Dream Cut Series: Settlin’ Down with Worktape Video

As I mentioned in a prior post, I decided to kick off a new branch of my blog called the Dream Cut Series. In this series, I’ll be discussing the artists that I imagined singing the songs as I wrote them, and the vibe I was going for. As many of you know, my musical skills are limited, so I rarely actually get the songs where I want them to be, but I try.

To start the Dream Cut Series, it only seemed fitting to talk about a song that has a line in it that came from a dream I had about co-writing with one of my idols. In this dream, from what I can remember, I was sitting there with Gary Allan. We were chit-chatting and working on writing something, when he looked up, kinda shugged off a cold chill, and said “Whoo, I felt my guardian angel fly a little too close that time”. I woke up right after that line, picked up my phone and typed it in, then went back to bed.  I was bound and determined to use that line in a song someday.

Fast forward to the May Songwriting Challenge.

I had jotted down that line to use during the challenge, but never really “felt” it. Then Aaron challenged me to that non-rhyming nonsense. At that point, I was at a cross-roads with the line. It was on my mind but I couldn’t get the vibe I wanted, so I used it as my inspiration for the non-rhyming...thing. Amazingly, the non-rhyming exercise helped a lot. I’m so used to writing around my rhymes that the line content suffers for the sake of the rhyme. By not rhyming at all, I had a song full of concepts that just needed finesse and direction. So when I re-wrote it the next day, I considered my dream, when the rhyme came from my idol, and I wrote with a “let’s make this a Gary song” mindset.

The whole time I wrote this, I was going for that edgy, bluesy, country rock vibe. Instead of writing commercial and imagining it on the radio, I imagined it as a filler on his next album. Let’s just say track 8; starting to wind things down, but still has a little kick, with a play on words. I mean, a song called Settlin’ Down can’t really be about taking it easy. With the vibe I was going for, Settlin’ Down into a rockstar, on the edge, pedal to the metal lifestyle was exactly what I was looking for.  Of course, when I recorded it, I had to go electric to get a little harshness and edge. Edge was pretty much the theme of this whole song. Edgy edge edginess. The thing I really like about this one is that it is rough. It doesn’t fit together perfectly, it doesn’t hit the major themes on radio, but that’s the whole point of the piece. It’s simply “this is how I live my life and I won’t be changing anytime soon” song, which makes it so much fun.

Heart In A Bottle Worktape Video

Took some time this morning to record Heart in a Bottle. This was the first song I wrote in the May Songwriting Challenge and it has been on my mind since then! I’d love to maybe learn  ukulele someday because I feel like it might go really well with this tune! Drop me a comment and let me know what you think!

Dream Cuts; The Blessing and the Curse

It's taken me a while to come around to writing this one. I feel like this is a pretty universal feeling: Every writer has a list of "Dream Cuts"...maybe even "Wildest Dream Cuts". At least in my case, a lot of my writings are influenced by these "Dream Cuts". Sure, I can write with others in mind, but somewhere in the depths of my soul, I'm hearing certain artists wail the notes I'm imagining. I'm feeling the solos that I can't play, but that I can interpret from the song. Dream cuts are an amazing motivator.

Then comes a day when that dream cut simply ceases to exist. I'll never forget the day that it happened. For years, I'd been writing thinking "All I need to do is get published, then get some cowrites going, and if we work hard enough, it'll happen."

September 8, 2017. That's when the dream ended. I was checking social media to keep tabs on the island, which had just been destroyed by Irma when I first saw the news. I thought it was a hoax. There was no way it could be true.

For years, I'd told everyone that someday, somehow, I'd get a Montgomery Gentry cut. I was the idiot fan breaking all of the rules of the industry by handing off a demo CD to a stage hand after a show, knowing that it would end up in the trash, but holding onto the dream. I relentlessly held onto that dream for as long as I can remember. Just like that, I woke to the reality that the dream wouldn't come true.

Now, I know that the band is carrying on as best as they can, and that they are even releasing new music.  But somewhere in the depths of my being, I feel that the dream is now nothing more than a memory. Sure, I'll keep writing with Montgomery Gentry in mind, but it's just not quite the same. To be honest, it kept me from writing for months. I was scared to even acknowledge my other "Dream Cuts". Of course, I know the odds of them actually coming true are one in a million, but the chance that they could, maybe, possibly, actually happen fueled me for years. I didn't want to feel the heartbreak again.

But now, I finally feel like I might be ready to dream again. I mean, it's no secret that Gary Allan is my other big "Dream Cut", and lately I've been feeling island vibes (I mean, just look at the blog revamp!), so Kenny is another one. Instead of fearing the end of the dream, I finally feel like I can just ride the wave, enjoy the surf, and hang on until I either come out on top or the tide fizzles out. Dream cuts can bring loss, but they are also one of my biggest motivators. So from this point on, I'm going to launch a "Dream Cuts" series. I'm going to try to post more videos, and actually share who I have in mind while I'm writing. I hope y'all will join me on this journey as I develop my craft and once more reach for the stars.

Looking Back; Reflecting on the May Songwriting Challenge

If you’ve followed my blog at all during the past month, you know that I took part in the Song-a-Day May Songwriting Challenge. The challenge began with a callout from the founder of a songwriting group that I joined on Facebook named “The Sounding Board: A Roots and Rhinestones Songwriters Critique Group.” As I have been in a bit of a songwriting rut these last several months, I thought that this challenge would help me break out and get back into the groove of things a bit. 

I bought a new notebook and went to town. After titling the first page “Hooks, Lines & Stinkers”, I jotted down a list of different concepts to use for inspiration down the road. Some of these came out of the blue, on the drive to work, or from things that I’d heard from strangers throughout the say. Some of them came from conversations that I’d had with my honey, where we’d pause after saying something completely random, and both agree about how that’d be a good line for a song. Some of them were ideas that I’d started and completely forgotten about. 

The challenge kicked off with a bang. I finally felt like I was back in the game, and I was enjoying writing. I mean, I was truly enjoying writing, for the first time in months. For so long, I’d been my own worst critic, beating myself up over lame lines to the point where I eventually talked myself out of completing anything. Since this challenge was an exercise in quantity, not particularly quality, I was able to let my hair down a little and just write. Now, it wasn’t all rainbows and kittens, I still beat myself up over lines not being clever enough and hooks not being catchy, but I learned to accept them.

That all changed about half-way through the month. The self-doubt kicked in and I began to dread sitting down with that notebook during my lunch break or after work. I procrastinated, fell behind, caught up, fell behind, caught up, fell behind, and wrote eight in a two-and-a-half-hour session as the final push to complete the challenge. With that whole non-rhyming exercise thrown in there, it became a chore. I’m not saying it was all bad, but the quality of my lyrics suffered, and I felt ashamed to claim them as my work. 

After the challenge, I decided to take a breather for a week and reflect. The challenge, though it was frustrating at times (I mean, no rhyming. At all. AT ALL, Y’ALL!) really helped me to grow as a writer. It helped me to accept the fact that I don’t have to write something that I am trying to pitch every time that I pick up a pen, and that sometimes chilling out and writing for the sake of writing is the best way to pick yourself out of a rut. Will I be doing a challenge like this again? Sure. In the near future? Heck no. I’m a quality over quantity gal, and posting low quality lyrics killed me, but it was another stepping stone in the process and I know I will be stronger after this challenge. 

In the next few months, I’ll be looking back at some of the things that I’ve written, re-writing, and hopefully playing them out to get some feedback. My dream is still to play the Bluebird open mic before I turn 30…I have several months left so hopefully I can turn one of these challenge songs into something Bluebird quality and make that dream come true.

May Songwriting Challenge- Day 31: Right On The Money

And with this, the May Songwriting Challenge comes to a close. I’ve officially written more this month than I have in the past year. It was full of ups and down, and I finally feel like my muses have returned to inspire. To wrap this challenge up, I decided to finish one that has been in the back of my mind for a few months. I’ve had the chorus, but the verses just weren’t coming to me. That all changed this morning on my drive into work. I first got this idea after a quarter beer night at the Bluebird (nightclub, not café) and thought it’d be fun to write a song about broke girls going out on ladies night. 

Right on the Money

© 2018 Chelsey Sears

V1:

Once bills are paid, most my hard work ‘s spent

Countin’ down the days ‘til my next check

So hard for broke girls to have any fun

But once a week, that old marquis

Reads “ladies get in free”

Like a beacon calling out to us

CH:

Times are tough and the struggle’s real

So let’s belly on up for a quarter beer

With a crowd thin as dollar wells

We’ll have the whole dance floor to ourselves

With some “best I’ve ever heard” cover band

And a watered down “who knows?” light in hand

Tip my last two bucks for “yeah she’s country”

Tonight’s been right on the money

V2:

I’ve got a Lincoln burnin’ a hole

Let’s see how far this bad boy goes

Start things off with a rough whiskey shot

One down, four large to go

Double Washingtons refill my solo

Eight times as the night rolls on

CH:

Times are tough and the struggle’s real

So let’s belly on up for a quarter beer

With a crowd thin as dollar wells

We’ll have the whole dance floor to ourselves

With some “best I’ve ever heard” cover band

And a watered down “who knows?” light in hand

Tip my last two bucks for “yeah she’s country”

Tonight’s been right on the money

BR:

Yeah just gotta make the best of what we have

Raising cane on a shoestring budget tab

CH:

Times are tough and the struggle’s real

So let’s belly on up for a quarter beer

With a crowd thin as dollar wells

We’ll have the whole dance floor to ourselves

With some “best I’ve ever heard” cover band

And a watered down “who knows?” light in hand

Tip my last two bucks for “yeah she’s country”

Tonight ’s been right on the money

Dance to a “best I’ve ever heard” cover band

With a watered down “who knows?” light in hand

Tip my last two bucks for “yeah, she’s country”

Tonight ’s been right on the money

May Songwriting Challenge- May 30: Karma

Well…it was down to the wire, but do y’all remember when I said I was going to say armadillo in a song? Look, look, look!!! Look at the first verse! Line 4! I SAID ARMADILLO!!! Yay! Why did I want to say armadillo? Because armadillos are armadorable and it’s my songwriting blog so I can write what I want to write, gosh darnit!

Karma

© 2018 Chelsey Sears

V1:

You think it serves you well

To play us women like a fiddle

Hidin’ way in your shell

Some Amarillo armadillo

Popping up, at the worst of times

Rolling in, on that wave of pride

Mastered the heartbreak game

Yeah that charm goes a long, long way

CH:

But someday, you’ll meet your match

Tables can turn, just like that

Fallin’s harder when you’re the one on the ground

Baby, karma, it’s comin’ ‘round, comin’ ‘round

V2:

Boy they’re more than rumors

Wildly circulatin’

Yeah, you’ll find the truth hurts

When you’re on your own, facin’

The facts, your track history

No, girls won’t wanna gamble

Say you’ve changed, but honestly

It’s just more empty ramble

CH:

Someday, you’ll meet your match

Tables can turn, just like that

Fallin’s harder when you’re the one on the ground

Baby, karma, it’s comin’ ‘round, comin’ ‘round

BR:

No it shouldn’t be so tough to figure out

That escapades, they don’t go too far, in a small town

CH:

Someday, you’ll meet your match

Tables can turn, just like that

Fallin’s harder when you’re the one on the ground

Baby karma, it’s comin’ ‘round, comin’ ‘round

May Songwriting Challenge- Day 29: Write On

So, I’ve written this one once…and absolutely hated it. But, on a day when I’ve gone crazy writing, it seems that a song about writing should be my last one to throw together. The Starbucks is closing in ten minutes and I’m officially caught up for the first time in a few weeks!

Write On

© 2018 Chelsey Sears

INTRO:

If your heart ’s got a rhythm, and your soul ’s got a song

Set them free, write on, write on

V1:

You could be a legend, or still stuck in the closet

With a Gibson, or yard sale guitar, strings all rusted

If you’ve got a dream, turn it loose, let it fly

Never know where it might lead, unless you try

CH:

Ideas jotted on bar napkins

Rhymes, lines and hooks, tryin’ to add a twist

Some may laugh, but don’t hold back

Yeah, set out to prove ‘em wrong

If your heart ’s got a rhythm, and your soul ’s got a song

Set them free, write on, write on

V2:

In a studio, or pulled over beside the road

When the spirit hits you, gotta let it flow

Melodies, hummin’ in your head, day in day out

‘Til you find that sweet sweet sound

CH:

Ideas jotted on bar napkins

Rhymes, lines and hooks, tryin’ to add a twist

Some may laugh, but don’t hold back

Yeah, set out to prove ‘em wrong

If your heart ’s got a rhythm, and your soul ’s got a song

Set them free, write on, write on

BR:

Through your highs, through your lows

To the edge and beyond

possibilities endless

Write on, write on

Write on, write on

CH:

Ideas jotted on bar napkins

Rhymes, lines and hooks, tryin’ to add a twist

Some may laugh, but don’t hold back

Yeah, set out to prove ‘em wrong

If your heart ’s got a rhythm, and your soul ’s got a song

Set them free, write on, write on

May Songwriting Challenge- Day 28: Two Tequilas Ago

Almost there folks! I’m almost there! My goal is to catch up by 2:00, so I can hopefully go get my oil changed before our drive to Indiana next weekend. Plus, this starbucks is closing at 2 for a store meeting, so time to hustle! File this one under another one of our “hey, that’d be a fun song” conversations at dinner time. My boyfriend has really been a trooper throughout this challenge, listening to my lyrics and letting me vent my frustrations.

Two Tequilas Ago

© 2018 Chelsey Sears

V1:

The ones who say “don’t run from your problems”

Have obviously, never lost in love

‘Cause my first instinct to solve ‘em

Is to buckle down, with wheels up

Panama City, for the weekend

Rented myself a red corvette

Which helped me pick up a new friend

Sweet little local brunette

CH:

Watchin’ the waves from a beach cantina

She’s sippin’ on mango magaritas

No, I’m not too far behind

Lickin’ salt, suckin limes

A perfect mix, her sunburnt lips, and a taste of Mexico

Yeah, I forgot why I miss you, ‘Bout to tequilas ago

V2:

Band started to play, that girl can salsa

I’ve never seen a woman move quite like that

I don’t usually dance, but man I wanna

Maybe it’s the Cuervo, but I ain’t holdin’ back

She laughed at my moves

Then pulled me in real close

Said “how ‘bout another round

Then you can walk me home”

CH:

Watchin’ the waves from a beach cantina

She’s sippin’ on mango magaritas

No, I’m not too far behind

Lickin’ salt, suckin limes

A perfect mix, her sunburnt lips, and a taste of Mexico

Yeah, I forgot why I miss you, ‘Bout to tequilas ago

BR:

So baby, enjoy your life, with whatever his face

Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a double shot with my name

CH:

Watchin’ the waves from a beach cantina

She’s sippin’ on mango magaritas

No, I’m not too far behind

Lickin’ salt, suckin limes

A perfect mix, her sunburnt lips, and a taste of Mexico

Yeah, I forgot why I miss you, ‘Bout to tequilas ago