iTunes Shuffle 1/2/15

1. David Berkeley - "The Well (Wait For The Rain)"
2. Vanessa Williams - "Save The Best For Last"
3. Rafter - "Mercy"
4. Danny Barnes - "Sleep"
5. David Wilcox - "Catch Me If I Try"
6. Daniel Melingo - "Montmartre de hoy"
7. Sufjan Stevens - "Casimir Pulaski Day"
8. Parenthetical Girls - "Evelyn McHale"
9. Evan Joseph Hurst - "Ruins" (demo)
10. Ane Brun - "These Days"

Well, here it is, the first mix of the year, and if the universe is trying to communicate with me through my iTunes (and why wouldn't it?), the message is clear. For several years now, while I've been working in other fields, I've been harboring a desire to make music, and I've been writing and singing and playing forever, but I just haven't gotten my shit together to make it happen. But I've recorded quite a few demos, and when the muse comes and I happen to be paying attention, I often capture those things in voice memos on my phone, all of which syncs to my iTunes. Never before in these mixes has one of my own songs come up. Until today. And never before have I put one of my own songs on the internet. Until today, I guess! And really, it's the right song to play the role of First.

"Ruins" is a song I wrote around this time of the year in late 2010/early 2011, inspired by a photograph of the ruins of a plantation house in Mississippi. One night or day, I don't remember which, I was looking at this photo and a story started to form, about a woman who lived in the house before it burned and the lost love she could never have and believed she would never recover from. She became the burned out ruins of the house in the song. Anyway, the song has changed a bit since this demo was recorded -- the bridge has morphed quite a bit -- but the bulk of the idea is there. One of these days, it will be a central piece of a record I'd like to make.

Remember, it's a demo. Not a finished song.



So, the rest of the mix features a lot of amazing singer/songwriters, which is kind of appropriate. There's a tango thrown in, as well. And Vanessa Williams.

Highlights among incredible songwriters:

1. David Berkeley (saw him open for Garrison Starr & was hooked)
2. Danny Barnes (incredible banjo-based artist -- I put the studio version of the song on this playlist, but the version on my shuffle was from his Daytrotter session and it's incredible. Why are you not a member of Daytrotter yet?)
3. David Wilcox (one of the best folk singers alive)
4. Sufjan Stevens (self-explanatory)
5. Ane Brun (Wow. And a really cool song to come after "Ruins" and close it.)

I want to write like they do. All those songs are worthy of listening to multiple times on repeat.