Well, here’s the last new song of 2011. This is where I get all sentimental about the past year and hesitate, maybe, about going forward into the new year. Right?

Nah. I wrote this song about doing the exact opposite of that. Next year is where you’re bound always. Next year, next month, next week, tomorrow. So just go into it.

If this ain’t working then go into that, I guess.

Now, though, I am gonna get all sappy and take a look back at what I did this year:

I made a total of 176 posts in 2011 (including this one). So that’s about 14.7 posts each month. Now, I’m sure not all of those were song uploads, but let’s investigate….

I ended the year’s worth of Talkin’ Headlines on number 60. I did one every week, which comes out to 52 (I did 8 in 2010). Did you listen to all of them? I’m gonna keep doing this throughout 2012. So, that’ll be something to look forward to.

So, now, of my 176 posts, I’m down to 124 when you take out the Talkin’ Headlines.

From that, subtract a repost of a re-recorded song form 2009 I made after New Year’s Eve in 2010. That was kinda confusing, but now it’s down to 123.

I posted 44 re-recorded songs that I initially wrote and recorded in 2010. To go along with those, in the first few months of the year I posted the original versions, since, in 2010, I didn’t start loading songs onto this blog until June. So there’s 12 of those original 2010 song posts. So that brings the total on down to 67.

There were also a few non-music upload posts. Mostly to apologize for not posting a new song yet, or explaining why I didn’t load up a Talkin’ Headline on a Tuesday. Really serious stuff. There were 4 of these scattered throughout the year.

Now we’re at 63.

What else? On Friday, April 1, I posted a really old song about baseball to commemorate the open of the 2011 season. (62!)

Then, in May, I started (sporadically) posting demos that I was recording. Occasionally these were re-records of my new 2011 songs, or some older ones, mostly, though they were new tunes. There were 8 of these in 2011. Not nearly enough. My hope for 2012 would be to get way more demos up. Probably not one a week, but maybe two a month?

Anyway, now we’re down to 54.

I think the last 2 to subtract would be a second recording of a new song that I posted (Blues Dream #336) and then a repost of something the guys at the Whistler wrote about the record realease show that I had there back in November.

And now we’re at 52. That means I wrote, recorded, and released one new song every week for the entire year in 2011.

Doesn’t really mean anything, though, cause I’m gonna get up on the first day of 2012 and start it all over again, with maybe some new additions to the lineup of new song, Talkin’ Headline, and re-record.

Anyway…that’s that. Here’s to the next year….

Okay, here’s the new song for this week. At the very last minute. It’s a nice short one to send you off.

I had some trouble with this song, which is why it took so long to write and get recorded. I think I was trying to overwrite it. Trying to get too many ideas in there, when, really, it’s just a song about a train and a ship. I needed some help seeing that and I finally got some.

So that’s that. Happy Christmas to you.

Well, I wrote this song last night. Had a different one that I’d written on Sunday night, but it wasn’t the kind of song I like. Was an angry and spiteful one. I don’t think those kind of songs are ever very good. Those kind, or the kind that poke fun at people that aren’t like you.

So, anyway, I scrapped that one and kinda used some pieces from it to write this one. I think it works fairly well. And probably gets the feeling across that I was trying for in the other one, without being melodramatic or hurtful.

This one, though, was incredibly hard to record. I think I started and stopped about 600 times. There’s something about the rhythm of the music and the way the words match up to it that’s both interesting to me and very hard to sing. Maybe that’s why it’s interesting.

I finally got it, for the most part. So enjoy.

Also, remember that I have a show this Friday (12/16) at the Auxiliary in Logan Square. End Times Spasm Band is gonna be there and you do NOT want to miss them. They’re from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and this is their first Chicago show. So you could be the first person in this city to ever see them. How bout that! It’s only 5 dollars at the door. Plus the Auxiliary is BYOB. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm.

Check out the details at the facebook event. Gonna be a hot one!

Well, here’s the new song I’ve been working on since Sunday. You’d think in that time I woulda been able to finish it, but I think this one’s still got a ways to go.

The chorus part (that starts off the song) I think is pretty much all done, I just couldn’t figure out the music for the other parts, though. What I ended up with at this point works, I guess, but doesn’t really come across the way I had it up in my head.

I really wanted to have some sort of bridge part in this, but I’m not used to writing like that. My songs usually are more repeating chorus line type jobs. I’ll keep working on it, though. Who knows what’ll happen.

So that’s it for the week.

Mark your calendars, though, for next Friday, 12/16. I have a show at the Auxiliary in Logan Square. Check out the details at the facebook event. Gonna be a hot show!

Here’s the new song for today. Can you tell I struggled to write one this week? Anyway, that’s it for today.

Tonight, though, I have a show at Lillstreet Art Center from 6-10pm during the First Friday event (and also during the Annual Holiday Open House at the same time). It’s FREE! I’ll have some CDs available and’ll be doing some new songs. Go ahead, drop by. I’ll be on the third floor singing my hearts out.