deanaj213 on Xanga

Sunday, 13 December 2009

Currently
Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express
By Christopher Corbett
see related
Some music for your ears

These days, I find joy (=peace=happiness=emotive connection=love=life=God) in music, especially when played with others. Last night, I had the pleasure of playing a small set with some amazing friends where I go to grad school. Half semi-spontaneous jamming, half planned vocalizations, here's what transpired from the iPhone cut (which was behind us, so it only got the monitors and unbalanced instruments)--but the actual take will be available sometime in January, woo.

First, the song I wrote a few weeks ago--slightly tweaked at the last minute, and with some mandolin added over it by my buddy Ted. I retitled it (for now) as "Anew":

Second up on the list was a Once medley I convinced the others to do. It's a combo of "Falling Slowly" and "Lies"--it's hard to hear the vocals since we're not getting the actual sound system, but you can still get the idea. We had so much fun running this one:

Third up was a duet between the amazing freshman Ashley and myself, featuring Ted on mandolin, Drew on flute, and myself on piano. She started losing her voice *right* before this (slightly chopped off bits of her range, silly colds), but she still sounds quite lovely in my opinion:

Finally, we did a recap of "Grace Like Rain"--a couple singers switched up AND a mandolin added in. Is it obvious we sorta dig this one?

All right, that's all I've got for now--but totally still open to suggestions on that "Anew" song...I sent it out to some music friends of mine that gave some great ideas in return, but it's still just...missing something. I guess we'll figure it out soon enough. But time to get back to the finals paper writing! Peace & love & happy December'ing.

<3
dj

Wednesday, 09 December 2009

When rain turns to snowfall...

I haven't been able to play with my old band at school in a while, and we're doing a gig for a bunch of high school kids this evening, so we decided to whip out an iPhone to record ourselves sans sound system during practice. This is the recording that was left behind. Our voices were basically squeaks by this point and our fingers and strings tired (which only contributed to my buzzing guitar which was waaaaaay too close to the speaker to sounds normal), but if I listen to this one with headphones, it was still a fun snapshot of the how jam sessions can just...take you over and take you somewhere else entirely.

Oh music, you're too great.

In other news--
Tomorrow I teach my last day of my first class! It's so cool to see folks grow like that in their writing. If this was just one semester for them, who knows what else they can all accomplish in their college years to come!

Happy December to you all,
dj

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Take 2/Piano Variation

So, what's DJ's new venture in music these days? Jazz piano! About time, huh?

It shall be an interesting learning experience. I love jazz but have NEVER had a knack for it. Thinking I'm even going to try out for a jazz combo so I can *really* learn during my last real semester of grad school! We'll see if they take me--my technique has surely gone out the window a bit!

However, after checking out a good number of jazz music scores from the library, and running through all the various 7th/diminished chords progression, I figured, what the heck, let's try that "Demons" song on the piano.

Hardly jazz, but a nice release all the same.

So here's a take two on last song from campus music building last night...I sadly didn't have an external mic with me, so there all kinds of fun/funky things going on with this one. (I tried to remove the noise as much as I could, but ended up just making it sound underwater, whoops. But almost like some fun reverb effect, right? )

*Note: please excuse the couple little flub-ups on the key'age and tone/words. The song still needs a little more to hook/spice it up, so maybe I'll have another go at it over Thanksgiving. But here goes for now! Any advice welcome (seriously):

Here are the lyrics I've got going so far (subject to changing, as much as the rest):

"Demons," by DJ

1:
Woke the other day my left foot asleep and
I realized how life can fade away
Don't you hate to find that you've been counting on lost time
I know you do. it pains me too

Got the pay to pave the way, i don't need you to
Carry me up the stairs to bed
Take your time and walk your pines the way you always do
I'll wait for you. They're made for you

Refrain1
If i get lost I know you'll find a way
The way to all the paths we've known before but
So long as I want the way the way you'll never go
I'll have to take my own way home

2:
Yesterday I woke up my head all in a jam
I realized life's more than how I lead
Don't you hate to find them hiding all your wine
I know I do. must pain you too

Got a match to get that scratch, I don't need you to
Battle all the demons in the dark
Take your time and waste the line the way you always do
They'll come for you (but) I'll comfort you.

Refrain2
If I get lost I know you'll find a way
The way to all the paths we've known before but
As long as I know a way this way you'll never take
I'll have to take my own way home

+Bridge1
[Don't you know
Don't you know
Don't you know
I have to go]

3:
Today's the day I woke up wondering just
What the hell I've been waiting for
Don't you hate to find you've got your whole life
Waiting for what you'll make it do

Got a feelin all my healin's been right here all along
In my hands and never quite in yours
Take your time it's really fine just go on get out now
You know the truth. I know it too.

Refrain3:
But if I get lost I know you'll have a way
The way to all the paths we've known together but
So long as I want this way this way you'll never take
I'll have to take my own way home

Refrain4:
If I get lost I know you'll find the way
This way that we've always taken but
So long as I crave the way the way you'll never take
I'll have to make my way home

+Bridge2:
Oh make my way
Find my way
Take my own way home

Ending:
I woke the other day.

Friday, 06 November 2009

Currently
The Norton Field Guide to Writing (Second Edition with 2009 MLA Updates)
By Richard Bullock
see related
A Little Late-Night Diddly

Was in a writing mood tonight and this is what transpired by the end (please excuse the flatness--I've been listening to a lot of Damien Rice and Swell Season as of late + it was 2am):

Thinking this might sound better on piano instead, but since I didn't have one available at 2am, this will have to do.

Wow, it's been a while since I've added anything to this blog. Shall have to remedy that sometime.

Sunday, 03 May 2009

Gellin' En Masse

Tonight, I remembered what grace feels like.
And, oh, it is such a beautiful feeling.

After weeks and hours of hard work, the Newman band finally found its stride again. I finally found my stride again....in music, in faith, in happiness. And the resonance felt was more than my mere words can exemplify.

How can one describe the joy people find what that which they've been craving *so* badly and for *so* long? To truly listen and read and feel one another? To make something that is bigger than ourselves? To resonate with our hearts, the priest, the people in the congregation--to resonate with the night itself? Uggh, there aren't even songs big enough for that.

Tonight, I recalled why I've spent so many years in music ministry. Why *I* am a musician. It is so not about us. It's about all of us putting ourselves out there and just letting God...do His work.

After this horrible and beautiful year, I thought it would be ages before I felt God's Grace again. Before I actually trusted Him or anyone else again. I mean, after losing myself almost completely in a matter of short months last Summer/Fall, I spent the year crawling back--trying desperately to find again who I was. But here I am. Here's "me" again.

In the end, I found "me" in places I didn't expect--places I'd almost entirely abandoned. All I had to do was find my way Home again.

Sure, of course, there was way more to it than that...I had to wander, had to rediscover...had to grow. But the secret (the anecdote, the change) came in reclaiming the silence, the simplicity--the sheer ability to be and let go.

It also came in reclaiming my music, my life, my heart and mind and faith...everything. But also relinquishing it all, too.

"I once was fatherless,a stranger with no hope; Your kindness wakened me, Awakened me, from my sleep.

"Your love it beckons deeply, a call to come and die. By grace now I will come. And take this life, take your life.

"Sin has lost it's power, death has lost it's sting. From the grave you've risen . . . victoriously.

"Into marvelous light I'm running, Out of darkness, out of shame. By the cross you are the truth, You are the life, you are the way.

"My dead heart now is beating, My deepest stains now clean. Your breath fills up my lungs. Now I'm free. now I'm free.

"Sin has lost it's power, death has lost it's sting. From the grave you've risen . . . victoriously.

"Into marvelous light I'm running, . . . Out of darkness, out of shame. . . . By the cross you are the truth, . . . You are the life, you are the way.

"Lift my hands and spin around, See the light that i have found. Oh the marvelous light . . . Marvelous light.

"Lift my hands and spin . . . See the light within..."

--Charlie Hall