by Mike Errico | Jan 29, 2015 | audio, Teaching, Text Journalism, The Solo Show
Plus: A 59-song playlist of happy(-ish) endings. [This is an excerpt from “Hi. I’m Your Songwriting Professor,” from the ongoing story series “The Solo Show,” by Mike Errico, on Cuepoint.] “…I love the last songs on albums, the ones where the agendas and obligations lift like the dampers of the piano, allowing all creative strings to vibrate at once. This is when the artists reveal themselves, tell their inside jokes, and foreshadow their ambitions. I know that the whole idea of an “album” always was a construct — once upon a time, album length was determined by the amount of music a graphite disc could hold — and if that construct disappears completely, no one will even know what I’m talking about. There won’t be “last songs,” there will only be “unpopular” ones. UnPop music. Maybe that’s what I like.” Check out the rest of the article here: The dying art of the last song on the also-dying art of the “album.” And see what I’m talking about with this playlist of last songs from “albums”...
by Mike Errico | Dec 9, 2014 | audio, Video, Wander Away
Lilting and lovely…You’ll wanna go there, we promise. – Guitar World I pass in too little time Too fast you slip from my mind I cast you here and I see you shine Over and over again Over and over I count to ten Blink and I see you then Hiding like spies among desperate lives Til we meet again Lightning in luminous beams Lost kings and exiled queens Waiting in the garden of only a dream I want you I need you I miss you “Count To Ten” written by Mike Errico, Angie Pollock (Sky Blue Coupe De Ville Music, ASCAP/ Angie Pollock) Mike Errico: Vocals, guitars, percussion Matt Beck: Guitars Ethan Eubanks: Drums Jeff Hill: Bass Angie Pollock: Backing vocals Andrew Sherman: String arrangements Rob Moose (violin), Hiroki Taguchi (viola), Garo Yellin (cello) Cover art by Angela Errico “I wanted it to feel like you’ve walked into a fantastical place that you can’t quite pin down.” (Interview, originally published in Guitar World): The “Count to Ten” video feels like you’re walking in a dream. How was that vibe created? Thanks. The minute the song was done, I noticed that it had something special, so doing a video was a natural next step. I shot the footage using the 8mm app on my iPhone. I’ve done that once before, for an acoustic guitar version of Tom Waits’ “Johnsburg, Illinois,” which is the same record, Wander Away, and I just really love the mood those old timey filters provide. The whole record has that lush, otherworldly vibe, to me. Where did you shoot? Well, that’s kinda funny, because we...
by Mike Errico | Oct 28, 2014 | audio, live shows, Press
TIX ON SALE NOW: http://joespub.publictheater.org/en/Tickets/Calendar/PlayDetailsCollection/Joes-Pub/2014/M/Mike-Errico-Holiday-Show/?SiteTheme=JoesPub Related show Artist: Mike Errico Date: 12/19/14 Time: 7:00pm Venue: Joe’s Pub City: New York , NY Address: 425 Lafayette Street Venue phone: 212.967.7555 Country: United States Admission: $20 Box office: 212.967.7555 Notes: The Mike Errico Holiday Show is a highlight in a year that has been filled with them. While maintaining a career as a recording artist and producer for TV and film, he has been teaching at Yale University and NYU’s Clive Davis School of Recorded Music, where his guests have included Amanda Palmer, Benny Blanco, Jonathan Coulton, Ryan Miller, and others. In keeping with a long-standing Holiday Show tradition, Mike will distribute gifts, known as “Holiday Omens.” (For a full explanation, click here: http://www.errico.com/dear-mike-what-are-holiday-omens/) Recipients will be invited to interpret the Omen’s personal significance in the coming year. Hilarious, poignant or cautionary, they have proven to be alarmingly...
by Mike Errico | Oct 28, 2014 | audio, Press
Soundexchange reports arrived, and while you’re bullish on vein-opening despair (“Run”), you’re digging the new stuff even more (“Waving Goodbye”), which made me high-five myself. Special thank you for unearthing one of my personal favorites, “Better Here,” a deep cut that took a long time and a lot of patience to bring to...
by Mike Errico | Mar 10, 2014 | audio, Lessons, Video
In the April, 2014 issue of Guitar World, I explain my percussive acoustic guitar playing techniques and how they can inspire songwriting. The article has transcriptions of the grooves for “Springtime” and “1000 Miles,” and the web site features bonus video content. I had a great time writing it and filming with the GW crew. It’s on newsstands now, or available at the Guitar World Online Store. “Beat It: A Guide to the Inspired Techniques of Percussive Acoustic Guitar Playing” Bonus video content from the...
by Mike Errico | Oct 28, 2013 | audio, Free, So Good
I had a great time being part of The Acoustic Guitar Project, in which participants are given a guitar, a mic, and a week to write a song. This is what happened. The song is done (I’m already thinking of revisions, of course), and the guitar is signed and passed onward. Thanks Matt Beck for handing it to me, and good luck to Osei Essed this coming week… “The People You Never Really Trusted” (first draft) © Mike Errico Did you know You tell a lot and never show You talk too fast and listen slow Did you know Are you mad The shiny things you never had It’s a drug, and it’s easy to go bad Are you mad And I wonder how you ever got so angry The gratitude you missed with your swinging wild fist You’ll take my time enough to finally blame me For the moment we first kissed and I wound up on your list Of the people you never really trusted Do you care The cage you’re in is made of air And nothing real is really fair Do you care And I wonder how we ever get so blinded By what we think we need, what it looks like to succeed But do you even want to be reminded That no matter what the speed, you’re not close to breaking free From the people you never really trusted Line ‘em up against the wall And tell everybody else for once and for all You know your secret’s safe with someone new If only you could hold on to the strength you need...
