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.

The Road to Memphis

The Road to Memphis

     On Sunday the ninth of April in 2017 I went to my first blues competition. It was a very jovial, bouncy, happy group of people who simply adore the Blues. I had been building up this sort of nervous anxiousness since I entered the competition, and it all drained away as soon as I entered the door of the bar where everyone was.

     This week I'm going on about the competition, who is throwing it, the contestants, and the winner. Next week I'll going on about where we stayed afterword. It’s a lovely place in Stillwater, Mn called, “The Water Street Inn”.

     The competition is called, “Road to Memphis’ because the winner gets to go there and compete in an international blues competition organized by the Blues Foundation (link). Which I think will be great when I win next year. Imagine going to the place where so many great musicians from all over the world are going to play and be able to throw yourself into the mix with them. I think it would be very influential to do and be apart of.

     The Minnesota Blues Society(link)  is an organization that’s mission is to keep the blues alive through education, celebrating the culture,  and promoting the past, present, and future of Minnesota blues music.  They are apart of a larger organization which I’ve mentioned called, ‘The Blues Foundation’ (link).

     The contestants this year were all terrific musicians, and I am so grateful to have been able to be apart of it. Brother Jon duo consists of two members of a larger group called, ‘The Brother Jon Band’ who were winners of 2016 Famous Dave’s Battle of the Bands. The next was Louisville White Lightning Curtis  duo. They played a tremendous set and had people dancing in the by their tables. Mixing covers and originals for a fun porch stompin good time.

Javier Matos  opened the show up and ended up winning the day with his fingerstyle old tyme originals. At one point in his show his son came up on stage and being the good dad I can see he is Javier let him sit on his lap while he finished the show. I wish him luck (like he needs it he’s terrific) and the best of days. Finally I was the last for the evening and I also took second place. (Yes, I am counting it.) I used my prewar Gibson L-1which Tommy Benz at Brickhouse Music in River falls, Wi put a none destructive jazz pick up in. It performed super. People seemed very engaged in my music, and stories. The crowd even asked me about certain songs, and remembered them enough to tell me which ones were their favorite. People even danced and all had a great time.

     In the end I met several new people, played and heard some great music and am glad that I was able to hang out, listen to such great musicians.

Thanks gang for allowing me to join you on stage.

Here you will see a video of the show. I was only able to get a few minutes of each competitor and a few minutes from my songs too.

All my best

Trevor Marty