Welcome to STORYTOWN

I am starting a band to play my songs.  My immediate goal is to play in the New York City area every couple of months and see if we can find an audience of people who like the music. Why am I doing this, especially at this stage of my life?  I don’t seem too good at following the usual life “script”, so I guess I would point out that this is a typical pattern for me.  Anyway, at its simplest I’m doing it because I love it, and, having recently left a stressful job, this makes sense for me.  Making music makes me very happy.

This is the first in a series of postings where I report on progress as well as share quick takes on the process of starting a band.  My first impulse is to keep quiet, working, working, until the “launch” of STORYTOWN  – a first gig or professional recording – what is known in my prior career as the “waterfall” approach to launching a product.  But I think it might be interesting to some of you if I check in along the way to the band’s big first event, sharing thoughts, recordings, etc.  It’s not my natural impulse to share this “sausage making”, but on the other hand it’s a way to connect to you early on.  I will try to share a song or fragment with each posting so it’s not just text.  Not all postings will be as long as this first one.  And if this isn’t especially interesting to you, that’s cool too.

I have songs from years ago, and I also have new ones.  I continue to write.  For me, every song is a world unto itself, and I like each one to sound different from the rest. I like melodies, I like grooves, I like interesting instrumental parts.  I’m a traditional verse/chorus/bridge kind of guy.  Lyrics are especially hard for me, so in future postings I may share some of how I try to tackle the lyric challenge.  I also have a hard time describing my music, so I would be open to your thoughts on what style it is.  Here’s a taste:

STORYTOWN Home Demo Teaser

So here’s the latest:  Over the past summer I spent some time recording those rough demos you just heard, laying the foundation of their sound so that I could relatively quickly jumpstart a band.  And then I recruited a band – bass player, drummer, keyboards.  (I play guitar.)  I scheduled a couple of rehearsals in a NYC rehearsal studio, and they went fairly well.  But my bass player had to drop out due to lack of time, and so for a time I was stalled, looking for a bass player and re-evaluating how to go about this.  I got a bass player, but then I decided I needed a different keyboard player. And now, finally, I’ve found someone for that role.  Very soon this new crew will have its first rehearsal.  For now, there is no gig forthcoming, no album in the works. But I am determined to make the best music I can.  More to come in the next installment. 

Welcome to STORYTOWN.