There was a Paula Abdul song that was particularly popular when I was growing up. The chorus went something like, “Two steps forward; two steps back. We go together cuz opposites attract.” And so on, and so forth. Thinking on these lines now, I find myself puzzled. I thought the term was two steps forward,…
Serious about songwriting
Committing to a craft full-time is serious business, for me at least. It is scary and involves some serious butterflies of the fearful, unnerving variety. I incorporated a songwriting business nearly a year ago, and I have been devoting a percentage of my time to do it ever since. I love songwriting. I am learning…
An Honest Day of Work
These past few months, I have been keeping busy working on songs and performing. So busy that I have neglected to write of my travails. When I look back at where I was a year ago, it is remarkable to witness a year of my life in music and to see what I have been able to…
Gotta get out
Most days, I live in my mind. I staff museum sites at a park, and there are many hours of the day where my own inner voices carry on a heated dialogue while I intermittently sit, stand, and talk with visitors. This winter was a rough one for me, both emotionally and for my immune system. On…
Announcing our Workshops! Yay!
Gearing up for two more songwriting presentations toward the end of May! This is one that will be happening in Lowell!
North of the border
It is the final day of April, and I am sitting in a third floor room typing away as the rain falls in a cold, wet blanket outside my window. These past two weeks, I have traveled under the auspice of Story-to-Song to two very different locations, cities, and climes in Canada. Last week, I…
What now?
The Sandbox may be over, but my work as a startup entrepreneur is just beginning. The past three months feel like a surreal, frenetic blur. They were very real and quite invaluable. I took an abstract idea and found a way to turn it into a viable business with tangible products. I even worked with…
Believe it or not
Last night, I performed at an exhibit opening at the Arts League of Lowell. I had submitted my first recorded album for an exhibit honoring the life of Kerouac called “Travels off the Beaten Track.” I knew that David Amram would be playing earlier in the gallery opening, but I got the go ahead to…
Against All Odds
Tonight is the final awards ceremony for the Merrimack Valley Sandbox Winter Accelerator Program. It has been a challenging and very rewarding three months. Yet, I think I speak for everyone in my class when I write that this evening’s final ceremonies will be bittersweet for all of us. A couple of weeks ago, a…
Fake it ’til you make it
I went to an extra Sandbox session this morning. I went into the session thinking that it was about fundraising, but the more appropriate title would be “Pitch Practice and Ego Destroyer.” I came home with a hopeless feeling in my heart, heaviness in my chest, and a lump in my throat. You will feel…
Guiding Song 