Granny Is Baking A Hit Song

Finally recovering from my Bruce Springsteen experience I’m ready to move on…
I’ve been writing songs for 12+ years now and if there is a certainty in songwriting it’s that nothing ever stays the same, at least not for me.

I used to believe that I could only write songs in my old bedroom, only write when I’m alone or when I feel inspired.
I have proven myself to be very wrong.
First and foremost because of unforeseeable circumstances. Sometimes I’d feel inspired but wasn’t in my bedroom. Then again I was alone, had my guitar with me and was in my bedroom and didn’t really feel inspired.

I was once in the backseat of a minivan driving through Italy when I suddenly felt the urge to write a song and did it.
I realized over the years that a lot of the limitations to where and when I could write were keeping me from writing great songs.
The one thing that a writer needs to pay the most attention to is probably inspiration. While I believe that there are certain times when you simply are more creative and times when you are less, I also believe that you can learn to access the field of creativity and inspiration.

Let me put it backwards…I think our most natural state of soul and state of mind is inspiration. It’s all the stress and noise around us that keeps us from feeling it many times.
So instead of trying to find inspiration, I  try to extract myself from all the distractions around me and more often than not that’s exactly what it takes.
Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes I get all pumped up and energized and it also leads me to writing a good song.

Having a routine and cultivating habits is perfectly normal and part of human nature. It helps us, makes things easier, gives a feeling of security…it does a lot of good things for us, but it’s also  the worst enemy of everything that’s new, fresh and unusual. As a songwriter, you need to break these patterns, try new things, go different places and meet new people. A recipe only works so long before it gets boring. You can only write a certain amount of songs that are very similar before you get bored, and what’s even worse, the listener gets bored.

What’s the right thing to do now? Go to a quiet place, get away from it all and write?
Go out there and do all the new things, get involved and then write?

Have you every watched your grandma (or someone elses) baking? If they are good at it, and grandmas usually are, they are going with the flow.
A little bit of this, a handful of that, a slice here, a cup there…it’s the best of both worlds, knowledge and intuition. If you try to write a song based on knowledge alone, that’s exactly how it’s going to sound. It’ll be like reading a document, accurate, interesting, but nothing worth singing along.

You need the perfect mix, feel it, breathe it, taste it, hear it…If you do it something will happen, something very powerful and touching.
You’ll suddenly feel like you’re going with the flow so much you’re not in control anymore. Words and melodies come out of you so fast and easy you cannot even believe they are yours.
And probably to a certain extent, they aren’t.
Every artist knows what I’m talking about, even scientists, inventors, mathematicians and astronomists know it.

It’s help from above and it feels wonderful. That’s when it all magically comes together.
I’m sure my way of getting there is unique and while some things might work for others too, some probably won’t.

Now that I’ve put all my “expertise” into this post let me share a great songwriting story with you.
Last week I was re-writing one of my songs and I started doing it in the living room. Didn’t feel good.
I went downstairs and moved around chairs and tables until it felt good.
I turned on the lights, turned them off again, took another chair and put 3 different pencils on the table.

I turned off my phone and turned it back on again. I played a few chords but my guitar wouldn’t stay in tune, no matter what I did.
Too much humidity I guessed. I kept changing the key of the song and couldn’t find my comfort zone. My throat was dry and the water didn’t help.
Then there was a very annoying noise, somebody was mowing their backyard.

After 45 minutes I had a terrible headache and I still I kept pushing myself, “you can do it, you can write a few lines, you’re creative, stop whining….write, write, write…Come on now, get the job done!”

An other 30 minutes later I felt sick and tired and that was the point when I finally realized – It’s not going to happen today.
Guess what? The world didn’t stop turning, all hell didn’t break loose and it took me 20 minutes the next morning to re-write the song and get the result I was hoping for…;-)

The Day Bruce Springsteen Called

I was sitting in my favourite chair trying to put some words together for the next line of the song I was writing when the phone rang. No caller ID and since I was in the middle of something I didn’t pick up.
After throwing words back and forth I finally had the line I was looking for when the phone rang again.

No caller ID again but I felt this weird feeling in my stomach, you know what I mean? You don’t know what it is but it feels strange, you can’t even tell if it’s good or bad, just strange.
I didn’t pick up again and tried to focus on my song.

5 minutes later there was another call and this time it was my manager.
“What’s up”, he said, “why don’t you pick up the phone?”
“I couldn’t see your number on the display and I thought it’s somebody trying to sell something”, I said.
“Oh, I didn’t call, Bruce did”, he said.

“Bruce who? I don’t know anybody who’s called Bruce”, I said.
There was a moment of silence before he finally said, “Bruce, the Boss, you know, Springsteen…”

“Listen, I’m just writing a song here, let’s fool around later, I’ll call you back, ok?” I said.
I was about to hang up when he said,”No Jean, you need to listen to me. Bruce Springsteen is trying to reach you. Apparently someone sent him a song of yours  and he likes it very much and he wants to talk to you about it,” he said.
There was a very serious tone in his voice and if this was a joke, it was a good one, because he didn’t laugh once.

“Are you serious? This is a joke, right? Bruce Springsteen is trying to reach me???” I tried to imagine how many people in the world have waited their whole life for news like that but I couldn’t come up with a number that seemed high enough.

“Yeah, listen, here’s his number. He’s on tour and according to his manager you can reach him right now or after 12pm tonight. I’d say you call him right now,ok?”, my manager said and it just sounded so surreal.

“Ehm, ok, I’ll call him, let’s talk later” and I hung up.

I looked at the number I had written down on the piece of paper in front of me and my fingers started dialing.
Sure,let’s call Bruce, I thought. I guess my song can wait for a few minutes…

It rang twice before a familiar and yet completely unknown voice said “hello?”
“Mr. Springsteen? It’s Jean Nolan, I hear you tried to reach me?” I said and it sounded so stupid. As if Bruce Springsteen would try to reach me…but he did, didn’t he?

“Oh, hi Jean, thanks for calling me back, I’m headed to the Arena for sound check so I just got a few minutes.
Listen, I listened to a few of your songs and I like them very much. I hear you’re from Austria and now you want to make it in Nashville?” Bruce Springsteen said.

“Yes, that’s true Mr. Springsteen”…He interrupted me and said, “please, call me Bruce”.
I laughed (yet another surreal moment) “sure Bruce. Yeah, I always wanted to do country music, but I have to say that a lot of the songs I’ve written were inspired by your music. A lot of people compared me to you…I mean not compared, they just said they could hear that I was influenced by your music…” I tried to get it our right.

“That’s great” he said…”Listen, I’m in Spain right now and I’ll be in Europe for a while now but I’d like to do some writing. I’m planning…this is confidential, so it stays between the two of us…I’m planning on doing a crossover song and I’d like to do something country. I was looking for a new face with an interesting story because it’s part of a bigger thing but I can’t talk about it yet.
We should write at least 2 or 3 songs and let’s go from there,ok?”

I was breathless, speechless, everything-less. This was for real.
I didn’t have time for day-dreams so I said, “Do you want me to fly out there now?”
“Sure, when can you be here, I hear Tim will be here to0, I think after tomorrow” Bruce said.

“Tim who?” I asked.
“Tim McGraw, he’s part of this too”, Bruce said.
Bruce SPringsteen, Tim McGraw, Jean Nolan…that sounds good I thought.

“Well, I have to see how soon I could be there…sorry, maybe this sounds stupid, but is this for real?” I still couldn’t believe all this was really happening.
“You bet it is. Listen, your manager has my manager’s number. Let them do the booking and all the other stuff and I’ll see you in a couple of days. You can call me anytime, that’s my cell number here in Europe. Take care, good talking to you” he said.

“Thanks, Bruce, the pleasure was all mine, see you soon” I said and then we hung up.

“Honeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, where are you, you’re not going to believe this. I don’t believe it myself.” I yelled through the house.
“I just talked to Bruce the Boss Springsteen…on the phone”…

I felt a hand on my shoulder and this strange feeling in my stomach again and I couldn’t turn around. What the hell? What’s this?

“Didn’t you hear it?” a voice said. “What?” I said but I didn’t hear the word actually coming out of my mouth.
“The Alarm. I heard it and I was next door….wake up, we’re late for school, dad”, my oldest said.

“No way, no way, this couldn’t have been a dream…”I heard myself saying.
“You need to get up now” Sophia said again.

I got up and checked my phone. No missed calls.
What are you said about, I asked myself.
This is probably a dream of the future, it’s going to happen and in the meantime I can tell this story and add the dream part at the very end, where it actually belongs…

Did you every have a dream like that? Or a real life experience?
Well, at least you’ll think twice now before you let the phone ring when someone without a caller ID calls…

Ronnie Dunn

In country music there are many great singers and writers. I could make a list of very good songs sung by very good singers and it would take me days, if not weeks, to get from A-M.
As long as we are talking about good and great, the list in country music is pretty long.

Once we add the attributes outstanding and unique the air gets thinner and thinner. There are very few outstanding voices and characters in country music, and I say this as a fan, not as a musician or songwriter.
One of them is Ronnie Dunn.

He is one of those singers you only need to hear once to remember them forever. His voice is so unique and full of color, it makes straight guys fall in love with it;)

When Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks announced that they will go separate ways in 2009, a huge star on the sky of country music was about to retire. But the singers of the duo were not.
I remember the day I read the sad news and I immediately googled – Ronnie Dunn solo album.

There was no talk about it back then, but I knew that Ronnie would release an album sooner or later.
When the news finally broke that he was in the studio I was really happy and couldn’t wait for the new album to arrive.
Having recorded an album myself I know it takes time and dedication, love and hard work…it’s not done over night.

When “Bleed Red”, the first single of his self-titled LP was released, my wife Kristin and I couldn’t wait to press the play button for the first time.
Wow, what a song, what a production, this sounded so different from Brooks&Dunn and so Ronnie at the same time.
The single’s cover picture shows Ronnie with a very cool tattoo on his arm that says COWBOY, and this man sure sounds like one.

When the album was finally released I put it into the CD changer of my car, on my iPhone and on every other playlist and it stayed there until…until now, actually. Not a day goes by where I don’t listen to at least one Ronnie Dunn song.

The man is a living legend and I believe so many people and fans out there have not yet discovered his true depth, empathy and intelligence.
I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but through his music and the interviews I saw, I feel like listening to an old wise soul. Troubled at times maybe, but who isn’t?

On Facebook Ronnie communicates with his fans like no other artist of his caliber I know of. He actually shares real feelings, emotions and opinions and that’s a rare thing.

When the second single “Cost Of Living” was released I knew the song was going to resonate with millions. It captured the reality of so many people and once again came alive because of Ronnie’s vocal performance. It might not be his story, but he means every word he sings, because it is somebody’s story and he cares.
That’s what I’m feeling when listening to “Cost Of Living”.

“Ronnie Dunn” by Ronnie Dunn is an outstanding and unique album, written, sung and produced by an outstanding and unique artist and while his fans are supporting him in every way, I feel the industry isn’t.
And like Ronnie himself wrote on Facebook recently

Without promotion something terrible happens. Nothing.

Well, if they who are in charge, aren’t doing the best they can to promote Ronnie, we should.
The man and his music are one of the reasons a guy who grew up in a small country called Austria, chases his dream of becoming a country music recording artist in Nashville and writes songs day and night to get there.

If you are a songwriter like me, you dream of having your song cut by an artist like Ronnie Dunn one day.

Ronnie posted on Facebook 2 days ago that his current single “Let The Cowboy Rock” isn’t getting enough attention from the radio stations and he doesn’t know if his record label will release another single.

Call your radio station, write an email, send a letter…do what it takes to let them know you want to hear this country rock’n'roll anthem. Tell them you care about this artist, because he is one of a kind, special and country music wouldn’t be the same without him.
He has written and sung the soundtrack to so many lives, it’s time to give something back!

If you want to support Ronnie, do it in every way you can. You have an idea? Write a comment, let everybody know about it, start a group…There are so many RD fans out there, believe me, this man will go #1 again…

Thank you Ronnie, to me you are THE VOICE of country…

Ass for Attention

The Plan

My plan for this post today was to write more about my recent co-writing experience with the girl I already told you about, let you know all about our family-bonfire-gone-wet and a new song I wanted to share with you…

Well, that was the plan, and obviously something went wrong, or right, who knows?

Social Network Madness

Before writing this post I checked my Facebook account and went through the “news” while simultaneously listening to the notorious Alex Jones Show. After 2 or 3 minutes I realized something.

It is not the amount of garbage that is posted on Facebook that’s alarming,  it’s the huge and overwhelming amount of attention this garbage is getting that is absolutely insane and unbelievable.

Take a picture of two ugly guys in front of a pyramid of empty beer cans and post it on fb and it’ll get 327 likes and 134 comments.
Post something about all the madness that is going on in the world, like chemtrails poisoning our sky, or pictures of children “benefitting” from humanitarian missions of the western world by losing their arms, legs or lives and you’ll get what???
ZERO, NOTHING,NADA…

Responsibility

While we go about our lives, do our jobs, pay our taxes and for the most part just try to make things work, everything around us is breaking apart. Most of the countries today are bankrupt, our politicians are corrupt to the core, and the world is run by banks and corporations who care about money,power and control, and nothing else.

Our governments are out of control, they have grown to be immortal super powers able to take everything away from us (that is left) in the blink of an eye, if we decide not to walk with the other sheep. They work for the banks, the corporations, themselves, but not for Us, the People.
Do you know that every President or Prime Minister of this world is an employee? He is an employee of the people and should be doing what the people want. Does that fit the description of any President or Prime Minister you know of??

Although deep inside of us we all know that something is going terribly wrong and that there is so much evil in the power structure, we do next to nothing about it.
I think we are all responsible for our world, our country, our state, our county or region, our town, our community, our neighbourhood, our street, our family, ourselves!
We cannot wait for others to do the job because while they are in power things are getting worse every day.

There are a million ways to make a difference, you can inform yourself and others. Use the wonderful gift of the internet to find out about what is really going on and spread the word.

You see, by going through the posts on Facebook I realized how uninspired and sad people are. They are looking for the next sensation to kill some time of their boring day. They need constant stimulation, no matter how stupid it is, in order to keep them busy.
It is the desire of those who are in power that we all stay that way, work, eat, pay our taxes and consume.

You think I’m radical? No I’m not. You think I’m cynical? No, not at all. You think I’m exaggerating? Sadly I’m not. You think I’m a pessimist? Couldn’t be farther from the truth… I love peace and diversity, I love my family and the freedom to live my life the way I want to. I think we live on a beautiful planet, it’s magnificent and full of miracles.

The Picture

Today’s picture doesn’t include my face as you can (hopefully) see. Why ass? I did it for one reason and one reason only – Attention. Apparently that’s the best way to get people’s attention. Of course that’s a lame excuse but I wanted to make a point.

Do we have to show ass for attention? Are we really that far down the rabbit hole?
Can we get the message out without showing private parts of our bodies?
I know what I think, but what do you think?

Change

While we are here, we are not just responsible for ourselves and our actions, we are responsible for the state of this planet for future generations to come.
I’m not talking about a fake green agenda or economic solutions coming from the same people who caused the problem.
I’m talking about our actions, yours and mine. What can we do? What’s our vision? How can we touch people?
If you’re not happy with the major of your town, why don’t you run for major next time? Impossible? NO, very possible.

People with a vision and powerful ideas have always changed the world and the idea, and movement that is rising right now, will change it forever.

Today I’d like to give you a list of people and projects that have changed my life and perception of life, society, politics and so many other things.

Please check out people like David Icke, David Wilcock, Alex Jones, George Noory from Coast to Coast AM, Project Camelot, Project Avalon, Benjamin Fulford, Brandon Bays , Louise Hay, Lee Carroll and many many others…
Most of all my wife Kristin, who has helped me to broaden my horizon in endless ways.

Don’t take what they say for granted, look it up, inform yourself, do what it takes to see past all the senseless posts, messages and articles about wet t-shirt contests, pyramids of beer cans and the world’s biggest sandwich…

There are so many wonderful, caring,loving and inspirational people living right now, it’s amazing. This is probably the biggest chance in the history of humanity to free ourselves from all limitations and realize what and who we really are.

Are you in?

If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away

Writing, writing, writing…That’s what I’ve been doing. Songs, short stories, ideas, posts, comments, blogs…whatever I can get my hands on.

Yesterday I had a great co-writing session with an adorable girl. She came up with this great idea and we started putting words and melodies together.

She can think a lot better when she moves and since it was such a nice day, we wrote outside. I would love to tell you more about the song, the title and the whole idea, but it’s still very fragile and we need to get some more work done. This is going to be a very special song for many reasons;)

A few days ago one of my friends on facebook wrote – How close to us are some who are dead, and how dead to us are some who are alive.

That’s so true in many ways and the whole “live-and-death-theme” is something I’ve been confronted with quiet often lately. And I say that as a good thing.

It is unbelievable how many people on this beautiful planet are afraid of what we call death.

It’s in every movie, in many songs, in every book and in every family, because, just like Forrest Gump’s momma always said – death is just a part of life.

And if we really open our hearts and minds we realize, that there actually is no such thing as death. There is no end to life, it just continues in another place.

Justin Moore had a hit last year called “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” and he sang about how beautiful it would be to just take the kids and go to heaven for the day to meet his grandpa and other loved ones – if heaven wasn’t so far away.

Is heaven really that far away? How many miles exactly? We built a thick wall of fear between heaven and earth. We’re afraid of dying, funerals and all the sadness and pain that’s involved.

But what is there to fear?

I believe in angels and spirits and most of the people, in one way or the other, do as well. They don’t admit it, but almost every one of us had an experience with angels or spirits.

We tell our children about guardian angels and the protection and comfort they give, and yet we refuse to acknowledge them as a part of our lives.
They are everywhere and they are here for a reason. How many times have you been in a situation where you knew and felt you could not have done it on your own?

Have you every experienced an almost-car-accident and miraculously nothing happened. That’s a guardian angel on duty. They are not just there to protect us from harm but to guide us and help us when we need help.

It’s that voice you sometimes hear or feel, that urge to do something or say something. If you listen to what they have to say and act upon it, you will always be on the right track.

In order to do that, we need to tear down the wall of fear between heaven and earth and realize, how beautiful it is to accept that it all exists at the same time.

It’s very inspirational too and whatever you’re good at, whatever it is what you do, if you open up to the possibility of help from above, you’ll get it in a big way.

I know that it works for me. Let’s try to make this a rational argument. If you try to do something, create something, invent something and you only use your brain, it’s really a narrowed process. Your brain has a limited capacity (no matter how smart you are) and it will give you suggestions based on your experience and knowledge. Out of the brain alone, nothing new will come.

When you open your heart and mind, new ideas and thoughts come. They are new and fresh because you are connected to the universal knowledge and the infinite wisdom. It makes sense doesn’t it? It’s like a computer. When it’s offline it will only show the information that is already saved to it.

Once you connect it to the internet the possibilities are endless and you will get new and fresh results.

Knowing that there is so much more to live than what we can see is the most wonderful gift.
Just let go of the fear, and try to listen to the voice inside of you.

Can you hear it? What’s it saying?

Fear, Anger And A Foot Massage

                              Me showing some gratitude…honey, you’re the best

I love the good times. Who doesn’t? Everything flows, everything comes easy, and it feels like nothing in the world could ever go wrong.
It’s a lot of fun to write about all the inspiring and uplifting things in life too, share inspirational experiences and talk about success.

And there is a beneficial effect too. By experiencing good times, writing about good times, and talking about good times, you create so much positive energy, it is almost impossible for negative energy to come through. Almost…
Sometimes it does come through, and just as the good times seem to last forever, the bad times do too.

Do you know the feeling, where every situation looks like a dead-end road, every thought ends in disbelief and despair?
I know it. Even though I know, deep in my heart, that everything always happens for a reason, and that it is always (at least in the long run) for my best interest, I sometimes can’t get myself to feel it.
It’s just disconnected knowledge, powerless.

Why does it happen? Why do we experience bad days, bad times? Why do we go through hard times? Don’t we have a choice? Don’t we wake up and decide how we are going to feel?
Yes we do. But emotions are our constant companions. We react to people, conversations, events, news…we react to everything and most of us do not allow ourselves to experience the “bad” emotions, such as fear or anger.

We keep them locked inside, and these emotions grow like a snowball rolling down the hill. We get so used to ignoring them that we can even make ourselves believe they’re actually not there.
But they are. And they can’t be supressed forever. I’m married to a lifecoach and although I have learned a lot about the importance of allowing these emotions to come through, allowing them to be released, I still refuse to do so sometimes.
I swallow them, bury them deep inside of me and pretend they’re not there…

Until, and this is how it always happens, I wake up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning. All of a sudden there’s an overwhelming amount of negative thoughts I can’t seem to control.
All the un-felt emotions are ready to be felt and dealt with. This usually ends up in me getting up very early, doing things around the house I usually put off for “another day” and trying to get myself together.

That’s the critical point right there. This is where I always have to make a decision. I either go through the pain and see what it has to tell me, or I do not. Option #1 is, as said, painful, but certainly the better one.
Emotions are there to be felt. They are messengers and they help us to distinguish between what is good for us and what isn’t.

There are no bad emotions, although from our perspective, some of them are more desirable than others;)
Nobody likes fear, because it’s an emotion that limits us, freezes us and makes us lose the ability to make the right choices.
But there is a reason for that fear and we need to find out what it is.

By allowing ourselves to feel that emotion we can get a better understanding of where it comes from and how to release it.
This, the very thing I’m doing right now, is therapy.
Don’t be afraid of it, we ALL have bad days and bad times. Believe me, there is not one spiritual teacher, yogi or nun that is free of fear and anger.
But they can teach us do deal with it in a healthy way, so we get the message and can let it go…

By now you know, I had a bad day because of unreleased fear and anger. It’s gone now and I feel a lot better.
It helps a lot to be married to the most wonderful woman in the world who happens to be a lifecoach…;)
But for starters, a good friend (should be a good listener) will do too…

Once again, I’ll make a vow – no more un-felt emotions…

Finding The Y’all Magic

Doesn’t it feel great to finish something?
To me putting the last chords to a song, or writing the last few words is so exhilarating and fulfilling, it just never gets old.

Songwriting really includes everything. You need motivation, inspiration, aspiration, transpiration…ok you don’t need transpiration. Sometimes a song just happens and you look back and say, “wait a minute, where did that come from?”
Then again it takes dedication, hard work and patience. I write the best songs when I’m ready to share my own emotions and experiences. the real thing always beats anything else.

Songwriting is a craft and there are certain rules (in ever genre) but sometimes rules need to be broken. And then there is always the question of who really makes the rules? Is it the listener who demands more of the same, or is it the industry who delivers what they think is best and most appropriate for the audience?
It’s kind of like the old chicken and egg question, isn’t it?

I was 14 when I first started writing songs and although I’d received a classical piano education, I  really didn’t know anything about songwriting. I learned 3 chords on the guitar and wrote my first song. Intuition was all I needed. Putting words to a melody seemed, for some reason, a lot easier to me than singing someone elses songs. So I was not your first-choice bonfire singer, because I mostly played my own songs, and nobody could sing along.

Instead of learning how to play all the popular songs out there, I decided it would be best to write hit songs, become a singer myself, and have others learn my songs. I’m not yet where I’m going, but I’m getting closer every day;-)

I finished a new song two days ago and it felt great. Lines and ideas come together, the melody seems to match…it just feels natural. And this really is the only recipe for songwriting. Make it feel natural for you and the listener.
The famous songwriter Tony Lane, whom I’ve had the pleasure to meet last year, said it best when he said, “Don’t tell, show”.

They say the first 100 songs don’t count. Well, I’m way past 100 and I know now why they say that. It’s not that the songs I wrote 5 years ago are not good. I still think some of them are very good. But I learned over time to recreate the good stuff, and that you can’t build a whole song around one good line or a compelling melody. The whole thing needs to be outstanding.

While there are obviously many rules and expectations, you will not achieve greatness by taking the road most travelled.
You have to do your own thing.

There’s this Bruce Willis movie – The Kid – where Bruce plays a cold-hearted, but very successful PR guy. He’s on the plane sitting next to a woman who’s on her way to L.A. to audition for a job as an anchor-woman on a major news network. He doesn’t want to talk to her, but she’s persistent, finds out that he’s a PR guy and tells him her story. She tells him that she always screws up on air because she says “y’all” all the time.
Since she’s desperate for advice and he really just wants her to shut up, he finally says, “Change your hair, change your make-up, put on different clothes, but don’t stop saying y’all, that’s your thing, that’s your magic.

Sure enough she gets the job and y’all becomes her trademark.
We all need to find our “y’all magic”, cultivate it and make it OUR thing…

Here’s a song I wrote a few months ago with my friend Ray Barnette and we had the best time writing it…hope you’ll have a good time listening to it too…;-)

Bending Spoons In Madison Square Garden

Me ”with” hit songwriter Rob Hatch

5 or 6 years ago I decided to do something with the gift I have been given. I’ve been on stage all my life, but even after hundreds of shows and quiet a number of TV appearances I never considered giving it a real try until then. In the back of my mind I always thought about singing, making an album, writing songs, but I knew if it was ever going to happen, I’d have to take actions…

No matter what I did in life, I always had a goal. I learned, that it’s a healthy thing if you don’t overdo it. Start with smaller goals, so you can achieve successes along the way. But for me that was never enough. I never really learned to dream small. Dream big, think big, act big…you know, rope the moon and such…;)

So after I first started out and made contacts in the music business, I had a lot of plans and goals, all of them ready to be lived. I talked to an old friend one day who used to work in the music business, and I said, “You can’t come to my show next friday? Don’t worry, I’ll be playing in Madison Square Garden in no time and you can come then”.
He tried to give me some credit for my enthusiasm but basically laughed it off.

It was that conversation that made me understand. Other people do not dream big. At least not as big as I do. They live their lives within their comfort zone. Usually this means nothing really big ever happens, and that goes both ways. It’s like a wave that never breaks. No highs, no lows.
But how come?

It’s not physical boundaries that keep us from doing what we want to do. There is nobody locking the front door to make sure we stay where we are. And yet so many people are seemingly okay with being so much less than they could be. The thought of me playing Madison Square Garden made this guy laugh. Hidden behind his grin, he thought something like, “that’s impossible. Only very few people get to play there, and the chance of you being on of them is 1 in a million.”
So what? Who cares about chances?

We would still be crossing oceans on ships if it wasn’t for people who think, dream and act big. 150 years ago it was considered impossible for humans to fly. Even fewer people would play Madison Square Garden today if it wasn’t for airplanes.

What is impossible and why do we even bother thinking about it? Because that’s all it is. It’s only a thought based on other thoughts of limitations.
It doesn’t do any good to put limits to what we are doing, so why are we doing it in the first place?

I say that the human being is capable of anything. And I mean it. There are millions of people with extraordinary abilities. They can predict the future, hold their breath for 15 minutes, remember every single book they’ve ever read  by heart , calculate faster than any computer, read minds, heal with their hands, bend spoons, move things without touching them…and the list goes on and on.

If they can do it, we can do it too.

Everything is possible. It is only our limited mind that says otherwise. We owe it to ourselves, our children and every future generation to remove senseless boundaries that keep us within our comfort zone, which is a very small zone I might add.

That’s why I decided to never write songs again. I want to write hit songs. I want to do the best I can and beyond. I want to play Madison Square Garden, meet wonderful people every day, let my light shine and encourage others to do the same.
It takes some effort to get there, but it takes even more of letting go. Letting go of old beliefs, limitations, energy suckers and negativity.

Despite urban legends we always have a choice. I ran into a friend of mine who’s in real estate. He told me about his newest online project and I’m sure it will go through the roof. I congratulated him and told him about some of my ideas and he said, “Just do it. If you believe it to be a great idea, just do it.”

It’s all possible and waking up every morning, knowing that this is going to be the best day ever has nothing to do with fortunetelling. It has everything to do with making that decision. That’s the key. Just do it…

Cowboys & Angels

I recently sold two used items on the internet and made them ready for shipping today. The receivers are two women from different cities. When I wrote their addresses on the packages I realized that the street names are the same, even spelled the same way. Two women, two cities, two packages, same street name.
I love it, when that happens.

Two hours earlier I had picked up a coffee when the thought of an old friend crossed my mind. 30 seconds later I checked my phone – 1 missed call. Guess who had called? My old friend I had just thought about…

Stuff like that happens to me almost every day. It’s called synchronicity and for me these are signs.
It means – you’re on the right path, keep it up…
I never bought the idea that life is an accumulation of coincidences. There are no coincidences and everything happens for a reason. You cannot always tell what the reason is the very minute something happens, but more often than not you can feel what a certain sign or “coincidence” wants to tell you, what life wants to tell you.

Synchronicity is a wonderful thing. I recently watched an interview with country newcomer Dustin Lynch. He told the story behind his new single “Cowboys & Angels”.
He said that he was scheduled for a writing session with two other writers and they were going over song ideas and titles. Apparently it took them quite a while and Justin said he had not mentioned all the titles that were in his notebook. One of the titles he hadn’t mentioned was Cowboys & Angels.

After 2 hours or so one of the guys, after going through his ideas again, said, “I think I found something here, how about Cowboys & Angels”.
Dustin said in the interview that he couldn’t believe it until they compared their notebooks. They both had the exact same title written down. Of course the song they wrote that day was called “Cowboys & Angels”. They knew it was meant to be.

Sometimes it happens in such a big way that you just can’t miss it. If you wake up thinking about somebody you haven’t seen in a long time and then you run into that person during lunch break, it’s not a coincidence. Has it ever happened to you? Did you ever think about somebody and they called the very next minute?

Or you had the desire for chocolate ice cream and walked into the next store just to find that they are giving away free samples of your favourite brand that day.

It’s always an inspiring and exhilarating experience and for me it’s just the most wonderful sign from above.

What was your favourite synchronicity moment?
Maybe you met the love of your life in a synchronized way? Or you’re working your dream job because of synchronicity in action?

Maybe you were just praying for inspiration when this post reached you…Synchronicity is all around us, it happens for Cowboys & Angels alike…

Remember Mixtapes?

On of the best movies I’ve seen in the past years was “Eat Pray Love”. You can call it a chick flick, although if you do, I think you didn’t really get it, but I don’t care. It’s a great movie and I think I even cried at one point…

Anyways, there’s this guy in the movie called Felipe and he is obsessed with mixtapes. Remember mixtapes? Before there were iPods, MP3 players or CD burners, the only way you could listen to all of your favourite songs, were mixtapes.
Today I’d like to share my current mixtape with you, which of course is a playlist on my iPhone and a CD in my car. You gotta have both, just in case;)

Usually I hear a song either on the radio, the internet or somewhere else and if I like it I’ll buy it on iTunes and eventually fall in love with it in the car. That’s the best place ever to really listen to music.

Yesterday I read a blog by someone called Doctor Doolittle and she was obsessing about Tim McGraw. Great singer, great actor, great friend…okay, okay, we’re not friends but I think I could warm up to the idea. He recently released his new single “Better Than I Used To Be“ which was  previously recorded by Sammy Kershaw and while some people say Tim’s new songs aren’t as good as they used to be, I have to say this one is even better than they used to be. Evey time I hear one of his songs I also have to think of this other movie he was in called “Blind Side”…made me cry too;)

…My wife just asked me what I’m writing about today. After I told her, she said, honey, you gotta put that Lady A song on your mixtape…

I would’ve done it anyway. Lady Antebellum is a fantastic band and whenever I listen to their music I’m just blown away by the depth and quality of their lyrics and vocal performance. They keep throwing out big hits like it’s the easiest thing in the world. Their latest single is called “Dancing Away With My Heart” and it’s another fantastic song. I can’t help but closing my eyes and drifting away to that first dance in high school…

I was on the plane from Nashville to Atlanta last summer when I listened to a Miranda Lambert album for the first time. I had heard her singles but had never paid much attention to her other songs. Boy, there’s a truck load of energy coming out of that little woman. When I heard her song “Baggage Claim” for the first time I started to sing along at the second chorus. Great melody, great lyrics, great voice. You just have to sing along…

Miranda’s husband Blake Shelton, judge on The Voice and super successful country artist himself, released his album “Red River Blue” last year. I think they had a hard time picking the singles because almost every song on that album has #1 potential.
I have a hard time listening to artists that I feel sing songs they cannot relate to.

That’s why listening to a Blake Shelton album is such a great experience. They guy obviously loves what he does and sings about what and who he is…and you can feel it. “Red River Blue” is one of my favourite songs right now. It’s gotten to the point where I’m afraid my iPhone is going to refuse playing that song again…

There is one name that shows up on any given mixtape of mine, and that’s Keith Urban. He’s been one of my favourite artists forever and a huge inspiration for me and my own music. Keith got invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry this week, which is a huge deal for a country music artist. Congratulations, you deserve it!

His latest single “You Gonna Fly” makes me roll down the windows, hit the gas and sing along from the top of my lungs. AWESOME…it’s a summer anthem classic already…

Speaking of classic leads me to another frequent guest on my mixtapes. I’m talking about King George Strait, the Godfather of country music. Believe it or not, his latest single “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” is his 59th #1 single. 59 times he was on the very top of the charts…Every now and then he cuts a song that’s very different from what he usually does and on his latest album that song is “Poison”… Die hard George Strait fans will probably not like it too much, but for me it’s one of the best songs he has ever sung…

A great song by a great band has been on my mixtape for a long time now. It’s called “Colder Weather” by the Zac Brown Band. I love their music, their diversity and the fact that every song makes me wanna re-live what they write about. Please go and check them out, take the time and get to know them. They have a lot to offer…

…Honey just threw in another song she wants me to add here;) It’s “Picture ft, Sheryl Crow” by Kid Rock. I have to admit that it will not make it on my all-time-favourites list, but Kristin loves it and we usually create our mixtapes together.
What I like about Kid Rock though, is, that he brings different genres and artists together. You should listen to all of his albums to appreciate all his different talents…Authentic musician, thumbs up!

There is one man who used to be on my list as part of Brooks & Dunn, the most successful country music duo of all times. Ronnie Dunn released his first after-BD solo album in 2011 and it’s one of my favourites. It’s pure honesty. “Bleed Red” and “Cost Of Living” are wonderful songs, straight from the heart, and you can’t help but love Ronnie’s voice. And I’m not afraid to say that, I’m happily married to a wonderful woman;) Just in case you wanna rock a little, check out “Let The Cowboy Rock”…badass cowboy music;)

Former half of the duo Brooks & Dunn, Kix Brooks just released his first solo single after BD, and I put it on my mixtape as well. I didn’t immediately love “New To This Town” but after listening to it 2 or 3 times I couldn’t get it out of my head. It tells a story that probably everybody can relate to, at least if you have lived in one place for a long time;)

Vince Gill…he gets his fair share of slots on every mixtape. One of the best musicians ever. I would love, just love, to work with him one day. If you talk about people like Eric Clapton you shouldn’t breathe out before mentioning Vince Gill. “Threaten Me With Heaven” is one of his newest songs…Fantastic.

7 or 8 years ago I watched a movie called House of 9. I wasted 2 hours of my life, but then again I didn’t. At the very end of the movie there was a song that captured my attention and I kept replaying the credits just to hear it over and over again. It’s called “It’s A Shame” by Will Hoge and just like old songs sometimes make it into the charts again years later, this one made it on my mixtape again…

The Boss is back!!! He never left actually. That man’s got the energy of young race horse and he put out another album, which, in my opinion is the best in years. Bruce Springsteen will rock the stage until…forever probably. But he can go on if he sings like this. “You’ve Got it” made it on my mixtape, but please go and buy Wrecking Ball, his newest album, and do yourself a favour. Go to one of his concerts. There’s a reason why they call him the Boss!

“Springsteen” is such an inspiration to musicians all around the world, some of them just write a whole song based on Springsteen titles. Eric Church has done it, and it turned out really great. It’s another one you might listen to twice before you can appreciate the whole thing, but you’ll get there. It’s an anti-anthem-anthem…so basically it’s an anthem, and probably will become an evergreen for Eric Church/Springsteen fans!

Do you like stories? I love good stories and a good song needs to have/be a good story. It should be like a movie that only lasts 3 1/2 minutes. “This Ain’t Nothing” by Craig Morgan is just that. Even if you don’t like the melody, which is hard to imagine, or his voice, which is hard to imagine too…you gotta love the story and the way it’s told.

David Nail caught mine, and a lot of other people’s attention with his song “Turning Home”. One of my friends moved about 1 1/2 year ago and while I was driving back and forth, between his old and his new home, I listened to it all the time. I mean ALL the time…Then he released “Let It Rain” and made it on my mixtape again;)

…I could actually go on forever. Tapes used to have a very limited capacity, no Gigabytes or Megabytes…just time. You could put maybe 20 songs on each side of the tape. And it was a lot of work. I used to sit there with my radio/recorder, and listened to the charts every week, pressing rec. and stop all the time…it took me 4 hours to make a mixtape. Can you believe it?? You can create a playlist in less than 5 minutes now and put hundreds of songs on it. Maybe that’s a reason why music suffers from inflation more than almost any other product…

Here’s a list of all the songs I told you about today, so it’ll be easier for you to listen to them. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Please let me know what you think…
You can send me your playlist/mixtape list and I’ll be happy to listen to it…I could even write a combined readers mixtape post;)  That would be fun…So please, keep it coming…

JEAN’s MIXTAPE 04-12

Tim McGraw – Better Than I Used To Be
Sammy Kershaw – Better Than I Used To Be
Lady Antebellum – Dancing Away With My Heart
Miranda Lambert – Baggage Claim
Blake Shelton – Red River Blue
Keith Urban – You Gonna Fly
George Strait – Love’s Gonna Make It Alright
George Strait – Poison
Zac Brown Band – Colder Weather
Kid Rock – Picture ft. Sheryl Crow
Ronnie Dunn – Bleed Red
Ronnie Dunn – Cost Of Living
Ronnie Dunn – Let The Cowboy Rock
Kix Brooks – New To This Town
Vince Gill – Threaten Me Wit Heaven
Will Hoge – It’s A Shame
Bruce Springsteen – You’ve Got It
Eric Church – Springsteen
Craig Morgan – This Ain’t Nothin’
David Nail – Turning Home
David Nail – Let It Rain