I recently wrote a song about my Dad. On Father's Day I shared it with him in the form of this video.

Dad grew up in Miami Florida and that's one of the reasons that the ocean is in my blood and probably one the main reason that Jimmy Buffett songs had such an impact on my songwriting and love for story telling type songs.


Here are the words to my Dad's song:

Legacy of Love

My dad grew up near the Biscayne Bay, when Miami was simple oh the good ole days
The smell of salt air always takes me there, I remember a time when the beach was all mine
Most things change but some never do, now the beaches are crowded but the ocean’s still blue

CHORUS:
His smile is slowly fading… but his love will always carry on
And the sea that’s running through my veins will remain and keep us strong
…. his love goes on and on

On shaded pools of a Kentucky stream, Dad taught us to fish and what it means
To have the faith to live out our dreams, and enjoy the moments of found in between
Things may change but some never do, now that stream is older but it still running true

CHORUS 2

Bridge
It’s past down from father to son. From mother to daughter and on and on
a legacy of love that’s been set free....like a wave rolling out to an endless sea

When I close my eyes I can see his smile, that ear to grin that I knew as a child
Most things may change but some never do, the older I get the more i appreciate you
the longer I live the more I love you

As a songwriter I love coming up with melodies, chord progressions, and lyrics.  Not necessary in that order but the end result is typically a tune that paints a picture and and/or tells a story.  Depending on where I am playing I like to try out some of my new originals in order to get an idea of how it goes over and hopefully connects with an audience.  

However, in the Louisville area there are not many venues that allow a songwriter to simply play their own tunes. Therefore, covering other material is a must if you want to play out with any type of regularly.  I don’t think this is such a bad thing.  I really enjoy learning other material because it makes me a better songwriter. However, besides the simple "crowd pleasers", I am pretty picky about the songs I choose learn and cover.

When I approach cover songs I put them into two categories:

1. Unique and somewhat obscure songs that we enjoy playing because of the coolness of the tune and the connection I feel when playing it. If I don’t connect with the tune when playing it there’s a good chance my audience won’t either.  It also needs to somewhat in my "wheelhouse" in terms of singing it.  A capo can help with that. : )
   
   
2. Simple "crowd pleasers".  Three or four chord songs that have been overplayed because they are so well known and requested often.  The good thing about these tunes is that they do not require much rehearsal other than stop and starts.  When choosing these type covers I steer towards classic story telling tunes that resonate with my soul. Tunes like “Simple Man” and “American Pie” come to mind.

Something else I’ve started doing lately in regards to learning cover tunes is to research (Google) the material.  What’s the tune about?  What message was the artist trying to get out? Understanding the origins of a tune helps me better connect with the song and the artist and as I mentioned the connection part is very key.  Before, the internet this type of research was very difficult but these days it’s pretty easy and fun learning about other artists and there stories.  

With all the new technologies and cloud based channels the music industry is probably one of the most disrupted industries that there is.  However, one thing will never change and that is that good “from the heart type” music can connect, inspire, and even build bridges to common ground.  These days we need more common ground and inspiration that brings folks together as opposed to apart.

Live bold,
Jay