LET THE RELEASE BEGIN...

Quick August mission update! One Instrumental a day is going well, so much easier and faster and also a ton of fun!

First release of 31SI31D mission. This was actually the first song I wrote. Hope you enjoy.

Songs All Around You

So many ways to write. So many ideas all around. Day 28. Still on  fire. A little resistance creeped in around the 18th, which is interesting, cause it was my Birthday and I thought for sure I'm gonna kick ass. I guess I made it my priority to thank everyone on Facebook instead for the many Birthday wishes. I ended up singing my idea on my phone on my way to dinner.

My major breakthough has been lyrics. I decided that every song has to have lyrics. I usually take a pretty long time to write lyrics, especially if it's for my personal project. Yet, under pressure, knowing I only have a certain amount of time, and I need to complete them, I do. While the first draft is most likely not the final, what matters is to get creative, keep "throwing up" what comes out, brainstorm, let your train of though run it's route. Make up or enhance a story and run with it. To just let it flow and not over think or over analyze.

Getting up, taking a break is most definitely working for me. I purposely don't  try to find the right words while on break time. Instead, I make calls, play with the dog, completely switch off. I than return to the track with a fresh mind, and usually everything falls into place. (for the first draft at least)

Not only does it become easier, it's fun and exciting each and every day to just explore without the pressure of having to sound like something or someone or fit into a genre. Of course I want the songs to be great, find a home for them, ideally in film/tv or on someones album but writing just for the sake of perfecting the craft and fun takes the pressure away and get's you in the place you want to be. The "zone".  One of my favorite quotes "Nothing Happens Till Something Moves". [Einstein] Let your guard down stuff starts to move. And let's be honest, a song is hardly ever done in one sitting. It's all in the re-write.

I've collaborated with a few people for far, not as many as I had hoped but the ones involved  are super talented and fun. One person gave me a metal track and my first thought was "so not inspired, so not what I do" than I just muted everything except the drum and bass and did my thing (apologizing in advance to my collaborator, lol ) Thankfully he was open minded enough and took the leash off.

I started out as a solo writer and still love writing on my own, however, collaboration takes a project to another level. It's a challenge and a test. Do you listen to your ego or what's best for the song?  Obviously, the song always wins.

You're so much more vulnerable when collaborating. Sharing a half finished track or a raw,  out of tune vocal idea with someone can be uncomfortable for many of us, it's like showing up naked to their party. Trust is essential.

Although I did consider sharing some of the songs, I just listened to a bunch of them and they do sound kinda shitty for the most part, as the focus was not to fully produce but write fully structured song a day instead of just a hook or a few lines.

Plus, I don't want to spoil the fun that's coming in August, so bare with me until I reveal the next step!

Stay tuned for August mission!
xoxo
JVB

It's All About Momentum!

Day 13. Yesterday was a real challenge. Between teaching, eating, getting my workout in and running some errands, it suddenly was 11pm; in panic I stared at the screen, pulled up the track, looked at the time and all I heard was a little voice saying..."you're not gonna make it today. There goes your 31songs in 31days".

I threw some first instinct vocal ideas on it, kept listening to the music, looking at the time and slightly freaking out again. Thankfully, it was a collaboration, I just needed vocals and lyrics. Hahaha, JUST...the voice kept saying "You're running out of time, don't have a clue what you're singing about" and for a second I wanted to accept the fact that I didn't make it, telling myself I could write two tomorrow. I did NOT listen to that voice.

I took a deep breath and started to tap into my subconscious mind, allowing myself to JUST BE and DO what FEELS right instead of thinking if it's good or bad or what time it is.(as long as I stick with the 2 hour time frame)

Melodies are easy for me. I can do 10 songs a day if I had to. (I really can)  But WORDS is a different story. The trap you fall into when writing lyrics by yourself is that you tend to keep re-using some of your favorite words. Listen to some albums and you'll notice that many artists do this. Not all but many.

I decided to NOT worry about it and just write. Over-thinking, over-analyzing leads to writers block.

Once you let it go, think about the scene, the theme or title, the words start flowing. Are they final? Most likely not, writing is all about re-writing. What's important is MOMENTUM!

I must say I was truly amazed with myself. I was tired, frustrated and slightly panicking. I claimed writers block for such a long time while finishing my album ARC OF A DREAM. Looking back, I call it bullshit. Subconsciously I was stalling completion in fear of disapproval, failure or maybe just pure fear of completion?

As songwriters who take their career serious, we have to learn to write, start to finish, than re-write, start to finish and let it go! And repeat! Things are always way simpler than they seem. Life is good. Feeling accomplished! Cheers!

PS: Soundbites are coming next! Stay tuned!
xoxo
JVB

Ten Years in lala Land...

Ten years ago I came to LA with half a band, 3 cats, a bird, a truckload of dreams, full of excitement and ambition. We rented a house in Van Nuys and converted the garage into a recording/rehearsal studio. It was badass, there was a lot of magic in that studio, The Becoming and ANKOH were written there, we had a Blast throwing several parties at the house....riding our bicycles all over the valley, up and down the hills at 2am....I rebuild the band a bunch of times, rocked sunset strip, packed the places, sold tickets, released 2 EP's and a full length, than core members changed, my long time partner left and I had to learn to do it all on my own...with Jim's support; we kept it going....got several film/tv placements, toured the US twice...got signed to an indie label that folded.....it's been a roller coaster for sure. It's been a lot of tears and frustration but also a ton of fun, laughter, adventure and something everyone should experience. In the process of all that, I've met some amazing people here in LA as well as all over the states.

Fast forward...

Private life....different guy, different place, two of my lovely cats and the bird have left this earth...R.I.P. Freeway and Zoe & Snow....I found my black cat Johnny the first year we were here, my little princes Heidi is still here and a dog named BOLT found us! ;)

Music!!! Nothing is what I thought it would be. The band is on hiatus until the new album is out, I now compose music for film/tv, get to collaborate with some amazingly talented people who are also my friends and I'm finally working on my own project....a solo project that I've been wanting to do for years..... Ten years is a long time and when I look back and ask myself what I would do differently...hmmm.....lot's of things. But I don't want to waste my time feeling regret. It's time to focus on what I have control over. I have failed miserably at many things I've pursued over the years. But all those things have led to better, bigger things. In the big picture, I have to admit that I miss the shit out of NYC,  I left a comfortable life to follow my dreams. I gave up many things for my true love. And many times the thought of leaving it all behind, the thought of quitting has crossed my mind. But I've learned that things don't always turn out exactly as you expected, however, if you keep your eye on the road and enjoy the little detours...you will create your own luck. While I'm still miles from where I want to be, I'm trusting that I am on the right path....another thing I recently learned is that quitting is not a bad thing, quite the opposite. More on that later ;)

Cheers to ten years in Holywoodz!
xoxo
JVBeast