Help Me Be Good

Here's a new one... don't have a recording of it yet, but I'll put up a link as soon as I am able. Looks like the last tune I wrote was Nothin' All Day back in January, so this is a welcome addition. I'm truly amazed and impressed with you all and the songs you've been writing! Keep up the great passion!

Short commentary/introduction:

We're all affected by bad decisions and/or mistakes. The person who makes the mistake suffers, but also the folks in their circle of influence sometimes pay a price. This song thinks a bit about those on both sides...

Thanks for taking the time,
John
p.s. Thanks for all you do with the site, bro...

Help Me Be Good
words and music by John Natiw

He woke up on Sunday and made one last mark on the wall
The last time he lived as a free man he couldn't recall
Since then it's been nothin' but dodgin' these big iron doors
Tryin' to stay out of trouble and settlin' scores

They gave him his old clothes and said 'don't you ever come back'
The rest of his life and a Bible tucked into a sack
Twenty one years to forget all the things that he'd done
He walked through the front gate, his face turned up into the sun

And he said...

Help me to be just a little less angry and misunderstood
I don't want to waste my whole life sayin' 'you know that I would if I could'
Give me the strength, Lord, to do all the things that I should
I guess what I'm sayin' is help me be good

The day that they took him away she was too young to know
Why a man that she wanted to stay said he still had to go
In the years that have past pain and anger have come home to live
In the place of a man who just didn't have nothin' to give

She thought to herself more than once 'he can go straight to hell'
Then a voice from the front room said 'momma, can I get the bell'
Twenty one long years of thinkin' 'bout what might have been
She turned to her son and said 'go let your grandaddy in'

And she said...

Help me to be just a little less angry and misunderstood
I don't want to waste my whole life sayin' 'you know that I would if I could'
Give me the strength, Lord, to do all the things that I should
I guess what I'm sayin' is help me be good

[instrumental verse]

Help me to be just a little less angry and misunderstood
I don't want to waste my whole life sayin' 'you know that I would if I could'
Give me the strength, Lord, to do all the things that I should
I guess what I'm sayin'... is...

Help me to be just a little less angry and misunderstood
I don't want to waste my whole life sayin' 'you know that I would if I could'
Give me the strength, Lord, to do all the things that I should
I guess what I'm sayin'
All that I'm sayin'
Please hear me sayin'...
Help me be good

Summer Is Almost Here

When I write instrumentals on the acoustic, inevitably the end up sounding something like this.

I set up two mics, an Sm57 about 1 foot away from my cheap Yamaha guitar, and the M-Audio Nova about 2-3 feet away. Then I recorded several one try passes playing various little chord/solo bits. I ended by layering a pedal-y tone type organ sound on the Casio keyboard.

I'm sure I could make a living as a new age acoustic artist of some sort...

:)

Here's the song:

Summer Is Almost Here

Nothin' All Day

Been a bit since I wrote a song. Since starting Arlington Station a few months ago, I've been concentrating on the shows we have scheduled. In terms of writing, I've not been in a hurry. It's been a wonderful process of learning what our abilities as musicians are as well as exploring the sonic pallette that we all create together. I was hoping that my next song would take advantage of our strengths as a band, but this one is more of a singer/songwriter/folk tune. Lisa and Dave got involved with the lyric end of the writing process. First time we've written together. Hopefully we'll continue to do that!

Here's the latest. It's called Nothin' All Day.
John

Nothin' All Day - mp3

Nothin' All Day
lyrics by John Natiw, Lisa Chambers & Dave Chambers (Arlington Station)
music by John Natiw

5am and the rain won't stop
I'm gonna think about nothin' today
I need to sleep, but on second thought
I'm gonna think about nothin' today

Newspaper said that the war's still on
I'm gonna think about nothin' today
I'll just leave it to the Pentagon
I'm gonna think about nothin' all day

CHORUS
I'M GONNA THINK ABOUT NOTHIN' ALL DAY
AND WHILE AWAY SOME TIME
IT DON'T MATTER WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY
I KNOW THE SUN WILL SHINE
TOMORROW I'LL SEE IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY
BUT FOR NOW I'M THINKIN' 'BOUT NOTHIN' TODAY

Bank man said that the money's all gone
I'm gonna think about nothin' today
Preacher man told me I'm doing wrong
I'm gonna think about nothin' today

Postman brought unhappy news
I'm gonna think about nothin' today
It ain't nothin' but bills and blues
I'm gonna think about nothin' today

[CHORUS]

My friends all tell me that I've lost my mind
cause I'm gonna think about nothin' today
24 hours and I'll be fine
But, I'm gonna think about nothin' all day

Now don't go thinkin' that I don't care
I'm just gonna think about nothin' today
Some folks say that life ain't fair
I'm gonna think about nothin' all day

[CHORUS]

Dylan Goes Electric

Well, it's nothing so radical, but for the last three months I've been playing acoustic only shows. This week I will be plugging in and hauling along a drummer as well.

I'm actually pretty excited about it. I get to use my newest amp for the first time in a live setting.

I'll report back or post a link of the show when I'm done. Here's a tentative set list for the evening:

Paul
We Could Write Our Own Songs
Things (Brothers, Sisters)
Such Great Heights
Here's To Things I Haven't Done
I Can't Get Over It
Can You Hear Me?
Don't Give Up
Silent Night
Auld Lang Syne

An Idea Whose Time... Has Not Yet Come.

Don't normally do this, but here is an idea I've been working on for a few days. I doubt it'll turn itself into a song by the end of the month, so I'm basically just trying to save face by posting this. This is an instrumental idea (not really a song) at the moment. Some of my tunes start just like this. A single idea. If I play it and listen to it enough I'll come up with some other stuff to go with it. Maybe I'll keep coming back to this post and update any progress that is made with this. Talk about "transparency in the writing process"!

Anyway, give it a listen. It's just the same thing done three times. When I can't come up with a change, melody or lyrics I'll usually make it into a CD and listen to it over and over in my truck until something comes to me. Then it's back into the studio. By the way, I thought enough of this idea to actually record it in the studio. It's just a single mic recording, but a vast improvement over the work tape recordings I usually do. The Martin sounds so good when it's recorded like this. I can't wait to hear what it sounds like in a real studio!

07_0919_idea.mp3

But WAIT... there's MORE! I was sitting around after posting this tonight listening to the work tapes for this song and pondering the "creative process". I really enjoy listening to/reading about people's creative process. Steve's video where he documented the making of a song is a great example of this. In that spirit, I present the work tapes for this idea. Probably not many people will have the patience (it's pretty brutal listening if you're not totally into this sort of thing) to check them all out. But consider them posted here for posterity's sake. These recordings ARE made on my little portable Olympus Digital Recorder. And, as near as I can recall, were made last week over a two or three day period.

Work Tape 1 (3:42) - You can hear the basic idea here as well as a whole lot of hacking away on the Martin which, in the interest of my creative reputation, we'll call "running down the idea". It's funny listening to this now because I can hear bits and pieces that actually made it into the mp3 recording. And, yes, that's my furnace kicking on at about 1:09. Hey, it was cold here in Michigan that day!

Work Tape 2 (1:20) - Mercifully shorter. The C/B/Am transition is becoming more apparent. Also working on the Am ending (which wouldn't feel right until the studio take). Also the hammer on the last Am chord would be kept in the studio take as well.

Work Tape 3 (2:01) - Starts out almost identical to the studio take. Still didn't have the last Am chord worked out (as is painfully obvious from about :57 - 1:30.. ouch!). And, like the last take (and eventually the studio take), I hammer the Am at the end. Only on the studio take would I hammer three strings instead of one.

So there it is. My soul laid bare. Do with it what you will.

And, for the record, if I don't come up with anything by the end of the month, this "idea" will suddenly become a "song".
Out.
J

Playing Live

After witnessing the Ann Arbor Folk Festival this past weekend (see my review) I'm feeling pretty motivated about not only writing, but playing out. In addition to hosting such great acts as Over the Rhine, Glen Phillips, Bill Staines and more, The Ark in Ann Arbor has an open stage night about once a month. I've played out a bunch as the drummer for my band in years past, but never as a singer/songwriter. Now that I've got a couple years of playing under my belt, I'm considering taking a few songs out to the public.

I'm wondering what others have to say about the challenge of playing your songs out live. Any comments, hints, suggestions or warnings?

Thanks,
J

edit to add: Also, what do you think about "scripted" banter? I know that most banter isn't technically "scripted", but artists repeat the same banter between songs as a result of trying different things over and over and finding what works. Seems to me that keeping the audience involved and interested is vital. Comments?

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

Quiet, Successful Careers

I just read the following in an interview with Glen Phillips in this month's Acoustic Guitar magazine:

Phillips decision to release Mr. Lemons on his own label came after several years of making demos and shopping them to major labels. "When getting signed becomes your job, you're no longer a musician," he says. "My job needs to be making music. That makes me happier than just about anything." Lauding relatively under-the-radar bands like Over the Rhine and the Decemberists for taking production into their own hands and not waiting around for the business to recognize them, Phillips says a rewarding life in music doesn't have to be based on "big hype and lots of dollars. It's about having quiet, successful careers."

Indeed.
J

Time To Kill (working title)

Here's my latest offering for the Songwriting Apples perusal.
It's a combination of two songs (and one instrumental piece from an older song) that all seemed to blend together pretty well).

TIME TO KILL.mp3 - [01.03.07]
Lyrics and Chords

The "outro" of the song is just me babbling a melody because I'm not sure what to put there yet (I'm even open to what you hear there). I like the melody and I think it's a good hook at the end that give the listener something entirely new on the way out. I've always liked how Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters would throw in these amazingly cool riffs/lines/melodies in the very end of the song. This is no where near as cool or as rockin' as that, but it DOES introduce a new idea melodically, which is what I was going for.

There's a transition from the bridge to the final chorus that feels a little awkward and I'm not sure what to do with it, so again I'm open to ideas here as well.