the great hemingway once wrote, “it is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no…
Category: words from the wise.
insightful inspirations from authors and philosophers…humanitarians and politicians…musicians and poets…singers and songwriters – words, lyrics and rhyme that move me to pick up a pen.
and tell my own story.
johnny cash cool.
it was the 1950s. elvis presley was building his fame and the young man in black was just beginning to walk the line. the ring of fire hadn’t started burning … but sam phillips was right in saying, “that cash, now he’ll be a rolling stone”. the scene was flooded with rockabillies and folksters, the outlaw generation…
what i heard while reading “listen to this”.
if you like books, music, history, classical theory, new york or pop culture than you have probably heard of mr. alex ross. you know, famed writer for the new yorker? musicologist, cultural anthropologist? well, if the name is new do the wiki-google-bing-tweet thing and get the bio on him. he’s devine … i recall first becoming familiar…
“optimistic aloneness”.
commenting on the lyrical talent of english singer laura marling, melbourne writer mark mordue elegantly articulates: her lyrics are not only literary, they venture into a dark yet ultimately optimistic aloneness that seems rare: neither soporifically happy, no darkly clichéd. personally, i don’t know what is better – the definitive talent of the young singer or the coined phrase…
30-day song challenge. the last track(s).
in retrospect this song challenge wasn’t so much a writing exercise as it was to help get me back into music. it’s like i had turned the mute button on for the last five years – i can’t believe how far gone i was from the days where we would hijack ourselves away from our small town to see the…
30-day song challenge. day 24: a song that you want to have played at your funeral.
ok, so i know that what i am about to write is quite cliche…but i hope that come the day where i no longer have my place on this earth that my life is celebrated by those that have journeyed with me rather than be mourned with grief and loss. to choose a song to have played at your…
30-day song challenge. playing catch up.
so much for using this music challenge as a means to get me writing on a daily basis. once again the volume on life is cranked up, filled with static noise that is distracting me from the actual sounds that i love hearing: music, laughter, espresso machines, pen scrolling on paper and wine glasses clinking over a…
30-day song challenge. day 8: a song that you know all of the words to.
“sold” by john michael montgomery. this one is for my sisters as a kind reminder for us never to give up on our dream of becoming nashville’s next headlining quartet. back during my “i heart country music” phase when 8-tracks were a thing of the past and downloads were not yet cool (thankfully), my older sister…
30-day song challenge. day 7: a song that reminds you of a certain event.
me & him’s set list. simply acoustic. folky celtic charm. beat-boxing. these two blokes have been firing up the laneways of ottawa’s byward market for years, an east coast style caleigh breaking out at whatever local they happened to be jamming at. there isn’t a particular song i can pick but when today’s theme read “a song that reminds you of a certain event” –…
30-day song challenge. day 6: a song that reminds you of somewhere.
“there goes the fear” by doves. You turn around and life’s passed you by You look to ones you love to ask them why You look to those you love to justify You turned around and life’s passed you by Passed you by again And late last night Makes up her mind Another fight left…
static confusion. 