We all know (hopefully) that humor is an antidote to the seriousness of life. Sometimes we forget it can also be a shock absorber for the occasionally rocky road of romance. Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke. (Lynda Barry) Perhaps you’ve experienced the hormone cocktail we call “falling in love.” The feeling is [...]
We all have our “I got unceremoniously dumped” stories, and sometimes there’s more than a modicum of pain involved. Occasionally however, especially if it’s been a short-term thing, it not only doesn’t hurt too much, it can be kind of funny. As the writer Linda Barry said, “Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke.” [...]
I have to let you know right up front, the idea for this tune comes from the lovely and talented Lisa Firestone. (More about her in a minute*) It’s one of those clever song ideas that made me laugh, then grabbed me by the brain and wouldn’t let go. It’s called How ‘Bout That Game, [...]
It’s a well-kept secret that I have a small songbook (6 songs), but I’m getting ready to sheetify even more tunes. To do ‘em all would take forever and cost a fortune, so I’d like to know which ones you [music directors, piano players, guitar pickers, singers] might like to have. Below is a list [...]
In a shocking upset and thrilling finish, my tune “All These Atoms” came first in the featured “Most Uniting Song” contest Sunday at Orlando’s Marriott Airport Hotel. “All These Atoms” was a longshot underdog, going off at steep odds behind strong entries from respected platinum songwriter Tom Kimmel and international sensation Liquid Blue. It was [...]
10. You’ll be so inspired your brain cells will explode like happy confetti. 9. You’ll make great new friends the old-fashioned way: in person, not on Facebook. 8. You’ll hear amazing songs, maybe in genres you didn’t know existed. 7. You’ll have happy feet. 6. You’ll get a boatload of great ideas for your life, [...]
NOTE: By request, I have excerpted this story from my book, Atilla The Gate Agent: Travel Tales and Life Lessons From A Musical Laf-ologist. During 1990 I lived in the Cayman Islands, working as an entertainer at a posh resort. Despite the laid back, exotic lifestyle, it was a period of great uncertainty in my [...]
Yes, amazingly, there’s a correlation. Here’s a short list: 1. Influences Are Important Or at least count for a lot. For example, there are many great love songs in the world, but there are a lot of other songs — masquerading as love songs — that are really about taking hostages. They say things like: [...]
