by Mike Errico | Apr 27, 2020 | Lessons, Teaching
Songwriting Prompt Three: Kick the Bucket Genre is a method of file management. It’s marketing. It’s not writing. And yet, you might think of yourself as a specialist in one, to the exclusion of others. You may have conjured a barbed wire fence that separates “pop” and “R&B” in your mind. By now, you’ve even adapted to the surrealism of Spotify’s utility-based playlisting, and see yourself more as “Morning Coffeehouse,” but probably not “Evening Coffeehouse.” You’ve been trained to find your lane. Your brand. That word, “brand”—it makes you sound like you’re expressing a personal style, but are you? Or are you expressing the bucket you hope to be dropped into? I mean, let’s be honest: Getting on “Morning Coffeehouse” or “Caviar Bedtime Toothbrushing Ritual” or whatever means you go from >1000 streams to 500k overnight. So what do you do? You write for the bucket. The bucket starts writing your songs. Is the bucket writing your songs? The most maligned track I’ve ever played in class, by a long stretch, is “Meant to Be,” by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line. The song spent a year on the charts, but that did not impress. Together, we watched the video through tears of laughter: she’d never work in a roadside diner; she’d never hitchhike in four pounds of makeup; she’d never hitchhike anywhere, ever. She’d ping an Uber or summon her helicopter, and poof. End of country-pop nightmare. Consider this: Bebe was down for the challenge of writing outside her pop specialty, and Florida Georgia Line pulled from outside of their country specialty. It’s almost as if “specialization” is...
by Mike Errico | Apr 22, 2020 | Lessons, Teaching
SONGWRITING PROMPT TWO: FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED So much taking stock going on out here. So much reassessing. So many projects put off for a thousand years finally getting done. I think it’s time to open up that “UNFINISHED SONG” folder and just…listen. Maybe some time has passed and you can hear the tracks a little differently. Maybe two of them are really parts of one song you conceived at different moments. Maybe it’s time to stitch them together, finally. So: Sit back and listen to what you have, and move one (or more) of them to the “FINISHED SONG”...
by Mike Errico | Apr 21, 2020 | audio
Hey, all, and greetings from the epicenter of the pandemic. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. I hope you’re safe, and taking precautions, and generally continuing to be awesome. Me? Well, the family and I don’t get out much lately, but we’re all on speaking terms, which bodes well for the coming stretch. I get all my tips on how to cope from astronauts and submariners who deal with this as part of their day jobs. They say to keep to a routine, and to buy weird things online late at night and forget you did, so you can decontaminate a surprise gift every so often. Wait, no. I added that last part. I’ve also been working… NEW MUSIC: “Someday,” like you’ve never heard it before BUY IT HERE Recorded live at the 2019 Holiday Show in NYC, with special guests Gabriella DeLaCruz (Presidio), Nick Cianci, and Matt Beck. Mixed and Mastered by Jamie Siegel, photo by Jeanette Moses, design by Kristen Schleifer ALL BANDCAMP PURCHASES INCLUDE: 1) THE “SOMEDAY” VIRTUAL TONGUE DRUM For music makers, songwriters, and producers—any purchase on Bandcamp comes with a download link to an official virtual instrument of the “Someday” tongue drum, meticulously sampled by Matthew Wang. (Requires Kontakt v5.6.6 and up: For a free copy of the Kontakt application, CLICK HERE.) 2) TALLBOY MAGAZINE’S SONGWRITING MINI-CAMP A multimedia gallery of photos, prompts, philosophies, and video intended to...
by Mike Errico | Apr 17, 2020 | Lessons, Teaching
Some students asked for songwriting prompts to get them through this time and keep them inspired. I’m going to add them here, hoping they help you, too. NOTE: They don’t have to be for songs. I’m sure you can apply them to other creative projects. SONGWRITING PROMPT ONE: I’ve always loved the fact that Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne wrote the classic “Let it Snow” in the middle of a hot July summer. The song provided what their actual circumstances did not. (Snow.) I’m hearing some you are writing songs that reflect our current reality, which is great, but what if you could provide what our actual circumstances do not? We’re isolated; write about being together. We’re freaked out; write about resilience, or confidence, or add some anger and write about defiance. I’m not talking about drugging us with sunshine and rainbows, or living in denial of what’s going on. I’m talking about putting yourself in the listener’s place and thinking about what they need from you as a creator. It’s probably not news headlines, and maybe not a mirror to the moment, either. They’re getting plenty of that. This prompt is about providing them with a tool they need to see past it. So: Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne made it snow in July. What’s our version of that? THAT. Write that. Feel free to post drafts, if you like. I hope you’re all...
by Mike Errico | Mar 20, 2020 | audio
Bandcamp is kindly waiving their cut on all purchases, meaning 100% of all money made will be going directly to the artists. Grab expanded editions of “Pictures of the Big Vacation,” instrumental editions of “Wander Away,” alternate takes, free live takes and ridiculous stories…and that’s just the music part. Shirts, posters, stickers and lyric prints are also all there and most of it is nowhere else. PLEASE NOTE: I have a queue for lyric prints, but there will be a delay because I can’t purchase the backing I traditionally use. Perhaps I’ll find a workaround, but will get your approval beforehand. Stay safe out there, M ...
