miss volatile’s first novel

this is what happens when black lab fans grow up to become writers of young adult fiction. check out the cute black lab reference on the description from the inside jacket of Tara Kelly’s new book, harmonic feedback (holt) she’s also an excellent musician and did the remix of lonely boy for TECHNOLOGIE.  congrats Tara!

Andy’s studio tour

free mp3 of the month: ’say goodbye’

light in the dark

I realize I’ve created a bit of an agenda for myself with the stray palace project (which, as I’ve hinted at, has hijacked some of my writing time this spring, as Deej’s tracks are so badass I can’t help myself).

usually, I don’t think about what I’m going to write about, I just grab a guitar and/or a recorder and let it rip. this often means a painful excavation of the past, the taste and feel of my current suffering, the ironies of expectation vs reality, and the darker side of obsession (all neatly fictionalized, of course).

with stray palace, I’m trying to approach the songs with a little more simplicity and directness. I’m also challenging myself to speak about the flip side of desperation — change, freedom, hope and the desire for transformation. I’ve pointed myself in this direction and even killed a few lines for being too dark.

I like the dark, but without paying attention to the other side my perception isn’t as accurate. without recognizing all the good stuff going on inside and around me, there’s no gratitude and a lot less joy. because stray palace is all about pleasure, I’m feeling moved these days to bring the joy. hope you like.

epic balladry

omg, I am wasted. I feel like I finally broke through the wall between me and writing something really, really good. I may be deluded, but it feels really different this time. I pulled out two slow, epic, 6/8 “circus lights”-style tracks last week and over the weekend that I love. they’re the kind of songs I just keep walking around singing, just to hear the melody and have the words roll around in my mouth. it feels like, in comparison, I’ve just been faking it the last year — putting in the time b/c that’s what songwriters do. so I’m really happy. and really damn tired.

I forgot how much this just sucks out of me. my friends and family wave their hands in front of my face to see if anyone’s home. nope, no one’s home. I am in music-land, trying to find a two syllable phrase that end-rhymes with “slow’ and still floes with a particular melody. I am solving math equations made up of notes and consonants. I am obsessing about pieces of autobiography, fitting them against pieces of fiction to see if they get along. I am interrupting conversations mid-sentence to hum guitar solo ideas into my phone. I am counting out tempos while my food gets cold, squirming to get back to the studio.

so, no, I am not here. come back later. (feels great!)