Life, family, and music.
(From Aaron’s book On Songwriting: Practical Tips and Insights from a Decade in Music City) I’m often asked by songwriters whether or not they should move to Nashville. I remember asking my Nashville songwriter friends the same question when I lived in Denver. What they (and I) were really asking was, “Do you think I […]
Should You Move to Nashville? Read More »
Great question. You know, it’s different with albums than it is with singles. To be honest, it’s one part feel, one part marketing. One time, I asked my old label if we could just use an image without my name or any title on it. This seemed reasonable to me since, with the way people
Stephen asks, “How do you choose an album or single artwork?” Read More »
Absolutely. Back in 2003, I first heard Damien Rice’s debut album, O, in a friend’s car. I was devastated, thinking he was doing exactly what I wanted to do, but better. I felt depressed for a while, but then I grew to appreciate his work and use it as inspiration. I even incorporated elements inspired by
Around 2007, my wife remembered a book she’d read in a college creative writing class called The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo. She gave me her copy, and honestly, I’m not sure I would have written many of the songs I’ve written without it. Although it’s about poetry, its lessons apply equally to songwriting and storytelling.
This Book Taught Me to Write Better Read More »
Deep Work This was my introduction to Cal Newport. In March 2024, I changed much of my work behavior based on this book. Learn more. Profit First Don’t let the title fool you. It’s not “profit over people” or anything like that. I took over our finances in September without even knowing our bank account
For Songwriters: Top 3 Books I Read in 2024 Read More »
This Is Happiness I recommended this way back in January (I think). It’s a fictional story about a small village in Ireland when they were first getting electricity installed. Utterly fascinating (e.g., 100-watt bulbs revealing the true nature of a face, a place, and all the missed cobwebs). It’s also about a 17-year-old, coming of
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Just the other day, I had an opportunity to arrange a song for a commercial. As I thought about how the opportunity actually came to me, I had to go back fifteen years. It was a relationship made that long ago, which was yielding results now. That’s how long some opportunities take. The groundwork is
Sustaining a Career Read More »
It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re about seven or eight. Your family has this tradition of opening gifts on the night before Christmas. You’re pretty sure the reason is to convince your young brain that there’s no Santa Claus. How could there be? It’s 9 PM. He hasn’t even hooked up his sleigh yet. Furthermore, your
I don’t perform very often, so each time I do, I go through these steps. I used to wing it, but I realized that a lot of my anxiety came from that. Now, here’s what I do. STEP 1: Brainstorm Songs I work backwards from the end result. I’m not just playing songs; I’m serving
How I Practice for a Concert: 11 Steps Read More »
Hi Keeth, Great questions! I wasn’t sure how many songs I’ve written—I’ve referenced 800 before—but I checked my PRO (ASCAP) today, December 3, 2024. It looks like I’ve written 1,024 songs (registered), which is more than I thought. There are likely 50 to 100 that I haven’t submitted because I was probably ashamed of them.