My wife played it over and over, watching the reaction of the crowd and the judges.  And, of course, before Susan Boyle was Paul Potts.  Another great and amazing story.  It’s always fun rooting for the underdogs.   Even UNDERDOG  himself.  Two of my favorite underdog stories are Miracle on Ice and Rocky, the original, not the 14 others that followed.

So here we are, Paul Potts sold over 2 million copies of his debut album.  I’m sure Susan Boyle is well on her way to selling a boatload herself.  What’s next?  Are we going to load Simon Cowell and the rest of the judges on a rocket ship and send them to Jupiter.  Just as they appear exhausted from not finding any life/talent, behold, descending from the gaseous clouds appears a strange, shy lifeform.  Yes, life on Jupiter!!  Perhaps the greatest space exploratory discovery ever!!

But that’s not all.  Perhaps buoyed by the helium in the environment, the humble, yet exotic creature sings a high pitched yet beautiful melodious song, which to Simon and everyone else’s surprise, is actually Angel of Music from Phantom of the Opera. 

As he/she/it finishes the song, it rises up in the clouds and fades away, leaving everyone breathless. 

Of course, they captured it all on video and uploaded it to YouTube, and the world was shocked again when there was millions upon millions of hits, a single released, and the launching of a new show, Jupiter’s Got Talent, which would later expand to The Galaxy’s Got Talent.

Greg, Before Day

Do the other letters make fun of Y.  “Hey Y, Y aren’t you like the other vowels?  Come on tell us, Y not?”

It’s bad enough that Y is only a vowel some of the time.  That’s got to lead to some level of identity crisis.  But on top of that, Y is also the only letter that is a question .  Y?  Who knows.  Y probably stays up at night just thinking about it.  Maybe Y stares out into the wild blue yonder and angrily screams out,  ”Y!!!”  “Y me.” 

It’s too much for one letter.  And if all that isn’t enough, Y is ahead of only one other letter.  There are 24 other letters looking back at Y.  And on those rare days when Y has the confidence to brag to that other letter, Y’s words fall on deaf ears, as the lone letter behind him is catching some Z’s. 

And that’s just one of the vowels.  I have some thoughts on the others as well. 

Until next time,

Greg, Before Day

Is it just me?

What am I so paranoid about?  Someone sneaking up and taking off with my cart?  What are they going to do, run away from me up and down the aisles?  Actually, that’s an amusing thought.  Now I’ve just switched from paranoia to wanting someone to take my cart.

I might have to wander a little further away from it in order to draw people in.  That’s definitely going to be out of my comfort zone, but its worth a try.  If anything, it will answer the question as to if there is a reason to be paranoid about people stealing your cart. 

Of course there’s not.  But somehow it seems a little more fun to play around with the idea of someone wanting my cart rather than being freakishly insecure of people walking close to it as I peer from down the aisle.

Either way, it’s probably strange.  But that’s what I have for you tonight.

Greg, Before Day

As the moniker suggests, Before Day, I have enough on my plate, just as much of you, during the day to more than occupy my time and attention.  I often get in the mode of pushing the songwriting thing down.   I tell myself, among other things:

• “there’s only so many hours in the day”
• “it’s time to grow up”
• “you’ve got responsibilities man, forget this stuff rolling around in your brain”

Well that works for a little.  And everything is fine, in a soul-depleting kind of way.  But then it happens.  The spring bursts open.  The water splashes to the sky. 

And I’m in my “music room” writing songs all night.   And I do mean all night.  And as I make my way to work the next morning, that Rock Star I get at Circle K is not because I’m dreaming of being one. 

So I’ve tried to find a more balanced approach.  To listen for those times when I need to get a way.  To give myself the freedom to interrupt the everyday responsibilities, if just for a moment, to hear my heart.  To get out a little bit of what it is trying to say. 

I can turn it off but it always finds a crack, a weak lining, and then it breaks through like a dam bursting. 

And guess what, I don’t want to turn it off.  I am always curious as to what the next song is.  How, in some way I cannot comprehend, letting it out helps me to understand myself and the world.  That’s the way I’m wired I guess and what’s wrong with that.

It’s inconvenient at times.  It’s frustrating as I would love the world to hear what I hear in my little room.  But it’s also a joy. 

Here’s to breaking away to music rooms, singing into cellphones and message machines, writing down lyrics on napkins and all kinds of fun adventures.

greg, before day

Even as I start to write this blog, I am feeling like I am going into the place where you’re not supposed to go.  Challenging the sacred cow, so to say.  But as I do so, I do so respectively.  So here I go.

I have had a love affair with the Beatle’s music for many years.  I remember a friend introducing them to me and from that point on, I lived my own little Beatlemania over the weeks to follow.  And what I find so amazing about their music is that I can still grab Sgt. Peppers, Rubber Soul or any other Beatles CD’s, and I hearken back to those days, the music as fresh today as it was then.

So here I am about to question the greatness of one of the best, if not the best, album of all time, Sgt. Peppers (SP)?  Why would I do that?  After all, it is heralded by many as the single greatest breakthrough in rock-n-roll history.  A Day in the Life is a masterpiece just in itself.  Well, here’s why.

The Beatles were at the height of their creativity, wanting to turn the world upside down.  They had two of the greatest songwriters of all time (McCartney and Lennon) and another great one (Harrison).  They had one of the greatest producers of all time (George Martin).  And most important of all, they were popular enough to be able to call the shots and take as much time and money as they needed.

How many times does that happen?  Not too often.  And matter of fact, as a songwriter, I envy that situation.  Of course SP is amazing.  But I wonder, what would my SP be like if someone gave me the keys to the studio, told me to create the best damn music I knew how, gave me George Martin and a group of the best musicians at my beckon call…given a seemingly unlimited budget of time and money.

I don’t know.  And it’s worthy of laughter for me to compare myself with the Beatles.  I’m just saying, as a creative, as a songwriter, as a person that has visions of grandeur, it would be the chance of a lifetime.  Maybe I’ll have that chance one day, but if not, I’ll always wonder two things:

1.  Is Sgt. Peppers so great after all?

2.  What would my Sgt. Peppers look and sound like?

I got to go.  All this talk about the Beatles makes me want to throw Revolver on.

greg, before day

Here I am trying to find the little time I actually have to promote Enjoy the Show, a collection of 12 original songs, which by the way I think are great songs.  And you should buy all of them.  Twice. 

And where is my mind?  It’s writing tons of new songs.  It’s thinking of a script for a movie.  Yes, a movie.  Why?  Who knows.  When your brain tilts to the right, you constantly get pulled into the world of creating things.  And so I find myself saying, “too much not enough.”  Too many ideas.  Not enough time to implement them.  Too much time spent on new projects.  Not enough time focusing on the one I just finished.

I guess in the perfect world, i would just be creating.  Not worrying about finding an audience or selling CD’s or getting scripts placed or (fill in the blank here).  But few actually have that freedom and most certainly not indie artists.  There’s way too much work.  Too much.

MySpace.  Facebook.  Twitter.  Travel.  Shows.  Emails.  Bulletins. 

Not enough.

Creating.   Dreaming.  Brainstorming.  Trying something new…

Reality is hard for a wide-eyed optimist dreamer.  Reality, however, demands that I, and indie artists and musicians, find the time to promote our music.

Why?

So we can earn the right to have a little more not enough time to create something we hope will change the world.

Greg, Before Day

You can post it on YouTube 5 minutes later and load it to MySpace and Facebook a minute after that.  And then Twitter and Blog about it. 

There you go.  Music made. Video made.  Simple.  Free.  Just a little time and poof, you got it.  And then the whole world gathers around, views it millions of times and falls in love with the music and the artist and the rest is history.

That happens just like catching lightning in a bottle happens.  It can happen.  It does happen.  But let’s focus on the other 9,999 songs that were done that way.  Can’t hear the voice real well.  Guitar is out of tune.  Song needs an arrangement.  More instruments.  And so on.  Well, guess what, the song was sung into a mic in the middle of a room.  And you’re listening to it free.  Enough said.

You want something professional.  That was arranged.  Mixed.  Great musicianship.  Great songwriting.  Levels are right.  Vocals and music is on key.  Well, that costs money.  It takes time.  And guess what, it’s not free.  Ford can’t sell their trucks for $6,000 if it takes $8,000 to make.  If they did, goodbye to all the jobs of the workers at the Ford plant.

Same with musicians.  Most are scratching to get by, to save enough money to record a song or two or possibly a whole CD.  So, it takes their time and money, not to mention their unique talents and inspiration. 

And we expect them to give it away.  Why?  So they can’t ever do it again.  So they can’t grow as artists?  We’ll continue this conversation, but I will veer to another direction…don’t want to kick a dead horse. 

Or a live one for that matter.  So I will leave you with this thought.  Music matters. 

To be continued…

I don’t expect to fill up my grocery cart and just roll it right by the register without paying.

Or go to a gallery and pick out a painting, take it off the wall and walk right out.

So, how did it happen that everyone expects their music to be free?  Do we not value it?  Do we think it just magically appears without any expense, energy and inspiration from the creators?

And what do indie musicians do?  They offer up their music for free all for the purpose of building an audience or gaining “friends” or “fans.”  By doing so, they are basically saying, “Here, look at this original creation of music that took us/me much time to make, but we’re admitting upfront that it is worth nothing to you.”

That might be a little harsh, but seriously it does not make sense to me.  Maybe indie bands and artists and music fans can tell me why they think music should be free.

Here is why I don’t think it should be, and they are very very simple reasons!

• Music doesn’t magically sprout from the ground, but actually takes sweat, time, energy, inspiration and very unique talents to produce
• Music takes MONEY to create (if you want to do it well)
• Music adds value to the listener’s life and they should pay for that value

That was pretty simple and painless.  The reality is that we are all consumers.  If we don’t like a new band or artist, we won’t purchase their music.  That is totally acceptable and makes perfect sense.  But if we do like a new band or artist and want to listen to their music, then we should be willing to purchase their music.

Not use them.

Not try to squeeze them for free music.

But actually pay for it.

Not just become their friend or fan or follower or whatever.

But buy their music.
Honestly, how else can they make more music?

This conversation to be continued…

Greg, Before Day, www.beforeday.com

How many artists have “theme songs?”  Maybe there are some out there that do.  TV shows have theme songs.  Movies, yes.  Bands, artists, no. 

Products have jingles.  Can you think of any Coke jingles?  Chevy truck jingles?  Actually, some products use artist’s songs for their jingles.  Remember Nike and the Beatles’ Revolution.  Yikes, some people didn’t like that connection.

But Before Day has a theme song or jingle, whatever you want to call it.  The song title, appropriately, is Before Day.  Why?  I guess the main reason is that Before Day is unique; unique enough and outside of the box enough that it needs to be explained.  And what better way to explain something than writing a song about it. 

So, rather than rambling on for who knows how many words to describe Before Day, following are the lyrics of Before Day.  Confused yet? 

Before Day

1st verse

I don’t need anybody to tell me I can’t sing                                          

I know it myself, I’ve got ears I can tell

I’m not the next American idol, I think that’s plain to see

I’m just me, not Paul McCartney

Chorus

                       But I think I write good songs  (I really think they’re good)

                       Even then I could be wrong (really, really wrong)

                       But I’ll write them anyway and get others to sing and play (really good people)

                       And I’ll call it before day  (b-e-f-o-r-e-d-a-y)

2nd verse

I don’t play the piano too well

Nor guitar, but maybe cowbell (more cowbell)

While other people can play

The guitar on this track is fake

I’m not good at fixing stuff (ask my wife)

I take it apart and don’t know what to do

So I call up my dad

Say “come on over, I’ll buy you a six pack”

Chorus

                        But I think I write good songs  (I really think they’re good)

                       Even then I could be wrong (really, really wrong)

                       But I’ll write them anyway and get others to sing and play (really good people)

                       And I’ll call it before day 

                        (Here comes the big ending)

                       I’ll call it (bring it home Greg) before (here it comes) day (oh yeah)

So where can you hear this song?  Well, you can check it out at .  Other Before Day music from the 1st release, Enjoy the Show, is at Before Day Myspace Page.

Hope you enjoy the video and music and see something unique, worth taking your time to listen to, and of course, open your wallet to.

Until next time,

greg, before day