My Gear: Presented by Robin Williams!

Today I'd like to talk about some of the equipment that I use when I play live. By no means do I think my stuff is the better than other gear and I could be wrong, but this is what I've found works for me. And like I always say...How can something so wrong make me feel so right!

First up, The Fishman Loudbox Mini. I've been using this little guy for about two years now. I take it to every gig. I usually run my guitar and vocals through it and use the direct out straight into the PA. It works well as a floor monitor. Some gigs I only have to take this amp and those gigs are easy peasy lemon sqeezey. It can easily fill up a coffee house or lounge with sound.

Secondly, The LR Baggs Para DI. I've had this thing for close to ten years and it has never let me down. I'd say I've used it at about 400 shows so far and it's still kicking. Super silent, simple, and it matches my amp. Brown is so sexy.

LR Baggs M1: I use these pickups on all of my acoustic guitars. In my experience they feedback way less than piezo under-saddle pickups. They have epic bass sound which helps fill out the room at my gigs. I usually cut the mids and I'm good to go. I can tap the guitar to get a drum sound really easy with this pickup too. You see these things being used by freaking every band on TV lately. There's a reason for that. I go through phases where I obsess about what pickups I should be using. It's a sickness that I'm working on. I ALWAYS end up coming back to these! Like Mr. Williams they make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

And lastly, The MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay. I'm an acoustic musician so I'm not sure if this is cheating or not but I freaking love this pedal.
How I use it:
1) To give me a slight delay for lead sections
2) For reverb/boost for fingerpicking/ballads
3) To get that slapback rockabilly sound
4) To perform magic

I was playing a gig at a real classy place last year and some sweetheart of a lady spilled beer this pedal. It actually was fine but the light on the front stopped working so I gave it to my cousin. He says it still sounds great. I quickly replaced mine with another one.

License Plate Guitar Pt. 2 - Dirty Details Done at Home Depot

Here are some of those dirty details I promised in the last blog. I hope you enjoy them. Guitar/Hardware nerds rejoice!

Thanks again Jay Patton for all these specs.

The top of this guitar is my old license plate from 2004ish.

The bridge is a nut and bolt.

The volume knob is a valve stem cap (like on your car’s tire)

The body is made out of ¾” cedar plank.

We have 3 lil soundholes at the top so I can hear every damned mistake I make.

The construction is neck-through with a 24.75” (Gibson) scale. Does that qualify it as a Gibson Guitar....Sure!

The pickups are 2 piezo disks wired in parallel with a 250k volume pot.

The tail piece is a metal exhaust hanger/bracket

The back of the guitar is sheet metal.

The nut is cow bone

  The tuners are plain ol’ open gear tuners with pearloid keys

The fret dots are nail heads.

The neck is oak with a ¼” oak fretless fretboard (the wings on the headstock are maple)

For more music head over to http://www.sincerelyiris.com/

License Plate Guitar - Keep it in the Family

Today I'd like to blog about a new friend of mine. I received this little monster for Christmas two years ago and it's slowly but surely creeped its way into live shows and in the near future will be on my license plate album. This guitar was built by Mr. Jay Patton. Jay is a guitar player, slide guitarist, singer, car enthusiast, electronics whiz and....cousin. He's my go to guy for all things music, plus he has to answer my questions because we're related. For a previous blog about the pedals he built for me, go HERE

Here's a tasty little sample of his slide playing:

Learn how to make a free Electronic Press Kit

Of course I would be dead meat if I didn't mention that this gift was my mom's idea. Thanks mom! On our next episode, I'll dive into some of the dirty details about this guitar (with pics!) 

Writing Better Lyrics to Avoid Satan: Songwriting Books Part 2

Today's post is definitely a book for the Songwriter's Songwriter. I'm sure there are tons of musicians who have read this book already. Pat Pattison dives DEEP into how lyrics work and how to make your lyrics have greater effect.  Metaphors, similes, rhyme schemes and many more things that I had forgot about since I graduated high school are talked about. The exciting thing for me is how you can use all of these tricks in writing songs. With an introduction by the amazing Gillian Welch, you can't really go wrong. With songs like "Time (The Revelator)" and "I Dreamed a Highway" I always thought that Gillian and David Rawlings had sold their souls to the devil. It's good to know that Pat helped them a little too.

This book was especially helpful to me because I almost always start with music, then come up with lyrics. This book taught me how to use your lyrics to guide the rhythm and direction of the song.

Songwriting Books: Part 1

I'm firing up the ol blog engine and I figure the best way to get the sparks flying is by writing about how I write. Firstly and foremostly, it's a mess. I'm specifically talking about my songwriting. It's a jumbled word vomiting mess of ideas. I used to think that I was more inspired when I was a teenager, but when I go back and look at that material it is generally terrible and made no sense at all. I had no idea what I was doing and I was WAY too judgemental of everything that I wrote.
One book that helped me with brainstorming and not judging myself is Lynda Barry's book "What It Is." I recommend this book to any writer, painter, or really anyone else who is looking to get some ideas out. One way her methods are different is that they are all based on images and memories. I swear that some of her exercises have me recalling very specific details that I had no idea I still had in my brain at all. Of all of the books I'll be talking about in my next few blogs, Lynda's is the most fun. It's like a grown up comic book. Every page is jammed packed with drawings and ideas. But you don't have to take my word for it!

On a side note "What It Is" can actually be seen in one my videos. In the first few seconds of my video for "Leave It All Behind" the actors can be seen reading it on the couch. On the video shoot that day they were all talking about how cool it was. Can you say product placement!

Bootlegs (Part 1)

Hi Friends,

Last month I was playing a show at The Flip Flop Bar in Savannah, GA. A gentleman came up and asked if he could record me playing. I said yes and he stayed and watched for about 45 mins. Well last week I played at that same spot and Lo and Behold Larry Sammons showed up with a burned cd of the entire show that he had taped on 12/2/2011. Pretty rad if you ask me.(Yes, I'm bringing "rad" back).

Anywho, I thought I'd share those songs with you (totally free). I hope you like them. There is a Josh Ritter and a Black Keys cover in this in this set. Special thanks to Larry for recording this show.

Lillian, Egypt(Josh Ritter) 12-2-11
Don't Let The Man Get You Down 12-2-11
Waiting Blues 12-2-11
My Next Girl(Black Keys) 12-2-11
She Moves Me 12-2-11
Right Click and "Save Target As" for the quickest download.

Lyrics: Part 2 - Leave It All Behind

Today's lyric sheet involves "Ch ch ch changes" that were made for the song Leave It All Behind. If you take a look at these pictures you can see all of the things that change from the original idea to the finished product. You can listen to the actual finished song by clicking here.

One thing that you might notice is that I wrote in 3 or 4 different types of ink, so my Dexteresque detective reasoning tells me that this song was not written all at once. Probably over many days. So many times songwriting for me is not getting struck by lightening and BAM out comes a full fledged idea. It takes work and time. But for me, often times that process is pretty magical.

Another thing that happened is the guitar tuning of the song changed. It eventually ended up being in DADFBE but on this sheet it was DADFAE.

Also, the lyrics have changed quite a bit from what they were. A verse was chopped of when I started recording the song. Oh yea, in "Todd Talk" underlining words means to put emphasis on them and "Bam Bam Bam" means to syncopate the words just in case you were wondering lol.

Lyrics - Your Every Move

Writing songs is a funny thing. In the next few blogs I'll give some examples of how shit goes down when it comes to lyrics.

Firstly, for me at least, music almost always comes first. That's a whole other blog's worth of trial and error, tape recordings of me mumbling, lost recordings, crushing self esteem blows.... with 1 out of every 20 attempts turning into a song......More of that at a later date!

This first example is from the song Your Every Move
from my album The Great Unknown.

This is a cool example of the lyrics coming together really fast. If you click on this image you can see the lyrics more closely. Most of these are what I actually used in the final version of the song (this is pretty rare).
The "Oh, oh oh" at the top of the page I didn't end up using at all. I totally forgot and that's why this song isn't on Top 40 Radio. Blast!!

I've come up with many shorthand ways to get my ideas down on paper. The X31000 in the middle of the page is a guitar chord. It lets me know which strings not to play and which to hold down.

I do enjoy the fact that some of the lyrics that got scribbled out were complete shit. "Caviar"??? Really? This is why I'm thankful for editing. I think writing is all about letting everything come out without judgment at first.....then going back later and judging the crap out of it. Writing lyrics is like being a little kid who gets to dress himself for school. Editing is the parent who makes sure you don't leave the house looking like a damned idiot.

Next up...Leave it All Behind

Leave It All Behind

One kooky thing about this song is the chorus. That weird guitar noise in the chorus is actually a keyboard ran through a distorted guitar amp. I love making crazy weirdo sounds. It's probably better that I don't have a band, because I would be able to make a whole lot more weird noises if I didn't have to hold down rhythm by myself all the time. In this song the stomping noises were done by my foot on a guitar case. Gotta make due without a drummer!

The guitar in this song is tuned low to high DADFBD.

This song was the last that I wrote for the album, I sort of gave myself a deadline at the end and this one snuck out. Sometimes deadlines can make cool things happen, sometimes they make nervous breakdowns happen. But since I can record everything at home, and have unlimited time pretty much, it leads to me trying to make everything perfect, but perfection doesn't exist. HERE is a link to a Seth Godin blog. I like some of the things that this fellow talks about. I think he helped me finish my album and take the plunge into being a working musician.

My new album The Great Unknown is available to buy HERE

Waiting Blues

I've always really loved the feel of Spanish music. I visited that sound on an old song called Deja Vu. Recently I'd been listening to a bit of Rodrigo y Gabriela and I think that sound had an influence on this song. It's one of the few groups that E. and I agree kick total ass. You can check them out HERE. Prepare to have your mind blown.

I tried to get some intensity in this song through some loud/soft dynamics. This song has minimal overdubs. Elizabeth wanted even fewer instruments (like always) but on this song there is still only 1 acoustic rhythm and 2 electric lead guitars. This is my weird version of a blues song.

This song is also going to have a video!!!! If you'd like to hear more about the Kickstarter campaign for the video you can go HERE. The guys from Mutual Co. are helping me get this thing off the ground and I think it's going to look fantastic. More details on that coming soon!

The Great Unknown

2 special guests on this track: James Lee Smith played lead guitar once again and Britt Scott sang backup vocals. Two Savannah Badasses. I hope to work with them again soon. I was listening to James' lead yesterday actually, and noticed how on the last note of solo he goes for a lower note, instead of a giant climactic high note like you'd usually hear in songs. It has a very tasteful effect. Especially because the chorus has more of a laid back underwater vibe anyways.

On a side note, it's so much easier to blog about someone else's playing/performance than it is your own.

In this song I'm reminiscing on the past, where I've been and realizing that the best things can happen when you give up and plunge into the great unknown. Now that can be about the highway, your future, or even God if you like. It's your call. It's your world, I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut.

Your Every Move

For the guitar geeks out there, this song and Gone Now are both in DADGBbD tuning. Only this song has a capo at the second fret. Apparently this is my bitter song tuning, because both of those songs are kind of pissed off tunes.
In the beginning of the writing process I was just messing around with writing a 2nd song with that tuning for live purposes. I only take one guitar with me when I play live, so the less amount of tuning I have to do the happier the crowd is....or the drunker they are, I'm not sure really.

This song is about women who use other people just to get ahead. It specifically veers towards the entertainment/acting realm (yea you Paris). Women who show skin just to get ahead. That's all I have to say about that.

James Lee Smith recorded some amazing lead on this song. That solo definitely brought the intensity level up. It's always great to have some different guitar playing perspective on my recordings. He recently told me it was his favorite guitar solo that he's recorded to date. Pretty Awesome.

Also, my girlfriend, who this song is definitely NOT about!, she talked me into keeping the "Hip Hop" beat that is in this song. It was originally used as my click track to play along to, but she heard me playing it and made me keep it. I'm glad she did. It became the opening track on the album.

She Moves Me

This song is written about Bonnie Raitt. I have a soft spot for great female blues and jazz singers. On my last album there was a song called I Can Never Know that was my tribute to Joni Mitchell, Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.

The sound of this song was influenced greatly by Gregory Alan Isakov. His album This Empty Northern Hemisphere was in our car's CD player for seriously a year straight. It is a perfect album. I don't know that I've listened to any album that consistently since Jeff Buckley and Rufus Wainwright.
I first saw Gregory at a small show in Fort Collins, Colorado about 6 years ago with probably 5 people there. I checked out his show because all of the local musicians in town were all in agreement that he was better than they were lol. I recently saw him play in Evanston, IL and the place was packed and silent. Check out his music.

Because of his influence I was planning on making my album very mellow. However, slowly but surely my own personality took over the writing process. I guess I can only be myself whether I like it or not.

You're Not Alone

This was written in Chicago and Savannah. The verses finally came together last year. This is one of those songs where each verse is potentially coming from the point of view of a different person, but they all come together with the message of the chorus.

Britt Scott, a Savannah musician who currently plays with Crystina Parker in their folksy duo Lovely Locks, did some awesome vocal tracks on this song. I think if you include all of the vocals by her and I there are at least 5 voices on this song. You don't wanna know how many guitars there are. I think her voice on the chorus of this song really took it to a whole new level. I've always wanted female vocals on my records. Finally on album 5 or 6 or whatever this is, I got it!

Keep You Warm

This song is about taking care of the person you love even after you are gone. I wrote this song when I was freezing my ass off in Chicago.
Sometimes (more often than I'd like to admit) I feel like what I'm doing with my life is kind of pointless. If aliens were watching me from above they would think, "Why is this guy filling up notebooks of word vomit and making all this noise with these stringed wooden things?"

With this song I'm trying to say when I'm gone, just burn everything to keep yourself warm. All those notebooks really aren't important in the scheme of things. I hope this song gets that point across....and if not...oh well! I've already sent it to Itunes lol.

Also, please don't burn my album collection to keep yourself warm. Trust me, Jeff Buckley and The Beatles can keep ya comfy with their voices alone.

On an instrumental note, I think this is the first song I've recorded that features organ so prominently. I actually let my guitar take a break for once...or at least for about 23 seconds. There's actually alot of organ on this album, just very very low in the mix. I feel like it really thickens the sound up.

Dear Clementine

This song was written about the movie
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
It's probably my favorite love story of all time. It was directed by Michel Gondry. I want this guy to make my music videos.

The images are just incredible in this movie. When Jim Carrey is going through his memories there are so many random images that go by. It reminds me of Blonde on Blonde era Bob Dylan and how he used such odd specific images but somehow you can relate to it very easily and draw on your own life. I dig it! Not that I'm on the same level as these amazing artists, but they totally influence me. I think this might be the first song I've written about a movie.

Someone else who may have influences this song: Andrew Bird. I saw him live at Millennium Park when I lived in Chicago and it was amazing. Those string plucking sounds on this song are just me trying to emulate the sound of his violin on guitar. I used this trick on a song on my last album called Takes One to Know.

Skin and Bones

I threw my chronological order off a bit here because this song was actually written before Golden Days
but seriously who's keeping track.

E and I were house sitting in Kentucky and she was going through her Ghost Hunters/Paranormal State phase...You know those shows where they never actually see ANYTHING! Anywho, I was standing in the kitchen playing guitar after she went to bed. It wasn't that I couldn't sleep because of that TV show....Of course not, I mean...I'm a grown ass man....that stuff's for....shhh....what was that......Scoobie..?
I played that opening little riff of this song about a million times. Maybe the spookiness of that show and the darkness of that house inspired this song. It's all about being alive and knowing that there's something better in store for you and that you really do have a soul. "Everything that you've broken's made you real. Forget about your bones what's in your soul no one can steal."

Golden Days

I recorded this song in my closet in Chicago. I always envisioned the chorus of this song being sang/sung/singded/(not sure) by an old circus announcer of some sort. The little dude who stands in the middle of the tent with a megaphone.
The lyric about "swinging on the willow tree" in the chorus, is one of my earliest memories in life. When I was young I remember two little girls swinging on the branches of their willow tree wearing church dresses. I think they were my neighbors. It just always stuck with me, so I decided to put it in the song....Although, with the way memories work I may have stolen that scene from Fried Green Tomatoes, or Forrest Gump. Oh well. It's my memory now!
This song is fun to listen to with headphones because the guitars pan left to right at the beginning. For a time I was thinking the whole album may turn into a little jazzy swing thing in the style of Golden Days because I like that style of music so much, but my writing tendencies were too scatterbrained for that to happen....Maybe someday.

Gone Now

I've decided to give a little insight into each individual track on "The Great Unknown." I'm going to do this in chronological order just for the fun of it. Today's track is Gone Now. Let's get to the oldies!
This song was originally released about 5 years ago on an out of print album of mine called "My Memories and Me." This is an ex-girlfriend song in all it's splendor.
I added new vocals, backwards guitar, claps and foot stomps to the new version.

The opening riff is highly, HIGHLY, influenced by Edith Piaf. The initial idea was to combine the sweetness of a French song with the intensity of the alternative/folk/indie/nonsense that I do. The guitar is tuned low to high DADGBbD. I think the tuning came when I was trying to figure out the Edith arrangement that had violin, horns, and whatever else those crazy French people play. Stay tuned for more!

-Todd

The Great Unknown

New stuff on the horizon!!! My new album "The Great Unknown" is coming out very very soon. I just ordered the cd's a few days ago. Here is a nice review from Connect Savannah Magazine. Just click here to view it:
Connect Article
Here is a pic of the album cover: