I took a couple of days off from invading your cyberspace (don't say cyberspace, it's so 20th century) so that I could get some neglected tasks done, sleep and, most importantly, reflect on the project.

Overall, I feel pretty good about the process. It definitely helped me become more comfortable with recording demos, which was a huge feat for me. I was also happier with a greater number of the songs than I thought I would be. There is certainly still vast room for improvement with those songs, but I thought there would be a larger number of "throw-away" songs just to get something posted.

Those of you who have been reading and listening along, I really appreciate it. Having you out there cheering, jeering, commenting and keeping me accountable was helpful to an indescribable degree.

If you really enjoyed some of the songs and would like to download them, they are now all available for sale at my Bandcamp page. You can buy them individually or in a whole package deal. I would make the package a little cheaper if the money were going into my pocket, but all proceeds will go to the Nashville Red Cross flood recovery efforts. If you decide to download the whole "album", there's a little bonus track thrown in there for your troubles.

Just for fun, I've compiled some statistics about the posted songs:

Songs about girls: 44% Songs about my mother: 3% Songs under 3 minutes: 23% Songs with "This" in the title: 13% Songs I plan to keep in one form or another: 77% Songs that may be broken down and used for spare parts: 13%

Keys of the posted songs:

C: 17% F: 0% (!) Bb: 17% Eb: 3% Ab: 3% Db: 7% Gb: 3% B: 3% E: 7% A: 10% D: 17% G: 13%

As you can see, C, Bb and D are currently my money keys. Feel free to play this statistical game at home and let me know the results.

Lots of fun things are on the way, troops, so stay tuned!

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

When It's Good, It's Good

Woohoo!! I'm done. I was putting way too much pressure on making this song some epic suite, but it just didn't work out. I ended up finishing a song idea I've had for a really long time. Let's just say... I actually hadn't been to California or Colorado when I originally came up with the verses. I wanted to have a country-ish song with a cheesy love song chorus and this is what came out.

This project has been a blast and I thank you all for reading and listening along. I'll be doing a "now what have we learned" post very soon and I'll be posting all 30 tracks for download so that we can hopefully raise some dough for the Nashville Red Cross! You can download this track individually now at my Bandcamp page.

We'll talk more soon. For now... a celebration and a nap.

When It's Good, It's Good

I've never been to California Never been out way out west Where the ocean meets the sand I've never been to California But I lie here every night just holding on to your hand

When it's good, it's good Though it's often misunderstood It's hard to tell it's magic When you're healing from your wounds But it's good it's good If we all do what we should Just keep it there no matter what you do When it's good

I've never been to Colorado Never been way up there Where the mountains touch the sky I've never been to Colorado But I wake up every morning looking into your eyes

When it's good, it's good Though it's often misunderstood It's hard to tell it's magic When you're healing from your wounds But it's good it's good If we all do what we should Just keep it there no matter what you do When it's good

When it's good, it's good Though it's often misunderstood It's hard to tell it's magic When you're healing from your wounds But it's good it's good If we all do what we should Just keep it there no matter what you do When it's good

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Love You Something Good

Woo! One more left after this! I have to tell you I have really enjoyed this whole process and I'm excited about going back and revisiting (some of) these songs and tweaking them. Next step is getting a band together, rehearsing and bringing these nuggets to life.

I first created the drum loop for "Love You Something Good" and then I realized that it fit nicely with this semi chicken-pickin' lick that I've had for a while but I have never done anything with. I could never find a satisfactory chorus. I really like the one I finally came up with actually.

The lyrical phrasing is a little weird but I was thinking along the lines of "that sure stings something fierce" when I sang the phrase "love you something good". I'm not sure if it actually makes sense but I like the ring of it.

The idea behind it is that desire to be the knight in shining armor for someone who's had crappy romantic experiences in the past. It's simplistic and probably naive but I would wager that there are many of you out there who can relate.

Download the song at Bandcamp and help the Nashville Red Cross flood recovery efforts which are still very much going on. There is a long road ahead before things are back to "normal" but with your help we can get there!

I'll have all 30 demos available for purchase and download probably this weekend. Woot.

Love You Something Good

Was it something I said Or maybe something I did I just don't know anymore anyway

Was it something you read That made you take the lowest bid I just don't care anymore anyway

How about I just love you something good I'll just love you like I know I should I'll just love you something good I'll just love you like you want to be loved

You've been pushed all around You've been told to quiet down Well, it's time you met a real man real soon

I'll help you up off the ground And keep you safe and sound Yeah, I can be a real man to you

How about I just love you something good I'll just love you like I know I should I'll just love you something good I'll just love you like you want to be loved

How about I just love you something good I'll just love you like I know I should I'll just love you something good I'll just love you like you want to

I'll just love you something good I'll just love you like I know I should I'll just love you something good I'll just love you like you want to be loved

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Get Out of This

Hello people! Welcome back to the marathon.

This is a little song idea I've had for a couple of months. I'm really glad this project made me finish it. There's not anything too complicated about it-- just a straight pop song. I had pretty much the whole thing figured out when I came up with it originally (including rehearsing the main guitar riff to get it smoother) I just had to write some verses and a bridge. And so... write some verses and a bridge I did.

I wish I had a better story for you on this song. But it's basically the same concept behind "The Way She Looked at Me" (Song #18) in that it's about going headfirst into a romantic situation you know is going to end badly. Whereas that song was about a pining regretful point of view, this one is from the state of mind where the narrator knows he must extricate himself from the situation. Posthaste.

Buy the download at Bandcamp and help my lovely adopted city of Nashville recover from the floods of last week. As always, all proceeds will go to the Nashville Red Cross recovery efforts!

Get Out of This

Would you believe me if I told you That this is exactly what I thought would happen Would you believe me if I told you That you can never be more than what could have been

I gotta get out of this before it kills me I gotta get out of this before it goes too far I gotta get out of this before it kills me But I know it just won't happen that way

Is this all just a game to you Don't you know you're messing with my heart Am I just another name to you Or am I just the makings of another scar

I gotta get out of this before it kills me I gotta get out of this before it goes too far I gotta get out of this before it kills me But I know it just won't happen that way

You know you've got to stop You know you've got to stop You know you've got to stop You know you've got to stop

I gotta get out of this before it kills me I gotta get out of this before it goes too far I gotta get out of this before it kills me But I know it just won't happen I know it just won't happen I know it just won't happen that way

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Everything

This one feels incomplete. But I'm not sure where else to go with it at this point. I've been messing with this tapping lick for a while and I've had several different visions for what would go around it. This is just the best one that came out at the present time. It's possible that this song is completely missing a chorus that could go after each time the "we see everything, we hear everything" part comes around. I should also tell you that typing "everything" is really difficult today for some reason. I keep trying to put an extra "r" in there. Double You Tee Eff, man?

Regardless, this one is also up for sale at Bandcamp with all proceeds going to the Nashville Red Cross flood recovery efforts. On that note, I'll be uploading the pre-flood songs for sale as well, but not until I've finished all 30. That way the collectors among you can have the whole package at once and give a big chunk to the cause. Only 3 days away now! I can't believe I'm almost done. I got a little sad when I started thinking about being done with the project, but then I remembered that I can write and post songs whenever I feel like it!

Anyway...

Lyrically, the song is just about how we're constantly bombarded with information from TV, cell phones, the internet, everywhere. I don't even necessarily believe it's always a bad (or new) thing. But some times it's overwhelming and you just have to shut down and walk away.

I took a 3-day writing retreat a couple of years ago in Wisconsin. I just got a hotel room, some food from the grocery store across the street and shut myself in to write for 3 days. No phone. No TV. I did allow myself to check the email and upload videos in the evening when I didn't think it was appropriate to be making a racket anymore. (See?! I couldn't even cut myself completely off for three days!) It was really one of the best things I've ever done.

Last year's month long road trip was the closest thing I've had to it since, and I'm not sure that counts. Isn't that something? It was an amazing experience. One of the best things ever. It was less than a week. It didn't cost very much. It was only three days of being (nearly) disconnected. And yet, I haven't done it since. Interesting how things like that go, isn't it?

What do you guys do to unplug?

Everything

Some time away would surely do you good And I'd talk about it just because I could

Because we see everything And we hear everything

They lock us out, we feel as if we're shunned We shout it out until it's no longer fun

Because we see everything And we hear everything

Just walk away Just walk away Just walk away Just walk away

Because we see everything And we hear everything

We turned it on but can we shut it off? I just want to yell and make it stop

Because we see everything And we hear everything

Just walk away

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Really Something

Enough sentimentality, let's rock.

I should probably explain myself before you get too far into the lyrics... this is not real. I have had this really sinister odd time riff for a long time (probably about seven years-- I remember messing around with it in a MIDI class in college) and I didn't finally finish it until last year when I was putting some songs together with my friend Shea.

The reasons why it took me so long to finish were two-fold:

1. I couldn't find a good chorus to go with the main riff.

2. Nothing I came up with lyrically was evil enough for the riff.

So, last year I solved both of those problems with a sweet love song from the perspective of a sick kidnapper. Weird? Yes. But I thought it fit the music. And I thought the chorus was pretty dang catchy. How interesting is it that I might be able to get some people to sing along with such an idea?

Did I get you?

I really wanted to rock today after a pretty sappy run, so I thought now would be a good time to bust this one out. It's a blast to play.

So, maybe I'm twisted, but the good news is that the instrumental section towards the end is sort of supposed to sound like the girls escaping and then the guy is singing all sad at the end. At least they get away, right?

This one is also for sale at my Bandcamp page to benefit the Nashville Red Cross flood recovery efforts. I came back last night from a brief trip up to Ohio to see my family and there is still a lot to be done here. Every little bit helps!

Really Something

Spending her life living in my basement I wonder where that pretty little face went

You're wasting your breath, no one can hear you You're wasting your tears, I'm only here to help you

You're really something You're the only thing I'll ever need You're really something You are all I need

Something is missing, I can't hardly place it So I found you a friend and I put her through the paces

You're wasting your breath, no one can hear you You're wasting your tears, I'm only here to help you

You're really something You're the only thing I'll ever need You're really something You are all I need

You're really something You're the only thing I'll ever need You're really something You are all I need

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Mama Dear

Well, it's Mother's Day. So, this is a song for my awesome Mom. It's about how she's been there for me over the years as a child and as an adult. But it's also a little bit about the realization as you grow older that your parents are real flesh and blood human beings and you have to be there for them too. So.... yeah.

Purchase it at my Bandcamp page and give it to your mom as a gift. Tell her you wrote it. I can keep a secret. The money will go to the Nashville Red Cross flood recovery efforts. Your mom will give you a bleary-eyed thank you and so will Nashville.

Finger-picking is not my forte, so this was actually the most difficult song I've done yet guitar-wise. Pretty sad really.

Mama Dear

Long ago when my sisters would make fun And my only defense was sticking out my tongue

My mama said "I've got your back, baby, Mama is here I've got your back, Donny dear"

And last year when I thought it was my time And the last thing I'd hear was my mama on the line

Saying "I've got your back, baby, Mama is here I've got your back, Donny dear I've got your back, baby, Mama is here I've got your back, Donny dear"

She said if I could handle this I could handle anything If I could handle this I could handle anything

Now loan sharks are nipping at her in the pool And I know it's hard when they're making all the rules

But I've got your back, Mama, I am here I've got your back, Mama dear I've got your back, Mama, I am here I've got your back, Mama dear

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

This Is Not Where It Ends

For this song, I wanted to challenge myself in a couple of different areas. Now that I know I can add a bunch of instruments and make songs with sort of lyrical twists, I wanted to see if I could... not.

So, this is a straight up love song with just vocals and guitar. No double tracking, no overdubbing (other than the vocals themselves) just a little bit of reverb and compression for effects and that's it. I wanted to see if I could make an interesting song without some of the things I would normally reach for in my bag of tricks (trying to look at things from a different angle lyrically, guitar solos, weird chord progressions, multiple instruments, etc.). Did it work? I don't know. I kinda like it.

Lyrically, I have never been good at or comfortable with analogies-- like a fat girl waving her trophy from the smell contest-- so I wanted to give some of those a shot. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Honestly, I'm not sure I'd normally like a song this direct in its cheesy earnestness, but given my goals/challenges with the writing of it, I think I did what I set out to do.

You can also buy this one at my Bandcamp page to benefit the Nashville Red Cross flood recovery efforts. Download now to help the Music City! I will have the whole lot of them up for purchase very soon. Thanks for listening!

This is Now Where It Ends

This isn't just one day down off the calendar I'm gonna be around to be with her

This isn't just a fleeting thought or a last attempt Whether she believes or not, I'm gonna make it fit

'cause I know this is not where it ends Yes I know this is not the story of a trampled rose Yes I know this is not where it ends 'cause we've still got time to grow

This isn't just say your piece and let her leave This is more than sweet release for a careless sieve

This is more than sleight of hand and parlor tricks This is time to be a man and make it stick

'cause I know this is not where it ends Yes I know this is not the story of a dead-end road Yes I know this is not where it ends 'cause we've still got miles to go

Don't let it drown in the water Don't let it out in the ether We'll sort it out together Because this is me and you

And I know this is not where it ends Yes I know this is not the story of a trampled rose Yes I know this is not where it ends 'cause we've still got

Yes I know this is not where it ends Yes I know this is not the story of a dead-end road Yes I know this is not where it ends 'cause we've still got Yes we've still got Yes we've still got miles to go

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

All in Her Eyes

I wanted to do a really classic sounding swing song, so this is my best shot. It was a lot of fun to do. Unfortunately, there's not a lot to tell about the process. I put down the jazz brush drum loop using MIDI drums and then played "upright bass" with keyboards, taking many stops to correct my mistakes. After that just vocals, background vocals and guitars over top. Pretty smooth this time around... maybe I'm actually getting the hang of this 23 days in?

This one is also available for sale at my Bandcamp page with all the money going towards the Nashville Red Cross recovery efforts. My adopted city is doing a great job of pitching in and taking care of each other but there is still a long, long road ahead.

All in Her Eyes

She says she wants to be free Says she don't care about me Well, she can tell me anything she wants But it's all in her eyes

She says it's in her M.O. If she just goes with the flow Well, she can tell me anything she wants But it's all in her eyes

I could swim in that deep blue sea of those eyes Oh baby can't you see this is love in disguise

I don't mean to gloat But her love keeps me afloat Yeah, she can tell me anything she wants But it's all in her eyes

Yeah, I could swim in the deep blue sea of those eyes Oh baby can't you see this is love in disguise

Now I certainly don't mean to gloat (no way) But her love keeps me afloat Yeah, she can tell me anything she wants But it's all in her eyes

That's right she can tell me anything she wants But it's all in her eyes

Now one more time- she can tell me anything she wants But it's all in her eyes

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

You Take

I was talking with a friend last night about a specific marriage in which one person was extremely selfish and every issue ended up being about that person. The thought of being in that kind of situation really struck me, so I put this little ditty together about it.

As with a lot of these demos, I've had the idea for a while but I didn't really know what it was going to be about until I got some context. It's pretty cool when something you're thinking now about falls into place with a little idea from months ago.

I realized after I had already written the song that you could totally think about the words in a sexual manner too. That's not how I intended it at all, but hey, a little double entendre never hurt anyone, right?

On a completely unrelated note, I should mention that I drove to Ohio last night and I'm here now visiting my family. Gotta be with Mama for Mama's Day. I had a big electric guitar solo planned for the middle section, but I realized that I forgot to pack my guitar cable. Yeesh. I'll pick one up tomorrow, but for now, we go electric guitarless. I actually don't mind how it turned out with all the other instruments padding through that middle section instead. Hopefully you don't either!

As with the last tracks, this one will be available for sale at Bandcamp with all proceeds going to the Nashville Red Cross. You can also text "REDCROSS" to 90999 to have $10 added to your phone bill to go directly to the relief effort.

I am working on getting the other 19 or so tracks re-formatted for uploading to Bandcamp so that you can purchase those as well if you'd like and help those in need!

You Take

I don't believe that you don't care But I don't really think that this is fair

'cause you take and I give Is this the way we want to live You take and I give But that's the way it's always been with us

I don't really think that you mean harm But I don't think you know it goes too far

'cause you take and I give Is this the way you want to live You take and I give But that's the way it's always been with us With your take and my give But is this any way to live Yeah you take and I give 'cause that's the way it's always been with us

I don't really know what to do now 'cause I don't really think I wanted out

'cause you take and I give And that's the way I want to live You take and I give And that's the way it's always been With your take and my give And that's the way I want to live Yeah you take and I give And that's the way it's always been with us

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Smart Enough to Know

This may well be the weirdest song I've ever written. I wanted to try to write and record something without touching a guitar at all and this is what came out. I also didn't have time to refine lyrics and hooks and parts so whatever was off the top of my head came to fruition.

I created all the parts loops except for the big drum loop that comes in on the second verse which was just imported in as a regular drum loop.

Lyrically, I'm not really even sure what I'm talking about. I was volunteering yesterday and this newscaster (who shall remain nameless) was filming a segment while we tried to help flood victims figure out what to do, where to go, where they could stay, etc. The guy just kept trying to film himself walking through the crowd and talking about the flood but people kept walking in front of him while he was talking. It was hilarious. When I popped off some lyrics I was just thinking of that self-important blowhard mentality and how we just have to shut it out.

Does it make sense? Not really. But I'm thinking of this one more as a "process" song. These less appealing in-between songs will be important in the long run of exercising my writing and recording muscles, I'm hoping.

Mostly this song was a breeze to record but when I went to "bounce" the song- meaning export it to listen to as a single track (as opposed to the multiple tracks within the recording file-- drums, bass, etc.) it kept starting about 30 seconds into the song. I couldn't figure out why. Especially infuriating when I'm late for other things and not especially into the song!

I'll still post this one for sale at Bandcamp if anybody wants to buy a weird song to help Nashville!

Smart Enough to Know

Just a little bit to wash it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to wash it down

Just a little bit to wash it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to wash it down

Hey, you're smart enough to know When they are far enough to gloat

Just a little bit to flush it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to flush it down

Just a little bit to flush it down Just a little bit to keep it down Just a little bit to flush it down

Hey, you're old enough to know When they are far enough to gloat

Hey, you're smart enough to know When they are old enough to go

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Today is a Good Day

I thought I would go for a more directly uplifting song today. This one was originally a birthday song I wrote for a good friend ("today is your birthday") but I ended up really liking the idea and wanted to keep it. It's just a short little ditty and I hope you like it.

Like the last song, I'll be selling this one on Bandcamp and giving all the proceeds to the Nashville Red Cross for a little extra help for the flood victims. I have decided that I will put up all of these demos for sale for that same purpose. It will take me a while to get all of the songs uploaded in the proper format (turns out I have written a crapload of songs!) but when they're all up I'll let you know. You can have yourself a big album of little ideas and help out the cause at the same time.

Of course, you can also give directly to the Nashville Red Cross by going to their website or give $10 quickly and easily by texting "REDCROSS" to 90999. I was out about today and believe me, there are people here that could really use the help.

Nashville is responding in a big way and people across the country are pitching in as well now that the issue has reached the national stage. It's quite a sight to behold. It's easy for me to say in my situation, but maybe despite the circumstances... today is a good day?

Today is a Good Day

It's rough out there in this life we lead This big world will beat you down and knock you off your feet But there is hope with each new breath you take It's a new day and there's new mistakes to make

Today is a good day And I know that it is And you'll be satisfied to know that it's coming

Today is a good day And you know that it is And you'll be glad you stopped to notice when the day ends

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Too Much

This has been a crazy weekend for Nashville. Water levels continued to rise all day despite the rain letting up after sometime yesterday. As a result, many in the city have lost power, their cars, potable water, their homes and in a few tragic cases, their lives.

I have been extremely lucky. The police asked that we evacuate our home last night due to a nearby gas main break. I get the impression that it was just a precaution because my roommate and I were allowed to return this morning. A slightly inconvenient night and damp portions of the basement seems so silly compared to some of the scary things people are having to deal with across the city.

I have had the idea for "Too Much" for a while but it made a lot more sense when I wrote it in context of the flood. It's just about how the damage is devastating and it feels like it's too much but, as a community, we are too good to keep down! Cheesy, yes. But hopefully effective.

If you like the song and you'd like to own it, I've created a Bandcamp page where you can purchase a download of the song for a dollar (or more if you'd like) and I will donate all of the sales to the Nashville Red Cross to benefit flood recovery. It's not much, but it's another little way that you and I can help those in need.

If you guys like this idea, I can work on uploading some of the other songs to Bandcamp and we can work out the same kinda deal for the downloads to raise some cash. I hadn't intended to sell these demos, but since they are out in the world anyway, maybe we can do a little good with them?

As for the recording process, I tried some new things I had yet to attempt. You'll notice the fade out. (Thank you, thank you.) That was a new adventure. I think I did it the hard way, but I got it figured out anyway. And the organ sounding parts in the background are actually background vocals through a cool Leslie effect.

I originally came up with this chord/ melodic idea when I was experimenting with open tunings. I tuned the guitar to an "open" D major 7 chord, which for the non-musicians out there just means that when I strum the strings without holding anything down it is tuned to a chord. Open D major is very common but changing it to an open D major 7 gives it a nice little twist, I think.

Thanks for listening guys and let's send some good vibes (and maybe even some mulah) towards those in need!

Too Much

Lack of imagination keeps us all uninspired It's time for restoration after all that's transpired It just keeps coming down on us

It's just, it's too much It's just, it's too much

They're drowning in it all but there's no one here to blame The city starts to fall all from just a little rain But we just say that it's too much

It's just, it's too much It's just, it's too much

We're too good to keep down We're too good to keep down

We're just, we're too much We're just, we're too much

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

The Way She Looked at Me

It's been a weird, somber day with all of the crazy flooding happening all around Nashville. So a somber song to fit the mood, I guess.

I had a little leaking in the basement, but otherwise I've been extremely lucky and relatively dry. The amp and pedalboard had to come live upstairs for a while. It feels a little stupid to talk about what I was thinking when I wrote this or that when people are having their homes destroyed, but here goes.

"The Way She Looked At Me" is just about having an intense draw towards someone even though everything and everyone is telling you it's wrong or not going to work. Sometimes even both the parties involved even know that it's not going to work, but you just go headfirst into it anyway.

It's a relatively subtle song so I wanted some subtle production to the recording. I just did a couple of guitar parts, background vocals, some strings and a weird warped keyboard part. I think it turned out pretty decently.

There were no big snafus or discoveries this time around, but I am pretty happy with the guitar tone this time around-- another plug-in guitar amplifier simulator. Hope you like it. And be safe out there!

The Way She Looked at Me

If you said we were wrong To ever think this would work I'd probably tell you you're right

You say don't let this go on It'll just hurt you more And I'd probably tell you you're right

I just miss the way she looked at me I just miss the way she looked at me

If you said it's all done We should just pack it up I'd probably tell you you're right

If you say the time has now come We should just give it up I'd probably tell you you're right

I just miss the way she looked at me I just miss the way she looked at me

If it's all just the same to you I'll keep playing the fool

I just miss the way she looked at me I just miss the way she looked at me

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Be Somebody Who Has Somebody

April showers bring May... um... flooding, I guess. The sky is going crazygonuts out there, people. It's a good excuse to stay inside and make some music!

A couple of months ago, my dear friend Emily DeLoach and I decided to go check out a local writers' night here in Nashville.

It was god-awful.

Despite the excruciating experience, we had a blast. And it turns out terrible things can be just as inspiring (if not even more so) than good things. After Emily and I talked for a bit about how uncomfortable the situation had made us, I went home and wrote two songs. This was one of those songs.

I had been playing a little in open C tuning and I thought it sounded very regal and would go well with a military/marching beat. So I took that and ran with it. The chord progression itself is very simple, but gets a little more interesting with the marching beat and the triplet rhythms. Being in the key of C also made playing the organ parts a lot easier!

Trying to get a good marching beat with the keyboard and MIDI drums proved to be pretty difficult, so I once again enlisted the help of my pal Vince Romanelli. I sent him a quick rough cut demo of the song and he played MIDI drums to the correct corresponding tempo and then emailed them back. Technology is sweet. I then chopped up and sequenced the drum track he sent to my liking then recorded guitars, vocals, bass and organ over top.

Lyrically "Be Somebody" is your typical sappy pining-for-love song. I was looking at one of those dating websites (IT DOESN'T MATTER WHY, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT). I noticed all the pictures of the happy couples that ostensibly met on the site and I started thinking about what the designers and CEOs of these sites want people to think when they look at it. So, the song is written from that perspective.

Be Somebody Who Has Somebody

I don't know why this is so hard When all that I want is to give all my heart

It's not like I haven't tried but it's a shot in the dark I'm all for having fun but I just want to

Be somebody who has somebody Somebody who's here in the daylight Somebody who has somebody That's just right, just right, just right, just right for me

I'm not one for tears, so don't expect much But ever sense she was here, I just imagine her touch

It's not like I haven't tried but it's a shot in the dark I'm all for having fun but I just want to

Be somebody who has somebody Somebody who's here in the daylight Somebody who has somebody That's just right, just right, just right, just right for me

I want to be somebody who has somebody Somebody who's here in the daylight Somebody who has somebody That's just right, just right, just right, just right for me

Just right, just right, just right, just right for me

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Red vs. Blue

This idea has been kicking around for a long time but it's just never formed into something I really liked. It's basically just about how politics bores and annoys me. Regardless of ideology, I just want everybody to shut up sometimes. Highly likely, right?

This is another one we worked up back in Brother Big Bad but never totally finished. I took a lot from Marc and Andy's drum and bass parts and tried to recreate them here, so thanks again guys!

This is another exercise in only using two chords in a song. Sometimes it can be effective if done properly. I'm not entirely convinced that this is an example of such a time.

Red vs. Blue

It's not a war but it's more than a game When they start the counting of bodies in numbers instead of names

It's a chore to take all this down When it doesn't matter what we say because it always comes around

To the war, the war, the war, it's always about the war

It's red, it's blue All the votes are counted and we're all getting screwed It's me, it's you All the delegates are counted and they've earned the right to choose for us

It's the poor that we all bargain for But only if they vote our way, it comes down to the score

That's right I said the score, the score, the score, it's always about the score

It's red, it's blue All the votes are counted and we're all getting screwed It's me, it's you All the delegates are counted and they've earned the right to choose for us

It's the core, the core, the core, it's always about the core

It's red, it's blue All the votes are counted and we're all getting screwed It's me, it's you All the delegates are counted and they've earned the right to choose for us

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Just The Way I Am

Halfway done! Woo! I have to say, I've really enjoyed this project, but I'm also looking forward to being done with it for a while. I have some fun ideas for another project or two on the horizon, but there will definitely be a break between. I like to sleep.

"Just The Way I Am" is the idea I worked on yesterday, so I had a head start today. I've been messing around with this riff and chorus for a long time now. In fact, I had forgotten about it until I came upon another rehearsal recording from my Brother Big Bad days. I had never come up with a verse I was happy with (noticing a trend here?) so I figured now is the time!

It's not my cleanest work guitar-wise, but I think you get the idea. I had a really fun time putting together the MIDI drums based a little bit off of Marc's drum part and my own imagination. I'm pretty happy with the result.

I don't think I'll ever be a recording engineer or anything (nor do I really want to) but I feel like I have a much better handle on this kind of recording now. There's been some yelling at the computer, yes, but much less now than when I started. Now it's more incredulous like "Why did you do that?" or my favorite "Why would you do something like that?"-- as if the software has ill intent. Maybe it DOES. I am still pretty slow at the whole process but now it's because I want to tinker with the mix and add more things whereas before it was because I was completely over my head and had no idea what I was doing.

Lyrically, this song is just about accepting yourself for who you are. I was lucky enough to grow up in an accepting household with loving parents, but I'm twisted enough to sing and write from the perspective of someone who didn't and that's what I am going for here.

The jam in the middle is pretty heavy for a rock/pop/country song with a cajun beat but hey, that's just the way I am!

Just The Way I Am

Call me out to make your vision fit But I'm the kind of kid that doesn't want to shift It's just the way I am

Now shut your mouth as a parting gift Now that's the kind of gift that could mend this rift It's just the way I am

Canvas blank enough to vent your rage But there's already something written on this page Yeah, it's just the way I am

Shake your head, say it's gone to hell But I'm not here to make you feel good about your sense of self Yeah, I'm just the way I am

It's just the way I am It's just the way I am It's just the way I am It's just the way I am

Call it morbid curiosity But that's the kind of thing that I don't want to see It's just the way I am

You and I can both agree That you're the kind of person I don't want to be I'm just the way I am

It's just the way I am It's just the way I am It's just the way I am It's just the way I am

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Circle

I have felt like crap all day, so this was a tough one to come up with. For the first time in this project, I decided on an idea, started working on it and then abandoned it halfway through. I still think the idea is good, but the melody is at the top of my vocal range and just the thought of singing that high makes my head hurt even more than it already does. Wah.

So instead, you get an instrumental. I thought I would try something minimalistic using only two chords and see what I could make happen. It's one of those pieces that's better if you close your eyes. I didn't really have a deeper meaning for it at first, but as it was coming together I thought it would be an interesting musical metaphor for a life cycle. We're born alone, we die alone and lots of stuff happens in between but all under the same survival routine of eat, sleep, breathe. Maybe it only got that heady to me because I'm tired.

I started with three similar guitar parts and then eventually layered on bass (baritone guitar) plus strings, drums and piano all using MIDI patches from Logic. The piano sound is great, but the rest sound pretty fake-ish to me. If you imagine they sounded real though, it would be pretty cool. I'm pretty happy with the parts themselves though, considering my keyboard skills generally amount to little more than the knuckle song.

Hope you enjoy! Here's to a headache-free tomorrow!

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Beautiful Disgrace

Today, I had a live question and answer webcam teaching session on JamPlay. Since it was an extended session and because I thought it would be fun, we used the time to create a new song and record it on the spot. I can't really take much credit for this one, since the JamPlay members chose the groove, the loops, the guitar tone, the key, most of the chords and made suggestions on the melody. It was truly a collaborative effort.

Special thanks to these JamPlay members:

kgp1, oddtyme, peax, tompan, T Russ, tammy7689, Sylvia, stratmusic, mkorsmo, suzieq, evilconcept, thumper, philipdj, state007, polymorph gentleman, janospain, itsmekeuh, rhoadsfreak, guitarfreak and squirrelzilla.

They were all actively (participating or at least making a snide comment here and there). Hopefully I didn't miss anybody!

Basically all I had to do was clean up a couple of areas, add some background vocals and come up with lyrics. The groove has a very sultry vibe to it, so I knew it had to be something on that path, lyrically. I decided to write it about a cheating lover. She's beautiful, but a beautiful disgrace.

Beautiful Disgrace

You said you would see this to the end You should have let him know That you two were more than friends You should have let him go

You're so good at sneaking around You should have let him know You'll never really lay it down You should have let him go

Nothing more than a beautiful display She's looking at him Nothing more than a beautiful disgrace She's gone

He's taken care of everything you need He really trusted you All you did was think him weak He'll never really learn the truth

You're so good at sneaking around You should have let him know You'll never really lay it down You should have let him go

Nothing more than a beautiful display She's looking at him Nothing more than a beautiful disgrace She's gone

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

I'm Free (He's Dead)

I wanted to do something bluesy today, so this is what I came up with. I think that there are good elements there but that it might be a little disjointed. I couldn't find a seamless sound between the half and double time parts, but I think you get the idea. I went for a nasty guitar tone and just played it loose and sloppy. I was making the melody up as I went in the vocals and I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out. Towards the end I wanted to put some harmonica on there but since it's going on 3 AM here I thought better of it. Next time.

I read a story not too long ago about a battered woman who killed her abusive husband. I'm not a violent guy, but seems like a pretty legitimate reason to kill a guy-- if there is such a thing. The story is basically from that perspective.

I'm Free (He's Dead)

Crack shot and he hits the floor He got what he deserved and more

And I don't regret a single bullet in his head And he won't be coming to bed this time he's dead

The smack down will never come again Kneel down and confess my sin

And I don't regret a single bullet in his head And he won't be coming to bed this time he's dead

I'm free, yeah I'm free, yeah I'm free, yeah I can't believe what I did With my old man's gun But I did what I did And now I'm glad that it's done

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Down

I've been getting really into this live Donny Hathaway record the last few months. I looked him up because I didn't remember much about him and I became fascinated with his story. To put it succinctly he suffered from intense bouts of depression, became a paranoid schizophrenic and eventually killed himself. Check out this documentary for a way better synopsis.

I've had the chorus idea for "Down" for a long time but I could never come up with a satisfactory verse. It wasn't until I thought about it in conjunction with the Donny Hathaway story that it really clicked with me. Donny said at one point that he wanted to die just to get relief from the voices in his head and eventually he killed himself to try and do exactly that. So, this song is basically singing from that perspective. The second verse is about how during one of his last recording sessions, he claimed that white people had hooked up his brain to a machine and were trying to steal his music.

I can't claim to have Hathaway-level funk in me, but I tried to keep it as funky as I could and it was fun to do. I used several drum loops but tried to keep the drums with a real live feel. The bass part is once again me on my baritone-- this time trying a little slapping. Eek.

I had a blast with the guitar solo and it's probably my favorite part of the song. I also "played" the clavinet and organ parts by laying them down a couple of notes at a time with the MIDI controller. With the clav part in the 2nd verse, solo and outro I put down a simple three-note lick then added delay to make it sound twice is fast. I then added a second delayed clav part and then pushed it back so that it came in an eight note later. So what started as me using my very very rudimentary keyboard skills for a simple part turned into something that sounds much faster, rhythmic and hopefully cool.

Down

I hear voices in my head And I don't know what they want from me I hear voices in my head I just wish that they would let me sleep

Just make it stop I just wish that you could see Make it stop That I would die to free

I've been down I've been all but underground I've been down I've been gagged and tied and bound It's all over but the shouting So dim the lights and kill the sound Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now I've been down

I've got people in my dreams They've got me strapped down into this machine I've got these people in my dreams And they're stealing every word that I sing

Just make it stop I just wish that you could see Make it stop That I would die to free

I've been down I've been all but underground I've been down I've been gagged and tied and bound It's all over but the shouting So dim the lights and kill the sound Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now I've been down

Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now

I've been down I've been all but underground I've been down I've been gagged and tied and bound It's all over but the shouting So dim the lights and kill the sound Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now Goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now, goodbye now I've been down

I've been down I'm getting down I've been down

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Speak Up

I finally got a MIDI controller working with Logic (about 100% of the credit for that going to my awesome aforementioned friend Vince), so I decided to do a dance-y number. I've been wanting to do something more dance-oriented for a while plus I saw Phoenix last night and they were amazing. They really made me want to wiggle, so I am hoping for that effect with you fine folk.

Musically, I was just making the song up on the fly which was a really fun experiment. The danger is that you never know if you're really going to come up with anything worthwhile and have to scrap the idea for now. I had the idea of the shouted line "the last one to shout is the first to go" in my head. So I was trying to figure out what that might lead into and what it might mean. I started with just the drum and bass groove and I really wasn't sure where I was going to go with it. Luckily I worked out the chorus after a little while and built around that.

I created the drum loops myself with the keyboard and played the bass part on synth (obviously). So other than guitar and voice, it's all synthesized this time. Definitely a fun experiment and I'm pretty happy with the results.

I couldn't resist laying on a double guitar solo at the end. There's not much content to it, I'm just kind of weedley-wee-ing all about. It was fun, but I would probably do something more focused if I did more than a demo.

Lyrically, it's just kind of a general encouragement for people to speak up and say what they think. It's more about having confidence in what you believe than in any sort of political statement in this case. But you could pretty much take it whatever way you wanted and I don't mind that too much!

Speak Up

You've seen it all now Oh, you've seen it all You've seen the rise and fall

But you've kept your mouth shut Oh, you've kept your mouth shut You say it's not your call

But there's so much you want to say and you know The last one to shout is the first to go

Now put your hands up It's time to stand up We've gotta hear ya Come on and speak up

It's time to step up So keep your head up We've gotta hear ya Come on and speak up

You've come to terms now Oh, you've come to terms You think we'll never learn But you've kept your mouth shut Oh, you've kept your mouth shut It's not your concern

But there's so much you want to say and you know The last one to shout is the first to go

Now put your hands up It's time to stand up We've gotta hear ya Come on and speak up

It's time to step up So keep your head up We've gotta hear ya Come on and speak up

Hey, hey, hey, you've got to speak up Hey, hey, hey, you've got to speak up

The last one to shout is the first to go Now put your hands up It's time to stand up We've gotta hear ya Come on and speak up

It's time to step up So keep your head up We've gotta hear ya Come on and speak up

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

When I Go Back to Ohio

Well, so far week two has been way harder than the first week. I've had to force myself to record/write a few more times and the ideas didn't come as easily. I think maybe just the excitement of the new project has begun to wear off a little. The good news is that I'm still going. This is the point of the exercise really. To stretch myself and learn how to write and record songs when I'm not really feeling it. Luckily, I have this running list of ideas to help me out. If I hadn't been accumulating those little bits over the last year or two, I'd be stuck a lot more often.

"Ohio" was more fun experimenting with guitar tones and a little bit with loops. I wanted to do a loop for the odd time signature part but I ran out of time and patience for now. The chord progression/melody is about three separate ideas thrown into one. The odd time signature intro/ interlude came from what was originally going to be a birthday song for my good friend Vessela. I had planned to write it in collaboration with mutual friends Valerie and Brendan while in Boston for Vess' birthday but it never happened. Sorry Vess!

The verse riff is a reggae-ish idea that I've had for a couple of months but couldn't find a good chorus for. And the chorus was an idea that's been floating around for a little while now.

I'm at the ripe old age of 28 now and my 10-year high school reunion is coming up this summer. Honestly, I'm not really worried about it because I like and keep in touch with quite a few high school friends already (thank you, internets!). But it's symbolic of the larger concept of trying to prove oneself as an adult. Ultimately, I think most of us care a lot less about what other people think than we let on and it's really about proving ourselves to ourselves. "When I Go Back to Ohio" is not so much about the literal Ohio as it is the figurative Ohio. Your Ohio could be anything really. Dream away, dreamers.

When I Go Back to Ohio

I'm gonna show them all what I have done What I have become I'm gonna show them that I've grown up some But I have just begun

When I go back to Ohio When I go back to Ohio I'm going back to Ohio

It's in my best interest to tell the truth I still have much to do I'm more anxious now than in my youth I still have much to prove

When I go back to Ohio When I go back to Ohio I'm going back to Ohio

When I go back to Ohio When I go back to Ohio I'm going back to Ohio

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Skullduggerous

I'm not feeling so inspired today. I think I'm just tired. Too many late nights mixing demos! I decided to go with an instrumental this time. This is basically just the result of me playing with loops and guitar modeling plug-ins in Logic. I would say that this is definitely not my best work, but it was still kind of fun to go a little guitar crazy and play around. I even did a little troubleshooting when a snafu cropped up!

The song has a pretty sinister sound in the A sections, so Matt Korsmo's description as "skullduggerous" fit nicely as a title. Thanks Matt!

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Letting Go

This afternoon I had lunch with my friend Vince Romanelli. Vince is a good drummer, great friend and a whiz with all things recording and producing. We were talking about the 30 Day Project and we decided to try and make something together. I've had the musical and lyrical idea for "Letting Go" in my head for a couple of weeks but it turned out quite different (and better) with Vince at the helm.

The whole thing centers around this open string pull-off guitar lick that I never actually play on this recording. Once Vince added the cool marimba and loop stuff, it just didn't need to be there anymore. One of the challenges I'm trying to get into with this project is to be able to step away from my guitar a little more with song ideas. It's not that I don't want guitar in my songs or anything, but I want to stretch myself a little and step out of the comfort zone. This song is kind of like a mid-way point towards that.

Vince and I knocked out most of the song in a couple of hours this afternoon. Which stands in stark contrast to the hard time I had once I took it home to finish it off. I'm pretty happy with the result, but it was an arduous journey. Without going into too much detail of my temper tantrum, let me just remind you all to save, save, save. You never know when your program is going to crash and take away your last couple of hours of work. Lesson learned. Again.

Lyrically, this was a tough one. A friend passed away a little over a year ago and basically the song is just about trying to remember but to also let go. Whenever I think about his death, I always think of his wife and how she's doing and how silly I am for feeling so sad. Not because the feelings are disingenuous, but because others are suffering so much more over the same loss. I'm not sure if anyone can relate, but hopefully the melody is catchy enough that it doesn't matter too much! I was trying to break out of my usual rhyme scheme ideas too. I'm not sure if these exact words will stay, but maybe the same rhyme scheme with better lyrics.

Letting Go

I know it's hard to believe That there will ever be A sense of relief You don't believe what you read Your heart just bleeds and bleeds and bleeds

It never seems to redeem It only claims defeat It won't wash clean You can't believe what you see Your heart just needs and needs and needs

Oh, she's so alone But oh, she's letting go Oh, she's so alone But oh, she's letting go

I bare it all in a song But it feels like a con I feel like a fraud It comes out wrong, it's wrong, it's wrong

I'm in places I don't belong But we just go one Until our number's drawn And we're gone, we're gone, we're gone

Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go

We're just an inch or two away We're just an inch or two away

Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go Oh, we're so alone But oh, we're letting go

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

This Time It's Different; This Time It's Better

"This Time" is a weird amalgam of several different ideas thrown together. I've had the main generic blues/country guitar lick for a while and I knew I wanted to do something you wouldn't expect with it. It's always been one of my favorite ideas to mix all of the elements that I like from funk, blues, country and pop, so this is sort of an attempt at that. I had the chorus melody and chords this summer but I wasn't ever able to make anything of it. I had the words "open the door" stuck in my head for the first line of the chorus, but it didn't really make any sense with anything I wanted to say. Finally, today I just scrapped "open the door" and came up with the line you hear. I am also really excited to use a semicolon in a song title.

I didn't really find exactly what I wanted to play for the guitar solo/ jam section. But I realized I was spending wayyyy too much time on it, so I just left what I had.

Essentially the song is just about falling for someone new. It's a new adventure every time and no matter how many times you have your heart broken, there's still that part of you that gets really excited and has hope that this time it will work out. Even with that scar tissue around the heart, a certain person can get around it and make that enthusiasm come out again. Obviously, this can be a scary thing emotionally because you never know what's really going to happen.

But as a wise friend once reminded me after a long conversation about avoiding heartbreak: "It's always something... until it's not."

This Time It's Different; This Time It's Better

Every time I see you baby I lose track of words And I can't speak

Any time you say my name my legs give out And I can hardly breathe

'cause this time it's different This time it's better This time I know it's real

This time it's different This time it's better This time I know it's real

Everybody tells me I should guard my heart Before I go too far

But they don't know you like I know you I already know just who you are

This time it's different This time it's better This time I know it's real

This time it's different This time it's better This time I know it's real

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be (pretty much) on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Status Quo

Soooo... this one is a bit tardy. I think it still counts though since I haven't technically gone to sleep yet today. I had a great visit to the Ohio homeland and I made it back safely to Music City, USA. But, with a finished yet unrecorded song-- so I had to get right to work!

Musically, this idea has been around for a little while. It started when I was putting a band together last year and we were rehearsing. Shea, my good friend and excellent drummer, started playing a little complicated beat. I had him loop it and play it for a while and the bass player and I had a fun one-chord jam over the top. The idea sat dormant for a while, but it was preserved on a recording of that rehearsal. Listening back to it a little while ago, I remembered the idea and played around with it some more.

I had a decent chorus and melody idea and even played it for a live question and answer session on JamPlay. The phrase "status quo" kept swimming around in my head, but I wasn't sure how I would put that in the song.

Eventually, it made it onto my idea list under the current title "Status Quo". I tried to loop the rehearsal recording of Shea's drum part, but it was a bit faster than I was feeling it, so I ended up scrapping that idea. This song is definitely a situation where I just wanted to lay down a simple sketch of the song with the lyrics I finished this afternoon while I was still in Ohio, so that I could just go to sleep. But instead I spend a few hours recording multiple guitar parts, vocal parts, hand claps and experimenting with drum loops. I guess I was having fun!

I am not a political person. I mean, obviously I have opinions. And some of them I do feel passionate about. But I consider myself more of a peacemaker/ diplomat when it really comes down to it. Perhaps that's just me looking at myself through rose-colored hippie glasses. But there is this thing that happens-- it happens in music, politics, movies, you-name-it-- that when someone or something comes into power or popularity, there is an automatic aversion to it.

If a favorite band that you've "discovered" gains mainstream success, they've "sold out" and they don't make anything good anymore. If someone is elected into office, they are automatically the enemy. My thought is not that we should shut our mouths and just take whatever is fed to us, but still avoid opposition just for opposition's sake. Contrarianism is what I'm railing against here, I guess. I'm not sure if this all makes sense since it's 4 AM and I'm getting a bit delirious. But that's the idea I was going for with "Status Quo". Maybe the lyrics will actually make more sense than my rambling explanation thereof. Thanks for reading/listening!

Status Quo

Stand up everybody Let's let our voices be heard Stand up everybody Let's shout our choice to the world

Gather 'round everybody Check out this brand new machine Gather 'round everybody It's the American dream

This is becoming the way that we do things It's just the ebb and the flow This is becoming the way that we do things It's now the status quo

Sit down everybody We have now lost control Stand back everybody We have lost sight of our goals

Gather 'round everybody Check out this busted machine Tear it down everybody It's the American Dream

This is becoming the way that we do things It's just the ebb and the flow This is becoming the way that we do things It's the new status quo

Status Quo

This is becoming the way that we do things It's just the ebb and the flow This is becoming the way that we do things It's the new status quo

Status Quo

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

All The Way

Quick confession: I wrote this song about a month ago right before I played it while I was on my East Coast mini-tour earlier this month. I am hanging with the family in Ohio, so I didn't have time to venture into something completely new. Luckily, this is previously unrecorded, so it still counts.

I wanted to write a song that was sort of in the vein of an Irish folk song and this is what I came up with. I forgot the cable for my new awesome audio interface in Nashville, so I just sang into Garageband with the internal microphone. Not the best sound, but these are demos, right? I have been debating whether or not to add more vocal layers or instruments, but I decided simple was better for this one.

Lyrically, it's just about pondering existence, embracing life and living as you are. Sitting here surrounded by my fantastic family, it's an easy message to believe in. I think I may end up adding some more verses and/or swapping some around, but here it is in the current incarnation.

All the Way

All the way, all the way, all the way, all the way Since I've got my life today I'm going to live it all the way

Each day that I get older It's more likely that I'll die But all these problems melt away When I look up at the sky

They say that I'm a soldier But for who and on which side When all this fighting seems to be For glory and for pride

All the way, all the way, all the way, all the way Since I've got my life today I'm going to live it all the way

No, I'm not religious But I do still wonder why Here I am and there you are Until we say goodbye

They say that I'm a soldier But for who and on which side When all this fighting seems to be For glory and for pride

All the way, all the way, all the way, all the way Since I've got my life today I'm going to live it all the way

Since I've got my life today I'm going to live it all the way

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

I Can Do This

This one is a little later in the day because I went to a midnight showing of The Room last night. All I can say is wow, that's a bad movie. Really fun experience though to intentionally watch a terrible movie with a theater full of people yelling jokes and catchphrases at the screen. Also, the spoons. My god, the spoons.

I figured two mopey songs in a row was enough for now (although I'm sure there will be more down the line) so I tried something with a bouncier, more positive vibe. This one was a challenge. I have had this idea as far back as 3 years ago with my old band Brother Big Bad but I was never able to finish it. I have a rehearsal recording of BBB with a mostly lyric-less version that was pretty smokin. I didn't even want to try to replicate (or massacre) Marc's drum part, so I just used a loop and threw some effects on it. I pretty much ripped Andy's bass line off directly, albeit the kindergarten version. Thanks Andy!

I played that stolen bass line on my new Danelectro baritone guitar that I picked up for ridiculously cheap at a yard sale last week. So, it's already serving a purpose since I don't own a bass. (Why don't I own a bass again?)

All the guitar tones are amp modeling plug-ins on Logic and to be blunt they suck. I'm sure it's mostly that I just don't know how to coax great tones out of them yet. I didn't have the ambition to mic up the ol' Fender Twin to get my real guitar sound this time, but later on down the line, for sure.

There was some weird digital crackling in the baritone, and I couldn't figure it out. I kinda liked the sound of it in context anyway, so I figure I'll troubleshoot that later. (Meaning I'll call someone who knows what the hell they are doing and ask them.)

I wanted the guitar solo to be huge, but I wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to have kind of a "hey, look at this!" kind of feel to fit the lyrical idea of the song. I tried a few things before settling on a bed of a triple harmonized tapping guitars with a rhythmic bluesy lick over the top. I'm still not sure if it's what I'm after, but it was fun to do.

This one was a huge struggle for me, lyrically. I really didn't want it to be a "screw the haters" song because those always seem so forced to me. And truthfully, I've had a great deal of awesome support in my life (for example: you. Thank you for reading and listening) so it would be hard not to be disingenuous. But really, it only takes one person to plant that seed of doubt in your head and then it grows from there. So, this is vaguely directed at that would-be seed-planter.

The chorus is meant to be reminiscent of that incantation we all repeat to ourselves before tackling a new challenge. I can do this. I CAN DO THIS. I am attached to the idea of the song, but I'm not really wild about my execution. It has been really difficult for me to try to make this not cheesy.

I'm also not normally a fan of spoken word parts in songs (sorry, Boyz II Men) but I felt like the end needed something conversational to wrap it up, so I just jabbered for a little bit. Maybe a cool sample from a film or play or something would be better there?

I'm heading up to Ohio to see the family and go see a concert (which I'll talk about at length later), so the next couple of recordings will be from The Heart of It All.

Here are today's lyrics:

I Can Do This

What would I do with a verbal attack If you politely declined to take it all back

Am I jumping the gun to assume the worst That you won't be done until I break down first

There is nothing that you can say To stop me from conquering today There is nothing that you can do I am going to find a way

I can do this I can do this I can do this

How does it feel to be proven wrong To be put in your place by a stupid little song I'll say it again but just to myself I'll say it again when I think it will help

There is nothing that you can say To stop me from conquering today There is nothing that you can do I am going to find a way

I can do this I can do this I can do this

And there's something coming my way And there's something coming around And there's something coming, something coming, something's coming

I can do this I can do this I can do this

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Enough For You

Right after I finished recording "Drag You Down", I started playing with this idea. (I told you I was a streaky songwriter.) I was just in the mood for a folky double-time feel, I guess.

The melody and chords came very easily, so I just started recording the parts as I was writing them. As you can probably tell, I had a lot of fun laying down all of the background vocals. The end gets a little long, but I didn't know how far I would want to go with the vocals when I was recording the guitar part first. I will probably trim it down just a touch in future recordings/ performances.

Lyrically, it's pretty self-explanatory. Whenever I don't think too hard about a subject matter, I always seem to go back to the break-up well. There is one in my past that is particularly... inspiring... It's an interesting concept. You can not be upset about an event or occurrence anymore, but in thinking about it in a writing context, it's still possible to access those feelings of pain, loss, regret, remorse or whatever. I didn't really know what to say for the bridge, so I just implied that the aforementioned person lives in an ivory tower of sorts-- from which one could see everything. Not my best work, maybe.

Another not so happy entry, but I think it's still pretty catchy.

Is it just me Or is everybody else here happy Oh but you and I can see that we just need Some time apart to show ourselves that we can be The way we were

I said I Apologize for all the things that started fights 'Cause I'm the kind of guy who's not shy about lies If it means that I can reach and dry those eyes But not this time

I know it's not enough for you I know it's not enough for you I know it's not enough for you to stay with me

It's hard to tell At exactly which point this all went to hell We're a thousand miles away from when I first fell But it's buried in your heart what you once felt We can get it back

I know it's not enough for you I know it's not enough for you I know it's not enough for you to stay with me

I can see everything From up here where you live I can see everything

I know it's not enough for you I know it's not enough for you I know it's not enough for you to stay with me

For you to stay with me...

In an effort to celebrate the official launch of djphillips.com, challenge my songwriting/ recording abilities and to take my own swipe at a 30 Day Project I will now post a new song idea every day for the next 30 days. These are not necessarily finished products. They are not necessarily fantastic pop nuggets. But they will be new ideas (written at least within the last few weeks). They will be on time. And they will be original.

I'm putting these out there-- warts and all-- so let me know what you think! The songs that get a good response will be the most likely to be included on a future release.

Drag You Down

I can think of nothing better than having the one and only Emily DeLoach as my co-writer on this first foray into too-much-songery. Emily is a dear friend, an awe-inspiring singer and an incredible songwriter. We have tried to co-write a couple of times before, but this is the first attempt that actually ended with a finished product of sorts.

"Drag You Down" is an idea I've been kicking around for a while and we even started to work it up in my old band Brother Big Bad. Emily helped me with the verse lyrics and bridge melody and I think it came together pretty nicely.

This was my first attempt to record into Logic with my newly acquired Apogee One. It was not easy for me, but it involved less weeping and gnashing of teeth than my last recording adventure, so I'm considering it progress.

At one point everything I recorded came out ahead of the beat. Now, I'm not a perfect musician by any means, but I can usually stay pretty solid in tempo. Then I figured out that I had the "Recording Delay" slider turned all the way to -5000 milliseconds, meaning that it pushed everything I recorded ahead. Weird. Once I figured that out, it was fine. By this point in the evening though, I didn't want to re-record everything, so I just slid the tracks into time. So, if you hear some slightly off-kilter rhythms....

Lyrically, the song comes from a pretty simple place. It's just a sketch about the vulnerability you subject yourself to when you really care about someone. You put yourself out there and you put the other person up on that loving pedestal. At times, you can get really paranoid and think "Why are you with me? I'll only drag you down." Whether true or not, it doesn't matter. It's hard to fight that occasional feeling of just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Anybody with me out there? So, it's not the most uplifting song to start with, but I hope you like it anyway.

Here are the lyrics:

Will you notice, Will you care If I land anywhere

Is it only what I see Could you ever care for me

Because I will only drag you down I will only drag you down

When you whisper, when you sigh When you look me in the eyes

Are you saying yes to love Or are you lying just because

I will only drag you down I will only drag you down

I say this is only the start Can I trust you with my heart

I will only drag you down I will only drag you down