I was chatting with Jon Nolan www.jonolan.net recently and he turned me on to www.publikmusic.com where he had done a really cool video piece with his great song "Mary Won't You Come Along" coupled with clips of him speaking of his music etc. It's all very professional and very cool and I can't wait to get myself hooked up with those guys. You all should go check it out but not until after you read this blog. Anyway, in one of those clips he talks about how he almost gave up on music at least professionaly and how one song (the above mentioned great song) sort of pulled him back into it and gave him a clearer perspective on things. That clip really grabbed me because it sounded like Jon's personal relationship with his musical career had taken a similar turn as mine. It prompted me to write him a note describing a little bit about what I had been going through with my own music. I have posted the note I wrote him below for anyone whose interested.
Jon,
I just checked out your bit on that site. WOW! Very cool! The internet CAN be used for more than just porn...
I was struck by what you had to say about almost hanging it up and how one song kind of brought you back. I've had the same struggle, shit man, I've been selling real estate for the last 3 years. Which does beat waiting tables but it's kind of the same thing. I was pretty much done with music as a career as well. I knew I wanted to make this new record but I thought it would be just to do it, sort of a farewell. I'd put it out locally to make my money back etc. but that was it. But I really wanted to do it because I felt like the other records I had made with the Long Haul Truckers were not really mine. When we recorded the first one ("An Angel Not a Saint" sadbird 1997) I was barely able to play and sing at the same time and the second one ("The Fine Art of Carousing" sadbird 1999) was made while I was going through my divorce. I just showed up and did what I was told. And they were all my fucking songs!? How irresponsible is that?! Any way this new solo record was going to be my record. I had a bunch of songs that had not been done by the band and there were a couple that I wanted to do over. As we got into the recording I was amazed by how things started to come together. It was a very organic process with no set band etc. But the thing I started to realize was the theme. The songs as different as they are in a lot of cases, do have a central theme of actualization and damage and repair. And through this realization I also realized there was a song missing and I started writing a new song and that one is my "Mary won't you come along". "Coming Around" is that song for me and sums up what I feel that record is really all about. I also feel it is on par with my best work. Oh, I also wrote a song called "The Vodka Song" but it didn't make the cut. Great fun to play at gigs though... Funny how if you just keep things moving forward even if it's at a creeping pace you do make those break throughs. I hope they never stop.
Scott