#inspire | MidiMike

Posts Tagged ‘#inspire’

Influenced By All Of You!

Posted: August 1, 2016 in Opinions and Observations, Uncategorized
Tags: #audio, #inspiration, #inspire, #love, #lyrics, #motivation, #music, #musician, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #writer

There is a joke, not much of a joke really, but a saying that describes a point of view we too often have in the United States:

Question:

What do you call it when you speak two languages?

Answer:

Bi-lingual.

Question:

What do you call it when you speak several languages?

Answer:

Multi-lingual.

Question:

What do you call it if you speak one language?

Answer:

American.

As you can see it is not really funny and not really a joke, but I use this often to remind myself how different our decisions and thoughts can be depending on perspective or point of view. I was delighted with the response to my recent poem entitled “Hearts of Stone“. (…..Actually, I initially titled it “Where You Live”. As mentioned before I am not good at naming my own songs. My daughter Alisa – and partner in the success of this blog – correctly suggested I change the title). I wanted to give you a bit of history to this poem as it was actually inspired by follower comments. All of which I read and respond to – not as quickly as I like but I try to get to them all as I truly appreciate the time and thoughts from so many people.

I have often mentioned that I am thankful for access and exposure to thoughts and feedback around the globe. It helps open my eyes to things I would not normally consider. Creative people all over the world are represented here and it is amazing what an impact you have had on me and my writings. A while back I posted a question about what was your first concert. While many responses were very cool, some responded they were not allowed to have huge concerts in their country. This struck me deeply. First; as a callous question from an arrogant blogger who takes life for granted. We often complain about politics or taxes and a million other things in the US and other countries but we have a choice. We may not get our way but we can voice our opinion and discuss our thoughts openly. This is not true everywhere. Secondly: it drove this arrogant blogger to think about how many things we take for granted every day. So I tried to look around my little piece of the world from another point of view.

The first line is kind of an inside joke and would easily be understood by people that live in places line my town. We often have cloudy – hazy skies most of the time and it gets so bad that the traffic reports have to remind us what that big bright thing in the sky is on sunny days! Often at night we do not see stars and frequently miss the experiences of full moons or eclipses. The rest of the poem tries to reflect the things humans might notice looking at their world. Some are glorious and beautiful and worth celebrating while other things are tragic and unimaginable to ‘outsiders’.

I have read the words in this poem many times since posting the poem on MIDIMike and a melody keeps creeping into my subconscious when I repeat them. In the same line as the global inspiration for the lyrics, the melody and arrangement is not my ‘normal’ style. I may be the only one that likes it, but I cannot get rid of it. I will be finished putting this poem to music soon, but to be forewarned it is not a replica of my past works and musical pieces. It is my thanks to all of you. It is a sharing. It is an apology for not keeping my mind open to others. It is a simple reflection from deep inside. It is an invitation to continuing communications that will bring different cultures and peoples together. If we cannot communicate we are doomed.

I will post as a song as soon as I have a decent recording of what has been spiraling inside my head.

Click Here to read the original poem.

Port Hole

Posted: September 8, 2015 in Poetry
Tags: #create, #creative, #creativity, #inspiration, #inspire, #life, #love, #lyrics, #observation, #personal, #poem, #poetry, #story, #writer

Sitting on the edge of a rainbow

Waiting for the storm to appear.

Thunder rolls toward vast blue skies

The rain follows soon: it is here.

Thick dark clouds swallowing the sun

Icy winds twist your thoughts each day.

Boundless distance: forgotten time

Watch as the stars begin to play.

I got hit by lightning

Just the other day.

The Port Hole opened,

And I couldn’t look away.

It called my name.

Every now and then

We see eye to eye.

The Port Hole opens

With no chance to say goodbye.

You called my name.

100th Post – Reflection

Posted: August 31, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #creativity, #inspiration, #inspire, #journey, #life, #love, #lyrics, #motivation, #musician, #observation, #opportunity, #personal, #poetry, #songwriter, #story, #thanks, #truth, #writer

Here is the thing; IT happens. LIFE happens. Doors open. Doors lock. Time is too short. Reinforcements too late. People are nice. People are mean. Nature Is beautiful. Nature is deadly. You can look at this post as poetry or preaching. A waste of time or a gold mine. These events WILL happen. They will happen to you. They will happen to someone you know. Each will occur during good times and terrible ones. The optimist and the others have their answers and their advice. Here is mine; These events will happen – prepare for them. That means back up plans for the back up plans in some situations but also taking advantage of the opportunity. I am an opportunist.

To follow our past conversation, we all want those that have succeeded to reach out and help struggling artists. I am suggesting here that we are helped all the time, but too often we are not prepared to actually hear or understand the message. We need to be prepared and look for the opening door, because it will happen. It happens all the time. As I read great articles and poems, learn of projects and accomplishments and all the comments from this blogging community I KNOW people are encouraging others all the time. We share struggles and that helps others prepare, because it will happen. I just wanted to give you some idea of how impressed I am with so many intelligent and caring people I hear from every day in comments and your posts. I count my blessings. Cheers!

A Small Token…

Posted: August 25, 2015 in My Tunes
Tags: #12string, #acoustic, #appreciation, #audio, #create, #creative, #creativity, #guitar, #inspiration, #inspire, #life, #love, #lyrics, #motivation, #music, #musician, #performer, #personal, #poetry, #recording, #retro, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #thank you, #thanks, #vocalist, #vocals, #writer

Thank you, thank you, thank you! For the next few days I’ll be offering all of my blog friends a free download of my song “Miracles In Your Hand“ off of my upcoming EP, “Before The Chase.” I have been struggling to find a proper way to thank you all for your support and encouragement over the past year. I was very close to throwing in the towel, but I started this blog and thanks to all of you and your kind words, I’ve been motivated to keep pushing forward. As I watch this year’s calendar fill with major events and milestones, there are usually small celebrations here and there. At each one I am not only surprised at the positive response and friendships created, but also by the amazing amount of talent and creativity this community produces. Please stop by and add this original song (Click here – Miracles in Your Hand) to your personal libraries as part of my continued appreciation for all you have done to support and spread my works.

After a break-up some of these lyrics just poured out. Seeing the same thing and coming to opposite conclusions. Having an early exposure to poetry first, I try to keep those ideas reflected in many of the songs I write. The chorus was an idea I had been playing with lyrically for a while and it seemed to immediately fit with the loss described in the verses. What would you do if you held a miracle in YOUR hand? What if that couldn’t save you?

“Miracles In Your Hand” (c) MSK

A reason is such a small thing,

Can’t you give me one?

Seems to me you were holding out,

Were you really just holding on?

The things we did won’t mean a thing,

The memories drift away.

The things you said hang in the air,

Like a light that will not fade.

CH: You’re alive one day with miracles in your hand,

Then you’re heading for a wall, drivin’ fast as you can.

I settled down uneasy, I’m just waiting for tomorrow to come.

When the answers seem so distant,

Questions lose their fun.

You thought that I was shutting up,

I was really just shutting down.

It’s time we found the meaning,

In the games we have made.

And a reason makes the difference,

When the last trick must be played.

CH: You’re alive one day with miracles in your hand,

Then you’re heading for a wall, drivin’ fast as you can.

I settled down uneasy, I’m just waiting for tomorrow to come.

Caught My Ear

Posted: August 24, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #audio, #band, #creative, #creativity, #dreams, #friendship, #genres, #influence, #inspiration, #inspire, #love, #lyrics, #music, #musician, #performance, #performer, #performers, #personal, #retro, #singer, #song, #Song review, #sound, #story, #video, #vocalist, #vocals, #writer

Thank you so much to everyone who participated so far in my “Who Do You Love” post. There were some very interesting lessons as I collected and listened to the recommended songs that have influenced us over the years. I say us intentionally. You are the best group of people I have never worked with!! LOL. I mean that in a kind way. It is easier for some people to develop good relationships with some one they work with or “serve” with. The bonds can last a life time. We do not have that work platform, but the friendships made here are also very strong.

I was equally surprised by two things: 1) I knew a lot of these songs and bands and 2) I didn’t know a lot of these bands and songs!! It took me a long time to go through them all. But there are some gems in here. Many are the best of their category – NOT necessarily the most popular or the one with the most airplay. I encourage you to look deeper into comments as I will not list them all here again, but I want to point out a number of them that caught my ear. A lot of your suggestions were passionate and you can tell there is a lot of history and emotional connections in the lists. Here are just a few – but again not a complete list of the gems you suggested. Please continue to post your musical influences. I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from your suggestions. I hope others get a kick out of these too! IN NO ORDER WHATSOEVER

Active Child – what a range the vocalist has. Unusual set of musical toys, and lyrical themes and vocal textures blend into a unique soundscape. They create a house and invite you in. Well worth the visit.

Switchfoot – “Hello Hurricane”, This is a clean sounding song. Well recorded and mixed. Driving beats and vocal power that can be smooth and open. Good blends in harmonies. Good energy and I like the ay the song builds at a slow pace.

Jon Foreman – The Wonderlands. Here is another great blending artist. Nice harmonies and the background music surprises with different arrangements and instrumentation. Very good dynamics. Addictive style that is pleasant and easy to relate to.

Bat for Lashes – Laura is a great example of this artist’s prowess. She quickly sets up the mood and the tone and then lays the lyrics on you with vocals that seem to have more control than humanly possible and enough emotion to cause global warming.

For raw power with a message it is hard to beat La Dispute. Combining a number of styles into a passionate assortment of lyric driven songs. A speaking style not trying to be rap that works very well for this group. Great driving music for a long trip.

I have to mention this because it was cool from an historical point:

https://ahigherrevelation.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/triple-js-20-years-of-hottest-100-countdown-what-did-i-vote-for/

I was really fascinated to check out Barclay James Harvest. These guys are right up my ancient alley and I have never heard of them. I know this might not be the most popular suggestion the community has suggested, but they cover all the progressive territory of other bands I am familiar with. Some of the video clips from around 1979 are out there and worth an evening or two.

I had heard Ed Sheeran before, but wasn’t that familiar with his works. Nice variety, works on a good image – that is a good guy image and it comes of very well for him. He tries to add variety and the songs are great. It was definitely worth my time digging more into his songs and videos. Great voice. Solid music and production.

Kate Nash – Nicest Thing. I can see why this is a favorite. The style is intentionally out there and it has the sneaky ability to pull you in instead. When you can make comfortable and eerie blend perfectly you have a great emotional landscape play in. She calls this her territory and of course the lyrics pull you right into the main theme. Good call.

City & Color – As Much As I Ever Could is another great example of a band that has it all. The vocals are outstanding and his control is impressive. Lyrics are fine and fit the ballad style of this song. Band dynamics are worked out by what seems to be magic. Harmonies kick in and punch it for added tension and for me the keyboards are a great touch.

Dave Koz’s tunes are cool jams and the performers are all top notch. You don’t have to be a genius to get into their grooves as well. Slick mix production. If it is time to sit back and enjoy, take in a few of these live performances and watch the players do some cool stuff.

Ian Carr’s Nucleus – Roots: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-Cu5TJm0GI This is a great progressive jazz. Maybe an acquired taste for some but worth checking out for the chops and creative jamming.
Frankie Beverly’s Raw Soul – I Need You: https://youtu.be/U7uJ_zddoSs This is another great jam band with solid grooves and guys that know their axe. Percussion to die for and the organ player is pretty top notch. Great live musical fun.

The Hep Stars got by me completely somehow. You can hear a lot of influences that were dominant at the time. Good vocal blend and the recordings are actually pretty good. They captured the times and the look and ran with it. For a blast from the past this is a good history lesson.

The Raconteurs are a great groove band with a heavy guitar sound. The vocals and the harmonies are well worth the price of admission. For a lively rocking jam, this is a great place to start soaking up some new tunes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu9hj_kMm48

This video stands on its own, but the vocals have to be heard to be believed from The Temper Trap. Great name too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMuuc_pqx2s is a great song with a vision.

Lana Del Rey is one of those artists you have to sample more than one song to get a feel of the true talent. Maybe listening a few times would help, but once you cross over she has a powerful musical presence. Try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1aF54DO60 for the unfamiliar.

Manic Street Preachers have a great Brit rock/POP sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nusymqINrSc is a fun video to start with. Good clean style, great vocals and they are not afraid of dynamics. They also love a song with a theme or message, so good for a fun musical cruise.

Acoustic Alchemy are worth noting for a band that has chops and a smooth modern jazz style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVtQHpwv9sE is a good example of their live performances. Fun jams and precision licks from a talented group and for a nice addition try a “Shelter Island Drive”.

Notables:

Ashestoangels

Sufjan Stevens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asCLMdrWuA0 for eye candy.

From The National, try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Tod1_tZdU to set the tone for the evening. A vocal and visual treat.

Amaia Montero – Quiero Ser and I have no idea what she is singing, but I can understand why it was recommended’

Thank you again. I really enjoyed this project and thank all that participated and to all the thought put into it, even if you did not post your list!

My Chance to Give Back to YOU

Posted: August 19, 2015 in Reviews
Tags: #audio, #band, #create, #creative, #creativity, #demo, #digital, #dreams, #genres, #inspiration, #inspire, #lyrics, #motivation, #music, #musician, #performance, #performer, #performers, #personal, #piano, #poetry, #singer, #song, #Song review, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #truth, #vocalist, #vocals, #writer

MIDIMike’s Reviews Are Coming Soon!

As a result of requests from fellow bloggers and ReverbNation members, we are just a few weeks away from launching the new MIDIMike’s Reviews Site. This site will be dedicated to reviewing original music and creative writing submissions every week. I assembled an amazing team of reviewers to work with me and they are also excited to help with this new project.

I have been writing and performing for decades, but recently I struggled to get my material professionally reviewed for my on-line presskit. I have seen a number of artists struggle to acquire this simple but necessary stepping stone. Several of you have asked me for opinions on your material and I want to make that advice available to everyone. I want to be able to give back to all of you for the support and encouragement you’ve given me over this last year.

MIDIMike’s Reviews will be free and honest. I will be posting the reviews on my http://www.midimike.com site (which has thousands of views per month) and on the upcoming review site. You are also welcome to use the review for your own website/blog/presskit when referencing MIDIMike’s Reviews as the source. The individual review posts are not guaranteed for all submissions, but every submission will receive feedback from us. I enjoy raw talent, but the submissions should be presented as professionally as possible. Your creative works will be handled with the utmost care and you retain full ownership. HOWEVER: You must guarantee you are the sole author and have full permissions to publish these works.

If you are interested in having your material reviewed, please e-mail: midimikesreviews@gmail.com

Music – You may submit a song or an album for review. Please send a link to the material in full and any additional presskit material or websites (if available).

Poetry – Please e-mail the poem or poems in full to the e-mail address with any websites/social media (if applicable).

All levels of experience accepted. (If you have any questions, you can also e-mail them to us at midimikesreviews@gmail.com)

Please keep in mind; I do what I can, but sometimes life gets in the way. Please be patient with us while we get this up and running. I tried to avoid as much legal jargon as possible but there are exceptions, exclusions and I have the final say on what reviews will be posted and for the content of the reviews.

On a more pleasant note, I get to hear a lot of great music from new bands and artists before they become wildly famous and read great poetry before it’s professionally published! Thank you for making the first half of 2015 a blast, and it is just getting started!

MIDIMike

Advice of the Day – Encouragement Goes A Long Way

Posted: August 10, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #band, #community, #create, #creative, #creativity, #dreams, #encourage, #encouragement, #inspiration, #inspire, #love, #motivation, #music, #musician, #performer, #personal, #photographer, #photography, #poet, #poetry, #singer, #songwriter, #sound, #support, #tips, #writer

Encouragement – the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.

This also applies to writers, artists, poets, performers, photographers and so on… Let’s build each other up instead of competing with one another. Once you’ve reached the next level, reach down and lend a hand to everyone still striving to get where you are. Be thankful to each and every person who encourages you and GO OUT OF YOUR WAY to support and encourage others.

Sharing is Caring – Creative Blogger Award

Posted: August 1, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #acoustic, #band, #cars, #create, #creative, #creativity, #demo, #dreams, #guitar, #inspiration, #inspire, #journey, #life, #love, #Martial Arts, #music, #musician, #observation, #performance, #performer, #performers, #personal, #random, #share, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #Tae Kwon Do, #writer

I was nominated for the Creative Blogger Award by https://toniumbarger.wordpress.com (Thanks so much for the kind words)

Here are the 5 Random Facts About Me:

1) Before working at the music store, I worked for a Toyota dealership and sold – wait for it —– Used Cars!!!! I even sold a used car to my future wife. I knew and still know nothing about cars other than how to drive them. I was quite successful and my strategy was not to overwhelm customers with specs and technical jargon. I just found out what they needed and suggested a couple cars they would like. I loved the work but hated the tactics and methods used by the managers, finance department and just about everything except the money. It was not worth it to me so I quit selling used cars and started working at the music store for a lot less money. I also sold a car to my future wife.

2) In my last count including technical schools and college I have attended eighteen schools. I did this count so long ago I can’t remember all the schools now! This is why I’m bad at names and good at getting to know someone very quickly. I have a difficulties remembering names and places. I knew family, but unless you were around for a long time, I simply didn’t try to remember names of kids at school, or teachers, or buildings, or neighbors. But I was good at making friends and connecting with customers. I can tell you every piece of equipment my music store customers owned, where they played (not by name… but location), and know what style of music they were into but could not remember their names. It is a real challenge in the sales and music industries! If I could remember names and network, I would be dangerous!

3) I have studied Martial Arts for years. My choice to pursue Tae Kwon Do came from the name (I was told it loosely translated to open hand – open fist, meaning no weapons). The other thing that I liked is they start teaching defense postures rather than attack moves. If you were challenged and the ‘attacker did not play fair’ we were also trained how to incapacitate them or simply take them out if needed. One of my songs has a line – ‘I am a pacifist that just loves a good fight’! I have never had to use it against an attacker but the training and philosophy have lasted a very long time.

4) In reality, with all my posts on musical theory, I do not read sheet music! I know how it works and if I had to I could, but I learn and play by ear. (I have to work at it but I get there) If I need to use the sheet music to learn a piece, once I have learned it enough to play, I never use the sheet notation again.

5) Speaking of cars, I guarantee I can teach any licensed driver how to drive a car with a standard transmission in less than ten minutes……..

Instead of tagging a few of you, because I really do enjoy so many of your blogs on a daily basis, I’m encouraging you to share a few random facts about yourself with me – Anything you want to share is welcome. I love getting to know you all and I’m thankful every day to be a part of such an open, welcoming and diverse community.

It’s A Good Thing He Wasn’t Home That Night

Posted: July 26, 2015 in My Tunes
Tags: #12string, #acoustic, #audio, #create, #creativity, #family, #fire, #gofundme, #guitar, #harmony, #inspiration, #inspire, #loss, #lyrics, #music, #musician, #personal, #recording, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #story, #thanks, #thankyou, #writer

With your help and a lot of other social groups and individuals, we have helped raise money to help my friend John try to recover from the house fire that happened while he was away. He still has not been able to get home to see the damage and to make plans for the immediate future. I really want to thank all of you for great comments, spreading the word and financial support. My guess is a number of people that do not know him offered support in a number of different ways. I am frankly proud and grateful of the way this blog community responded. Thank you again!

As many of you know I have been a musician for many years and met John when he was hired to work at the same music store I worked in. It is kind of funny as you get older you can talk of personal experiences in terms of DECADES!! Just saying.

Back on track, I wanted to give you an idea of the damage from the fire and the amazing group of local friends that organized without instruction and worked extremely hard to recover as many personal belongings as we could – and the restoration work that continues; and frankly, is really just at the beginning of that phase. I wanted to give you a picture. But we all know that is impossible. You cannot describe the lobbies in Las Vegas hotels or what it feels like in the middle of the ocean to someone that has never been there. We try. We get close. They get the idea, but until you have similar experiences it can be hard to know what those and many other things in life are truly like.

I have been to his house but I still do not have the big picture. The closest I can get is reliving the feeling I had when I came home from one of those rescue missions….. I walked up to my front door and as I started to put the key in the lock I thought; what if all of this is gone? In the difference of a day……. Memories gone. Pictures gone. Music gone. Furniture gone. Everything. Gone.

With those thoughts in mind and my keys in my hand, I wrote this song. I thank all of you for sharing, in so many ways. And while I am at it, thank you for allowing us to share with you.

http://www.gofundme.com/johnvaneaton

https://midimike.com/2015/07/11/please-help-spread-the-word/

Repeating Dreams and Common Themes

Posted: July 19, 2015 in Opinions and Observations
Tags: #creativity, #dreams, #family, #flying, #inspiration, #inspire, #journey, #life, #lucky, #nighmares, #observation, #personal, #story, #writer

After speaking with a number of people over the years I have gotten the impression that I have a few lucky and maybe rare experiences. One of the common conversations revolve around dreams or rather nightmares. Some people have nasty dreams, wake during the night and other symptoms. Other than what I will describe below, I do not think I have EVER had a nightmare or what people would describe as a bad dream.

I do have repeating dreams or dreams with common themes. As a kid, going to the playground was always a treat. Some kids play harder than others. Our family used to compete on how fast you could get going on the swing so you could jump off and land the furthest from the swings! I wish I had some of that wear-and-tear back, but it was a lot of fun at the time! So we would swing really fast, let go and jump as far as you could and get back on the swing and do it again. The closest thing I have had to a bad dream is the dream of swinging as a kid. Everything is the same. Sometimes lots of other kids (I had a big family so us and a few neighbors was a lot) sometimes I am swinging by myself. Beautiful day and I swing really fast and when I get to the fastest/highest point I jump. But now I can see that I am at the edge of a hill, and as I am soaring off the swing the ground below me is dropping off really fast and I am in effect getting higher and higher, even though the swing set is still right behind me at eye level. I am panicking at this point and cannot believe it. Before I have time to think of something to do I notice I am not falling at all but gently soaring, looking down at the valley below. The two seconds of adrenaline are gone and I am enjoying a beautiful view on a sunny day.

If you are brave enough….Give me an idea of dreams (or nightmares) that you have. I think it might tell us a lot about our blogging community.

MidiMike

Available on iTunes and CD Baby

Social Media

MSK original Songs

Posts Tagged ‘#inspire’

Influenced By All Of You!

Port Hole

100th Post – Reflection

A Small Token…

Caught My Ear

My Chance to Give Back to YOU

Advice of the Day – Encouragement Goes A Long Way

It’s A Good Thing He Wasn’t Home That Night

Repeating Dreams and Common Themes

Archives

Available on iTunes and CD Baby

Social Media

MSK original Songs

Posts Tagged ‘#inspire’

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