nobody likes mondays

current project: the make-you-smile song

Hope you guys enjoy the song! Have a great weekend!

It's not yet finished, but here are the lyrics so far.

I thought that I would write you a song
In case your day's gone a little bit long
And the rain is pouring, making your heart feel blue

I wish that I could be there beside you
Jump up from behind and surprise you
But for now, I guess a song is gonna have to do

Oh and if your hand should feel
The chill of the winter morning
Baby, breathe
Close your eyes and think of me, saying

I love you, now and forever
I love you, always remember
I wrote it into a song so you can sing it along, sing it along
I love you, no pretending
I love you, never ending
If everything should go wrong, my love just
Sing it along
Sing it along

For more videos, go to www.youtube.com/reneegeronimo

better than a weekend

Yesterday and today, I was in the studio recording an album for Brian Doerksen as part of an 8-piece choir for his new musical play, Prodigal God. I haven't done a lot of session work to date, so I felt very privileged to have been selected into the group.

And these people I worked with - the writers and producers all included - are such lovely people. I've been to a number of studios and worked with all kinds of personalities, and it's such a breath of fresh air to work with individuals who are not only talented but are also quite wonderful. There was not an air of defensiveness or showing off, no negativity or sarcasm. It was just good music with genuinely great people. 

There's something about being immersed in such good music and great company for two days. I'm completely drained from singing in A5's for hours, but I feel so full on the inside. It's almost as reviving as a weekend. But it's better, because I was doing what I love to do.

If you want to hear what the project sounds like, click here to download a free 5-song promo. The choral parts that we recorded are in "Life is Sweet" and "Provision". Any time you hear a really high female part in the choir (like at the end of "Provision"), you're hearing me! Woohoo :)

resonant truth

I went to a Speech Level Singing Masterclass today (with Jeffrey Skouson, who is one of the eight SLS instructors who teaches other SLS instructors around the world). He said something that really resonated with me. Unfortunately I'm a horrible notes-taker so I am not able to quote a lot of what he said except one thing:

"Truth rings."

He had the audience listen to a sample of a young man in his early twenties who has amazing vocal talent and technique. To put it in the simplest of terms, the guy soared through his bottom range to a dazzling high note. I was moved almost to tears. If there hadn't been other people there I probably would've cried. And there was a collective gasp in the audience as this man just soared and carried us all with him in the height of the music.

When there is true beauty in a voice, people know. They don't have to be a musician to know. They feel it. It might not be the kind of music they prefer to listen to, but they are compelled to listen to it and their hearts are compelled to move because of it. It's almost like an unspoken language.

And what's even more interesting to me is the fact that he called it "truth". It taps into the great mystery of music and called me to ask the same questions that people have been asking for years: why does music speak so powerfully to people? Why do human beings sing? Why do we even have music in society in the first place?

So many questions without answers. And yet, music is as much the puzzle as it is the picture. When we listen, we understand. That understanding may be beyond words, but when we hear a young man soaring beautifully in an aria, or hear a guitar solo as his fingers dance on the strings, or feel the pounding of a drum in our chest, we know it. It's there. It has always been there and it will always be there, whether or not we understand it. It's truth.

performance playback: the peep show @ the media club

I rolled out of bed at 6:55 a.m. today with last night's smile on my face.

The Peep Show was AWESOME!

The Media Club was everything we thought it would be as far as a venue - the sound was great, the vibe was amazing and it was just such a chill atmosphere. The show started pretty late, with people just rolling in at around 10:30, but in about half an hour the place was hopping. We performed a live set, as well as Moka Only who performed an instrumental set (and freestyle trumpet!), but the real attraction of the night was the freestyle jam sessions by the Hastings Set.

They just got up there, guitarist, drummer, sax and vocals, and let it rip. Then they called on a whole who's who of friends to join them, who all looked like they just walked in to grab drinks and watch the show, but as soon as they grab the mic they just rocked everyone's socks off. And I mean ROCKED their socks OFF. They grabbed me to do a bit of freestyling as well, which was amazing. They also grabbed my djembe player Pinto to jam with them the whole night, and he was in his element!! That was probably one of the highlights of the night.

Another thing that made the night spectacular was that a lot of our friends came. People underestimate how much it means to an artist when their friends come out to see them play at gigs. This was a really big deal to me and my band, and it was made even more meaningful because our friends were there to cheer us on and watch us do our thing. I really wish my husband was there - that would've made it complete - but I'm hoping this is just the beginning and that he'll have many other shows to come out to.

All in all - it was an amazing show. The crowd was full of love. It wasn't just a room with a few artists trying to impress an audience...it was like a community of people who were all there for one another, feeding off of each other's energy. I think that's what makes it so great. 

Here are links to some of the artists that turned out and jammed last night - check them out and you will know what I mean when I say AMAZING. Such great people with great talent. We (the whole band) felt so lucky to have played along with them.

Eric Solomon

Kaylee Johnston

NaRai

The Hastings Set

Chin Injeti

Moka Only

I finally got my camera to work again, so we've got pictures and videos coming soon. :)

music family

The Renee Geronimo Band: (left to right) Jom - bass, Mike - lead guitar, myself, Julius - cactus/goodwill ambassador, K-Anne - rhythm guitar, Pinto - percussion

For as long as I've been a songwriter, I've been a solo artist. It wasn't until very recently that I started to really work with a band, and for many reasons.

a. I never took theory and mostly play by ear = it's hard to articulate how I want things done. I'm constantly asking my guitarists questions like "Is this a chord?"

b. I've always been the last to come out of my shell and network with people

c. I've heard a ton of horror stories and hadn't come around to trusting anyone for a really long time

d. I can't be bothered with making lead sheets and charts because I'm too lazy and it's easier to just memorize it all

e. rehearsals are a pain in the neck to coordinate

f. yada yada yada yada

There were a ton of reasons. But now, I play with a band of WONDERFUL musicians who are not only talented but deliriously fun. We've made a recent tradition of spending the last 10 minutes of our practices improvising techno music, using a toy nylon 4-string guitar (which is "tuned to techno" according to Mike), a toy djembe, a real djembe, a shaker and a light switch. When you're stressed out about an important gig, or you're just tired of all the running in circles - which is what your career starts to feel like once in a while - it's nice to know you're working with people who not only care about the music but also about you. 

songwriters i'd like to meet: imogen heap

Believe it or not, up until very recently, I was never really the type who listened to a lot of music. I used to have this skewed notion that listening to other people's music would get in the way of my own songwriting. In actuality, the more I listened to other people's music, the more I was able to really figure out my own style. Hence this series. :)

The first songwriter I'd really love to meet is Imogen Heap. She's far from obscure, and I realize I'm not exactly digging up anything new or exciting here, but she is a genius. There are a lot of artists who make a lot of money from being pretty, skinny and scandalous. The intelligence and musicality of her songwriting is head and shoulders above much of the swill that pollutes our radio waves in North America. This is probably a reason she's not quite as ubiquitous as certain other mainstream artists...but she is a true example of a "songwriter's songwriter". Also - after watching her video blogs on youtube, I get the feeling she would make for an interesting lunch date.

Here's a video of "Canvas" which is a track in her album "Ellipse" (August 2009). I recommend getting some high-quality headphones and listening to it in the dark. Let the sounds envelope you. :)

coming performance dates :)

If you're in the Vancouver area in the next couple of weeks, here are some performance dates worth checking. 

Project Hydrate! (fundraiser)

August 20, 2009

7 p.m. - The Roundhouse Community Center

Tickets $15 sold at the door

The Peep Show @ The Media Club

August 27, 2009

7 p.m. - The Media Club

Tickets $5 sold at the door

To keep updated on future dates, add me on MySpace or Facebook!

imaginative songwriting

One of the things I love the most about songwriting is how I can explore emotions and situations that are well outside of my own current circumstances. I can only write so much about my own life, and I think that listeners can only take so much self-indulgent hemming and hawing. And really, it's exhausting to keep digging into your own life for inspiration. Sometimes I just make it up. I've developed a little method. It's not scientific or anything, and I'm sure I'm not the first to employ them, but I thought I'd share...

Renee's "Choose Your Own Ending" Songwriting Process

1. Imagine - create a scenario. Be specific. My recent scenarios have included anywhere from a woman grieving the death of her husband who was at war, to a daughter finding healing from a broken relationship with her father, to being married to someone who lived really far away without any means of visiting them (wait. that last one isn't made up. dangit.)

2. Embellish - don't stop at the scenario. Make it as detailed as your imagination will allow you. I go so far as making up background to the stories, character names and personalities, histories. If anything, this just gets my brain to think in terms of senses and experiences, as opposed to lines and melodies.

3. Storytell - do this however you want. Write a short story. Say it out loud to yourself. Make up dialogue. The more coherent and vivid the story is in your mind, the more effective your songwriting will be. 

4. Write it out - there is a dizzying pile of tools you can use to tell your story through song involving everything from instrumentation to tempo, but lyrically speaking make sure to explore different rhyming patterns, rhythm, verse length, figures of speech...even the type of language you use (slang? big 5-syllable words? "hateratin', holleratin'"?)...

I'm no expert, but everything I've read and learned about songwriting has taught me that great songs have to be more than cute words and catchy melodies. The songs people remember the most are the ones that provoke emotion, capture experiences and bring back memories. Compare this:

"Last night, my husband left me"

versus

"Late last night, I heard the screen door slam

And a big yellow taxi took away my old man"

("Big Yellow Taxi", Joni Mitchell)

Do I even have to ask which one will break your heart more? Whether the experience was real or not, Joni Mitchell captured a moment and told us the story complete with a time frame (late last night), a sound (slam), size and color (big yellow) and movement (took away). It wakes up the senses and the imagination. It's hard to imagine being left by a loved one, but when your mind is prepared to imagine other things - cold night air, metal screen doors, big yellow taxis - somehow it's easier for the story to come to life. 

The first few times, it might feel silly to be making up stories in your head, but suck it up. It's worth it. I'm no Joni Mitchell, and I've still got a lifetime of learning ahead of me, but at the very least it's a lot of fun. It's like being a kid again. But with (hopefully) more grown-up results.

total genius/semi-current project: this long road

I used to get offended (mostly in secret) when people criticized my songs. It always happened to the most well-intentioned people. I wrote this song a few years ago that I was totally proud of. I thought it was a lyrical masterpiece. The final product finally came out of the studio, produced and glossy, and I played it for my dad along with the other tracks in the album that I liked. I asked him what he thought and he says after a long pause, "It's nice but...I don't really get it. I like that other guy's song better." Ouch. But duly noted. In retrospect, my song was a little cryptic. It was good at putting babies to sleep, though. Or so I heard.

Bless my dad. It takes real love to be honest with a songwriter. You never know how they're going to take it. My husband never fails to share his real opinions on my songs, solicited or not, and has witnessed/suffered a buffet of reactions. Sometimes I agree (rare). Sometimes I argue explain myself and defend the arrangement. Sometimes I give him the silent treatment, wherein I quietly resent him for picking up on my imperfections and knocking me off the awesome train, but also for being kind of right.  

What I'm trying to learn right now is this: Gold is refined by fire. Iron is sharpened by iron. Anyone who wants to be a master at anything needs to be prepared for opposition, criticism (friendly or not), and even backlash. I'm learning that if I want to succeed at being a songwriter, with success being measured by the number of people wanting to listen to my music, I need to be open to criticism. Thick skinned, but open. Too many times in the past, I took criticism as other people's proof that I am mediocre. That doesn't have to be the case. I can take criticism as an opportunity to prove to people that I am good at what I do, because I can rise to the challenge. 

So if you come in contact with a songwriter who asks for your opinion on a song they just wrote, please be honest. Their hopeful faces will want you to be nice and say things like "Oooh, I really like that part!" and "It's so unique!" because you think it's what they want to hear. Please. If you really love them, be honest. No songwriter ever got better by listening to people kiss their butt.

Speaking of which. Here's a semi-current song I'm working on. I wrote it last year and recorded a rough draft (which is what you will hear), and am considering resurrecting it. Any thoughts?

Click here to listen!

(for some reason I can't get it to be louder so turn it up...sorry...my mixing skills are zero.)

This Long Road

Copyright 2009 Music and Lyrics by Renee Geronimo

[Renee Geronimo - vocals, guitar; Mike Potusek - magical guitar]

Seven months still to go
I am counting down the moments and they’re passing so slow
Now the sun’s come and gone
And the small hours of morning, they linger on

And I need to sleep now
Bid today goodbye
Make tomorrow come

Refrain:
So that I can see you at the end of the road
This long road
This long road
Tell me I can see you at the end of the road
This long road
This long road
Ooooh...


Let the world pass me by
All the stop signs and borders and the clouds in the sky
Let it all fade to gray
For my eyes are trained forward, and they won’t look away

From you now
Bid today goodbye
Make tomorrow come

(refrain)

Bridge:
I know I am waiting not in vain, not in vain (x4)

(refrain)

the common chorus

I'm a bit of a nerd, so I like this kind of stuff. This is an excerpt from "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus", which was an event at the 2009 World Science Festival. In the video is a panel of...what's the word...musical scientists?...scientific musicians?...and Bobby McFerrin, who is the famous jazz musician who wrote "Don't Worry, Be Happy". He's also an expert at "throat singing", which basically means he can sing 2-3 notes at the same time. Yah. That's what I said.

Watch what he does. Remember that this is not a music festival - it's the World Science Festival, full of scientists and lab geeks people. If you can, sing along. It's magic. I believe that we were all born with music in us, and that we're really all singing to the same scale. If you don't believe that already, this video might make you think twice.

If you're a nerd like me and you also like this kind of stuff, click here to watch the whole session. For a really cool musical experience, go to video 5. It's miles away from "Don't Worry, Be Happy".