Category: Music
Back in the Saddle Again
Some of you may know that I lived a previous life as a songwriter and musician. Almost a decade ago, I gave up the recording and touring life for one that fosters stable relationships and is conducive to raising a family. During the past ten years, I’d pick up a guitar every now & then, or sit down at the keys whenever there was a piano around and play some songs. But that’s about it. And honestly, I didn’t miss it at all. Other things had taken music’s place in my life.
But yesterday I was invited to play some music with A Generous Act, a group of amazing musicians who are writing and recording an album here in Pittsburgh. I threw out a rough idea I had for a song and within an hour it had evolved into a beautiful tune with three-part harmonies and a building, transformational sing-along outro. The tentative title is Sound Came Falling. If it ends up making the record, I’ll be over the moon and will definitely post it here.
It felt really good to create again and I think this experience might be the shot in the arm I need to begin writing again. Thanks, A Generous Act.
Sadness, Sweat and Sometimes Blood
I used to make music quite regularly and for a (modest) living. I poured sadness into song, and spilled sweat and sometimes blood on stage for handfuls of people who paid a few bucks and honored us with their attention. We were often paid in booze and low percentages. I spent weeks at a time showerless and in a van, resting my head on a different floor in a different city almost every night. Toward the end we earned the privilege of Best Westerns and familiar faces.
I quit making this type of noise almost a decade ago.
People ask me all the time why I don’t make music anymore and I don’t really have a straight answer for them. I’ve been thinking hard about this lately. It’s bigger than family or responsibility, which both hold water as an argument. It’s bigger than burnout, which certainly played a part. The answer, I’ve come to realize, is happiness.
When I quit sadness, I inevitably quit this type of creativity. Out of the hundreds of songs I’ve written, all were driven by sadness. The best songs, in my book, were the saddest songs. They still are. But recently, an opportunity presented itself to make some music again. And I think I’m going to.
I forgot how great Superchunk was. Going through my CDs this morning looking for something different to get the day going, I picked up Indoor Living for the first time in about 8 years. Good stuff. They sure don’t make ’em like they used to…
Save Your Breath
This is a song that came together in a relatively short time. It’s funny how some songs take forever to mature and others just pour out in the matter of an hour or so. This song also marks the first time I’ve used inanimate objects for percussion purposes. I think I’ll definitely be using wine glasses again in the future. Here you go.
A Note of Thanks
I just wanted to thank everyone who came out to the show at Club Cafe last night. I had a lot of fun, although I felt my vocals were a little off due to this dreaded cold I’ve fighting for the last few days. It was really nice to see Jake and Arielle, old neighbors of ours that recently moved across town into swanky new digs.
I’m not sure when the next show will be, as school is really starting to pick up. The research papers, discourse analyses and interpretive theses are coming one after the other with no sign of slowing down. Graduation is on May 7th. I don’t know if I can make it.
The Swallow
If this song sounds familiar, it’s because the demo version was on the “LeapYear EP” that Michael and I put out last year. This version is different in the fact that there is some piano and reed organ. I feel the vocals are stronger as well. Hope you likey!
New Music (Sort of)
Now that the semester is over, I’ll have much more time to concentrate on writing and recording new material. Because I haven’t uploaded new music in quite some time, I’ve decided to post a previously unreleased song that I recorded a while ago. It’s a completely different vibe than the new stuff I’m writing, as it is performed by the band I was playing with at the time. I hope you like it.
Credits: Words and Music by Jeffrey D. Inscho Recorded at Mountainside Studio Engineered and Mixed by Rich Ruscigno and Jeffrey
Dimebag Darrell RIP
Some of you may have heard by now about the shooting in Columbus, Ohio last night. The shooting, at a Damageplan (x-Pantera) show, left 4 dead and more injured. Among the dead was the influential and highly underrated guitarist, Dimebag Darrell. This is a sad occurrence and my heart goes out to all that were affected by this complete disregard for human life.
Those of you who know me well know that I love metal music, although I’ve evolved into writing and listening to a different genre. Early on in my musical journey I cut my teeth on the likes of Metallica, Megadeath and Pantera. When I was in the seventh grade, my first band ever covered the Pantera song “This Love” off of their 2nd album A Vulgar Display of Power. I remember that song being the highlight of the set at our first show, inciting a degree of moshing only exceeded by Pantera playing the song themselves. I was fortunate to have been able to see Pantera play twice. Each time the energy, emotion and technical skill were outstanding. Their ability to energize an audience goes unmatched.
Dimebag Darrell’s guitar style was aggressive, methodical and unrelenting, teaching me the importance of using intensity as a tool to convey emotion through music. This is a lesson that I’ve always remembered and taken with me into any project I’ve been involved with, regardless of genre. While I’ve been out of the metal loop for quite some time, I feel sad about the events of last night. My only hope is that this incident will not tarnish metal’s image of being a relatively non-violent method of expression. Rest in Peace, Dimebag. We miss you already.
Alone on Stage
I just received word that I’ll be opening for the amazing Bob Mould. The show is on Tuesday, November 16th at the Rex Theatre on Pittsburgh’s southside. Hope to see alot of you there.
For those of you unfamiliar with Bob’s work, he was a member of two great bands before going solo. Husker Du was, and continues to be, an extremely influential group. They were one of the first to show that you could combine melody with intensity. Sugar, Bob’s band after Husker Du, continued where the Du left off. In my opinion, Sugar’s melodies and subject matter were a little more advanced than that of Husker Du. Two of my all-time favorite songs, “Hoover Dam” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, come from Sugar’s Copper Blue album.
