watching a few minutes of the raw footage, the duo became inspired to write a song that would not only would go to #1, but would also earn them a Grammy award in the process. The movie was Rocky III and the song? “Eye of The Tiger.”
Frankie Sullivan: “You know, that song was the easiest of them all. I think Jim [Peterik] and I wrote the music for it in about half an hour and it took us three days to write the lyrics, only because we couldn’t come up with the punch line. But we kind of had the whole thing down in half an hour.”
John Parr – Man in Motion (1985)
2. Give yourself a deadline.
There are times when a deadline can actually be your own best friend. Try giving yourself a time frame to write a song from start to finish and see what happens. You’d be surprised what you might come up with when the pressure is on. Take John Parr’s #1 hit from 1985: St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion):
John Parr: “David Foster and I were working on songs for the soundtrack and were given a day to write it and a day to record it. David wasn’t feeling in the mood to write at the time, but I persuaded him and over the course of an hour we wrote three songs; one of them being “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
White Lion – Pride (1987)
3. It’s OK to be cliché’.
A lot of music publishers will tell you that when it comes to songwriting, never, EVER write cliché’ lyrics (unless of course you’re Taylor Swift, Katy Perry or any new Bon Jovi song).
But despite the need to avoid the simple and mundane, there’s something to be said for just playing your guitar and writing down whatever comes to mind while you’re in the moment. The worst that could happen is that what you write never goes anywhere beyond the written page. But sometimes, it can lead to things you never would have expected. As was the case with Mike Tramp of White Lion when he co-wrote the band’s hugely popular song, “Wait”.
Mike Tramp: “There’s almost no origin to that song. The story goes, Vito [Bratta, guitarist] started playing the riff and the very first word out of my mouth once I heard it was “Wait.” It’s one of the simplest lyrics I’ve ever written, but it’s also the perfect American FM song.
Lita Ford – Close My Eyes Forever (1988)
4. Let Life Happen.
Sometimes we just need to put down our guitars for a little bit and let life happen. Conversation and recreational activities can play an important role in subconsciously finding inspiration. Good things can happen when you least expect it.
When Lita Ford was finishing up her hugely successful album “Lita” in 1987, she had also just finished moving into a new home. One night, she received a visit from Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne who brought her a house-warming present. After opening a bottle of wine and playing a few games of billiards, Lita and Ozzy went into a side room where a guitar and amp had been set up.
Lita Ford: “We just started playing and singing and wound up writing “Close My Eyes Forever”. The song was kind of an accident really.”
You’ll notice that in each of the song examples I’ve mentioned, there was more than one songwriter involved in the process. If you don’t already have a writing partner, consider getting one. Two heads are always better than one as Lennon/McCartney or Elton John/Bernie Taupin would tell you.
Remember, inspiration is everywhere. So give yourself deadlines, be cliché’, experience new things and compose riffs and lyrics you know no one else will ever hear. Life is the open road. So get on it and see where it goes.
I’m sorry. Sorry you had to feel the sting of a bitter Monday Night Football defeat. Last night’s game against my Seattle Seahawks was shaping up to be one for the books. Now, it will only go down in infamy.
Not only were both of our teams the victims of multiple phantom penalties, but you had to endure watching your beloved Packers be on the losing end of a controversial interception/touchdown on the last play of the game. Then, to add insult to injury, after the touchdown was upheld and your team left the stadium, you had to watch them make their way back out of the locker room and on to the field for a moot extra point.
Far be it for me to rub salt in your wound. The truth is, I’ve been in your shoes before and know what its like to get stiffed by the referees. One only has to go back to the 2006 Super Bowl to see when it was rather obvious the REAL refs favored the Pittsburgh Steelers. Why just last year, one of the referees who officiated that game admitted that he had made serious errors.
Sour grapes? I think not. Losses like these are hard to take and not soon forgotten. Take comfort in the fact that you got gipped in a regular season game and not on the biggest stage of all.
As a footnote to my letter, and in a bizarre case of irony, the NFL’s officiating supervisor, Phil Luckett, had this to say about the need for an extra point attempt: .
“The PAT is an extension of the game, so we have to finish the game. When a touchdown is made on the last play, you have to do the extra point, in regulation.”
For those with short memories (not for Seahawks fans like me) Phil Luckett is the same man who officiated over a botched coin toss in a Pittsburgh Steelers / Detroit Lions game, and awarded a phantom touchdown to Vinny Testaverde and the New York Jets against Seattle back in 1998. A “touchdown” that ultimately became the deciding factor in implementing instant replay the following season.
Best of luck with the rest of the year Packer fans. Hopefully, the next time we meet again on the grid iron, the real refs will be back.
Sincerely, a Seahawks Fan.
Article first published as “An Letter to Green Bay Packer Fans” on Technorati
Bangles’ guitarist Vicki Peterson is no stranger to royalty. The stunning beauty has rubbed elbows and played alongside some of the giants of rock and pop over the course of her career.
Her tasty guitar work, soulful vocals and songwriting prowess continues to be an inspiration to male and female musicians.
Read the rest of my Guitar World article and interview with Vicki Peterson of The Bangles here
Does anyone remember watching that TV show on A&E called “Hoarders”? The one that documents the struggles of people who can’t part with their belongings?
Each episode showcases family members going over to their relative’s homes and having to literally climb over mountains of old newspapers and video tapes just to get into the bathroom. For the life of me, I could never understand why people would let things get so out of control that they would just accumulate piles of crap and never get rid of it.
Today, I think I started to realize why.
I’ve been meaning to paint and re-finish an old three-drawer night stand but never got around to it. A night stand that has been with me for the longest time and over the years, through various events and moving to new homes, has become a repository for numerous papers and other things. Things that I had for the most part, completely forgotten about.
This past week, my brother offered to paint the night stand for me and I took him up on his offer. He would sand down the surfaces of the furniture and apply a fresh coat of semi gloss white. Prior to beginning the project, he made sure to empty out all of the drawers and place their contents on the bedroom floor. I must say that after completing his task, the night stand looks brand new.
The now completed project was also a welcome opportunity for me to throw out the useless “stuff” that had taken up residence in the drawers of my nightstand. I brought a garbage bag up to the bedroom with every intention of collecting non-essential items and tossing them.
The first thing I picked up was my iPad, something I always like to have at bedside just in case the mood strikes to read an article or check my email. Into the drawer it went. Next up was the Bible. Another mandatory requirement for any dresser (because you never know when you’re going to need it). So far, so good.
The third thing I picked up was a manilla folder that had “Biology 103” written on it. I opened it up and discovered that inside was my typed up college term paper from 1996. A college term paper that I had gotten an “A” on by the way. What the heck was that still doing there 16 years later? I proceeded to open the garbage bag and place the folder inside when a strange feeling came over me, and a little voice inside my head suddenly said:
“This was the only time you EVER got an “A” on a biology assignment. You should save it.” … Ok, I put it to the side.
Next up, a collection of birthday cards that for some ridiculous reason I had saved from my 30th birthday. That’s right, birthday cards from 1999. As I re-read them, I started to remember all of the people who had sent me birthday salutations; some of whom I am no longer in contact with. I began to get sentimental.
At that moment, the little voice chimes in again and says: “But, you only turn 30 once in your life… certainly you want to save these, right?” … I have to admit, it took quite a bit of effort, but the cards eventually went into the garbage bag.
Next, an old Day Timer from 1993. Now, you’ve got to be kidding me. A scheduling planner from NINETEEN-NINETY-THREE?? What the heck?? Certainly, this has to go. But before I threw it out, I just had to take one last look. Sure enough, I saw all of the scheduled events I had filled out from almost 20 years ago.
Little voice: “Do you really want to throw away and forget everything you did in 1993?” … UGH, this is really starting to get difficult.
Other things I discovered:
A bunch of owners manuals for electronic devices that I no longer even own.
A Penn State calendar from 1987 (My first year in college).
A notebook filled with song lyrics and poems I had written from 1985.
I suddenly began to have empathy for those people on Hoarders who just kept everything. It’s hard throwing away memories.
I was finally able to commit myself to tossing anything that was from 2010 or later and, staying true to my word managed to throw most of it away. I tied up the garbage bag tightly, and put it out in the garage. By committing to a date range, deciding on what to throw away was easy.
The hard part now is going to be ignoring the little voice and not going out to retrieve it all before the garbage man comes on Monday.
Twenty-five years ago, the band White Lion released their breakthrough album, Pride. A record that would feature two top ten hits, peak at #11 on the Billboard charts and sell more than two million copies in the US alone. Pride would become one of the best pop-metal albums of the 1980’s with Vito Bratta’s signature melodic guitar work and the heartfelt lyrics and vocals of Mike Tramp.
From his days in White Lion and Freak of Nature right up to his most recent project, “Stand Your Ground” with Mike Tramp and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Circuz, the man who was the voice of a generation with hits like “Wait”, “Tell Me” and “When The Children Cry” continues to make great music.
But one thing you may not know about Mike Tramp is that his musical roots lie heavily in folk. And this fall, Mike; accompanied only by his guitar, will celebrate those roots by embarking on a vagabond tour of Europe. Mike will be crossing the land performing hits from his catalog and along the way, telling stories that get to the core of his songwriting.
With an arsenal of hits at his disposal and a passion for words, here’s hoping the journeyman brings his tour to the US in 2013.
I was fortunate to catch up with Mike from his home in Denmark and get his thoughts on the milestone anniversary on the Pride album as well as his European tour, a glimpse into his next album and why he thinks the music industry should be run more like a hardware store.
When someone mentions the Pride album, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
To me, Pride represents the coming together of White Lion. It’s the band at its core and the purity of the band. It’s the only album where we are the “true” White Lion.
The Pride album everyone is familiar with wasn’t the original version though.
Yes. Back in 1986, shortly after the Fight To Survive album, we recorded a version of Pride over in Germany. But after coming back to America and giving it a listen, we weren’t satisfied. So, Vito and I started re-writing, and then went to LA to record it again.
Wait
There’s almost no origin to that song. The story goes: Vito started playing the riff and the very first word out of my mouth was “Wait”. It’s one of the simplest lyrics I’ve ever written, but it’s also the perfect American, FM song. It’s right up there with Journey, Foreigner and all those other classic songs. “Wait” was just one of those songs that worked really well in the studio and for the video.
When The Children Cry
Even though the words are simple, it has a very powerful lyric. Imagine being a kid from Copenhagen, Denmark sitting there in Staten Island and writing “No more presidents, and all the wars will end…” at the time when Ronald Reagan is the President. But, it was how I felt at the time. That song began by just sitting around and playing. Then Vito changed it to the finger picking style. Even the way I play it now is different; it sounds new to me.
Tell Me
Another classic, radio friendly song. Those three songs together are what made Pride such a strong package and it just proves that the album is timeless. Those songs will live on forever.
Your most recent album with The Rock ‘n’ Roll Circuz, “Stand Your Ground” (2011) is another great record.
My sound is still very much “Americanized”, but there’s no mystery to it; it’s just rock and roll!
The chorus to the song “Straight From The Look in Your Eyes” is one of those ones that give you chills when you listen to it.
I think years ago, that song would have been a massive hit in the States. But now, the music business is more of a bureaucracy. It’s like trying to get an application through fifty offices. The reality is, the music business should be a little bit more like a Home Depot. When you come through the door there’s “plumbing” to the right and “gardening” to the far left and you separate those things. You can have different departments with different things in them. The problem is, when you start having one thing that comes in that completely replaces something else, that’s when everything goes wrong.
Tell me a little about your upcoming record.
The new album was one of those things that I actually hadn’t planned. I had just gone into the studio with the guitar engineer from “Stand Your Ground” and we would up recording an entire album. The songs are very much departed from what most people know me from. But to me, these are my roots. In White Lion, some of the songs came from Vito’s world and others came from mine. I come from the (Bob) Dylan world. I grew up heavily influenced by folk music and that way of playing guitar.
I use high gauge strings because I like to play big chords. I’ve never evolved out from that. I live in the first three frets. My songs all start from there. That’s where I lay the foundation and the main guitar will then come in later and fill it out.
Do you have a release date for the new record?
Not yet. When the time is right, I will announce it.
You’re also about to embark on a new tour.
Yes. I’m going out and touring Europe completely solo. Just me and my acoustic guitar playing more White Lion and more Freak of Nature songs than I’ve ever done before. It’s brought back to my world. But it’s not going to be a guitar exhibition; it’s a singer-songwriter show where I’ll be playing these songs a little differently and talking more about the essence of the core song. I like people to get deeper into the music.
Are you nervous at all about going out alone?
Not at all. I love the fact that I can do anything I want. It’s just going to be me and a few acoustic guitars and it’s actually where I feel the most at home. The further down on the ground I can get, the better.
Wood. It’s been my last name for as long as I can remember. It’s not as common as say a “Smith” or a “Jones”, but I’m sure it’s up somewhere near the top in terms of commonality. The truth is, I’ve really started to grow fond of it. With four letters, it’s an easy name for people to remember. And it also allows for me to be called “Woody”, a really cool nickname.
But I have to admit, growing up and having “Wood” as a last name angered me; especially during my school years. And I think my problem with it actually started way back in second grade.
In class, the teacher made a list of a dozen or so menial tasks for students to do over the course of the school year. Each student would be assigned a task to do every day for several weeks before moving on to the next task in the list. Some of the tasks were rather boring: like watering plants, washing windows and organizing paperwork. Others though were extremely cool: like actually going outside to clap out erasers (we’re talking 1977 here folks).
The nice thing (or so I thought) was that the coolest of the tasks (eraser clapping) was placed at the very top of the list, and I couldn’t wait for my turn. That is until the teacher decided how she was going to dole out the tasks to the students: alphabetically by last name. That meant that “A’s” clapped erasers first, then “B’s”… and so on.
insert heavy sigh here…..
Having already mastered my ABC’s a few grades ago, it didn’t take long to realize that having a “W” in my last name put me at an extreme disadvantage and meant that I would be one of the last kids to get the cool task. So, while some knucklehead whose last name just happened to start with an “A” clapped erasers, I would have to wash windows.
Yep, I was taught early on in life that being a “Wood” put me behind the 8 ball. Oh sure, I eventually got my chance to do the eraser clapping, but instead of remembering how cool it was to go outside and clap erasers for ten minutes, the thing I remember most is having to WAIT almost the entire school year to do it.
The curse of the “W” would continue throughout my school years. Everything from gym class activities to where you sat in Science and English classes became organized and/or assigned by the first letter of a last name. And can you imagine my sorrow when I’d go to class for the first time and notice there was a cute girl whose last name started a dozen or so letters before mine?
Chance of me sitting next to her? ZERO! It’s no wonder why I became an introvert.
I eventually would overcome my loathing of the “Wood” name though, and am now fully content with it. It’s also given me a great deal of respect for those poor souls whose last names start with a “Y” or “Z”.
Now, if I can only get people to stop asking me if I’m related to James Woods the actor.
Do you remember exactly when and where you were when you first heard it?
I do. It was June of 1982. I was in seventh grade sitting in, ironically enough, music class during one of the last days before summer vacation…..
Thirty years after that steaming-hot day in seventh-grade music class, I spoke via telephone with Howe, who was home in the UK. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on XXX, the origins of Asia and their groundbreaking debut album. Howe also discusses the short-lived, albeit successful GTR project with Steve Hackett, his affinity for Martin guitars and his latest solo album, Time.
Read my complete article and interview with Steve Howe here
Just a quick little rant from an observation I made.
Yesterday, I noticed that someone had posted a political picture of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on their Facebook wall. The picture featured both candidates along with “quotes” they had made (and was obviously pro Romney). The person who posted the picture left no doubt as to who she was going to vote for.
Now, we all know how these pictures work: on one side, the “bad” guy (in this case Obama) is pictured in an ominous blue color, posing with an angry look on his face with quotes taken out of context. On the other, a bright, cheery photo of the “good” guy (Romney) speaking passionately with a bunch of supporters along with quotes he made on how to make America great again. Typical ads that both sides use and ones that everyone has seen a million times during every campaign season.
What was disturbing though, were the comments that followed….
One person, obviously a “friend” of the person who posted the picture, wrote a comment saying how disappointed she was in her “friend” because she was going to vote for Romney. That comment was replied to by the person who posted the picture asking why she was disappointed? The conversation went back and forth and eventually, more and more “friends” started chiming in. Before long, everyone was going back and forth with the same tired old narrative:
1. How could you vote for someone (Romney) who hates women?
2. Why would you vote for someone (Obama) who takes money and gives it to people who don’t want to work?
It’s kind of sad to think that friendships, some of them possibly life-long ones, could be lost or strained over something as simple as a photograph posted on a social networking site.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and can vote for whoever they want. We should respect that. After all, isn’t that what men (AND women) of this country have fought and died for?
The real problem when you think about it is not who you vote for. Because it doesn’t really matter who wins this election. In the end, we’re ALL screwed anyway. And in four more years, we’ll do it all again. There, I said it.
As far as friendships go, this incident only reinforces something my grandfather told me a long time ago: Politics (and religion) needs to stay out of three things: my wallet, my bedroom and public discourse.
There are only twelve months in any given year. A dozen different containers of days in which we live our lives divided up equally into four seasons. Each month, its own thing of beauty.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about from being a songwriter it’s this:
go.Jimmy.go 