The Devil Is In The Details…

For all intents and purposes, I consider myself a borderline obsessive compulsive. I in no way mean to diminish the plight people with medically diagnosed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). But I have to be honest with myself (and you), and admit that I definitely have tendencies toward OCD-type behavior. Let’s call it “OCD-Light“. And the reason, I’m bringing it up is that it’s getting in the way of my road to rock and roll stardom!!!

I mean, look, I’m not saying that I bathe in Lysol®…but I do like to have a trusty bottle of Purell® hand sanitizer nearby at all times. I may not lock and unlock my front door a specific number of times in a row before entering or leaving the house, but I do brush my teeth in exactly the same fashion every time (top right row first, bottom right row next, then top left, and finally bottom left). And as for tidiness (the bane of my existence), everything HAS to be in its proper place. When it is not, I lose it! And these days, due to my unusually busy schedule, I’ve let things slip at home. The messier things gets, the more lost I feel! I can’t focus. I keep getting distracted by any task that is NOT the task I am currently addressing. I can’t finish a song…I can barely organize a rehearsal…and I can’t get my CD marketing and promo work off the ground. And to my cluttered mind, it’s all because things are messy! How ridiculous is that?!

It’s affecting every task I need to complete! I need help…professional help. Most musicians would probably think a manager, agent, or publicist…or maybe a psychiatrist…all people I could truly use. But right now, I would settle for a bloody cleaning lady (or gentleman)! I mean, having my stuff in disarray is so debilitating for me, that I couldn’t even figure out how to go about acquiring a manager, agent or publicist…or psychiatrist…even if I wanted to! Knowing me, I might actually start to make a list of potential people…and then quickly realize that my clothes need sorting, or my papers need shredding, or that damn blog I keep meaning to write needs writing…oh wait…I just did it! I’m almost finished my blog now! I’m actually about to accomplish a task! It’s a miracle! I’m cured! YES!!! I can see clearly now, Johnny Nash, the rain has gone!

Finally, I can get on with my life, and get back to the important task of making music for the masses!!! Now…if I could only find my guitar pick…oh, crap, it must be under that pile of lyric sheets…you know, I should really sort those out…speaking of sorting, I’ve got to get my song demo CD’s in order too…yuck, they’re full of fingerprints! Better get the Purell®. But before I do that…I should brush my teeth. Now let’s see…top right row first…

Singing in Tongues…

I’m not claiming by any means to have this songwriting thing down. But for what it’s worth, here is a summary of my songwriting experience so far. I am a big proponent of “singing in tongues” (I’ll explain the term later), and here is why – the more songs I listen to and the more I write, I’ve come to subscribe to a couple of key ideas:

Rule #1: There are no rules. The great Berkley writing coach, Pat Pattison introduced that idea to me. And it’s true to the extent that what seems to make a song stand out is exactly the moment(s) where the listener hears something truly unexpected and original in a song, be it a new twist of phrase, strange chord change, distinct sound production, odd vocal approach, extended phrase, etc.

Rule #2: Know the Rules! Notwithstanding Rule #1, it’s still helpful to have a solid sense of melody, structure, meter and verse…if for nothing else but to have good starting points, from which to then be able to effectively break out and create something new.

I’ve studied some truly great songs (read: anything by the Beatles) and tried to figure out what makes them stand apart at their very core (beyond George Martin’s brilliant arrangements and production). John Lennon was a master of using a certain number of lines in one verse, and changing it up in the next. He also had a knack for varying the duration of chords in a progression, so as to avoid predictability. Now he (and Paul McCartney) definitely wrote some FAB lyrics…but, thanks to their “supernatural” melodic abilities, they could also sing the biggest jumble of nonsense and somehow convince the world it had meaning to each of us! “Strawberry Fields Forever”? “I Am the Walrus – Goo goo gagoob”? “I Dig a Pony”? I still have no idea what they were singing about in these songs…but I don’t care! I LOVE them! Because, great music at its essence is sense-oriented…not the “logical” kind of sense, but the “feeling” kind. If music evokes a strong feeling, then it has done its job. The intellectual aspect (lyrics and music theory) are important elements to master. But without that basic feeling, a song as such has little impact. One just has to think of any song by a “virtuoso” band, with killer guitar riffs, and drum fills, but no memorable melody or phrase, for example.

That’s why to this day I write most songs starting with an initial melodic vocal line of meaningless mumbles over a basic chord progression (hence the “Singing in Tongues” title). I believe the great Keith Richard said that all music already exits out there in the Universe, and we’re just fortunate enough to catch a sonic “glimpse” of a song from time to time (while driving, sleeping, riding an elevator…). So once I’ve established some rudimentary idea of what the song is “about”, it’s then my job, much like a sculptor, to chip away at the superfluous stuff in order to reveal the creation that lies beneath – basically find the actual words that somehow maintain the feel of the initial mumbling, and yet actually make sense lyrically. Sometimes it’s a quick process. But most often, if I really want to be happy with a song, I need to go over the minutest details until it all makes sense to me…from both an intellectual and emotional standpoint. That’s where understanding “the rules” can prove beneficial. At least, as I said earlier, I have a starting point in terms of finding rhymes, cool chord changes, etc.

But at the end of the day, if singing about the “Fuzzy Purple Train Clouds” evokes the right feeling and image, then so be it. By the way, you can go ahead and use that line if you want…I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been taken yet!

Peace.

Nobody said it was easy…

I am truly impressed by today’s “successful” artists – talented songwriters and/or performers…AND terrific self-promoters. In general, these days unsigned artists often have to wear the hats of manager, promoter, agent, publicist and web host – all on top of displaying creative excellence – if they hope to get so much as a second look from a record label and a chance at “breaking through” on a large scale. Well, I guess there’s also the American Idol route…but I’m talking about real reality here, not reality TV.

Does it not stand to reason, though, that some truly gifted artists are not getting noticed simply because they don’t know how to effectively promote themselves? In other words, does not being a good “sales & marketing person” necessarily mean that someone is not a talented, viable artist?

What if we hired surgeons, or pilots, or politicians using this sort of thinking? Oh wait, sorry…scratch the politicians example – we do tend to choose them based on hype and rarely on substance anymore. And look what that’s gotten us. But imagine saying, “I’m not sure she’s actually the best brain surgeon (or pilot), but she’s pretty popular in her hometown, and she makes a great-looking poster…She’s hired!” I’m not knocking artists who “make it”. I’m just wondering if some other great music might be falling through the cracks…

Maybe I’m alone on this one. Maybe I should just stop pondering, and get back to my own self-promotion, before I fall through the cracks…Did I mention Peter Bloom Band won 2 Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards last week? Wanna buy a t-shirt? Oops…we don’t have a t-shirt yet. I guess that means our music can’t possibly be any good…right?

Fangen wir an!

All right then…where to begin?

Well, first off, in case you who are wondering, the blog title is German for “Let’s start”. Why German? Well because I took German for two years in school, and really never get to use even the little bit I retained. So why not use it here? Warum nicht? See? There I go again!

Anyway, I said on the homepage that I was going to start doing at least two blogs a week, detailing some of the funny, weird, and quirky stories and ponderings associated with my path as a musical artist. Will you learn anything? Not likely. Will you be inspired? Who knows?! Will you be entertained? I hope so. After all, as serious as this music business and this life can be, we shouldn’t lose sight of the humour in it all, right? Natürlich!

So onward with the blog…where was I…oh, right – German. I love languages. I always thought (hoped) that I would have a career that took me all over the world, so I figured I should learn as many languages as possible. Being a native Montrealer, I became billingual in French and English very young…so that was a good start. My grandparents were Sicilian, so I learned some basic Italian expressions over the years. I also studied four years of Spanish, two years of German, and two years of…LATIN! Why Latin? There are not too many ancient Romans roamin’ the streets these days…but it was compulsory in school. “Compulsory”, by the way, is a word derived from the Latin, “compellere” (to drive together), which is in turn made up of two Latin words: “com” (together) and “pellere” (to drive). See? You DID learn something after all!

The problem is, with any language, if you don’t use it you eventually lose it. So here I am now in Toronto – still fluent in English (I think), and somewhat fluent in French. But as for the other languages? Well, I am basically able to order a snack in Spanish (“bocadillo”); verify the speed limit in German (“Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung”); swear profusely in Sicilian (“Ma…#^&amp:#@!…a”), and conjugate the verb “to be” in Latin (“sum, ess, est, sumus, estis, sunt”). Fat lot of good that’ll do me!

So what lesson have I learned? Maybe it’s to focus on one or two languages at a time, and master them, rather than butchering SIX at once?! Maybe it’s that music transcends all language and breaks down perceived cultural barriers, allowing for a world united in peace and harmony. Or maybe it’s just that I should come up with a more compelling topic for my next blog. Hey look – “compelling”…from the Latin word “com” (together), plus…aaaah, never mind.

Song Contest FINALIST!!!

Greetings, everyone!
 
I have some pretty cool news!  My song, Let It Go, has just advanced to the regional finals in the Radio Star 2007 contest, hosted by 99.9 Mix FM!!!
 
It’s between me and four other artists (all with very good songs, I might add).  The final decision rests in the hands of the online voters (YOU).  So please, if you have a minute, click on the link below and vote for my tune (if you like it, of course!)  Simply select the circle beside the song (2. Peter Bloom – Let It Go), and then click the gray VOTE button found just below  the song list.  (If you also want to request the song, you can return to the page after voting and do so…but VOTING is the priority.  I’m not sure how many times one person can vote – I’ll leave that up to you.)  Voting ends this Wednesday, January 31st, 2007 @ 11:59 p.m.  
 
Here’s the link: http://www.999mixfm.com/poll/canadian_radio_star07
                                                                                                                                                                The winner will be announced on Thursday morning, February 1st, 2007 with Mad Dog and Billie.  Toronto-area listeners can hear all five finalists’ songs on the Mix between 9 and 10 p.m., this Monday and Tuesday evening (29th & 30th) with Freeway Frank.  The rest of you can listen online at http://www.999mixfm.com .
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      If I win this round, I move on to the National Finals!  Pretty sweet!  The prizes are great, but it’s the exposure that would really be a bonus!
 
THANKS - I really appreciate any support you can give me.  Please tell all your friends and family who might be interested to visit the contest page and vote too…the more the merrier!
 
Peace.

New song demos on the way…

It’s been a quite a while…

My full CD is set for release in late April.  As the recording progresses, I intend to post the odd demo of songs at any given stage before the final CD track version.  It’s a cool way to gain insight into the process of songwriting and recording…from the sketch of an idea to the final product.  Hope you enjoy them!

These days my brain is swimming with all the details of properly producing and promoting a CD at a serious level.  The time and budget constraints are weighing pretty heavily on my mind, as I try to keep it clear enough to actually create a solid collection of songs.  Believe me – I am NOT complaining (merely stating a fact) – I consider it a privilege and a blessing to even be able to undertake such an ambitious project.  After all, I’m not starving, or homeless, or sick…so if I didn’t go after my dreams, I would in a way be insulting those who don’t have the same opportunity to do so.  I’m not claiming to be doing them any favours by pursuing my musical aspirations – that would be deluded and arrogant.  All I’m saying is I appreciate what I have and I’m trying to make the most of it while I can.  We all know it could all be gone tomorrow…or even later today.

For me, the success is in the DOING…so I’m just doing it.  Period.  (I hope I don’t owe Nike any royalties for borrowing the sentiment of their ubiquitous slogan!)  More soon…Thanks for caring! 

Peace