Song and a Chat

Episode #7: Culture To The Bone - (Song at 4:35 & 18:30)

This song is about the concept of us all being swamped, almost overwhelmed by art, music and media from all around the world - at the expense of losing our own arts, and culture.

My song writing buddy, Paul Dredge and I wrote this one. It came about after a mornings fishing. We were feeling very beach-y, by the sound of the groove of the guitar riff and this is one of the most relaxed melodies and vocals I've recorded. 

So the whole thing is natural. That's what I like about it. You want to hear my kiwi accent coming through, I'm not trying to be anyone else. 

The song talks about the desensitising effect of violent images and themes that are frequently on tv - the media setting up stereotypes and reinforcing the idea, time again, that there is an us and them ... The fear. But 90 percent of folks around the world are on the same page: I think We all want to be happy healthy and want to live in peace. These are things I was thinking of, what inspired this song. 

The song was written in about 5 minutes. It was an absolute pleasure.

Also this week, the studio version! More polished in some respects, but here's a pearler : Paul Dredge was using a vegemite jar as a slide for his guitar! How that for real local culture (for folks from o’seas, vegemite is a yeast based sort of protein type spread for toast that divides folks on whether it's a good thing or just wrong -  it ain't jam! ) It's very New Zealand and Australian, perfect for the song. 

Enjoy.

Episode #6: Bindless Captive - (Song at 10:30)

It’s 1982. I'm in my science class at school, being lectured on the names of cows stomachs. Predictably, as a young man, keen on the outdoors, the hunting and fishing, my mind started to drift. 

Out the window, the hills in the distance beckoned me. In my mind I flew over the city, over the river, over the hills to the farms and beaches where I'd spent so many hours observing nature: In silence, I'd stood, listening to all the sounds, recognising all the bird calls, the sound of the rushing river and the wind in the pines. 

Back in the class, as the teacher spoke, I drew a cartoon of a ' farmhand ‘- a possible future for myself (not that I was seriously considering it, but the idea of being in the country appealed), and I wrote the lyrics there and then. The lyrics are about a life yet to be lived. I'm 15. I want to do it, and I want to do it now! The outdoors awaited me - as did the future.

I wrote the music to this this song a few years later, in 1985. I find it’s a good idea to stow your writing, art and music (that you may not have a current use for) away for another day. In this case, I’m glad I kept that particular page of my school exercise book.

Lots of insights to songwriting here today, folks.

I'm not going to tell you how to write a song. But I am going to tell you how I write a song . 

Enjoy!

Episode #5: Lifetimes - (Song at 4:26 & 14:08)

This week I'm presenting an instrumental solo piano song, 'Lifetimes', written in 1987. 

There's 2 versions here : The original demo and also the track released on my first piano album Eridanus / River Music.

On the demo, this is my first effort at arranging strings - an orchestral type of arrangement using my keyboard, which I added after recording the initial piano on my upright acoustic piano. 

Lifetimes started out as chords and melodies scrawled onto different bits of paper - very basic notation written at the various times I composed each part.

One winter's evening after playing a gig with a covers band, I sat down at my old upright piano back home around midnight and brought all the sections together. I also composed joining phrases, new movements, etc. Fortunately everyone was out for the night and I could play the piano without disturbing anyone.

Some day I'll hire an orchestra and record it again. Nonetheless, for now, here's how it sounds.

As a creative person, it pays to enjoy your art in the form it is in presently, while keeping it in mind to perhaps rework in the future.

Have a listen and I'll talk you through how it all came together, then I segue into the songwriting angle. Enjoy.

Episode #4: I'm On My Way   (Song at 4:24)

Episode number four: I’m on my way, Song #341 written in1994.

I wrote the lyrics sitting at the beach, in New Zealand. I used to stockpile these.I loved having a stack of lyrics waiting for whenever the mood hit me to compose a song.

When I recorded this demo it was my first time using 16 tracks. Thanks to a friend, I was fortunate enough to be given access to a ‘B studio’ at night.. I ended up producing a solo album’s worth of demos, over a few weeks. I loved it. I programmed the drums, played piano, keys fretless bass, strings, and sang it.

Thanks to Brendon (I’m pretty sure that was his name), who happened by the studio one evening and put some guitars down for the entire album for me. He had some great ‘chops’, was an instinctive player, who played for the song.  He took direction well. It was a spontaneous creative outpouring, with easy communication for us both. It was big night. We finished at dawn.

The song is about nearing the end of a relationship, trying to let go. There is a sense of freedom about the music, it's got a nice vibe. This is the first time I got to fully direct an arrangement in a professional studio.I loved the experience. 

Hear more about how the song came to be, the lyrics and at the end there's some songwriting / arranging tips. I do talk in a way that is inclusive of the layman/ non songwriter. So if you hang around to the end you might gain some insights into the creative process. Enjoy.

Episode #3: You’ll Remain In Me -  (Song at 3:53)

Welcome to Episode 3, this week we have : You'll Remain In Me, song #170, written in 1991.

Here I am in my studio in Melbourne. It’s midnight and you're my intimate listening audience. I'm pretending I'm on a stage, doing a gig. I have license to talk. Which I do, presenting the usual back story to the song, the actual demo recording, then lyric analysis and some songwriting tips to follow. I enjoy talking about the songwriting process. Hopefully my laidback & inclusive style will appeal to the layman, as well as aspiring songwriters… 

In this episode, ‘You’ll Remain In Me’ is a statement, in effect, about my ending a personal relationship. Each relationship we experience has the power to transform us - and they will, whether we are aware of this or not.  Letting go is a delicate process. You do consider the long term implications.

Here I’m singing with Paul Dredge who’s doing the harmonies and Earl Pollard on drums - a great guy & a wonderful musician, who is sadly no longer with us. We recorded this after a gig at a piano bar we used to work at 5 nights a week. I loved this baby grand. Join us here - pull up a chair for a listen, see where it takes you. 

In these podcasts, as I record them, memories float in from the time I wrote the song. So you'll get it straight from the songwriter. It's confessional, not over serious though - I like having a laugh as well as getting all arty in my reflections. So I'm enjoying the whole podcast recording process.

Episode #2: That's Alright With Me - (Song at 4:17 & 16:35)

We're back!…my second podcast, ever: That's Alright With Me, Babe, From 1993. Song #347. Written by myself with Paul Dredge (NZ) . This episode includes the demo version and the album cut - 2 for the price of 1 ! 

Here we have the result of two minds meeting & writing intuitively together, in the moment. I had the lyrics in hand. I’m winging the melody, looking at Paul's fingers on the guitar neck - not sure why, they mean nothing to me, cos I play piano. 

I said " ok, it's sort of an uptempo kind of Bob Dylan song" and Paul leaped in with the chords and groove. 

Fuelled by the heady cocktail of coffee and biscuits, this song encapsulates the free, stream of consciousness type of creative, approach to co songwriting that we had - and still have today. 

I explain how the song came together, a bit of background, the usual lyric analysis. Then you can hear the finished cut, after that I offer a few tips on songwriting and arranging to finish. Enjoy

Episode #1: Chocolate Biscuit Princess - (Song at 7:58)

Welcome to my first podcast - ever! Hi there, my name is Pete Pascoe I’m a songwriter. I've written 800 songs. I had the idea that an ongoing series of podcasts would be a great place to present demos of songs - old and new - that might not otherwise get out there in the world.

Each week, I'll present another a song ( if you want to only listen to the song, the time where the song plays will be in each title). First of all, I'll give you the backstory, where the song came from, perhaps what I was up to at the time….what inspired the song, (yep, you'll get the inside info).

Having set the scene, the tape hiss kicks in and…the demo plays. Sometimes on the original demo, you catch some sort of magic that you don't then manage to find in the studio when re-recording the song later. It's this sort of...indefinable feeling that we all strive for in art and music. I'll then do some lyric analysis, and finish up with the songwriting tips. I plan for this to go on..well, for quite some time - there are 800 songs to choose from! 

Ok , on with the show : Chocolate Biscuit Princess. Song # 171. Written in 1991 and demoed the same year.

The title? A good friend of mine shared a house with a young lady who somehow reminded me of what I thought an English princess from a couple of centuries ago might look like. Some of her mannerisms seemed quite…royal too. Apparently her food intake was minimal. The bulk of her diet being chocolate biscuits. The song writer in me said "aha!" surely there's a song to be had here.

The recording : piano/vocals (as most of my offerings on this podcast will be), in one take, playing a baby grand late one evening, in a piano bar where I used to work. One day I'll record this with a small string section - a suitable arrangement for a royal performance!

Then I segue into the songwriting segment. On this first podcast, there's a sense of exploration happening as I'm deciding on how to present these podcasts. I’m finding my way along. I did consider re-recording it, but I like the spontaneity and honesty that often happens in the first take. I hope you enjoy it.

www.petepascoe.com