I posted this entry on my profile at the www.29gifts.org website. If you wanna friend me or join me on what will prove to be an incredible journey, please check it out at: www.29gifts.org/profile/davidkav ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ How appropriate that the Blog Post Title has the word "gift" in it? In the series of events from the previous day, this gift to my musician friend was more than appropriate. It not only felt right: It made sense. Today was my day off from the hotel. Thank God and the Universe since I spent the evening before listening to tunes on Spotify to build royalties for fellow musicians (i.e. procrastinating) and listening to old guitar riffs to ensure I use the best one (i.e. fear.) Ok. Ok. There are half-truths in the i.e. sections. Regardless, I did lay down a song for the FAWM challenge (www.fawm.org for those who may not have read what other challenge I signed up for this month.) I spun myself up into a frenzy since I saw that my friend, Jeff, had already written and posted 5 songs as of yesterday in comparison to my 1 that I had at the web site. Now, another danger and sin that I have along with the exact nature of my wrongs: I compare other people's outside to not only my outside - but to my inside as well. I knew this to be much more than true because I KNOW that I will do more than ok this month on completing 14 "and a half" songs this month for the challenge. I apologize if that seems like I'm bragging. But, this time, it's the truth. I have always been prolific. In discussing it with Jeff, we both have found since I have produced two albums and he is about to release his first debut (expected release date for Jeff Brown: May 2012, by the way) that we have two things in common: a) We both recorded more songs for our albums than what we released when the product is done. b) After the albums were done, we found that we had more material awaiting for the next record. As I go along, I am convinced that, in some way or other, all bands and/or artists have this "great" problem. Heck, U2 (one of the main reasons/groups that got me into music) is notorious for doing this! Case in point: "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" from 2004 is made up entirely of outtakes from "All That You Can't Leave Behind." Look this up. They'll admit this more times than not. In fact, they stated that their next album will, again, be outtakes from their last album "No Line On The Horizon" from 2009. I would usually say, "I digress" after a paragraph like the one above. However, I think it fits in perfectly. Why? If we think about it or, since I can only speak for myself, if I think about it, ALL of my life has pieces of fragments that have been used to fill in the gaps of yesterday. THIS is how the Universe works IF I LET IT! I reiterate from past posts, it's when I try to control it that it all goes awry. After going to bed at 6AM the night/morning before and falling asleep at 6:45AM, I finally woke up at 1:30pm. All in all, I got a decent amount of sleep. However, I had a tight-ish schedule since I wanted to lay down another song that I had written before Jeff, my singer/songwriter friend and collaborator, came over to my place at 5pm. This is great in theory except: Our place was a wreck. If this was a horse-race, Severe Procrastinator was, once again, making its move. Beth Ann had a doctor's appointment at 2pm. This left me an hour to quietly get Morning Pages out of the way and to start on my 3rd song/installment, "Warm Delight." It's funny - even when I tell myself that I'm only going to lay down a rough guitar track or rough vocal track, it always takes longer than I tell myself or that I anticipate. Of course, after Morning Pages, SP makes another move and I listen to a couple of songs on Spotify. It was during the second song that I told myself, "David, your phone has speakers. Unplug the headphones and set up the MacBook Pro for recording." Well, well. Therein lies the seeds and set-up for successful production. So, off I went. Of course, Beth Ann arrives back as I am laying down my third song. I internalize her frown or melancholy looks as if she is upset with me. "No, you're in the zone," she states. "I want you to finish. I'm just stuffed up again." "Awwwuh, again? I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?" "At 4pm, can you go pick up my medicine?" (I remembered that she called her doctor for a prescription of Flonase (sp?)) "Absolutely. It's the least I can do." After a couple of takes, I lay down a rough-ish mix of the song - remembering that the challenge for FAWM is to write songs, not to have perfection. I tell myself, "it's ok. Write it, record it, release it, and move on. You can always come back to it later. You can always come back to everything later." It's at this point that I want to interject a quote from an old friend and Nashville singer/songwriter, Nancy Moran. I remember meeting her at a conference during TAXI back in 2006. I hired her for an hour consultation in asking about my debut album "Look Into My Eyes." She listened to that track and liked the groove so much that she thought that that should be the first track. It was also the next thing that she said in speaking about perfectionism and having "the right sound:" "David, something to keep in mind. Albums, in themselves, are merely a snapshot in time. When you look back after time has passed, you'll see where you were and, more importantly, you'll see how far you come at that point down the road. There'll always be more that you can fix. There'll always be more that you could have done to make that particular song better. There comes a point in time when you have to just 'let it go.'" Right. NOW, I digress. ;) I lay down the song, attempt to attach the mp3 to my website. No luck. I find that it's always more difficult to attach or add anything to my website, www.davidkav.com, during the day. In the evenings or overnights (like the time I'm writing this blog,) attachments are done at lightning speed. With frustration, I look at the clock and head out the door to pick up Beth Ann's medication. I come back, give Beth Ann her medicine, and like two horses at the race determined to win, we're OFF in cleaning the place as best as we can (30 minutes before Jeff arrives.) Resigning to ourselves that it won't be as clean and pristine as we'd like it to be (and hiding the remnants of our loss in the bedroom,) Jeff arrives, we excuse ourselves for the mess and he says, "Heh. No worries. You haven't seen my place." In truth, it looks "lived in." It really was (and is) quite decent. I joked with him that he was motivation in cleaning up the place. I tell him the joke that I heard from Jeff Foxworthy YEARS ago about company and cleaning up the place. "I love when people race to clean their homes with sweat on their brow and they always have the gall to say, 'I'm sorry 'bout the mess.' I wish people would tell the truth and just say, 'C'MON IN! This is the cleanest our place has been in 6 weeks, y'all! Don't go in the closet. You'll kill yourself!'" We laugh. We catch up on Jeff's recent cruise to the Bahamas. Jeff and I talk about our experience with Norwegian Cruise Lines from the past since we've both taken one. The common answer: We rather enjoyed it. Beth Ann tells us that she's taken one with Carnival which we all heard is a younger people's party boat. Beth Ann visits for a bit in between last-minute studying and getting ready for her 6pm class. Once she leaves, Jeff and I get to work. The result: We write not only one but two new songs. The first song was an idea from Jeff. I added some layering with the guitar along with a lead at the end. Jeff did lead vox and I sang harmony in the chorus. We also took equal stabbings at the lyrics. The song: "Just A Ghost." We were more than pleased with that one. Of course, after that one, I said, "who said we had to only write one together? Wanna do another one?" "Sure!" I dig in my Voice Notes and cranium for a rockin', faster one to change it up from the slower, '70s Ray LaMontagne-ish ballad that we wrote. I came up with the main riff. Jeff added layerings on the guitar. I came up with the lyrics where in Jeff helped with the chorus. The song: "Not Very Clear." Quite appropriate. There were moments that I got down in the mouth about this tune. "The first one was better," I would mope. "Oh, stop," he said. "No, really," I said. "I think we may have run out of steam at the end. I can hear a guitar solo after the second chorus, we sing the chorus again twice and THEN the outro. BUT - I like what we have and, we have a song." "Indeed." About 9ish, we pack up our stuff and call it a session. "This was fun," he said. "Hell yeah, it was." "This shouldn't be the last time that we do this." "You're right." We proceed to talk more about the songs that didn't make our respective albums. I look for an outtake of the song "(I Am) These Chains" that was originally recorded for the latest KAVUS album. I stated that that particular tune was written for my 2nd album "Better You Here Than Alone." It was heavily layered with full drum kit, bass guitar, lead guitar and a LOT of vocal layering from the powerhouse herself, Jen Porter. However, in listening to the other tracks on BYHTA, it didn't seem to fit the album. That album's loss turned into KAVUS' Debut Album's gain. So, I play him that particular track. With my gift of having him hear that track, I get the special gift of hearing a couple of tracks from his forthcoming debut album. I must tell ya, guys: I am quite proud of my friend, Jeff. He's got a lot to be proud of as well. You can see the glow within of the "I'm-about-to-release-an-album" joy that every musician has within. I love those moments. Love it. Before he leaves, he asks, "do you have a CAU (Chicago Acoustic Underground) glow-in-the-dark guitar pick?" "Hmm, can't say I do." I reply. I saw him play his guitar with it while we were jamming. He hands me the pick. "Now you do." "Thank you, sir." I reach in my back pocket. "Remember when I asked you earlier if you download things from and listen to stuff off of iTunes?" "Surely." I pull out a $25 iTunes Gift Card that I received from one of our partner bars/restaurants of the hotel that I work at. The more people that we send their way, the more incentives that we get by means of Gift Cards to their bar. In addition, they throw in surprises like Starbucks Gift Cards, Best Buy Gift Cards, Macy's, etc. Just this last week, this particular iTunes Gift Card was one of my rewards. Since my newest addiction is Spotify (and since I have access to, virtually, EVERY song imaginable... Seriously, I'm listening to tunes that I haven't heard in years and it's blowing my mind,) I thought that today's gift presented itself. "Here, man. I want you to have this." "Oh! Thank you!" he says. "You're welcome. I figure - if it wasn't for you and your referral to this awesome FAWM program and if it wasn't for your inspiration, I wouldn't be partaking in this challenge. So, it's a token of my appreciation, good sir. I give that to you with gratitude." I literally said what I said to him out loud. It was to let him know my intention in as well as to state this to myself. It's true. I could've used the card for myself and to add to my already outrageously huge collection that I've started since 1993. However, I KNOW that I would think that I'm scarce in this department by hoarding it. I truly have much, much more to give away in this department. In the area of music and tunes, I am ANYTHING but lacking. And for that, I am truly, truly grateful.