Wacky Wednesday: Release by Pearl Jam cover by Carolyn Brady

To listen to Release by Pearl Jam cover by Carolyn Brady click HERE.

I am so impressed with Carolyn Brady for being the first person to accept the Wacky Wednesday challenge.  Carolyn is also a member of the band One Horizon.  Her voice has such a beautiful, pure quality.  I love to hear her sing.  She likes to arrange and write her own original songs too.  Be sure to check out her new recording  .

To listen to Release by Pearl Jam cover by Carolyn Brady click HERE.

Flurry of Activity by Dallin B.

Wacky Wednesday Challenge: Better When I'm Dancin' Youtube Video

I just finished editing a youtube video for the song "Better When I'm Dancin'" by Meghan Trainor.  I hope you enjoy it.  Until next time... keep dancing and happy songwriting!

Take Note Tuesday: City and Colour

My friend, Jen, referred me to this band last week.  I am impressed with their relaxed acoustic sound.  The name City and Colour is a recording alias for singer-songwriter Dallas Green who performs with different indie musicians on a regular basis.  Dallis Green is from Canada.  One of his most popular songs is called, "The Girl".  Take a listen.

Monday Memoirs: Fresh Look at Photograph by Ed Sheeran

                      Click HERE to listen to Photograph by Ed Sheeran cover by Catrina Baum

Life around our house has been pretty lazy this weekend as both of my children have been sick with body aches and fever.  We don't usually watch a whole lot of T.V., but when everyone is feeling miserable I let the T.V. stay on all day long.

I have played the part of nursemaid the majority of the time, but when occasion has allowed it I have been able to sit at my computer to work on some recording.  The project of emphasis this weekend was a fresh look at a recording I tried to prepare for my Wacky Wednesday post a few months ago in November.  I have finally brought it to a point where I would like to share it.  This is not an original song, but a cover of the song "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran.  I hope you enjoy it.

Click HERE to listen to Photograph by Ed Sheeran cover by Catrina Baum

Photograph of Catrina Baum at age 4

Wacky Wednesday: Better When I'm Dancin' by Meghan Trainor cover by Catrina Baum

Click HERE to listen to "Better When I'm Danicin'" by Meghan Trainor cover by Catrina Baum

It has been another crazy week.  I almost didn't finish the song I was trying to wrap up last week, but it is now 10:15 PM and I think I feel that the song is good enough to submit for the Wacky Wednesday challenge without embarrassing me to tears.  I have learned SOOO much from this challenge.  The song I chose was especially difficult because it was faster than any other song I have submitted so far and it has more instruments than any other song I have recorded for Wacky Wednesday.  This is a rough draft for sure.  I had so much fun creating it, though.  I hope you are able to enjoy it as well.  Until next time.... Happy Songwriting!!

“Silhouette Ballerina” by sattva at www.freedigitalphotos.net

Click HERE to listen to "Better When I'm Danicin'" by Meghan Trainor cover by Catrina Baum

Take Note Tuesday: The National Parks

Two weeks ago Jason Partridge left a comment about a band that he felt was worth drawing attention to.  I could not agree more.  Thanks for introducing them to me, Jason.  The name of this electronic folk pop  band is The National Parks.  I love the sound they create together.  They also have some beautiful videos to go with their music.  Check them out.

Monday Memoirs: A Song from the Soundtrack of Life

For as long as I can remember I have had a personal soundtrack, of sorts, to accompany me throughout my life.  All the events of my life, from the major to minor, have had some sort of song to go along with it.  Where does this soundtrack come from?  Certainly not an 8 track cassette or even an MP3 download.  This soundtrack is all inside my mind.  Most songs are songs I have heard on the radio or played on the piano, but there are times when I have had songs that creep inside my mind that are all their own.  I am not even sure I can say that I have been the creator or composer of these exquisite beauties, but somehow they just seem to appear in my mind and follow me across a span of many days and then vanish, never to return.  One such song appeared in my mind this past Friday morning as I awoke for the day.  It was so hauntingly beautiful I quickly made my way to my piano so that I could record the sounds in my mind before they left me.  This is a sample of the song.  For now I am calling it "The Ghost of a Loved One".  Click HERE to listen to it.

“Creative Thinking Concept” by hyena reality from freedigitalphotos.net

Wacky Wednesday: Bedtime/Lights Out

Talk about Wacky Wednesday.  This has been a crazy day and a pretty crazy week for me.  I thought I could make the Wacky Wednesday deadline for this challenge, but it is 9pm, now, and my kids are  in bed. My time for recording has ended.  I have found that life is a lot harder to juggle now that I am homeschooling my 12 year old.  Even if I am not ready to share anything today, I have learned a lot.  I think trying to do something like Wacky Wednesday in one week is very enlightening.  I would love to hi-light anyone else who might have accepted the challenge.  Please let me know when you come up with something in one week.  Until next time.... happy songwriting!

“Comet” by Keerati from www.freedigitalphotos.net

Take Note Tuesday: Tyler Ward

The first time I saw Tyler Ward was when I watched a  youtube video that he did with Tiffany Alvord.  One of my favorite videos on his channel is his cover of the Ed Sheeran song, "Thinking Out Loud".  I also really liked some of the values that he has and encourages others to try on some of his youtube videos.  Thanks, Tyler, for being so awesome!!!  I hope you are able to continue to keep the goals you have set for yourself.  Check Tyler Ward out by clicking below:

Monday Memoir Follow Up: "Because of Him"

Click HERE to listen to a sample of "Because of Him" by Catrina Baum

Here is a sample of the first verse and chorus to the song I spoke of yesterday in my Monday Memoir.  The song is called "Because of Him".  Please let me know what you think.  :)

Click HERE to listen to a sample of "Because of Him" by Catrina Baum

Monday Memoirs: January 11, 2016: Aloha & Mele Kalikimaka

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration.  I was in Hawaii for Christmas this year.  I have never done that before.  We had a great time.  While I was vacationing, I found myself waking up Christmas morning with some thoughts of a Christmas song.  I was focusing on the true meaning of Christmas and even though I did not have a piano to sit down to, I could hear the sound of the song in my mind and was excited to get back home to my piano.  It was one of those songs that just seemed to fall into place.

I want to share it with you all so badly, but I can't yet, because I left the damper pedal for my electric piano at the venue my band sang at on New Years Eve.  I will not be able to record the piano part for the song until a new one comes in the mail.  I plan on getting a recording on this post as soon as I can possibly put it together.

How about you, have you ever had a song that just seemed to fall into place?  Did you have any songwriting moments over the Christmas break?  Please share.  I would love to hear all about it.  Until next time... Aloha and Happy Songwriting!

“Hawaiian Sunrise” by Liz Noffsinger from www.freedigitalphotos.net

WaCkY WeDnEsDaY: Are You Up For the Challenge?

So, what is this Wacky Wednesday Challenge really all about anyways?  Well, it's really all about experimenting with music.  I am not sure how long this will last or how well it will go, but so far I have enjoyed seeing where the challenge has taken me.  I have definitely put myself out of my comfort zone more than once and it has paid off because in the end I have gained more knowledge about MUSIC (one of my greatest loves in life).

The experiment is this: Today I am going to pick a song to do a cover for and then see if I can come up with my own version in one week and record it so that I can share it with all of you next week.  Sound crazy??

As a follow-up to this experiment, the next consecutive Wednesday I plan to make some kind of music video to go with the chosen song to post on youtube.  In the end Wacky Wednesday will be a flip-flop from recording music to videotaping something to go with the song.  I would like to encourage anyone else who is interesed to try it.  It is kind of wacky to see what you can do with music in one week, but in the end I think it will be a great way to grow and learn.  I think the scariest part will be that I have to share the song or video in one week no matter what shape it might be in, even if it's not my favorite. 

What do you think?  Any one else up for the challenge??  I hope so.  I want to hear what others can do.  

As far as this week's post goes, I was so busy last week, practicing for a New Year's Eve show with my band One Horizon, I did not get a chance to do any Wacky Wednesday challenge for this week, but I do have some footage from one of the songs we played that night.  This is One Horizon's arrangement of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". I hope you enjoy it.  

Until next time.... Happy Songwriting!!

Take Note Tuesday: What's It All About?

My "Take Note Tuesday" posts are regular posts I put on my blog to showcase up and coming artists who have family friendly songs and music that they are sharing on their youtube stations.  I also try to look for artists who want to create music for the joy of music.  It is so easy, in the music world, no matter what level you might be at, to get caught up in what is popular instead of what is meaningful.  Or sometimes, I think we can get so caught up in trying to LOOK good that we forget the real purpose of whatever it is we are trying to share.  I know I am guilty of this sometimes, but still, it is my goal to avoid creating things that are superficial or without substance.  If you feel the same I hope you will let me know your thoughts.  I think encouraging one another in this aspiration is most important.  Also, if you know of any music projects that fit this bill, please let me know as I am always on the look out for new ideas.  Until next time, Happy Songwriting!

Image downloaded from itsalovelylife.com

Monday Memoirs: Let's Create!!!

With the New Year just begun, I thought this would be a good time to share some of my vision about "Monday Memoirs".  The purpose of my weekly "Monday Memoirs" post is to log my songwriting activities.  Sometimes, whatever I share might not be in the very best condition, but I am not going for polished.  I am just trying to capture what happens in my life as a songwriter who has a life full of many other interests and responsibilities.  It is my hope that it will be of interest and encouragement to someone out there in cyberspace who is also trying to develop their own ability to create weather it be music and songwriting or any other creation they might be developing.  I do love to connect on a creative level too, so I hope anyone who reads this will take the opportunity to share whatever it is they might have been working on.  Until next time, Happy Songwriting (or Happy Drawing, Painting, Videotaping, Picture Taking, Poetry Writing, Novel Writing, Cooking or whatever else you might be doing creatively).  :)

Image downloaded from www.quotationof.com