The Band

You’ve been writing songs for a few years.  Which one is your favorite and why?
The last time this question was asked, my answer was “Durango.”  And while I still do love playing that song and feeding off the crowd with it, it’s not my favorite anymore (sorry Durango…).  I’ve written a LOT of new stuff, and to be quite honest, I don’t know I could pick just one.  My answer changes from day to day, but if I had to answer it right now, I’d have to say “The Night is Calling Me.”  Like Durango, it’s another high-energy.  But unlike Durango, it has a lot of timing changes which I think just makes the song explode at certain points.  It’s less of a jam song and more of a melodic piece, and I think it’s a great example of how my songwriting hasn’t necessarily changed, but matured.  There’s also this new tune I wrote called “Could You Help Me Out” that Charlie gave me idea for when he was messing around on the drums during rehearsal.  It was written that night and hasn’t been outta my head since.  It’s a fun, groovy song with a good beat to it.

What do you do when you are writing a song and it feels like a dud?
I lock myself in my room and rethink my life… okay no, not really.  I don’t immediately toss it out never to be heard or played again.  I give it time.   Play it at a few shows.  Play it during rehearsal.  But if it doesn’t stick, or just doesn’t sound good enough, I move on and don’t worry about it.  I don’t think a “dud” has ever been resurrected and rewritten to be performed again.  At least with the way I write songs, when they work, they work right off the bat and it sticks.  And when I don’t work, I don’t linger on them once I decide not to play them anymore.