How 'bout a vlog? Two parts. Enjoy!
More coming soon!
-MB
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Songwriting and the Soul: Episode 2
Greetings... Earthlings! :)
Here's the latest song I've been working on. Still a work in progress. As I discussed in the previous entry on this subject (check out episode uno: Songwriting and the Soul) this is the "sister song" to "England". This take was recorded a few minutes ago and is basically just documentation for what I've got so far. I find that recording while I write is extremely helpful.
If the widget thingy doesn't work click the link below.
https://soundcloud.com/maggieberry/dreary-november-in-the-soul
I sort of like where the song is heading, even though it's still growing and becoming an actual song.
More info and tidbits coming soon!
-MB
Here's the latest song I've been working on. Still a work in progress. As I discussed in the previous entry on this subject (check out episode uno: Songwriting and the Soul) this is the "sister song" to "England". This take was recorded a few minutes ago and is basically just documentation for what I've got so far. I find that recording while I write is extremely helpful.
If the widget thingy doesn't work click the link below.
https://soundcloud.com/maggieberry/dreary-november-in-the-soul
I sort of like where the song is heading, even though it's still growing and becoming an actual song.
More info and tidbits coming soon!
-MB
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Jackson Browne Part 1
I discovered Jackson Browne when I first started playing guitar. My lovely, and wonderful guitar teacher insisted upon teaching me songs like "These Days" and "Something Fine." Even though it took me forever to nail down both of these songs (I'm still admittedly fuzzy on "Something Fine"), these have become two of the many songs that make up my soul. I'm pretty sure Jackson Browne music makes up at least 86% of my soul; probably more.
I can't remember which song I was presented with first. I know that I learned "These Days" much quicker than I did "Something Fine", but that doesn't mean it was the one I heard first. In any case, I'll start with discussing "Something Fine" because the first time I heard it was a pretty significant life moment for me.
I walked into this basement computer lab, where the man who taught me about guitar and life basically lived (at least in my mind at the time). I was having a difficult time dealing with other people's teenage drama that seemed to be infecting school, which has always been a zone of peace for me. I can't remember if he asked how I was or if I'd just started blabbering on about all the crap, but in any case his response to my angst was "That's why we're going to learn 'Something Fine.'" He then handed me a pile of papers with a tabs, chords and lyrics on it and showed me a Youtube video of the song. This song has been a bizarre source of comfort to me ever since.
Still, it took me forever and a day to even remotely figure out how to play the song. All I really know at this point is you're supposed to tune your A string down to a G and then I know some of the chords. I still don't really have the whole song down.
I love the lyrics though: "California's shaking like an angry child will who's asked for love but is unanswered still"-- I think I probably feel like that child more often than I'd care to admit. "And you know it's taken it's share of me, even though you take such good care of me..." Yes. I feel that.
"The future hides and the past just slides and England lies between"--Perfect.
I have the guitar line to "These Days" down solid. This is one of those songs I want at my funeral. It's just so full of meaning. Here's a cover I did right after I got back to school after being in the hospital for two weeks after almost dying of not one, but two pulmonary embolisms:
Don't judge it too harshly, as I explain in the video my lungs were still pretty weak (and I was pretty physically as well).
More Jackson Browne love coming soon. I have a lot more to say about the man and his music.
Peace.
-MB
I can't remember which song I was presented with first. I know that I learned "These Days" much quicker than I did "Something Fine", but that doesn't mean it was the one I heard first. In any case, I'll start with discussing "Something Fine" because the first time I heard it was a pretty significant life moment for me.
I walked into this basement computer lab, where the man who taught me about guitar and life basically lived (at least in my mind at the time). I was having a difficult time dealing with other people's teenage drama that seemed to be infecting school, which has always been a zone of peace for me. I can't remember if he asked how I was or if I'd just started blabbering on about all the crap, but in any case his response to my angst was "That's why we're going to learn 'Something Fine.'" He then handed me a pile of papers with a tabs, chords and lyrics on it and showed me a Youtube video of the song. This song has been a bizarre source of comfort to me ever since.
Still, it took me forever and a day to even remotely figure out how to play the song. All I really know at this point is you're supposed to tune your A string down to a G and then I know some of the chords. I still don't really have the whole song down.
I love the lyrics though: "California's shaking like an angry child will who's asked for love but is unanswered still"-- I think I probably feel like that child more often than I'd care to admit. "And you know it's taken it's share of me, even though you take such good care of me..." Yes. I feel that.
"The future hides and the past just slides and England lies between"--Perfect.
I have the guitar line to "These Days" down solid. This is one of those songs I want at my funeral. It's just so full of meaning. Here's a cover I did right after I got back to school after being in the hospital for two weeks after almost dying of not one, but two pulmonary embolisms:
Don't judge it too harshly, as I explain in the video my lungs were still pretty weak (and I was pretty physically as well).
More Jackson Browne love coming soon. I have a lot more to say about the man and his music.
Peace.
-MB
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Songwriting and the Soul
Earlier this week I began writing this song that's very similar to another song of mine by the name of "England." At first, I was resistant to write a song on the same subject matter. I thought: it's been a year, shouldn't I be over this by now? We're good now, what more could I possibly have to say on the subject?
Turns out, I have a lot of things still circling around in my head on this particular subject. There's a lot of questions that are still unanswered. Then my next thought was something along the lines of: Maggie, there are so many other situations in your life that hold billions of unanswered questions that are still circling around in your head, why aren't you writing about those things?
I don't have an answer to either of these questions. I don't want answers to these questions. Songwriting is a pretty magical experience, and I'm always fairly confident that what needs to come out in song will come out whether I want it to or not. I think it's appropriate that I'm feeling hesitant to write this song, because when I wrote "England", I was really hesitant to write and it and share it with anyone; and yet, "England" was written almost completely in about 10 minutes. This song is taking longer to write, but I actually think I might end up liking it better than "England."
I'm not sure what I'll be calling this one, that'll come to me later. Write now I'm still working on getting a full song and story out. An important life lesson that I'm still learning is that things that need to be said are often difficult to say, but you'll be a better person for finding the strength to say them. It's good for relationships, and more importantly, it's good for the soul.
I'm not an overly religious person, but I am a spiritual one. I believe that nurturing and strengthening one's soul is vital for actual living and relationships (general or specific connections to other human beings) to take place. I'm kind of a Transcendentalist in that respect.
I'd love to be working on the song right now, but I'm experiencing some wrist pain that's making guitar playing tricky. I'm planning on resting my wrist for a while and picking the song back up when I can. I'm kind of excited about it.
Peace.
-MB
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Free Download from Augustana!
Hey All,
I wanted to share a link to download a free demo version of Augustana's new single "Alive." It's a beautiful, honest, and powerful song that can be yours for free!
Few musicians have consistently knocked me off my feet in the way that Augustana has over the years. I've been a fan since "Boston" came out. Dan Layus just keeps writing songs that inspire and amaze me. He really does write incredible songs, and his delivery is just perfect.
I'll write more blogs about this incredible music, but for now click on the link for your free download. It's so beyond worth it! :)
http://www.augustanamusic.com/
Update: Augustana has provided a new link, which actually makes it even easier to download. http://official.fm/tracks/oq5y
-MB
I wanted to share a link to download a free demo version of Augustana's new single "Alive." It's a beautiful, honest, and powerful song that can be yours for free!
Few musicians have consistently knocked me off my feet in the way that Augustana has over the years. I've been a fan since "Boston" came out. Dan Layus just keeps writing songs that inspire and amaze me. He really does write incredible songs, and his delivery is just perfect.
I'll write more blogs about this incredible music, but for now click on the link for your free download. It's so beyond worth it! :)
http://www.augustanamusic.com/
Update: Augustana has provided a new link, which actually makes it even easier to download. http://official.fm/tracks/oq5y
-MB
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
My Guitars!
Hi,
My name's Maggie and I'm kind of a musical gear junkie. :)
I thought I'd take a moment to talk about some of my gear, since I'm a total geek like that!
The first "real" guitar I owned was an Ovation Celebrity CC-24. This thing was terrible. I'm told that the Ovation design was inspired somehow by helicopters. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a helicopter and thought "boy, wouldn't that make an awesome guitar!" Probably because it really doesn't make an awesome guitar... If you know nothing about Ovation instruments (there's also an even cheaper version under the name Applause), instead of having a wood construction, they have a hard plastic bowl for the back and sides. They also sound like they're made of plastic... Some people dig the sound, but it sort of hurts my soul. The CC-24 also featured a laminate top, high action, a really uncomfortable neck, and a sound that could be rivaled by Walmart's famous First Act brand. I owned this guitar for a couple years, used it to learn how to play, and traded it in on my last day of high school.
You hear the Ovation in some of my really early recordings and Youtube videos..... I'm sorry.
When I just couldn't stand to play the Ovation anymore, my dad bought me a Blueridge BR-140. I love this guitar. It's a 2002 model, bought off one of the admins. on the Blueridge Guitar Forum. It's basically a Chinese-built copy of a D-18. Solid Sitka top over solid mahogany back and sides. Plays great, sounds great. It's kind of been hot-rodded out at this point. I added an LR-Baggs M1A pickup, changed the tuners out, plus there was quite a bit of work done to it before I got it. The guitar has some slight buzzing on the low E string, but other than that it's fabulous. I get a lot of compliments when I play out with it.
A couple years of the Ovation gathering dust while I played the Blueridge went by, and finally I was done with high school, so I decided to give myself the gift of getting rid of the Ovation to acquire a 1972 Yamaha FG-75. This guitar is currently for sale, so talk to me if you're interested! It's a great guitar with an old sound. I just don't play it very much. I have experimented with several different strings on this instrument, which has been fun. The action is quite high, so it would make a good project guitar. It's still playable; just takes a little bit more work. I honestly don't mind it.
My most recent guitar purchase happened around Christmas. It's a Recording King RAJ-126SN. It's pretty much a copy of a Gibson Advanced Jumbo: slope shoulder dreadnought with solid sitka spruce over solid mahogany back and sides. I'm pretty sure this thing is my guitar soul-mate. At least for now. I also bought it just over $300 on Amazon. It's usually in the $700+ range! Woot Woot!
Any Questions?
-MB
My name's Maggie and I'm kind of a musical gear junkie. :)
I thought I'd take a moment to talk about some of my gear, since I'm a total geek like that!
The first "real" guitar I owned was an Ovation Celebrity CC-24. This thing was terrible. I'm told that the Ovation design was inspired somehow by helicopters. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a helicopter and thought "boy, wouldn't that make an awesome guitar!" Probably because it really doesn't make an awesome guitar... If you know nothing about Ovation instruments (there's also an even cheaper version under the name Applause), instead of having a wood construction, they have a hard plastic bowl for the back and sides. They also sound like they're made of plastic... Some people dig the sound, but it sort of hurts my soul. The CC-24 also featured a laminate top, high action, a really uncomfortable neck, and a sound that could be rivaled by Walmart's famous First Act brand. I owned this guitar for a couple years, used it to learn how to play, and traded it in on my last day of high school.
You hear the Ovation in some of my really early recordings and Youtube videos..... I'm sorry.
When I just couldn't stand to play the Ovation anymore, my dad bought me a Blueridge BR-140. I love this guitar. It's a 2002 model, bought off one of the admins. on the Blueridge Guitar Forum. It's basically a Chinese-built copy of a D-18. Solid Sitka top over solid mahogany back and sides. Plays great, sounds great. It's kind of been hot-rodded out at this point. I added an LR-Baggs M1A pickup, changed the tuners out, plus there was quite a bit of work done to it before I got it. The guitar has some slight buzzing on the low E string, but other than that it's fabulous. I get a lot of compliments when I play out with it.
A couple years of the Ovation gathering dust while I played the Blueridge went by, and finally I was done with high school, so I decided to give myself the gift of getting rid of the Ovation to acquire a 1972 Yamaha FG-75. This guitar is currently for sale, so talk to me if you're interested! It's a great guitar with an old sound. I just don't play it very much. I have experimented with several different strings on this instrument, which has been fun. The action is quite high, so it would make a good project guitar. It's still playable; just takes a little bit more work. I honestly don't mind it.
My most recent guitar purchase happened around Christmas. It's a Recording King RAJ-126SN. It's pretty much a copy of a Gibson Advanced Jumbo: slope shoulder dreadnought with solid sitka spruce over solid mahogany back and sides. I'm pretty sure this thing is my guitar soul-mate. At least for now. I also bought it just over $300 on Amazon. It's usually in the $700+ range! Woot Woot!
Any Questions?
-MB
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Passenger on the Acoustic Train!
Why did no one tell me about this group? I'm blown away! At first, I really didn't think I was going to be--Mike Rosenberg's voice was too perfect, which annoyed me. After listening to a few songs and some videos of Mike busking on his own, I'm hooked.
From what I gather, Passenger is a folk-rock group from the UK, and their popularity has grown significantly in recent years. This brings me back to my original question...why didn't anyone tell me about them?!?!?!
"Let Her Go" was the first song I stumbled upon (youtube suggested I watch the official video). Since I'm easily drawn in by a pretty acoustic music, bearded men, and twinkling lights, I decided to check it out. I wasn't immediately taken by the video or the song. The musicians seemed "real" enough, but the song seemed over produced to me--even as simply as it was done. I did feel like the song and the band had the potential to be incredible-- if only I could find an acoustic version! I almost always (except for the acoustic version of superman by Five for Fighting) enjoy acoustic versions of songs better, so I've become adept at finding alternative versions of songs.
I ended up here:
I pretty immediately loved this song, too. Although, on some level, I do feel like there's a hint of over-production here too. Still, I felt like their harmonies and the scenery made up for some of that. I do believe I enjoy this version (click the link) better, though. It's more bare, but again, I feel it more. It's beautiful, and agonizing. That's what music should be. It's songs like this that make me want to pick up the guitar and write.
Another thing I really enjoy about this group is their lyrics. In case it's gone unnoticed, I'm a BIG fan of lyrics. I've been really impressed at what I've heard so far from this band. They're witty, but dark. This is a combination I adore.
Finally, I have to mention the Simon and Garfunkel covers I found! If you've known me for any amount of time, you know that I have a thing for any and everything related to Paul Simon.
His cover of "The Boxer" is pretty cool. I also have a thing for interesting covers! :)
From what I gather, Passenger is a folk-rock group from the UK, and their popularity has grown significantly in recent years. This brings me back to my original question...why didn't anyone tell me about them?!?!?!
"Let Her Go" was the first song I stumbled upon (youtube suggested I watch the official video). Since I'm easily drawn in by a pretty acoustic music, bearded men, and twinkling lights, I decided to check it out. I wasn't immediately taken by the video or the song. The musicians seemed "real" enough, but the song seemed over produced to me--even as simply as it was done. I did feel like the song and the band had the potential to be incredible-- if only I could find an acoustic version! I almost always (except for the acoustic version of superman by Five for Fighting) enjoy acoustic versions of songs better, so I've become adept at finding alternative versions of songs.
I ended up here:
I immediately loved it. This version was MUCH better. Over-production really does kill a lot of songs for me. Listening to the acoustic versions (I listened to several) is a completely different experience than listening to the "official" album version. I feel the song now. It's raw. It's cutting. It's brilliant!
From there, I ended up clicking on this video:
I pretty immediately loved this song, too. Although, on some level, I do feel like there's a hint of over-production here too. Still, I felt like their harmonies and the scenery made up for some of that. I do believe I enjoy this version (click the link) better, though. It's more bare, but again, I feel it more. It's beautiful, and agonizing. That's what music should be. It's songs like this that make me want to pick up the guitar and write.
Another thing I really enjoy about this group is their lyrics. In case it's gone unnoticed, I'm a BIG fan of lyrics. I've been really impressed at what I've heard so far from this band. They're witty, but dark. This is a combination I adore.
Finally, I have to mention the Simon and Garfunkel covers I found! If you've known me for any amount of time, you know that I have a thing for any and everything related to Paul Simon.
His cover of "The Boxer" is pretty cool. I also have a thing for interesting covers! :)
The cover of "The Sound of Silence" made me want to cry, and then go out and do some busking. There's not a lot of places to busk in Lexington, KY, but the dream lives on. I'm pretty sure I did cry the first time I listened to this version.
Passenger gives me hope that my chosen folky-rock genre is not an irrelevant, outdated one. People are still willing to listen. I think that's kind of a big deal.
Check 'em out! Buy some CDs; go to a show. I'm sure it'd be more than worth it!
Peace.
-MB
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