Category Archives: Rewritten Song

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Rewritten Song: I’ve seen the sun (version 2)

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I know I don’t have a new song up yet this week. I’m still trying to work one up. It’s first on my list today. Well, first after getting this one up.

So, here’s the re-recorded version of “I’ve seen the sun,” which I originally wrote and recorded this week, last year. Go listen to that version here.

You can see that I basically rewrote the entire song. It wasn’t really working to try and fit the words into new music, so I decided to just condense the whole thing.

Can you pick up on how I did that? Basically just slammed together the first and second verses and added a sort of summarizing last line to make an entire new verse. That seemed to work okay so I kept up with it for the rest of the song. With the exception of one verse that I left out. It was basically a repeat of another verse, and by leaving it out I had a nice even number to work with.

So, anyway, that’s that for today. What do you think?

I like the original, but I also kinda like this. Maybe feels a little rushed and not fleshed out. I think that’s okay for these re-records, though. They’re more to get me thinking about new ways to do songs than about making them really great.

Plus, I’ve really been thinking about how I don’t have a new song yet and it’s already Thursday.

Since it’s Thursday, I’m sure you’re getting ready for the Poor Elvis show this coming Friday, right? Did you know it’s Friday the 13th? Check out the facebook event for info. Hope to see you there.

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Rewritten Song: All the Answers of Old (version 2)

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Here’s the new version of the song I wrote this week, last year. The original was a pretty standard folk tune…or, at least, sounded like one to me. Go listen to it here and compare to the new one.

Different?

What do you think?

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Rewritten Song: If I was a woman and you was a man (version 2)

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Well, here’s the last re-record for 2011 of a song from 2010. I think I’ll definitely keep doing this throughout 2012. Not only is it a good way to revisit old songs that I may have forgotten about, but it helps me figure out news sounds and different directions to take the new songs I’m writing.

So, be on the lookout…

For this re-record, I used 3/4 time and condensed the song a little bit. I think that’s always the problem I had with it…a little too much repetition of the chorus. This version works fairly well. Don’t know if it’s as successful as the original, though. Listen to that here for a comparison.

Also, the song that I wrote back in August called “I guess that’s just the way things go” is sorta a re-write of this song too, I supposed. I used that same cat and dog line, maybe cause I think that’s the most successful of all the lines in this tune. Or, maybe cause it’s the first one that I wrote for it. Or, maybe, for another reason. It’s any of those, really.

Anyway. I’m playing a show tonight at the Cicero Public Library. Come check it out, if you can. Should be an interesting show. Starts at 7pm and goes until 8:30. I plan on being really loud.

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Rewritten Song: Winter (version 2)

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I’m doing the re-record first this week cause I didn’t quite get the new song done last night. I think I’ve got the music down, but the words just weren’t ready yet. So, you get this today.

Lately I’ve been thinking how these re-recorded songs are taking up a lot of time and maybe taking time away from writing new songs, but then I decided that they also help me to get to new places each week. I’m at least thinking of doing something different with an old song, so maybe some of that seeps into my head to do something different with a new song. In any case, at least it keeps me working.

So, for this one, today, I think it’s fairly different, not just from last year’s (go listen and compare!), but also from a lot of other tunes I’ve been writing and recording lately. The phrasing is different. The singing is a little different. It’s just different. Different for me anyway.

Let me know what you think….

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Rewritten Song: If I didn’t still have you (version 2)

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Here’s the re-recorded version of the song I wrote this week, last year. I’ll have to admit that I like the original better, but I’ll leave it to you to compare the two (listen to the original here) and give me some feedback.

Also, please please please come out to the show that I’m playing this Friday (12/16) at the Auxiliary in Logan Square. It’s also a clothing drive, so bring your old threads that you don’t wear anymore and donate them to someone who will.

End Times Spasm Band is coming in from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and this is their first Chicago show. They’re Indiana’s hottest band, so don’t miss em.

5 dollars at the door. BYOB. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm.

Check out the details and who else is playing at the facebook event. Gonna be a hot one!