Posts Tagged ‘#love’

Co-Authors and Distant Dreams

Posted: March 3, 2015 in MUSIC, My Tunes
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Performing with other musicians requires a deeper channel of communication than normal language. When creating in this environment, every nuance has a meaning.  Every motif can create musical ripples.  Sometimes, two thoughts are better than one.  Co-writing can take a piece further than you would have thought possible on your own.  Try it.  You might like what comes out of it.  Over the years I have worked with a group of songwriters.  Each writer diving in to show off the latest and greatest.  While in one of those small traveling bands from hotel to hotel, I was playing in Corpus Christie TX.  We played a lot of different music for three people, and one of us did not play any instruments.  We wanted to come up with something with a bit more country flavor, and the lead guitarist was working on some soft ballad type chords during practice.  I told him I had written some lyrics that might fit.  I had finally given myself the title of songwriter as you know, so a while back I challenged myself to write a country song.  I had something specific in mind.

I write a lot of songs.  I write a lot of lyrics that never become songs (not yet anyway).  I write a lot of poems that may never become lyrics.  I write a number of songs and I might not even have a recording of it, even though I love to archive and preserve original performances.  Some songs I write for others and do not have a real interest in recording myself.  Maybe because I already have a good idea of what the song is supposed to sound like when a real performer/band records it.  I am not putting myself down here.  I simply do not have the talent or resources of famous stars.  You might laugh, but when I was writing the lyrics below, I wrote them as a duet for some famous country music stars at the time;  Kenny Rodgers and Dolly Parton!

I have only one recording of this song and I will share it with you, Kenny and Dolly you too if you’re listening!  I am singing the male part on this recording.  Not sure if this was ready before we moved on from Corpus Christie to another hotel, but it fell together quickly with the ballad chords at practice, so we performed it live to the more country leaning southern audience.  We were surprised that it went over so well and people in the hotel/audience that were regulars, were singing the words after a few nights in town.  So, I will probably never record this song.  It has always been a distant dream to one day hear others recording this as their own.    I have already heard in my mind what it sounds like with them performing, but this live two-track recording is not too bad for a working representation.

Miracle In Your Hand – A Guy and His Guitar

Posted: February 27, 2015 in MUSIC, My Tunes
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“Miracles In Your Hand”      (Down Uneasy) (c) 1981  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.

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?

This is a fairly early recording of this song.  The recording was low tech.  I have an Ovation 12-String acoustic/electric guitar.  This was so long ago I don’t remember which microphones I had.  But I don’t have any fancy microphones even now.  I took the guitar line out and recorded that on track one, and a microphone (Audio Technica ???) positioned at the sweet spot in front of the guitar and sent that to track two.  After recording the guitar tracks I played them back and used the same microphone to record the first vocal on track three.  Then I played all three tracks back (through headphones and in a different room, but more on that stuff later), and recorded the second vocal on track four.  I am now officially out of tracks, by the way.

For the mix I panned the guitar track one (electric jack out…) all the way to the left and the guitar track two (microphone) is panned all the way to the other side.  The 12-String is full by itself, but this separation on both levels tricks the ear into thinking there are more than one guitar performances being played.  At the other end the vocals are attempting to duplicate or double each other to make them sound full, but with one vocal track.

You can check out the rest of the album at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michaelskennedy

A Message From My Daughter

Posted: February 24, 2015 in family, MUSIC, Opinions and Observations
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It all started with my dad. I grew up with a recording studio right below my bedroom. He produced and recorded hundreds of original songs at home. The whole family got involved. We sang on tracks and gave our input, but mostly we just supported him, which encouraged him to keep producing music. I learned how to use his equipment, how to play the instruments, how to run sound, which eventually lead me to start my own booking agency to help unsigned bands/artists release albums, go on tour and have their music heard by as many people as possible.
I hate that it all comes down to money. I hear shitty bands being played on the radio every day, but these amazing bands are struggling to gain fans one at a time, go on tour with very little money, stay in shitty hotels, and do it all for the love of their passion. In my dad’s case, he barely had that chance. He put his music career on hold to raise a family. I wish I could give him back the time he lost. I look at him now, years later, still in the studio, still making music and struggling to have that music heard. All he wants is to share his art with others.
I’ve never really stopped to tell him how amazing and unique his music is and how much it has truly changed my life. It isn’t about the money, popularity or fame, it is about connecting with others, reaching people with his words and being able to do something that he is passionate about. If you have someone in your life like this, please take a moment to stop and tell them how you feel. Thank them for inspiring you, support them, and don’t let them give up. The worst feeling in the world is that you are fighting for something alone. Dad, this is for you. I love you and I will always believe in you.

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