WAR! Teaser // Season of writing.

"WAR!" is debuting on April 22nd on ISAtv, but here's a quick teaser courtesy of Conrad, the director.

I've been transitioning back to a season of writing, and the whole thing feels slightly off-kilter for me. I've learned that the best way to get into creativity is to find a sense of calm.  A lot of the time, this means that normally minor distractions can start to feel like frustrating ones.  That doesn't mean they aren't good distractions - I just played the songwriter's round that I host at Renaissance Hotel last night, and am gearing up for a showcase I'm playing with my publishing company in a few weeks, not to mention I'll be MOH at my sister's wedding in 2 weeks - but my first goal is to be more productive with songwriting. So hyper-focused am I at getting to this goal, that I often forget that the trick is sometimes just to let it go (cue that song from "Frozen" that I'm not actually a big fan of. Sorry.)

So far I've averaged a song per week.  That's OK, the gears are just warming up.  More scratches to come soon...

   By the way, here is the flyer for the showcase I am playing next month.  It is hosted by Gas Can Music, which publishes "World Go Blue," and is open to music supervisors looking to license.  If by happenstance you are a music supervisor who's stumbled onto my blog and would like to join the event, you can email Licensing@GasCanMusic.com.

Mixing signatures and structures.

I was up late last night starting a song. It was 1am and I was avoiding sleep. I'd started thinking about past relationships that were almosts-but-not-quite...thinking that a lot of the time I just didn't feel like the other person was letting me in as much as I wanted them to. That sort of unevenness seems to be an early sign of relationship problems to come. Anyway, I was messing with a rolling finger picking rhythm on the G# chord and started at the verse.  I know some people say starting with a chorus is a must for pop songs, but I wasn't sure this was going to be a pop song, and more often than not, I just want to go along with the song and see where it takes me when it gets to a "Chorus" moment.  What ended up happening was a Verse, Pre-chorus, Verse, Pre-chorus, Chorus pattern.  It's a little different, but something I've been gravitating towards the last couple of weeks.  I also gravitated towards the phrase, "from me."  I thought about the idea of repeating a phrase as a tag, but having it mean something slightly different each time... I also think the phrase "From me" sounds kind of nice at first, but in this song, is actually mellow and sad.

After some tweaking today, I wound up finishing the song. I think I'll end with the Pre-Chorus, rather than a Chorus, or a Chorus repeat. AND...this is a first for me, I think I will go into 3/4 time in the 2nd chorus.  I don't know exactly how it happened, but it felt very natural today. We will see how it sits tomorrow, if I can find time to play before my flight to Buffalo.

There is tweaking yet to be done... but here's that first bit that I wound up writing last night, along with edits from today:

From Me (Written by Alfa Garcia, BMI. (c) 2013. All Rights Reserved.)

Verse 1:

I try to speak to you / all casual and true

you speak in riddles back to me.

I wonder if it's just / the language that we have

I know you love your poetry

Pre:

But it seems I have to find 

a better man who doesn't hide

from me.

Verse 2:

You're such a wanderer / you're beautiful that way

and I would never tie you down

But your symbolic sighs / the overdrawn goodbyes

baby, they don't keep me 'round

Pre:

Lookin' for someone like you

who doesn't have to keep the truth

from me.

Chorus:

Tell me your secrets / tell me where do you go

I promise I'll keep it / I promise I'll let you go

when you want to be free.

----

In other news, I had my second rehearsal with drummer Kevin Jimenez, who will play with me at Room 5 on Nov. 22nd. I enjoy our weekly get-togethers, because it forces me to practice the older stuff, rather than get caught up solely in writing new songs.  I think songwriters are too quick to walk away from a song once it's written. I guess it's the artist's job from there...so if you're both (artist and songwriter), you carry a song with you a lot longer.  

That's it for now... will be in Buffalo playing a showcase with NACA this weekend. :)  More news when I return.

The fast ones // "Man On the Radio" (working song + audio)

I love when a song comes to me super fast.  It's like the songwriting-gods above have showered me with undeserved inspiration and I'm just sitting there with my hands open going, "yes, yes, give them to me."  Those moments are definitely rare, and it's best to take advantage of them when they come (usually that means dropping what I'm doing, grabbing a paper and pen and sitting there as long as it takes).  I always feel a little skeptical afterwards, though. I try to go over what I wrote and make sure I'm not just feeling too attached to it for some reason or another; I try to take a few steps back...  Still, is there anything more satisfying?

Here's one I wrote on my uke in about 15 minutes last week, the day after I got back from Nashville. Ironically, I had gone there to write new songs, and didn't finish a single one (unless you count the one I had started with my cowriter Marc last year and finally finished during the trip). I guess that's how it goes. What the gods give, they taketh away... ;)  Anyway, this one's about falling in love with a voice that you hear on the radio and being content with drawing up the whole love story in your head...without actually needing to meet the dude. Tell me I'm not the only one this happens to...

"Man on the Radio" 

written by Alfa Garcia (BMI) 2013. All Rights Reserved.

Oh boy, you don't know me but I think I know you

'cause there's something about the way you sing to me.

Like you've read into parts of me no one sees

and I can't help but fall for your understanding.

Oooooh, oooooh

Oooooh, oooooh. (repeat)

There is no need for a formal face-to-face

to be honest, I'm fine learning you line-by-line in my room.

'Cause in my head there is no one for me but you

I have got you pegged as a man with a plan, who's a good list'ner too

(yes, that's you)

Oooooh, oooooh

Oooooh, oooooh. (repeat)

I swear you're singing right to me

like I'm never out of reach.

Well, you must have found a back door to my heart

'cause it feels like you've been there from the start

and I know you don't know me, but I think that I love you

I think I love...love you. (repeats on this line?)

Man on the radio

Man on the radio

Man on the radio

Man on the radio... 

------------------------------------------

I had the chance to play this at FilAmFest in San Diego this weekend. It was my last song, and I think the reaction was pretty cool. Admittedly, though, this songs relies on the melody and delivery. I think there's a lot of room to make it one of those fun, short stints (it clocks in at just about 3 minutes) that elicits a quick reaction, rather than long-lasting thought.  I am not opposed to these kinds of songs... I think there's room for them.  But also, this one's just freakin' fun to sing.  :)  

"Man on the Radio" (iPhone rough demo)  

Anyway, here's a rough track I did on my iPhone. In this version, I had switched the 2 parts of verse 2, but I think I'm going to go with the version in the lyrics above. Also, I pulled a little Bob Dylan towards the end... ha. I crack myself up.