Today is the day before my last band rehearsal and five days before we record the rhythm section tracks for Finding Home. The last few months have been pretty fast and furious between gigs and wrestling with lyrics.  The music seemed to write itself for the most part.  The lyrics, however, have been another story.  How do you tell a very personal story in a way that is universal, clever, and transparent?  I guess we all have to find our own way in the process.

bill cantosI’m very thankful that I got some help with this lyric stuff.  I flew to Los Angeles had a “lesson” with Bill Cantos in early April.  For those of you who don’t know him, Bill is an incredibly talented musician and writer.  His latest CD Love Wins has been on high rotation in our household for quite awhile now.  His musical experiences cross all kinds of styles including pop, jazz, Brazilian, gospel, and more.  He has also worked a LOT with the legendary lyric writing team Alan and Marilyn Bergman.  I wanted to learn and be inspired by him. I needed some serious help to clean up my lyrics and really make them shine.  Bill gave me a lot to think about.  Some songs only needed a few tweaks here and there, but I had to completely discard others and start over.  After returning back home, I started journaling stories.  I wrote pages of thoughts and feelings about my various experiences.  The new lyrics became concentrated reductions of those stories.  Bill was also kind enough to give me a follow-up Skype meeting to make sure each word is effective, easy to sing, and memorable. Thank you, Bill!

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s rehearsal.  We’ll be recording everything so I can hear my tendencies (pitch, phrasing, etc.) and get them fixed before Monday.  I’m feeling healthy, strong, and ready for the adventure.  Lad os gør det!

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