"Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
But while you debate “half empty” or “half full”
It slowly rises: your love is gonna drown" -From "Marching Bands of Manhattan" by Death Cab for Cutie

This is an unbelievably perfect example of what I was talking about in the last post. I don't even know where to start with this one. My interpretation of what is being said here? Well, there could be many interpretations, but I don't think I want to taint this with what would probably be a terrible perversion of Ben Gibbard's intentions. I gotta tell you though, this guy is one of my favorite writers. Yeah, I said writer. Songwriting is every bit as valid a form of writing as any other literary tradition. Well, that being said, you have to exclude some. You can fill in the names, and I hope that I don't make that list. Pretty much every song these guys write has literary gems like this sprinkled throughout. Listen, and I mean really listen, don't just hear the music, but hear the words.

Anyway, as always, if you have a comment about this line, or any other you think is worthy of mention, post a comment, or sent me a message from the contact page.

Peace within, peace without...J...

www.johnmaxfieldmusic.com

This is my favorite Death Cab song.

Time for a Theme

"People say I'm the luckiest man....Yeah, they say, 'Runnin' is useless, fightin' is foolish, you're not gonna win, but still you're the luckiest man. You're up against, too many horses, and mysterious forces, but what you don't know is you are the luckiest man.' " -From "Luckiest Man" By The Wood Brothers

You can listen to the song by clicking here, but don't forget to come back and finish reading this.

Well, I had an idea yesterday. I think I realized what the theme of this blog is going to be. Aside from bits and pieces from my life and my music, I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce other people to other artists that have influenced me. This won't necessarily just be musicians, but artists of all kinds. I thought I could take some of my favorite lines from songs and expand on them a little bit, maybe even discuss their relevance as I see it.

So, the first line above is from The Wood Brothers. I was introduced to these guys recently, and I have been enthralled by their style. They write with an easy unassuming style that just puts me at ease. Anyway, what I get from the line above is that struggle in your life is good. When life gets difficult we are forced to elevate ourselves, to reach deeper inside and come up with the strength to overcome. So you see, if you've had to struggle at all in life, and we all have, consider yourself lucky. You've made it through the challenges which both make you stronger and give you confidence that you can handle the lesser things.

Good songwriter's put a whole lot of effort into conveying a message in their music. The best can put entire volumes into single sentences. So the next time you're listening to music, pay attention to the words and see what you can decipher from them.

Oh, and if you have a favorite line, leave it in a comment to this post.

Peace within, peace without...J...

Learn Yourself

For as long as I can remeber I've been a fan of music. The family baby grand piano is where I first began my experimentation with the creative process of writing music. Of course it began with me just banging around on the keys and probably annoying everyone in the house, but I couldn't get enough of it. At some point I think my Mom got sick of me trying to experiment my way through the learning process and she signed me up for piano lessons. For some reason they just wouldn't take. I have never been a fan of having someone show me how to do things, especially when it comes to music. I feel that if you learn things from someone else without ever experimenting for yourself you end up doing those things just like the person who showed them to you. So, I quit those lessons, and actually quit music for a while. Never with my fascination of it, but rather with my expression through it. When I was 15 my brother starting playing guitar in a punk band with some friends, and thats when I finally found my instrument....the guitar. Whenever he wasn't around I would pick up his guitar and play. After a lot of trial and error I finally found my way around the instrument. For me this was absolutely THE way to learn. I take this approach to most everything in life.

The best way to understand anything is to do it for yourself. In so doing you will truly learn yourself. You will learn what you are capable of, what you believe in, how you view the world, and who you are. Try something new...you might surprise yourself at just what you are capable of.