Update January 2013

Already into the new year, already at the end of January - still in Amsterdam, still working on the album. It's taking longer than hoped but I sort of expected that it would. But it's a learning process and a discovery process...and part of the adventure. We've found our style and sound based on acoustic guitar and mandolin, and the results are exciting.

The way things are going, we should be finished by the beginning of March - with the CD design completed and the CD's printed ready for sale. 

I've not spent much time on storytelling, but I've been doing a lot of poetry-writing which I publish on Hubpages - that's been my major publishing and community platform for the last months. Once I start my travelling I'll be putting most of my content on this blog. At the moment it's still sparse because my daily-life isn't that interesting... that IS going to change.

One performance evening coming up in February which I'm looking forward to - to start the ball rolling. My following on Hubpages is growing with a lot of good reactions to my poems. Even got a couple of surprise followers on YouTube. I'm still very much at the start of the adventure though, still very much stuck in my old patterns too - can't wait to get on the road and really start doing what I've been dreaming of for so long.

The finances are sorted; the camper is in the garage, getting fixed up for purchase and the journey; I know most of my songs by heart now too. I've got some interesting "writer"-contacts lined up to visit in Germany and Spain - but before all this I'm taking a week in the Czech Republic to do some skiing at the end of February... I'll be testing all my songs on my fellow travelers there too.

The excitement is growing, I'm ready for the adventure, and this "River" blog is going to get busy shortly.

Bye for now
Mike

Update December 2012

It's been a busy time and I've finally got all the songs written for the album, but I can't relax yet.
Now begins the next part of the project - making the album. We've spent one evening a week in the studio to get used to the feel and sound, but the real work is just about to start. We've listened to a lot of professional albums to get some ideas how we want this one to sound, which has been an interesting journey of its own. I'm playing the songs solo at home every day because that's how I'm going to be singing them on my travels - so the basis needs to be tight. Now I'm trying out different instruments that can add some decoration to the sound - mandolin, harmonica, flute, piano among others.
The serious studio work begins in January and shouldn't take too long if we're well prepared. Got some ideas down too for the album-title and the cover artwork, and we've been researching the costs of getting the cd's made locally... more info shortly.

One more thing... I've decided to do most of my daily writing for a while on Hubpages. This is a writing and community platform that's international... a good way for me to build up some pre-launch interest in my songs. Take a look there too - I'll be posting links on this blog for every article I post there. Just started a new series there in which I post the songs from the album with some relevant notes on the story behind them.

And I've finally got my own simple recording program so I can make some simple solo-version videos of the songs. Time to put them out there for feedback.

I'm on schedule and the project's looking and sounding good!

UPDATE NOVEMBER

I've let things lie a bit too long. My head is so full of things I need to do, want to do and plan to do when I finally get to travel, that I find myself getting overwhelmed and end up doing nothing. Well, not exactly nothing - the songs are still getting written and this is the most important thing I have to do since the songs, and the album, are the basis of this whole project.
So, to catch up, this is an update on... everything. Just to clear my head and find some order. You'd think I wouldn't have any problems seeing as I've got all my time for myself, but having the freedom to do your own thing each and every day brings its own problems - self-motivation being the key word here. I can be so lazy sometimes, other times so inspired and creative - maybe I shouldn't worry, but just ride the wave of my creative energy... let it all happen in its own time...

SONGS
I've written 12 songs of the 18 I had planned. I can get the last 6 done over the next week or so. I've been playing them often - that's productive work too. But I'm eager to get into the real work in the studio. Spent an evening with my partner Geert last friday - we played through the songs using different instruments: flute, mandolin, two acoustic guitars in harmony, harmonica... it's given us some ideas for the production and mixing. With influences ranging from Nick Drake to Eddie Vedder via Steven Stills, I'm confident this is going to be as good an album as you can make in an attic studio. It's great for me to leave the technique in Geert's hands - I do not want to get into that side of things at this stage. And believe me, writing the songs requires a lot more input than you would expect. I'm not writing cheesy love songs or laments of heartbreak or "clap your hands and dance" ditties... this album is a somewhat historical document - I have to do a lot of research about the subject I'm writing about. And THEN I have to condense that information into rhyming sonnets. Having a catchy tune is only part of the process - this is literature man! This is poetry!

STORYTELLING
I finally got the courage up to get out in front of the crowd at the Mezrab. I'd done my Mezrab song and an introductory poem a few weeks ago - and I was nervous as hell. This time I made it a little easier for myself. Took Geert and his wife along for moral support, and a camera to record my performance. After a few regular storytellers had done their pieces I got up there on the "Orator's chair". I had a story worked out as an introduction, but I changed my mind about doing it at the last minute - instead I just improvised my intro to tell people about my project and the two songs I wanted to sing. It was a strange experience - one part of my brain is consciously communicating with the audience, and another part is consciously observing myself in this situation, and talking to me like a miniature angel on my shoulder - "He Mike, this is going okay - you're connecting - they're laughing and cheering - this is not so hard or scary after all..."
It worked - I looked at the video later and I can say I didn't do too bad. But the most important thing is that I've finally broken through my main obstacle - I enjoyed it and I know I can do this now, and I never have to fear it again... and it was a kick!
The video is rubbish though - the light was low and my camera didn't record it well so I'm NOT going to post it here. When I've got the technique sorted, and I think I've got it sorted now, then I'll start filming all my "performance" experiences. There are some evenings I want to get to in December... and I'm fired up now and can't wait for my next chance to sing and tell a "real" story.

PROJECT
I've been re-defining what my goal is with this project - apart from the obvious one of being free to write songs and travel. And it's about sharing the experience of storytelling and helping others to see what telling stories can do for them, for their self-confidence, their understanding, their relationships with the people around them. I want to get people as enthusiastic about this as I feel... get them writing, and opening up, and telling, and writing poems and songs, and singing and celebrating the wonder of being human and living life...
And I hope to inspire people through MY story, THIS story: me, quitting my job to follow my dream travelling and meeting people everywhere. When I told people about this at the Mezrab I was greeted with loud cheers and whistles and applause... obviously it makes an impression on people - maybe it lies at the root of everyone's dreams.
So, with this clearly defined "purpose" I can stop thinking that I have to do this to sell lots of albums so I can make enough money to carry on doing this - which is the conditioned mindset that smothers me from time to time - but instead look forward in anticipation to a journey of discovery that is sure to bring a lot of surprises.

WRITING
I bought myself a new laptop - a notebook. It took so long for the old laptop to function that I never wanted to start the thing up. But this is a good laptop so I can get online quickly, onto my blog and get stuck into writing. But I don't write every day, which surprises me because I always thought that I would. I still write every day in my personal journal - with a pen on paper, and when I'm typing at the computer I enjoy the process...but sometimes I think my days are not eventful enough yet to share. When I'm travelling I expect to have lots to tell - but here, now, in Amsterdam where I spend most of my days at home... well that's not so exciting is it? But yesterday I wrote a short piece for Hubpages (an online writing community that I was active on a few years ago)... and that fired me up again. So I hope I can get back into regular posting, and step up this project into the next gear. The songs are nearly finished, we'll be starting the recording soon, my preparations for the journey are moving along, I'm getting a buzz back, personal obstacles have been conquered... and Christmas is on the doorstep. I'm surfing the crest of a high wave at this moment, and I don't want to lose this momentum.

OTHER THINGS
I'm getting my first smartphone soon - a friend has an old Samsung he can sell me cheaply. This should give me more options for video and photo documenting on my travels. An ex-colleague from the school is still wanting to sell his camper - I think it would be a good solution for me, but I need to get it sorted soon. I've been tentatively researching the "storytelling" scene in Europe... might be a good idea to base my travel route around these venue locations... at least to start off with. And I've actually started to get my house in order - in preparation for leaving it all behind!

And that's it for this post. I think it's time I tried my hand now at videoblogging... hmmmmm!

Song For The Protest Singer

SONG FOR THE PROTEST SINGER

For the faithful stand you displayed – and the glory songs you played

This one's for you

With my salute and respect – to your pen's skilled effect

For it wrote so true

In a time of troubles and wrongs – you gave your voice to the young

And the common man

Where many more never dared – you sang aloud to be heard

Or be damned

…..

With guitar on your shoulder – you stood wild as a soldier

Of the stage

And the truths you did shout – were like bullets ringing out

From your page

And your ballads and poems, written proud – were the anthems of a crowd

That had suffered too long

And the sonnets you sang were the creed – of an army you would lead

With your battle song

…..

With your choruses and chords – as bard and troubadour

You bared your soul

With your stories full of pain – of disillusion and shame

For the rights they stole

But the fears dissipated – and hopes were celebrated

In your rhyme

And your music gave them chance – for freedom and dance

In a changing time

…..

Ousting tyranny and fraud – Wielding pen as a sword

To the throats of those lords and presidents of propagation

You tore the cloaks from their lies – You filled their ears and their eyes

With the echoes of our cries – Stirred the conscience of a nation

You were our teeth and our tongues – Sharp as daggers in your songs

You were the voice that sang along – For a whole angry generation

…..

The truth be told, it is so – we've still a long way to go

And we're not there yet

But our souls won't be sold – and your songs won't get old

And we won't forget...

Utopian Dreams

Utopian Dreams

I’m going down to the land and the fields

Get myself back to the earth

Bathe my soul in the free flowing rivers

Open my heart for rebirth

I’m going to live with the beautiful people

The sons and the daughters of Eve

Lend my hands to the gardens of Gaia

A crown of bright flowers for to weave

I’ll burn the ways of an angry world behind me

Rise through the ashes of their fear

Join as one with my brothers and sisters

Create a new brave world for us here

From the soils that our fingers are turning

Sowing the seeds of our tree

Under the leaves of our love and our learning

Our children will grow to be free

I’m going down to the fields of our Mother

Back to the source of the stream

There I’ll dance and I’ll sing in her meadows

A song of Utopian dreams

Times Of Change

Times of Change

Daybreak pines, but your love it smiles

For your soul lies true in your heart

Blaze the old guard fires, but you know you’re alive

And your banners are heeled for the start

The day will long hours bring, but your heart shall sing

Oh pray now, be the brave now

C’mon and sing our song against the social wrong

Hail these… times of change

Make some noise, for a silenced voice

For the weak who long for their word

For the ones who cry, beaten down by lies

For the ones without rights to be heard

The fight will long time toil, but our bloods they boil

Heed the call now, heads will roll now

C’mon and break these chains, steer the drivers reins

Hear me, times are changing

Worlds go round, but the trumpets sound

For ears that are tuned to the times

For an equal chance, for all who dance

With freedom scratched on the signs

With a new respect for the long oppressed

For us all now, lest we fall now

C’mon and take this stride, for a changing tide

Hail these… times of change, times are changing…

Sadder Sun

SADDER SUN

It's all so clearly getting out of hand

It only takes a finger, to heed a fool's command

Be the biggest, be the first, the best

And sow the fears to put it to the test

In the heaven's blue our star it shines

But there's a sadder sun poised to burn the sky

Breaking atoms is the truth they said

But playing god they raised the devil up instead

---

Eye for eye and tooth for tooth is wrong

When it means we kill the earth we stand upon

And as we celebrate succes we fail

When there is no-one left to tell no-one the tale

We saw the horror and the cries we heard

Pacific islands lie as scars upon the earth

Skin as paper peels among the screams

A nightmare for us all to haunt us in our dreams

---

And all are waiting for the horns to sound

Cellar doors ajar, safety underground

A guide will tell you how you can survive

Maybe you'll be among the too few left alive

But will your children ever get the chance

To see their own children laugh and sing and dance

And how to tell them when the sirens start

A silent kiss away – how did we come so far?