Their names.

33 of them. I can’t stop thinking about them.

1. Luis Alberto Urzúa Irribarren
2. Florencio Ávalos Silva
3. Renán Anselmo Ávalos Silva
4. Samuel Ávalos Acuña
5. Osman Isidro Araya Araya
6. Carlos Bugueño Alfaro
7. Pedro Cortez Contreras
8. Carlos Alberto Barrios Contreras
9. Jonny Barrios Rojas
10. Víctor Segovia Rojas
11. Darío Arturo Segovia Rojo
12. Mario Sepúlveda Espinaze
13. Franklin Lobos Ramírez
14. Roberto López Bordones
15. Jorge Galleguillos Orellana
16. Víctor Zamora Bugueño
17. Jimmy Alejandro Sánchez Lagues
18. Omar Orlando Reigada Rojas
19. Ariel Ticona Yáñez
20. Claudio Yáñez Lagos
21. Pablo Rojas Villacorta
22. Juan Carlos Águila Gaeta
23. Juan Andrés Illanes Palma
24. Richard Villarroel Godoy
25. Raúl Enrique Bustos Ibáñez
26. José Henríquez Gonzalez
27. Edison Peña Villarroel
28. Álex Richard Vega Salazar
29. Daniel Herrera Campos
30. Mario Gómez Heredia
31. Carlos Quispe
32. José Ojeda
33. William Órdenes

Who’s afraid of New York Wolves? (And also writing songs. And not really wolves – more like coyotes).

I WAS able to break through and write songs during my rural escape. And, have been able to write more now that I’m back in NYC. The scariest part of the week in the country was – actually – the sensation of being in the middle of NOWHERE without neighbors closeby.

Did you know that at night it is really dark outside? Yeah, I didn’t know that. Also, did you know that when you’re not surrounded by 1.5 million people you can get a little freaked out?

Well ya can.

Wassssup here’s some affection in pdf.

Hello! I’ve gotten some requests for the lyrics to songs … here are the lyrics to all the songs on Wake Up Love – especially for you beauties who have downloaded from overseas. P.S. I love you for that.

Just click for download:  Wake Up Love digibook

The undisclosed location.

Next week I will be outside of New York City with no distractions, no email, no facebook, no car horns, no obligations, no meeting meeting buzz buzz lunch gig meeting!

The reason I’m going away isn’t to relax – it’s to write songs.  Soon I will see this place for myself but for now here are some pictures from the website of a 100-acre property that a composer friend and I will share for a week.  The agenda:  write all morning, be in nature, write in the afternoon some more, eat simple food, and then write some more.

I’ve often dreamt of taking a trip to a secluded place in order to write.  When I was writing for the album I would wake up an hour early and sit in my bedroom.  Life in NYC is harried – and a daily hour seemed like all I could set aside.  The hour would start off like this:   plant myself at my desk, stare at the computer screen (lyrics often come first) and say, “Lord, I’m here … please oh please oh please send me a song.”  Occasionally, He would.

Squeezing minutes out of a hectic life for songwriting has made me crave a consecrated length of time only to write.  Next week, I will get that. You’d think I’d be thrilled. But I’ve been surprised by my actual response which has been abject, ABJECT fear.

I will be in a beautiful, inspiring place with no one but myself and my thoughts.  But WHAT IF?  WHAT IF no songs come?  WHAT IF there are no ideas?  WHAT IF there are no melodies?  WHAT IF the songwriting thing is a sham?  WHAT IF I have nothing to show?

WHAT IF?

Of course, I have high hopes for a different outcome.  But the wall-of-fear I experience before going away next week intrigues me.  And, as in most things in life, I find that the only way around is through.  So here is the fear, and I’ll go through it.

MP

Is it kind? Is it necessary?.

Have been thinking about words.  I’ve heard that the 2 questions below are good ones to ask before saying ANYTHING.  In life-in-general, I agree. If I were to ask these 2 questions before speaking I’d probably spare myself a lot of conflict and a lot of gossipy nothingness that I tend to regret.

But what about as an artist?  What about the artist’s life-in-general?  Some would argue that art is not necessary (they’re wrong) and some would argue that art can be unkind (it can be).

A dear friend recently stumbled upon something written about him on the internet. It was hurtful and scathing and a little bit true.  It was a result of a lot of mistakes. It was a laundry list of complaints and written in the name of “art.”

Talking with him about it made me wonder about songs and the lyrics to songs. What makes a lyric art?  And what makes a lyric little more than a venting of personal frustrations and feelings?

I can’t help but think that every word – no matter the setting – should be justified and weighed to see if it will do damage.  I can’t help but think that artists have a unique call to be careful with words.  Is each one necessary?  Is each one kind?

Happy Summer. I still drink hot tea.

People love to complain about summer in New York City but I love to LOVE IT.  The city slows down and goes from a cold, unrelenting churn to a lazy, nap-inducing haze that would make any southerner happy.  I guess I wanted to use some adjectives in that last sentence.

I am grateful to Under the Radar for featuring several songs from Wake Up Love on the radio program – and also for calling it one of the Best Albums of 2010 so far.  I am in great company on that list with artists like Dave Barnes, Tyler James & Andy Gullahorn (whose cover art from The Law of Gravity still makes me go WOW – a study in amazing typography).

And the latest, will be writing and singing songs for a childrens feature coming out next year based on the childrens novel by Eric Reinhold.  The book & the movie are called Ryann Watters & The Kings Sword.

Hope you are out there.  Staying cool but staying warm (get it?).  Drinking cold drinks & enjoying your friends.

MP

This was fun.

The Rabbit Room makes me happy again.

Hello.  There’s been a lot going on in New York City … I want to write all about it soon.

For now, though, you can check out “Wake Up Love” for free at the Rabbit Room today.  Why?  WHY YOU ASK?  Cuz it’s the song of the day, that’s why.  You can also download the whole album for $7.

Click here.

How are you doing?

The New Rockwood ...

…has a green room.  Thought you might like to know.

The Interwebs.

Recently some nice folks have been writing about Wake Up Love on the Interweb.  ”Blogs” I think they’re called.  All the rage.  Anyway – here are the links just for fun.

Take Your Vitamin Z

Dash House

Reformissionary

Also have been so inspired recently by some of the artists in my life.  I kinda would rather write about them.  I think I will soon.  Oh, by the way, herewith some random photos from my life via various iPhones.