Songwriting And His Solo Album With David Drake – Episode 21

David Drake is a prolific songwriter and composer originally from Detroit now based in Los Angeles. He has fronted multiple bands and now also produces for other artists. His debut solo album ‘Imaginary Movies’ was released in 2021. He writes classic melodies to hypnotic, laid back rock and roll song. David is from Detroit, Michigan where his father was a classic rock DJ. He fell in love with bands such as Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Doors, and Radiohead. He was the primary songwriter, founder, and a performer in the underground alt rock bands Hallows and SanguinDrake. The latter enabled him to tour the West Coast under direction of APA talent agency and play almost every live venue in LA.

Connect with David

WEBSITE: https://www.daviddrakemusic.com

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/daviddrakemusic

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoWyf669GgnwqmFxCF25ZQ

0:31 Welcome to the Confidence in Singing Podcast. I’m Aideen and my guest today is David Drake.

0:37 Hello, hi Aideen. Hi, everybody.

0:38 Hi. It’s great to have you here. David. Let me introduce you. David Drake is a prolific songwriter and composer, originally from Detroit. Now based in Los Angeles, he has fronted multiple bands and then produces for other artists. His debut solo album, imaginary movies was released in 2021. So how was that releasing something like a solo album after so long working with other people in collaborations?

1:03 Great, there was nobody to tell me what to do. No, I enjoyed it. It’s a lot. A lot of the songs were kind of older songs, I’ve always wanted to record and produce and release. And then you know, combined with some newer stuff, and I wasn’t in a rush. I took my time I recorded the whole thing here in my studio, at home and then mix some of it and then I had some good friends mix it. Mike included.

1:32 Yes, I know one of those good friends. Right. I think

1:35 you know him pretty well. Yeah. So I mean, he did actually probably the majority of the mixes on the record, which were great. Yeah, that’s my husband Mike, that’s yeah, sorry. For those that don’t know.

1:45 for those who don’t know, Mike is actually He’s a producer and songwriter as well. But you guys have known each other for quite a long time, haven’t you?
1:54 Yep, we’ve known each other since like, 2006 2007, I think. And

2:00 did you guys meet in the music scene in LA?

2:03 Yeah. Actually, I think we met at a coffee house, but it was kind of tied to the music scene at the time. And I believe that’s where we met. I can’t remember exactly. But we definitely were both. I started playing shows at a venue that he had had been playing at with a band he was in at the time. And we just kind of hit it off. We’re both from Michigan. So we became buds quick and, and Mike, you know, worked on music for me a long time ago as well. When I feel like I at the time, I was nowhere near as good as I’ve become, which is kind of the process of being musician. But Mike was awesome. At that time. He’s always been awesome. So he made my music sound so good. Then I’m like, I got to work with him again. But yeah,

2:46 well, Mike had the advantage of being in a high school that was purely for music. So he got all of his he got a lot of that hard work went in very young. Unfortunately, that isn’t possible for a lot of young people who would love to spend their time doing more music, but they don’t get any encouragement in that. So tell me a little bit about your own childhood and how music played into your upbringing and where the love of music came from.

3:11 so, yeah, for the most part, I was I was an athlete as a child, I was a swimmer and you know, played a few others baseball player and stuff. So I, I didn’t really my family. Well, it’s kind of weird because my family loved music, but none of them were musicians. And so they kind of nurtured the athletics a little more than the than the musical as far as like learning music at a young age. Although I did get piano lessons at it, you know, like age 11, 12, 13, stuff like that. And I always was really into it. And I took piano classes when I could in school. And in my father was a DJ, it was one of his jobs. He was kind of a part time DJ work nights on a station called W4 in Detroit, which was a classic rock station. He worked with Howard Stern at the time for a few years. And so he introduced me to classic rock music young. And my brother is quite a bit older than me. So he was really into like, the whole 80s scene when I was a little kid. So I got to, like, get into journey and foreigner and bands like that at a young age. But I was, I guess the love, probably for a lot of people. Same thing came originally from The Beatles. I just fell in love with the Beatles at a young age, like fifth grade or something and was obsessed with listening to those, you know, greatest hits album, the blue and red Album of The Beatles and just I think that was like the initial love and I started learning Beatle songs on piano and it just kind of developed. I didn’t become I didn’t even start playing guitar till I was 18 because that was kind of when I started losing interest in the in the athletics, which had originally gotten me into college. And then when I got into college, I became way more interested in in the arts and into music and stuff. So cool. So that’s when I start playing guitar and kind of used my piano background to learn guitar are, you know, somewhat quickly because I had the theory base from piano, classical piano mostly. And then it just kind of from there just spiraled into a bit of an obsession.

5:11 that’s awesome. You know why I remember at home we had a box of vinyl records. Yeah, I think belonged to my uncle, my dad’s brother. And in that was like that red album from the Beatles. And some artists you probably don’t know of Mike was like, whose Boney M but like, I had Boney M in there, and Abba and a lot of 70s and 80s music so it was it was that was my education to came from, from some records like that, that were somehow around the house that I got my hands on.

5:41 Totally. I mean, it’s probably the best education.

5:44 Yeah. And so much fun. I mean, who listens to records anymore these days? Me?

5:51 Yeah, that’s how we listen to music at home. Honestly, we have a record player like an old Crosley. And we that’s in the house. That’s how we listen to music. Obviously, I listen to Sirius XM or whatever it my car and stuff, but um, no more CDs. Although I’ve got like a million of them somewhere. I don’t know what to do with them, like, good Frisbee send

6:11 a few to Mike and I because we always need them for the car. Because we don’t have Sirius in the card Sirius if for anybody who doesn’t realize is like a, an internet based music station. Yeah. But Mike and I are trying to catch good music on the local radio stations up here in Michigan and a lot of it’s very country, some really good rock’n’roll from time to time. And, and then, you know, it’s a bit of a mishmash of Christian music and classical and you hard to find something that we really want to listen to.

6:41 Right? Yeah, and the rock stations. I mean, I could be wrong, things have probably changed since I left Michigan, but they kind of regurgitate the same, you know, top 40 hits of the 90s. And stuff. You’ll hear like Green Day Brain Stew or something over and over. Anyway.

6:59 Yeah, exactly. So tell me a little bit about you, your voice, you know, because obviously, you’re you know, you have your own album, you just sing on it, you sing great. What was your journey with getting, you know, to know your own voice and to start to like it enough to want to share it with other people.

7:18 Okay, well, honestly, here’s that journey. And I’d say, by now I’m about here. So I’m over, there’s a long journey ahead of me to really finding it. I’m not a traditional singer. And I also have a baritone voice. So I can’t sing many notes above middle C well, so I sing lower, which instantly kind of takes me out of the game. And in the in the, in the tenor range that people are used to hearing singers sing, I think it’s just, you know, because of my size in like, my vocal cords are longer. So it’s like, harder for me to hit those range, I can go into head voice and hit them. But, um, so it’s been a challenge to really find because a lot of the singers that I loved in emulate hit or tenders, and you know, so like, I can’t really sing the same range as like a Thom Yorke obviously, or like a bond, or all these great singers, right. So I have to kind of, I had to kind of learn from what I wanted to do. You know, maybe at first I’m emulating those singers or admiring them and in trying to figure out how I could sing in a similar way in my range. And then really kind of come to terms with like, where my range is, and what’s good, which I think on this record, for the most part, I figured out, but it’s taken a while and, you know, like I was singing in the first band I did in the second band, I sang duets, and some songs, but I wasn’t like the main singer, the and I think at that point, I was kind of realizing that I hadn’t really found my voice entirely. And I wanted to, like kind of take a backseat with the singing work more on the compositions and, and find it but I’m starting to find it and I’m comfortable with what’s coming out. It’s you know, that’s the thing with singing is, it’s like, I think it is a lifelong journey. And you know, some people have a great natural, you know, singing voice instantly, but they still can learn how to bring out like, you know, tone and inflection more and all these things that can turn them into better singers. So I think you need to be open to that open to like the experience of, okay, you can sing now. You know, keep working on it for years. Yeah.

9:27 It’s interesting, because I think from what you’re saying there is the singers that you most admired, and the kind of the types of bands that you most admired, had singers that were in that higher range. And there’s a good reason why it’s mainly tenor voices that actually end up in bands like that because they’re hitting that treble zone that isn’t being taken up by bass and you know, the deeper instruments in a band. So the, the tenor voice can cut through the, the rest of the band and be heard and in a different range. But there is a place for you know, as I say, all God’s children have a place in the choir. But there is a place for that baritone voice. I always think of Nick Cave. Oh, yeah, he’s awesome. And you know, there are some amazing singers with very deep voices. But I think we there’s just a trend in the last, you know, 20 years, 30, maybe years. That is, you know, that the tenor voice is the one that’s kind of being used a lot more in bands,

10:29 for sure. Yeah. And I think like you said, for good reason. But yeah, there’s great, you know, it’s also unique, though, to have a baritone voice. And like you said, like Nick Cave, you know, Johnny Cash, and even some singers that sit in the baritone range, but go into tenor like in Eddie Vetter, or people like that, it’s still there singing a lot of baritone lines. And, you know, I mean, he obviously has had insane success with it. And there’s a lot of like underground artists, like the guy, just a guy called the White Buffalo does kind of folk songs who? Cool, you know, kind of bar music, but they’re good, good songs, and he seems really low. So, yeah, you know, I agree. Tenor is what most people want to hear. But there’s also more countries out there. So.

11:16 So one of the songs that we’re going to play one of your songs at the end of the podcast today called touch the burning sky, I’d love to if you would tell us a little bit about the, the, you know, the seed that kind of that song came from and that journey because I don’t think a lot of people know much about, like, how do you get a song from the beginning stages all the way to releasing it as, as a song as an out on an album, like with a video? Could you tell us maybe some of the journey that that song took?

11:46 Yeah, well, this song actually has a long journey. And it starts with your husband again. So Mike and I were hanging out a long time ago. And this was a co-write between the two of us and he showed me the initial chorus chords and the chorus line of close your eyes, close your eyes touched the burning sky. And he’s like, he knew my music at the time. And he’s like, I feel like this could be a song that, you know, that you could help write that you could develop with me, it’s, I had this idea. So you know, we worked out a little bit together, I took it home and, and continued working on it. He I think I believe he also had verse chords down, but he didn’t have lyrics to the verse at all. So I went home with it. And I wrote the lyrics to the verses and you know, melody, I think we kind of worked on together I can’t remember and then and then I kind of added like an outro, which was, it’s kind of modeled after, after a song like karma police that has like the, you know, the verse, verse, chorus, verse, or verse, verse, chorus, verse, verse, chorus, structure, and then it goes into this, that whole kind of outro that’s kind of epic and big. And that particular song kind of is modeled after that, in a way, and we did, I feel like we record at the time when we, we finished the writing of it, we recorded like a demo version of it, and sat with it for a while and then as I was got the idea of making the record that was released last year imagining movies, I felt like that song needed to be redone and put on it. And so I recorded it here. And, and then I sent Mike, all of the raw tracks, and he mixed it and it turned out the way it will you’ll hear it at the end. And then I also saw I feel like it’d be good to share that for that reason, because it was a co-written and co-produced project between Mike and I. And also we made a music video for it that was that turned out pretty interesting. So Oh,

13:50 it’s a beautiful video and you want to tell us a little bit about that video for anybody. Yeah, who’s going to be listening to the, they may be listening to the audio. So you went if you describe it a little bit, they’ll be able to imagine the scene.

14:03 Oh, so you’re not gonna be able to show the video at the end of it. Okay?

14:08 not if it’s on Spotify. Know it well,

14:11 the video is on YouTube. So anyway, so if you if you like the song, you can go to YouTube and just look up. David Drake touch the burning sky and it’ll be there. So yeah, we shot it up on a lake in a canoe and Lake Alpine, which is this beautiful lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. And I was on a canoe is my buddy Adam’s idea. I think he kind of modeled it after Jim Jarmusch movie Dead Man that has Johnny Depp in it. And we were on the canoe and he’s filming me and I’m you know, rowing and playing the song singing the song as it goes. And then there’s some cuts to like, you know, the beautiful landscapes drone shots and like also like me on the beach, and at the end kind of the epic outro we flew the drone and we only had one take to do this but I dove off the canoe into the water in the You know, it’s like 58 degree water, it was really cold, but it fully in the suit, fully dressed and just kind of, you know, let everything out, like, you know, I’d finally like found myself found peace in, in nature and just you know went for it and it’s kind of we captured it with one shot and it turned out awesome. So we really have it’s a

15:19 it’s an amazing video definitely worth looking up on YouTube if you’re not if you’re just listening to the podcast. So I recommend that. So, you know, with your music, and I know that you also work, you’ve got family, you’ve got a little girl, she just turned what is it five, you know? And so you’re busy. I know that you’re a busy guy, how do you fit music into your life? And why? Like, I mean, I know a lot of people would kind of, they would kind of put aside something like music because they’re in their mind thinking, I’ve got all these responsibilities. What do you how do you justify music in your life? And like, how do you balance your life with it?

16:01 Well, yeah, I mean, it’s tough, it’s tough to find time, but you know, I love it. So it’s, it’s a passion, and it’s, it’s something that I would always want to do regardless, but I also like to keep it alive. And I like, you know, working on new songs with other artists and stuff and trying to keep, you know, just keep the door open for possibilities to grow and have to make music my full time career. Right now, I’m not able to do that, and I need to make money. So I do have another job. But, you know, I find time at night. You know, sometimes in the afternoons out of time, you know, my daughter is in school. So she was doing a really good Montessori Preschool. So she’s there. So I have some times the afternoon before I have to go into work and stuff. So I, you know, I just make the time now, am I giving it the time that I could? If it was a full time career? No, of course not. I just don’t have that ability to right now. And I, but I would like to at, you know, at some point, so just keeping the dream alive and keeping, keeping, you know, I also feel great when I complete a new project, a new song, a new recording, producing for someone or for myself, or whoever, it’s, it’s a great feeling. So I also kind of addicted to that, you know, creation, the rush of creation. Yeah.

17:23 Yes. And, I mean, you have done what you did, and releasing a solo album. And you’ve had some really some success with that album as well. I mean, that’s been amazing to do that, while you’ve also been working, tell us a little bit about how you, how you got your album out, and what kind of, you know, what kind of success it’s already gotten and where you’d like to see it go?

17:45 Well, it’s, uh, you know, it’s had, Success is, is, you know, people have enjoyed it, I’ve gotten a lot of good feedback, I’ve gotten played on some college radio stations, a couple of the songs in particular got spun a lot on those. Some YouTube that touched burning sky songs got, you know, some 1000s of views and stuff, like people have shown interest, and they like it. And that’s, that means a lot to me now, success on the grand scheme where you’re making a lot of money from it, that’s a different battle. And I feel like that’s, you know, that’s something that hasn’t happened. But it’s very rare to even make that happen these days, especially with the demise of record sales, and, you know, and stuff like that. So, where I’d like to go with it is, is to have more opportunities in publishing, I feel the songs are very cinematic. And, you know, I live in LA, I’m also, you know, loosely involved in the entertainment business as a whole on the film side of things. And, and so, you know, getting more songs placed, I’ve had a couple songs placed in the past, but like more songs placed in, in TV and film. And Mike’s had some success with that as well. And, you know, that’s always a really good route. For getting the album out there more I’m, you know, with my lifestyle, it’s hard for me just hit the road and tour to promote the album. So that’s also another way where, you know, success can come, it’s probably the best way for bands to get successful. And that’s not really on the table for me right now. So I have to go about it a different route and in try to utilize, you know, radio and film and TV and be internet more.

19:32 so that sounds good. Yeah, that sounds really good. And I mean, look, it’s I think it’s been tricky for so many people. I mean, COVID in itself has meant that people haven’t been performing much but I hope you get your chances to perform even if it’s just locally down in LA I’m sure you could get a little bit of a following down there going if you once things open up a little bit.

19:53 Yeah, yeah, I’m waiting for that for sure. You know, been there done that with that past bands too, man. Do so, I, I do want to play I do miss performing live a lot, but I am still a little, you know, a little weary of the whole venue, you know, of playing and what you know venues, you know segregating who can come in and who can’t… I’m not really a big fan about that personally. So I’ll wait till the Yeah, eases up a little bit more.

20:21 absolutely, absolutely yeah, I actually had my first live gig, this is funny story. And they’re my first outside piece of work was for a private like little tiny gig for 30 minutes of Irish songs for an Irish lady who is very unwell and at home in bed. So that was, it was something though, it was like I got a chance to sing, I got a chance to sing about songs about Ireland, which of course I miss home. And so that made it was really nice, and they really appreciated it. So I you know, I think as singers, as musicians, we got to, you know, grab the opportunities when they come and not look a gift horse in the mouth. And, you know, we’re not all going to end up on massive stages. And so, I think when, when an artist works with what they’ve got, and, and sees the value in doing the thing that they’re doing right now, and not just looking at that, you know, the pot of gold, or the, you know, the, the success that they hope for in the future. And then you can be you can be satisfied and contented that you’re doing what you love, and that you’re doing it, doing it the way you can at that moment. And if something better comes from it in the future, so be it but if it doesn’t, it’s not been a waste of time either.

21:41 100% agree. And I feel like through time you learn that. And you know, if you really love it for what it is, and you’re not just like in it to become a rock star or whatever, you learn to appreciate that, like the little wins, and, and just the journey itself and the creation. And that’s what really what it’s all about. And yeah, I mean, that’s life, if you end up getting luck, because really, a lot of it is luck to you got to be honest, like there’s, there’s some of the greatest artists you’ve ever heard that nobody knows about, or just as local friends know, and people in the town, and then there’s artists that are making millions of dollars that are pretty mediocre. And so like, you know, maybe they’re decent at something, but marketing or whatever, but as performers, and especially as songs, it’s pretty mediocre. I mean, there’s some pretty horrible, trashy music out there that gets endless plays and you know, doesn’t really take the skill of creation that guys like John Lennon and Bob Marley were creating at the time, you know, I mean, it’s a different level of skill that’s coming, that’s being pushed forward. In you know, I’m a bit old school. So I appreciate the songwriting of the past a little more. But I think it’s hard to argue with that, even if you don’t necessarily appreciate the songwriting of the past more, but, um, so there’s luck, you gotta, you gotta just keep doing as many things as you can. And, you know, being open to working with other people I think is always a really good thing. And I know that’s, that’s things that people struggle with. Maybe I struggled with that at one point, too, when I was younger, you really want to hold on to your ideas, but I think the more you can expand and work with other people and learn how to collaborate, the better your chances are.

23:23 Hmm, that’s a really good point, because and I know Mike’s experiences where you become very precious about what you’ve got, and you don’t really want to share any of it with anybody else. Or, or I think the difficulty is, you don’t want anyone else to take credit for the work that you’ve already put in. Yeah, I definitely have a streak of that from time to time. So what do you think makes a really good song like so you’re talking about songs John Lennon and The Beatles, and you know, you’ve any better and people like that. And if you had to analyze, you know, some of your favorite songs, what are the components that actually make a song really great in your eyes?

24:04 there’s so many tough question. Yeah. So as the song itself, I mean, if you’re not talking about lyrical concept whatsoever, and you’re just talking about, like what you’re hearing, I think what makes a great song is, is a melody that’s unique. And it’s also has like some classical field. Like I think that like guys like Mozart and Beethoven, it like created the best melodies, right? And so it has to have some relevance to melodies like that. I feel like when the melodies are just kind of trite in a lot of music today, and they’re not really classical at all that bothers me. But that’s also a taste thing. So I wouldn’t say that can’t be a great song, but it’s like that because there’s so many other components, really good tones to the instruments, whatever that’s being used. I prefer real drums. I know there’s a lot of music these days that don’t have real jobs, but I feel like there’s a little more having that feel of, you know, actually, you know, something striking something and like that the percussive feel in the song is important. You know that same with a piano like I can hear the difference when a piano you actually hear the, the percussive feel of the hammer hitting the strings, rather than the digital sound. I like that. But I mean, that’s, that’s more choices in production. This as I say, the song so the song. Yeah, it’s, its melody. A good solid chord structure doesn’t have to be really unique. And then meaning, like, that’s the thing that I feel like we’re, we’re lacking these days is there isn’t really meaning to the lyrical concept, and the reason why the song is being put out there. Like, I feel like a good song needs, there needs to be a reason why that song is being heard by people. What is it doing to influence people in the right way? What is it doing to, to share a point of view that people need to hear? And? And is there like real concept behind it? So I feel like those are the things that really make a great song. You know, any you like this, listen to sound like, I don’t know, what just popped in my head from The Beatles, early Beatles song like Nowhere Man about this guy. Right? And how he, you know, this completely lonely person who’s out there and how he really is, there’s a side of you, that is that person. And you got to embrace that side and understand that side. And it’s, you know, putting you in that position like, oh, wow, I never really thought of things that way. It makes you think it makes you think it’s a great song. Not to mention the melody and everything else. That’s so great about it. But, um, and there’s, you know, tons of those and those still come out today. I just don’t hear them as often. But maybe I’m not seeking it out in the same way. Who knows? That I was

26:58 Yeah, well, you know, it is it does come down to what’s what is finding the listeners. And I think that that’s was a little bit more streamlined. You know, in the past, when you know, radios were listened to a lot radio stations were listened to the more and you had a couple of TV shows that were specifically for the music of the time, whereas now a lot of people aren’t listening to music. In that way. They’re not getting introduced to the music through and media in the same way. And on your right about his radio stations, they seem to regurgitate a lot of the same songs over and over.

27:35 Yeah. And it’s, I think that’s not even their fault, necessarily. I think that that’s the only way that they’re staying afloat and making money, because they own the rights to those musics. And those records are still selling the old records, and new artists, they can’t really get them to cross over to sales in the same way.

27:53 Yes. And I loved what you said about meaning. Yeah, so much, so much to be said, I think with it singers as well, you know, because this is, you know, something I say a lot to singers is when you put your heart and soul into the song, you don’t have to have a perfect pitch or a perfect voice for that necessarily, in order to connect with the audience. And that’s really what your listeners want is they want to connect with that feeling within you. And so the song of it says something that you really mean, it’s going to have more of an effect and more impact.
28:29 Yeah, definitely.

28:33 is there anything that you would like to say to listeners that may be considering doing more with their singing or songwriting? Or performing, but maybe a feeling a little bit like that? Well, you know, is there any point or, you know, what would you say to encourage someone that to take a similar path to what you’ve done?

28:53 I guess, you know, let life’s really habitual so set habits like every day work on it. You know, if you don’t, if you don’t look at it, like, you know, I wish I was a great singer a week from now if you look at like, I’m just gonna set a habit of I’m going to spend 20 minutes a day working on my voice and maybe 20 more minutes, playing guitar and singing and trying to find melodies I like and you do that every day, a few months down the line, you’ll start coming up with things and I think you’ll be you know, happy about the progress and that’s I think life is when you’re making progress you know it and it breeds more progress. Like anytime you have success with something even if it’s just on a personal level, like oh, I finally created a song I like then it’s very likely that you’ll create more because you’ve had that bit of progress. So that I guess that’s a good way to approach it. And yeah, and what about if you hate it then quit! You really don’t like your voice just find a different singer and write some music.

30:03 Yeah, you can write music and have someone else sing it right? Yeah, for sure. What would you say to someone that’s feeling? You know, oh, I’m not sure if my voice has any relevance, because I know that that’s a struggle that you had with, you know, figuring out where to how to make your voice work with, with the kind of music that you like.

30:23 Yeah, well, I’d say every voice has relevance. Because it’s the only unique instrument in the world. That’s the only thing that somebody can’t duplicate is the voice. Anyone, no matter how good of a piano player you are, somebody else can play it and play it better. Same with guitar, same with anything. So anyone can pick up you know, you can have like a Jimmy Page out there writing these crazy things. But somebody can teach his those lines and play them. Maybe not the exact same way. But you know, very close, but singing is a unique thing. So you’ve got a unique voice. Use it.

30:58 Beautiful. Yeah, I think it’s I think everybody’s voice matters. Yeah, it really does. Especially when we bring our hearts to the voice as well. So that’s really it today. Thank you so much, David, for joining us. And is there anything else you want to say about your album? Because I want to make sure people check it out. I mean, know that they you know, imaginary movies is such an interesting, you know, title. Tell us a little bit more about the album, see if we can kind of you know, get a little bit of curiosity in the listeners minds to find out more about that album, because I think a lot of thought went into it, didn’t it?

31:37 Yeah, yeah, I think so each song is kind of its own story. And they’re all like, it’s kind of like, maybe like a little bit psychedelic folk rock music. Nothing is crazy catchy, like a pop song. They’re more like their stories. And I tried to, you know, that’s called imaginary movies. Because each song is kind of like a different like of in yet, like in, like a Curacao movie where like, he has like seven little movies in one movie. And like the album is that like, the first song is this. My grandfather was a war hero in World War Two. And he was in a German prison camp for six months. And that song was written about his story of being in the prison camp and what he had to go through marching in the middle of winter across Poland and his will to survive and get home and like that. So that’s like, act one. And then, you know, there’s a song about Vincent van Gogh called Silent desolation on there, which is the story of, you know, my take on his life and the kind of haunting, you know, passion behind his creations. And then, you know, there’s a western song, land of 1000 Tomorrows that Mike mixed in, worked on, and actually, we just shot a music video for it, Mike. Mike directed it and edited it, which is not that one’s not out yet. But it’s coming soon. And that one’s kind of it’s like a Western, it’s like a spaghetti western. So each song kind of has its own little story. And it’s kind of tried to create a kind of images stick. If you take music that way I do. I like to listen to music and kind of imagine seeing things around it. That’s why I kind of am a little more interested in bands like a Pink Floyd or Radiohead or stuff like that, because they create that blues kind of soundscape. So you can they become really visual, if you go there. We call it synesthesia, or something we can see colors. Yeah, very good. Yeah. No more LSD. Dave, let’s move on.

33:31 it’s all these new words. I use need to have a dictionary. Now this must be a new jargon dictionary for music. But that’s, I mean, that’s only like a taste of what the songs are like on your album. Like, there’s just so many interesting songs. They don’t they all feel like they have a unique personality, I think.

33:50 Thanks. Yeah. And you sang on a couple of them. I think back on. Did you have one? I
33:54 think I did a few backing vocals. Because Mike was working on it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I get roped in. It’s great. Mike gets roped in and I get roped
in. I’m sure you get roped into. And do you have any other projects that you’re working on with other artists that you want people to look out for?

34:15 Well, yeah, I’m producing an album right now. For an artist named Jaime black. She it’s a short. It’s like a six song album. So we’re almost done with it. We’ve done we’re working on the mixes. Now. We’ve done all the recording, and we’re mixing it so that she should have that out soon. It’s really kind of cool. Ethereal folk music. She’s really hot. Haunting. So it’s kind of like a haunted vibe. But it’s great. It’s great. It’s really pretty music. And I’m working with this incredible singer named Molly Duran, and we’re doing some co write songs and, and I’m producing a song from her and she’s just a phenomenal kind of like an Adele. Sort of, you know, Florence in the machine kind of singer and she can like hit all those notes. So it’s really fun working with her because she can do things I can’t even imagine doing melodically. So I’m writing a lot of music for those songs and piano and stuff to do in that, and supposedly about to embark on the journey of scoring, independent horror film. So, that hasn’t started yet. So I don’t really want to say it’s, you know, they start shooting the film. But we haven’t started the music yet. But that that supposedly is happening soon, too.

35:26 so well, it’s exciting. And so maybe, maybe the listeners will have a, you know, little, little look around for some of the other artists that you’re working with. And definitely look up your album. And it’s a pleasure talking to you, thank you for taking the time, we wish you the very, very best with your music, and keep up the good work. And you know, the persistence and the idea of having a habit that you just do a little bit of it every day, I think that is absolute genius. And that can be a key that makes doing it feel like, it’s part of your life. And not necessarily in order to achieve anything but just to make something that you love, something that you do every day and not something that you just let the guitar you know, gather dust in the corner of the room for a year and then you pick it back up again. For sure. So hopefully, all of you listeners out there started a habit that deck guitar needs to get dusted off and played more often and sing more often and enjoy music more often because it is good for us and it does help us stay happy. And to me being happy is how we stay strong and how we stay strong for others. So that’s my little two cents worth. So we’re gonna sign off in a second. Thank you. Is there any last anything else you’d like to say before we sign off?

36:51 No, just thanks for watching the whole thing. Assuming you did, yeah. Yeah, enjoy the song. Right? You’re gonna play a song, right?

37:00 we’re gonna play Touch the Burning Sky. Yes. Okay. Thanks everyone. You’re welcome. Thanks Aideen bye. you’re welcome. Thanks everyone for listening and we’ll see you again next time on the Confidence in Singing Podcast Take care

37:35 close your eyes close your eyes touch the sky most person see it passed right through my periphery cumulus rising in colors lost to mystery no shades of white or blue to lock inside a simple truth this time you made me blind touch the burning sky It’s the simple things the solace that Shades of Grey can bring as it surrounds the ochre trees that set fire to the falling leaves And the frost comes and chills your skin shows you how once again we can begin again touch the burning sky can you walk into these arms can you look right through these eyes please sheds the skins disguise close your eyes touch the burning skies touch the burning skies lost the words to say I think I lost it, somewhere I lost my way