I’ll be happy with anything you choose to share here. I think my favorite piece you’ve posted so far was your day in the life on the road one because you made it so clear that I could picture it.
I do have one idea that might be fun: Since your songs are often written from the perspective of someone that isn’t exactly you, how about writing a little bio/description of the person it is that you imagine is singing that song? I think I’d like to know more about these folks!
What's it like to teach workshops and college classes? How are writing retreats different than a semester-long class? Do your students remind you of yourself at that stage? How do you empower them to think of themselves as "real" writers? Sometimes teaching is considered an act of performance because you need to engage and inspire your audience. To what extent is that true for you? As you teach, do you find yourself articulating "rules" or lessons of songwriting or creative practices that you have always known implicitly but now realize more explicitly as you need to communicate them to others? What have you learned from your students?
I love hearing about your songwriting process like when you shared the tune with the “ick” lyrics that you returned to and rewrote. You may be a little weary of such tales, though, given all the songwriting teaching work you’re doing.
I’d also enjoy a recording diary when you make the new solo record. I’m interested in the day-to-day and nuts-and-bolts of that experience.
Appreciate whatever you care to share here, ultimately. Thanks!
Loved your show at the Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City. Thanks for all of it but especially for playing Fireflies. It was our first time there—what a cool venue!
Thrilling to terrifying?? A short story collab with Stephen King?? Actually, a solo album produced by Murry is thrilling to me, but I doubt terrifying comes into that.
As to content, I love seeing Literary Rhett on here; Lyrical Rhett can be found on other media, but Substack has been the best place to see your prose/poetry, and tremendously enjoyable.
What do YOU get out of Substack, and want to get out of it? What do you find gratifying on here?
I'm super looking forward to seeing The Old 97s play at Flannel Fest!
When I recorded my first EP and a few singles, my ex husband and I had a professional grade recording studio in our home in Teaneck NJ around 1999 as he was a professional freelance audio engineer and producer. But we tracked live drums and piano at Sony Studios where he freelanced frequently when they used to be on W54th St.
Previous to that I spent a fair amount of time hanging out at Toxic Audio, a recording studio in Boston, MA, accessed via a nasty alley right across Mass Ave. from Berklee School of Music that he ran with some of his friends who all graduated from there around 1994 - which is where a police lady dropped me when she picked me up from my car fire on the side of the Mass Turnpike because my house keys melted in the fire. I wasn't a songwriter yet then and mostly I decorated the studio with huge paintings that I made. I played out with my band maybe 3 or 4 times before we broke up - at a Hookah Bar in New Jersey, somewhere in Hoboken and in NYC some place I don't remember and the bass player's friend took some photos at some point.
My first full CD and second recording experience was done in my producer's home in the W Village around 2004. We did a photoshoot with a friend of his and were practicing to play out and bought some funky lights when he presented me a contract that was not favorable to me and he was not open to negotiation so we broke up.
My third recording experience and my first solo CD was what brought me to Madison, WI from traveling in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, Australia around 2007. That's the only one I ever had printed into physical form carellcasey.bandcamp.com recorded mostly at the drummer/producer's dad's cabin in LaValle, WI and tracked live drums at MMI in Madison. I played at Tuvalu Coffeehouse in Verona once with a band and people in the audience said it sounded just like the CD. The photos I used for this CD were taken by a friend I met in Portland and were taken on the grass near Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University.
My fourth recording experience was an EP with a band I met on Craigslist in Madison WI around 2011. We recorded at the now defunct MMI and rehearsed in Maple Bluff at the lead guitarist's house. We played a Battle of the Bands at The High Noon Saloon and that is where I first met Martin Atkins who scored all my songs I wrote myself and brought to the band complete higher than the songs the band and I wrote together - which was nice for 5 min until the guitar player got mad and then it wasn't nice anymore. We were gifted a free photoshoot with Mary Sweeney that we did at her former studio on the corner of University and Whitney Way.
And my final solo full CD was recorded with Beth Kille at her home in Verona, WI around 2014. I performed a couple songs from that CD solo at a fund raising event at the High Noon Saloon.
Even reading about all of that is tiring! Do you have more hours in your days than I do? Seriously…
Maybe you could enlighten us on how you keep everything organized and not get burnt out? I wanted to ask you when you might get back on Stageit, but no worries, you have enough going on, I’ll be patient.
I like the cashy line: I’m working for the man/ but I’m the man
Walkin/ talkin
Makin/ not fakin
Sometimes the cheesy ones connect
I love the song breakdowns. And love hearing what inspires your songs as well!
Feel free to pop up to the Bay to play test some of those new songs while you're in California! 😉
I’ve been listening to Wheels Off during driving/gardening/housework - outstanding! 🙏😀
I’ll be happy with anything you choose to share here. I think my favorite piece you’ve posted so far was your day in the life on the road one because you made it so clear that I could picture it.
I do have one idea that might be fun: Since your songs are often written from the perspective of someone that isn’t exactly you, how about writing a little bio/description of the person it is that you imagine is singing that song? I think I’d like to know more about these folks!
What's it like to teach workshops and college classes? How are writing retreats different than a semester-long class? Do your students remind you of yourself at that stage? How do you empower them to think of themselves as "real" writers? Sometimes teaching is considered an act of performance because you need to engage and inspire your audience. To what extent is that true for you? As you teach, do you find yourself articulating "rules" or lessons of songwriting or creative practices that you have always known implicitly but now realize more explicitly as you need to communicate them to others? What have you learned from your students?
I love hearing about your songwriting process like when you shared the tune with the “ick” lyrics that you returned to and rewrote. You may be a little weary of such tales, though, given all the songwriting teaching work you’re doing.
I’d also enjoy a recording diary when you make the new solo record. I’m interested in the day-to-day and nuts-and-bolts of that experience.
Appreciate whatever you care to share here, ultimately. Thanks!
Loved your show at the Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City. Thanks for all of it but especially for playing Fireflies. It was our first time there—what a cool venue!
Thrilling to terrifying?? A short story collab with Stephen King?? Actually, a solo album produced by Murry is thrilling to me, but I doubt terrifying comes into that.
As to content, I love seeing Literary Rhett on here; Lyrical Rhett can be found on other media, but Substack has been the best place to see your prose/poetry, and tremendously enjoyable.
What do YOU get out of Substack, and want to get out of it? What do you find gratifying on here?
I love that…I may be working for the man, but I am the man! Congrats dude! Love that you’re doing what you love.
I'm super looking forward to seeing The Old 97s play at Flannel Fest!
When I recorded my first EP and a few singles, my ex husband and I had a professional grade recording studio in our home in Teaneck NJ around 1999 as he was a professional freelance audio engineer and producer. But we tracked live drums and piano at Sony Studios where he freelanced frequently when they used to be on W54th St.
Previous to that I spent a fair amount of time hanging out at Toxic Audio, a recording studio in Boston, MA, accessed via a nasty alley right across Mass Ave. from Berklee School of Music that he ran with some of his friends who all graduated from there around 1994 - which is where a police lady dropped me when she picked me up from my car fire on the side of the Mass Turnpike because my house keys melted in the fire. I wasn't a songwriter yet then and mostly I decorated the studio with huge paintings that I made. I played out with my band maybe 3 or 4 times before we broke up - at a Hookah Bar in New Jersey, somewhere in Hoboken and in NYC some place I don't remember and the bass player's friend took some photos at some point.
My first full CD and second recording experience was done in my producer's home in the W Village around 2004. We did a photoshoot with a friend of his and were practicing to play out and bought some funky lights when he presented me a contract that was not favorable to me and he was not open to negotiation so we broke up.
My third recording experience and my first solo CD was what brought me to Madison, WI from traveling in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, Australia around 2007. That's the only one I ever had printed into physical form carellcasey.bandcamp.com recorded mostly at the drummer/producer's dad's cabin in LaValle, WI and tracked live drums at MMI in Madison. I played at Tuvalu Coffeehouse in Verona once with a band and people in the audience said it sounded just like the CD. The photos I used for this CD were taken by a friend I met in Portland and were taken on the grass near Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University.
My fourth recording experience was an EP with a band I met on Craigslist in Madison WI around 2011. We recorded at the now defunct MMI and rehearsed in Maple Bluff at the lead guitarist's house. We played a Battle of the Bands at The High Noon Saloon and that is where I first met Martin Atkins who scored all my songs I wrote myself and brought to the band complete higher than the songs the band and I wrote together - which was nice for 5 min until the guitar player got mad and then it wasn't nice anymore. We were gifted a free photoshoot with Mary Sweeney that we did at her former studio on the corner of University and Whitney Way.
And my final solo full CD was recorded with Beth Kille at her home in Verona, WI around 2014. I performed a couple songs from that CD solo at a fund raising event at the High Noon Saloon.
Even reading about all of that is tiring! Do you have more hours in your days than I do? Seriously…
Maybe you could enlighten us on how you keep everything organized and not get burnt out? I wanted to ask you when you might get back on Stageit, but no worries, you have enough going on, I’ll be patient.