Update on 52 Song Project

I feel obligated to tell the world (or at least my Facebook friends) that I have taken a hiatus from the 52 song project for the time being.

I have still been working on riffs and songs, but recently have been getting back together with the band (Shoe) and we've been generating new material for another studio project. Some of the songs I wrote earlier in the year will be touched up and brought out in a heavier form with the full band.

This process has been exceptionally cathartic, and challenging. The one song a week thing was perhaps too ambitious a goal to set out to accomplish the same year Laurie and I had our first child. There are also extenuating circumstances at work, and other writing related projects that I have taken on to further my career (day job)—so time is scarce.

Part of the reason I wanted to do this was to create an environment where our daughter Lennon could be surrounded with live, original music while she was growing up. That is still happening, and I can't tell you how much it makes my heart jump out of my chest when she gives me a huge beaming smile every time I bring out the guitar.

Another was to give myself a creative distraction while concentrating on my goal to not drink for a year, which has been going well, although that in itself is also challenging. More like... debilitating. Or the definition of pure insanity. Anyway, I've gotten to a point where I am at least bearing the transition. Through gritted teeth.

Because I am creating new material with the band, as well as re-learning older material we wrote years ago (we have a catalogue of over 50 original songs that have not yet seen the light of day) it is taking up a lot of the time I had assigned to the 52 song project. That's no excuse, it's just the truth. Plus, I am in the process of transcribing the chords and music for the songs, which is a large undertaking.

The long and the short of it: I am still writing lots of original songs this year. I may not get to 52, nor will I be releasing one a week, but so far I have written 20 songs for the project (I have posted 15 of them), and so far I have written two new songs with Shoe.

It has been a great year for creativity and musical growth, and it will continue to be so. In the end, that is the whole point. The minute it starts getting stressful, it's time to look at it in a different light, and that's what I'm doing. It's no longer a psychological backlog of songs I haven't written week to week, instead I see it as 20 new original songs to work with; 20 more than I would have had if I had not set out to do this. In other words, I am sending this as a message of encouragement, not defeat.

Thanks for listening and I will keep you posted on the new Shoe material!

All the best,


KRC


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