A Songwriting Challenge

Hello everyone-
It's been to long. What have you been up to? 
I've begun a challenge which I found on a FB group which I was invited to join. It's a songwriting group. Every week someone gives a new songwriting prompt and everyone in the group writes something which has been inspired from the prompt. Then they do a little video. It doesn't have to be anything super produced. It's just an exercise to keep our creativity flowing well.
This weeks song writing prompt was Sour; as a matter of fact, it was the first one.
Every week that I am doing it I will try and post that song here, but y'all have to realize that it's not going to be the best song ever. These are just a weeks worth of working on it.
Here is the first week's.

Two Tone Toxic Terry
T.A.Marty
Key: A blues
Songwriting Prompt: Sour

Verse I
Two tone toxic Terry
was a whole lot of something
and little bit scary.
He’d gamble and rob
steal your breath
Mess with him and
you’ll be close to death.
Mean as a hornet & ugly too
but I know his secret and
I’ll tell it to you.

Chorus
Now I’ve soured milk and honey
got a little bit of coffee and even less money
I’ve seen eagles fly and the country get crummy
Seen people die and some think it’s funny.

Verse II
He wasn’t always mean and sour
He was born in the middle of a flower
Him mama smelled of Jasmine
His Pa smelled of Rose
played outside all day
till the bank came to foreclose
Threw them all out
out in the cold
then and their he vowed not to be controlled.

Chorus
Bridge
He took to fighting and calling names
Got so good should have been an Olympic game
Take from the rich give to the poor
wanted from coast to coast for his delusions of grandeur.

Chorus

See y'all next week.

I WON SOMETHING

   

I just won something. 

     First off I never win anything so you know there’s that, but then to win something that’s actually interesting doesn’t just push the boundaries it makes them just disappear.

A little history. 

I subscribe to a Youtube channel called, “Garageband and Beyond”. A really nice guy named Lewin tutors people on how the Apple program Garageband can be used and is way more than a toy. Now, as far as DAW’s go (DAW = Digital Audio Workstation) I have a couple one of which is Garageband and I do use it. I use it a lot for video editing. Well, the audio of the video anyway and any smallish song idea I might have had and used the mobile version to record.  I have learned tons from his channel. He does reviews of products, how to’s, and Give Away Contests. The one I entered he was giving away these mixing monitors from IK MultiMedia which he had tested out. All you had to do is listen to a track played through two sets of monitors. One of which were the Ik’s. Guess correctly and then he picks a name from all of whom got it right. Well, he picked my name. Cool huh?

I have one set already, but have been looking for another set to work with. I’m hoping that this Winter I can redo my studio. Utilize the space better and create more space in it. 

Here’s a link to the company’s page on the speakers I won.

LINK

And here’s a link to Lewins contest winning announcement.

LINK

Here’s an Amazon Affiliate link to the speakers themselves. I mean you know just in case you want to get your own.

Of course having a new set of monitors means I need to produce another cd this year, so I guess there’s one coming.

Keep your ear to the rail for that. It will most likely be blues oriented.

Couple of great gigs this weekend.

Albeit a tad late here it is. Monday’s blog.

    This weekend I had a couple of gigs One which was expected and one which was not expected. Each one had it’s wonders and happiness. I have included a brief video which has stuff from the first gig at Kinney Creek. Next week there will be another video.  My pal Dedrick Benz from birder fame played with me on the first one but wasn’t able to for the second one because of previous obligations.

    The first one was at a place we play at quite a bit called, Kinney Creek Brewery. **LINK** While physically intimate in size it is large in character and spirit. They make all of there own beer and some pack quite a punch at around 4.5 % to around 8%. They also have two life size Jenga games, a life size Connect Four, and a game called Hammer Schlagen which you really should try. It’s great fun. This happened on Friday from 7-10.

    The next day I played the same hours but at a joint called, ‘Five West’ **LINK** Five West is located almost outside of town by the county road which circumvents our city. Olmsted County 22 if you’re interested. It’s in a new building which is made to look sort of like a garage you might bring the car in for a tune up at. By that I mean to say the walls on one side are all garage doors which in the summer (presumably) they go up and you can eat and drink outside. A larger place than the previous gig they have 13 televisions on sports channels and a large full bar. Now don’t confuse this with a sports bar although it does have high ceilings and can get loud too. It is a place you will want to dress up a bit to go to. The food is among the best in the city, and so are the drinks. They have a daily happy hour, a late night happy hour, and they serve breakfast. I have tried the shrimp tacos and loved them.

    It’s a little hard to do sound here because they pack quite a crowd and it can get a little noisy. All of that aside though. I had a brilliant time, and the little children who were there did too. I had a few of them dancing to the music. I just love when that happens. I think I should take some cues from the Okee Dokee Brothers, and Jack and Kitty Norton and learn some children’s songs not to mention writing a few. I got quite a few compliments at this place but didn’t get any video from the gig itself but I did get some photo’s. Which will be included in this post. 

My set up at Five West

Well, here’s to you. I wish you all the best in everything you do. Lets not forget to mention happiness and groovitude as well.

Here is the first of the two videos I’ve worked out. Both are from the Kinney Creek Gig. This one is a song called, “I’m not laughing now” by the great Cam Waters.

Next weeks will be a video of a tune I wrote about a billion years ago when the dinosaurs were still roaming around.

Both of these videos were recorded at a bar with a full crowd, so it is intimate, warm, and does have some crowd sounds.

Trevor Marty

Memories, A Table, and Baby Drool

    Right now I’m sitting cross legged at my grandmother’s kitchen table which she hated. The cross legged bit not me sitting here. It was given to me by my mother. There just wasn’t room in her apartment for it. I still find it very comforting to sit here. I feel somehow protected and connected to my grandmother as if she’s still around puttering in her kitchen or taking care of some neighbors baby as they go to work.  

    She was proud of this table and chairs it cost her a small fortune.  Well money for her was difficult to come by, so when I say a small fortune I mean...well why not ask a single parent they’ll explain it.  The table sat in the kitchen of her trailer home and the whole family will remember it.  Most of the time when everyone was there the kitchen strained to hold everyone and eventually it burst wide open like a colorful water balloon. Spilling people, children, and laughter into the living room on card tables or with TV trays as they sat on her floral sofa.  

    Almost everyone in my family was raised around this table or sat at it as adults. It has two leafs,  is oak (I think) and is an oval. The legs are solid ‘turned’ beautifully and are a dark brown color as is the table. It’s still large enough to hold all of our memories. All of the tears, and laughter all of the children, baby drool, coffee spills, smashed peas and even sunlight, and rainy days are still here squished into this table. It’s almost a world onto itself where you can still hear the chaos of our big family while you sit typing a blog. My wife and I are building our own laughter, smashed peas, coffee spills and the like right here in this world at this table. We’ve even given it a name, “Grandma’s Table”.  I know it’s so creative right.

    Most mornings find me here sitting. This morning is no different. I sit in the dark at 540 in the morning with no sound but the clicking of computer keys and the smell of coffee. I’m thinking about the table and memories from this last year.  I had a terrible bicycling accident last December and found myself in a wheelchair for the first three months of 2016.

    For the next three to four months I’m going to be having ‘year memories’ that’s what I call them anyway. That’s memories which come from big experiences which are burnt into you. Weddings, births, deaths, first times for anything are all examples both tragedy and happiness count for ‘year memories’.

    I think we must remember these things when they come. We must allow and welcome them as travelers from our past. Give them some coffee or tea and cookies. Let them sit at the table and tell you their story. For the next few months my travelers will most likely be telling me a story of tragedy and healing as I sit at Grandma’s Table. 

Here's a song I wrote about an experience around that table, and there's a link below where you can purchase that song.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/grandmas-kitchen/id1082522402?i=1082522536

A Semi-Finalist

Earlier this year I entered a song into this contest called, the International Songwriters Contest and was just informed that out of many thousands of people I got as far as the semi-finals. I’m a semi-finalist which is pretty cool.

The song I entered is called, ‘Horse's Ass’. The lyrics are as follows.

Horses Ass

T.A.Marty

Verse I:

I’ve got work boots sitting on the front porch

Peeling paint telling me what for

Holes in the siding holes in the roof

Rain comes in when the sun ain’t shining.

Chorus:

But the fish are biting

There’s a lawn chair waiting

Beer in the fridge

My old lady’s saying,

‘You’re so lazy.” I am lazy.

Verse II:

Might be a month might be more

Till I pick up a hammer and fix that door.

Might be a year maybe three

Till I get a brush and I fix my teeth.

Chorus:

Bridge:

If she leaves me she’ll take it all

And the lawyers will take the rest

Till I’ve got nothing. Nothing but my jeans on

And this old heart beating in my chest.

Verse III:

We’ve got a dog we’ve got a cat

We’ve got them both. What do you think about that?

She wants a horse not a horses ass

She’s got’em both. What do you think about that?

Chorus

Now, just so you know I don’t usually go for these sorts of contests, because I think it separates people instead of bringing them together. Music has always been about bringing people together whether to tell a people's folk tales, teach, or just entertain. What made me want to enter this contest? I couldn’t really tell you. I don’t know I just wanted to do it.  

Here’s a link to the contest semi-finalist thing and another link to the song which is on my reverbnation page oh and let's not forget about the iTunes buying page too.

The award page:

http://2016results.songoftheyear.com/trevormarty.htm

The song:

 https://www.reverbnation.com/trevormarty/song/25230442-horses-ass

iTunes Page:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/horses-ass/id1082522402?i=1082522408

Listen have a wonderful day and I wish you all the best. 
Trevor