Crap! That is what I just caught myself saying a little bit ago while listening to Matthew Perryman Jones' new album, "Land of the Living," and I meant it in the good way. Through my listening, MPJ continued to give me reasons to keep listening, whether it was the melodies, the production, the words, etc. I just could not bring myself to skip to the next song. This does not normally happen.
I have some bad news, though. Towards the end of the last song, I was getting ready to come straight to my blog and post a new "Freebie." You see, MPJ gave his album away for free through Noisetrade.com yesterday. I received an email from Noisetrade telling me to download it while I could...so I did. Unfortunately, I checked the website before I posted this "Freebie," and noticed that the album is no longer available. So, you will have to acquire by other means. But, I assure you that if may just be worth your while.
There are many people who "write" songs, but a far fewer number that "craft" songs. As a musician, I suffer from a condition sometimes that I call, "Song Envy." This is when I listen to a song and think, "Man, I wish I had written that." Well, David Ramirez is a song"craft"er that causes me to suffer from this condition often.
A couple of years ago, a good friend and music sharer of mine ("Trey Warren") sent me a link through Noisetrade for a free album from David Ramirez. Trusting the music judgment of this particular friend, I immediately downloaded the album without a second thought. As I began to listen to the album, two things changed in the way I listen to music. First, I am one that focuses way more on the instrumentation than the words of songs, but, with this album, I found myself extremely drawn in by the words. Second, I am not a country music fan, but I quickly forgot this dislike even during my first listening of Ramirez' album. This album, "American Soil," quickly became a favorite album, especially for road trips.
Well, he is releasing a new album, "Apologies," tomorrow. However, I just listened to the full thing for free. You can too!!! Just follow this link and check it out...http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/9. In the meantime, check out these few songs that just blow me away...
I am typically behind on the latest social media outlets, but I eventually catch up. So, thanks to some encouragement from one of my friends, I have signed up for a SoundCloud profile. This is probably one of the easiest ways to share my own music. Feel free to go and check it out.
Now, I hope that a day will come that I can make much better recordings of my songs. Most all of these that I have uploaded I did in just one take. So, you are getting the raw versions (mistakes and all). But, for now, I just want to share the experiences that God has given me expressed in song. Enjoy.
I thought that it was about time to put up a more serious Streubie. This song was inspired over my time of living in Austin, TX.
One summer, I was a part of taking a group of high-schoolers to Houston, TX for an inner-city mission trip. We spent some time at a Salvation Army center and I got to talk to a lot of different people. This time really opened my eyes to the fact that EVERYONE has a story. Through my time in Austin, I saw homeless people everyday. I came to realize that they have a story to tell if only I took the time to talk to them. It's so easy to just assume that someone is homeless because they threw all their money away on substances or something else that was their own fault. However, you never know" how much you can learn when you take time to ask someone their story.
This song also came out of a song game I play with a friend of mine. We take turns making some kind of rule for the song we are to write. The particular rule for this song was to be in 5/4 time. It kind of ended up becoming closer to a singer-songwriter country song. Not my typical style, by any means. But, I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy listening to it.
Today, I want to begin a new category to this blog: Music That Inpires.
I just came across something today that shocked and encouraged me. Anyone out there remember this commercial...
Well, I can remember making fun of this song and commercial with a good friend of mine from college. However, I always liked the original song. The original song is called, "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)," by an artist called Scatman John. I just realized today that I had never paid attention to the actual words of the song. Before I go further with the song, let's talk a little bit about Scatman John.
John Paul Larkin was first a professional jazz pianist throughout the 70s and 80s. After moving to Germany in 1990, he eventually decided to add singing to his act. But, here is the deal...John Larkin was a stutterer. So, scatting became his thing. He once said that scatting was "turning my biggest problem into my biggest asset." Scatman John was born. Now, he wanted to encourage others that suffered from his same problem. So came "Scatman (Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop)," a song to inspire children who stutter to overcome adversity. Listen carefully to the actual words of the song...
Then, five years later, John Larkin passed away due to lung cancer. I found this supposed quote of his before his death: "Whatever God wants is fine by me… I’ve had the very best life. I have tasted beauty."
What a story! I never knew it, so I thought perhaps you had not either. So I share. I hope you were just as encouraged as I.
