It's the Rest of Your Life

photo courtesy of the city of Pittsburgh,
the sun and my daughters - 2007

This one started to form on October 14th. A couple verses, which did not make the cut, came out very quickly. The chorus idea came shortly after... It's the Rest of Your Life. There have been a lot of things happening in and around my life of late that probably helped bring this song out. I've tried to keep it as "open" as possible. Hoping that many people can relate to the simple idea of "beginning anew". The music is deliberately simple in this one. I struggle a bit with lyric writing and melody (not a good thing for a songwriter), so I decided to use only two chords and try to vary the melodies and focus intensely on the lyrics. I can't remember ever putting more work into lyrics than I have these. Hopefully it'll pay off.

This recording was done after making numerous work tapes as the song progressed. Just felt like this one needed a little better treatment than just a work tape. And, yes, that's my cell phone going off silently at the end. *doh*

Thanks for listening,
John
10/23/07

UPDATE 10/26/07 - Had the chance to rehearse this one with a couple of my ex-band-mates from Seven Bridges the other night. Not often these days that I get to play music with other folks. Dave did a great job of lending some "bottom" to this one with his bass. Lisa added some nice dynamics with backing vocals as well. Even in places where I had not originally heard them. Looks like the three of us will be debuting this one on November 10th at the Baseline Folk Society open mic. I can't wait.
John

It's the Rest of Your Life.mp3

It's the Rest of Your Life
words and music by John Natiw

Well it's time to go
I see it in your eyes
It's a winding road
It's a big surprise

It's the rest of your life
It's the rest of your life

And it starts now
You're born again
No goin' back
To where you've been

Maybe find some hope
Or even something more
It's the time to dream
It's an open door

It's the rest of your life
It's the rest of your life

Maybe see the world
Through different eyes
It's the chance to change
It's a new sunrise

It's the rest of your life
It's the rest of your life
It's the rest of your life
It's the rest of your life

Oooh, yeah
Oooh, yeah

Well it's time to go
I see it in your eyes
It's a winding road
It's a big surprise

This May Be The New Business Model: Radiohead Releases New Album...For Free?!

If you haven't heard about this yet, get with it.
This may change how you (we, me, I) do music in the future.
Pay attention.

Read this article.

Detours to the Grave

Sing Like the Angels.mp3

The other day I was working but I happened to have an extra hour between appointments. There was construction on the freeway onramp and the detour took me past a cemetery. Since I had extra time and my guitar in the back seat of my car I decided to pull into the cemetery and try my hand at songwriting beneath the trees and sun… and next to some graves.

The headstone on the grave that I sat by was for a lady who was born in 1934. It also had an inscription that read, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.

I started to wonder what this woman’s life was about and if she got to do all the things that she dreamed of doing as a little girl.

The lyrics feel more Nashville then LA.

Sing Like the Angels
words and music by Eric Shouse

I see her lying there so peacefully
I can hear her words ring out from yesterday
When she was a little girl, they all heard her say

“I want to sing like the angels sing
When they hear me, I hope they forget everything
I want to sing like the angels sing
O Halleluiah! Sing like the angels…”

Days don’t stop, and faces age
She took on children, but never took the stage
She'd hold her babies as they'd close their eyes
As she rocked them they’d hear her sigh, …

“I hope you sing like the angels sing
When they hear you, I hope they forget everything
I hope you sing like the angels sing
O Halleluiah! Sing like the angels…”

Family gathered around, the news was grim
They all held hands and sang a hymn
She opened up her eyes to see them there
And whispered with a smile this simple prayer,

“I’m gonna sing like the angels sing
When they hear me I hope they forget everything
I’m gonna sing like the angels sing
O Halleluiah! Sing like the angels…”

Halleluiah! Sing with the angels

Sing Like the Angels.mp3

-Thanks to Rosemary Ramos (1934-2002)

That Water Came

That Water Came
words and music by John Natiw

Around the first of the year, I had been doing some bike rides through a local parkway here that had been flooded. The good news was that the parkway was closed, so I could ride on the roads. The parkway is designed to contain floodwaters and closes frequently during heavy rains. I'm always amazed at the power of water, and these four or five rides didn't change that. After pondering this for a few days, I figured there must be a song in there. I didn't want it to be a Katrina song, or about ANY particular flood for that matter. But it is a serious song.

The date of this recording is January 3rd and it was probably the second or third take I recorded. I listened back to it this morning after not hearing it for a few weeks and although this is an extremely early and rough representation of the song, was pleasantly surprised. I was intending on re-recording this one at a later date (and still will), but I thought it was worthy of posting.

This one has a bit of a "bluegrassy, sittin' on the front porch, thinkin' about stuff, story telling" feeling. There may eventually be a bridge added, but we'll see.

THAT WATER CAME.mp3 [01.25.07]

Mary had a baby last Sunday
She was just seventeen
Brought her home just three days later
times were lean

Friday night she sang to that baby
wind started to blow
storm was comin' along the old highway
the sky started to glow

that water came
like it knew her name

Mary dropped to her knees and said dear God
I'll do anything
If you spare me and my baby
I'll never ask again

I know there's been some things that I've done wrong
some that I regret
But if you could just help us to hold on
I'd be in your debt

but that water came
like it knew her name

that damn water came
(it came) just the same

they say the risin' water can't hear you
when it comes to call
no emotion or human feelings
it just takes it all

there wasn't anything anyone could do
in the rise and fall
two little angels died in that bayou
when the devil called

that water came
like it knew her name

that damn water came
(it came) just the same

black water came...

THAT WATER CAME.mp3 [01.25.07]

All We Need Is Some Love

ALL WE NEED IS SOME LOVE.mp3 [02.02.07] - completely re-recorded/updated w/harmonica break and raised in pitch.

ALL WE NEED IS SOME LOVE.mp3 [01.25.07] - w/drums!

ALL WE NEED IS SOME LOVE.mp3 [01.15.07]

VERSE
in the dark of the night
through the thickest fight
when you've got nothing to give

when the things that you hold
leave you shattered and cold
and you forget how to live

CHORUS
All you need is some love
A little help from above
When all hope is gone
All we need is some love

VERSE
when you sleep all alone
with a hand on the phone
wondering when it will ring

and you wish on that star
doesn't matter how far
'cause you'd give anything

CHORUS
What you need is some love
A little help from above
When you can't carry on
All we need is some love

BRIDGE [not sure about these lyrics at this point]
Never let the darkness in this world
Take away your spirit and your hope
Never stop believing in the day'
That violence and hatred won't be found

INSTRUMENTAL BREAK [as verse]

CHORUS
All you need is some love
A little help from above
When all hope is gone
All we need is some love

What you need is some love
What you need is some love
When all hope is gone
All we need is some love

All we need is some...
All we need is some...
All we need is some...
All we need is some Love

The Story of "All We Need Is Some Love"

This one has come about by simply playing a chord progression over and over the past few days. Oddly, for me, the chorus came first. I'd just sit here and hum some melodies over it and one seemed to be begging to be sung. Once I had the chord progression and melody somewhat nailed down, it seemed to me that the song was wanting to speak to this theme of love and hope. I've said many times that I don't really feel like I "write" songs, I just discover them. Peeling away the covering until it shines through. It pays to learn how to listen for the song, I suppose.

Once I had a basic chorus idea, I set to work on the verses. These came much slower (probably because I don't usually write them after the chorus). I made a conscious effort to keep the melody for the verses a bit lower and quieter (dynamically). Once I had hummed enough melodies and chosen one, I put the "meat on the bones" and wrote a couple of simple verse lyrics. All the while, trying to speak to this universal theme of love and hope.

This is very "naked" and bare. All my vocal and creative weaknesses are there for your perusal. In this take (one of the first), I was more concerned with the phrasing of the lyrics in relation to the music than how I was singing (obviously). I have a long way to go before I know how to perform this song. Being able to play it once and perform it are two different things, I think.

In the end, I can hear lots of soaring background vocals and organ as the song swells to it's climax, which I hear happening right in the middle of the last (longer) chorus.

But for now, here is a *very* rough/bare/naked draft of...

ALL WE NEED IS SOME LOVE.mp3 [02.02.07] - completely re-recorded/updated w/harmonica break and raised in pitch.

ALL WE NEED IS SOME LOVE.mp3 [01.25.07] - w/drums!

ALL WE NEED IS SOME LOVE.mp3 [01.15.07]

Thanks for listening,
John

Mark My Words, I Can't Please You

I CAN'T PLEASE YOU.mp3 [01.10.07a] (inception--a ghost was born)

I CAN'T PLEASE YOU.mp3 - [01.10.07b] (the "let's see how if THIS background vocal works and oooohhh I found the reverb button in ProTools!" mix)

I am walking out into the studio now. On the way to work this morning I got a song idea, only a chorus, but it's snappy, and I probably stole it from some poppy 60s song, but I'm going to whip it out and post it anyways.

This song may very well fall under the "slogging-through-the-garbage-to-find-the-buried-treasure" category.

Be back in a bit...

[first post was at 9:45ish on Tuesday night, song was "completed" around 11pm and the following information was added]

I did it! Yippeeeee! It's a ditty of a song. Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus.

I've included two versions of the song: the one I sang into the computer at work this morning to save the original idea (I had to keep singing it to myself on my way to my room from my car), and the "studio version" using a better mic and having a more completed idea. The original idea was only the chorus part.

Here they are:

I CAN'T PLEASE YOU.mp3 [01.10.07a] (inception--a ghost was born)

I CAN'T PLEASE YOU.mp3 - [01.10.07b] (the "let's see how if THIS background vocal works and oooohhh I found the reverb button in ProTools!" mix)

I CAN'T PLEASE YOU

CHORUS
I can't please you
Nothing I do (will make you smile)
I can't get through to you

VERSE
When I try to make you happy (make you happy)
Something stops you and you won't let me (you won't let me)
I won't lie...

CHORUS

VERSE

CHORUS


I CAN'T PLEASE YOU.mp3 [01.10.07a] (inception--a ghost was born)

I CAN'T PLEASE YOU.mp3 - [01.10.07b] (the "let's see how if THIS background vocal works and oooohhh I found the reverb button in ProTools!" mix)

This Guy Listens To Crappy Music

David Byrne.


A crappy music listener.

This article is deep and wide and looks into the implications/ramifications of music formats (tape/lp/cd/mp3) on it's creation.

Here it is.