my daddy

i'm in the middle of my campaign to raise funds for my first ep and am feeling pumped about the progress!  one of the perks i'm offering for a donation is a song written for you.  i have about 17 to write at this point, which is a challenge i am excited to face! 

one of the first people to claim this perk was my father, so that's the song i'm going to share with you here.  i was out visiting him and my mother this last week, and was able to convince them to learn the song and play on it with me - i'm on my mom's wurlitzer, she is playing congas, and my dad is on bass.

my daddy

my daddy you are the one who let me see
my daddy you are the one who made me

and we don't need a phone to know we're not alone
we're sitting on a throne when everywhere is home
yeah everywhere is home

my daddy you are the man got nothing to prove
my daddy you're with the band, you've got the groove

and we don't need a phone to know we're not alone
we're stronger than our flesh and bones when love is all we know
yeah love is all we know

my daddy you are a mountain, you are the sea
my daddy you are the maker of a family

and we are not alone cuz god can hear our groans
and cries and laughter and everything after we go
 oh
and we are not alone
we are not alone
we are not alone
we are
we are

the patronus song

as i've mentioned in previous posts, i have a wizard rock band with my friend  jay stolar - together we are lily & james, and boy do we have a lot of fun writing harry potter themed music! 

we've recently become connected with NYDA, the new york chapter of the harry potter alliance, a national not for profit organization that "fights the dark arts in the real world by using parallels from harry potter. we work for human rights, equality, and a better world just as harry and his friends did throughout the books."  the hpa is currently working on the "deathly hallows campaign", which is about fighting (bringing awareness to) 7 different horcruxes (issues) from november 2010 through july 2011.

jay and i have decided to write a song for each horcrux that the hpa tackles.  so far, the issues have been about starvation wages (they've petitioned time warner asking them to switch to fair trade chocolate for all of its harry potter merchandising) and mental health, which they're calling the dementor horcrux.  in harry's world, the only way to fight a dementor (a floating, cloaked figure that sucks all the happiness out of people and places) is with a patronus, an apparition conjured by recalling happy thoughts.  sort of like how peter pan gets people to fly...

i've taken a stab at writing "the patronus song" which i wanted to share with y'all.  this is a first attempt with little editing, but it made my morning writing and singing it in my kitchen! 

lyrics:

verse1
when i woke up this morning i was wearing a big fat frown
it must have been me who put it there cuz my boyfriend is out of town
when i woke up this morning didn't want to leave my bed
but sleeping isn't much better with the crazy dreams up inside my head

chorus
i better conjure my patronus (woah)
can't let dementors own us (no)
i better conjure my patronus (woah)
can't let dementors suck out my poor soul

verse2
my head is filled up with screaming but i'm not sure if it's mine
like fingernails careening down a dirty chalkboard, i feel like crying
i better pick my heart up and fill it with some joy
like playing quidditch or smiling friends or candied apples or bacon made of soy

chorus
i better conjure my patronus (woah)
can't let dementors own us (no)
i better conjure my patronus (woah)
can't let dementors suck out my poor soul

bridge
a patronus can take the form of talk therapy (it works for a lot of people)
a patronus can take the form of pills (sometimes our body chemicals
need a boost)
a patronus can take the form of a good friend
a patronus can take the form of a good friend
a good friend

verse3
some days can be pretty tough
just remember that you're  not alone
a lot of people out there love you
and some of them want to take you home

chorus
so let's all conjure a patronus (woah)
can't let dementors own us (no)
we better conjure a patronus (woah)
can't let dementors suck out our poor souls
we better conjure a patronus (woah)
can't let dementors own us (no)
we better conjure a patronus (woah)
can't let dementors suck out our poor
we're not done for
suck out our poor souls

the patronus song

give myself away

new song, scratchy track.  i'm picturing soaring strings swooping in at certain points only to abruptly stop and leave us with the palpable space of their absence.  knowmsayn?

lyrics:

i'm still not sure if i have ever really looked at his hands
i'm still not sure if i have a plan
walk out the door and fill the unforgiving minute with a song
we move along into the sifting sand

and so it goes and so it flows
from out of me and back again
speaking in turn it's how we learn
the boundaries between our skin
oh oh there seems to be so much to say
oh oh but i can't give myself away

my puckered skin begins to smooth out after swimming in the creek
my puckered lips weren't met and i'm feeling weak
i walk alone into the living night
thinking when might we get the chance to meet

and so it goes and so it flows
i know the words he knows the song
singing in turn it's how we learn
there's no such thing as being wrong
oh oh there seems to be so much to play
oh oh but i can't give myself away

and so we go
onwards and never talk of it again
calling him a friend
not calling him again
not calling him again
not calling him again

my many minds are tumbling over one another in the dark
my many minds are looking for the start
but i don't mind the looking i don't mind the reaching or the pain
i only gain the wisdom in my heart

and so it goes and so it flows
i can't control the things i know
watching us burn it's how we learn
together we will grow and grow
oh oh if we are heavy let us lay
oh oh if we are heavy let us pray
oh oh if we are heavy let us say
oh oh that we are heavy and it's ok
oh oh there seems to be so much to gain
oh oh but what if i give myself away

give myself away

goodbye one more time

sometimes you keep saying goodbye to the same person and it just doesn't seem to stick.  been working this one out for a while, it might almost be a song now.  kind of funky, kind of ethereal, kind of funny, kind of sad...

can't wait to hear what this one sounds like with the band :)

goodbye one more time

we are not allowed (full version)

my friend matt berger is a great songwriter, and he's particularly great at getting a room of people involved in a sing along song.  by getting us to sing a simple riff or clap our hands to a simple rhythm we are immediately engaged in and a part of the song.  and this changes the dynamic in the room - we sit up and start using more senses than just our ears and we laugh and we connect and it's a beautiful thing.  i admire him for this, and am trying to infuse this big of magic in the song i post here.

"we are not allowed" is a newer tune, and one i'm still not sure is totally finished, but i think this version is a step in the right direction.  of course i'll have to try it out on a room of people to see if it really works, but i think the "lah lah lah" section could be good old fashioned sing along fun :)

we are not allowed

alan rickman

this summer i spent a lot of time playing, learning, bitching, friending, freaking out, laughing, being uplifted, loving, eating, and drinking - not a lot of time writing songs.  but i have the feeling that now, with my creative well brimming with experience, i'll be able to churn out a few nuggets of inspired ditties.  it's a good time for a harvest.

there was one song that floated around my head this summer and i give it to you here.  i can only take partial credit for this one, as two gentlemen i was working with at the time (nick blaemire and damon daunno) were real collaborators on this little gem.

the recording captures the moment this tune was born.  it was at the bar, as many surprise conceptions begin i'm sure.  close your eyes, sit back, smell that special mix of beer, cigarettes, and cleaning supplies, and you'll be right there with us...

alan rickman

hagrid is my name and lily!

i have been slacking.  BUT it's because i've been focusing so much on my wizard rock side project!  jay and i had our first gig this past tuesday and oh boy what a delight 'twas :)  our full length album will be released in the coming weeks, but i wanted to post two tunes we've completed mastering.  they are fun.

hagrid is my name

lily!

these (and more!) are available for free download (for a limited time!) here: lilyandjames.bandcamp.com