DAY - 190

"Everyone starts off as a bad imitation of someone else and inevitably finds their own voice."

-Tom Waits  ( and thanks to my long time friend and co-writer Eric Schwank for sharing)

One of my favorite bands growing up and still to this day is Counting Crows.  I looked up to Adam Duritz like he was the biggest rock star that ever lived.  I wanted to be able to write, perform and sound just like him.  As a teenager, I would sit for hours learning all their songs.  I even used to fantasize about going on tour together.  (ok... maybe I still do)   So obviously it was a natural progression that when I started writing my own songs I would try to imitate them.  I would TRY to sound poetically mysteeeerious and abstract. (key word being "try") However, a lot of those songs usually ended up a jumbled mess of teenage angst and thought patterns only I could understand.  But, as I grew as a musician and as a writer and immersed myself into as many styles of music as I possible, as Tom Waits put it so perfectly, I eventually found my own voice.  Though I might add, if it wasn't for the "bad imitation" I may never have been inspired in the first place.

Today I finished a brand new demo!  Its a super-catchy, fun, and....dare I say, sexy... summer song. (best listened to while enjoying a margarita or corona w/ lime) Its called "Skinny Dippin'" and it was written along with the "Sweet Angeline" team of Tyler and Liv.   The demo will be up for your listening pleasure tomorrow!  Anyway, today I sent the song to Nashville music publisher Shane Barrett.  I met Shane at ASCAP when I was in Nashville in January and have been keeping in touch.  Shane is actually responsible for getting "Crazy Girl" (a number one country song in 2011) to the Eli Young Band, making it their first hit single!  He also has cuts on numerous records including, Luke Bryan and Billy Currington.  I actually wrote Skinny Dippin' with Billy Currington in mind.  Needless to say, my mind made that connection today and I sent it to Shane hot off the press!  We'll see if he digs it.

Alright time to hit the sack and dream of touring with 90's rock bands.  Goodnight!