Bay Of Storms

I am writing to remember a local Kintyre songwriter and sometimes singer who sadly passed away in the last week. His name was Eddie Maguire. I got to know Eddie a little through the songwriting, a little through his vast knowledge about the birdies -he was a genuinely expert and respected ornithologist who ran the local sea observatory at Machrihanish - and a little because he was a regular at the local bar, The Kilbrannan, where I go to watch the futba with one of my sons.

He conveniently lived in a flat just across from that bar. The last time I spoke to him he shouted down to me for a wee chat from his first floor window as I passed by. You just never know when the last time is with anybody, do you?

Eddie wrote the kind of songs that reflected his love and knowledge of the local landscape. He didn’t often perform his songs, but he happened to perform at the local Kintyre Songwriters Festival for the first time, during the last festival we had before these lockdowns. I remember him asking me how he had sounded…it’s particularly like that when you don’t play so much….and I replied that he had sounded superb. Because he had. Just lovely gentle songs of the sea and the land.

Here is a beautiful one, Bay Of Storms, that he co-wrote with another local songwriter Davie Robertson. The singer is Ross Kennedy.

Rest in peace Eddie.

Shy Performers

I brought my guitar with me on this little camping trip, but aside from a little walk along the shore to get out of earshot of The Other Campers, I haven’t played much.

There are loud and proud players, and there are shy ones. And there are many places along that spectrum. I’m obviously towards the shy end.

Perhaps that’s one reason I like playing Homesongs, where there is an invited audience who are expecting, even wanting, to hear original music.

It’s a far more welcoming place to put the songs out into the world.

Bonny, Bonny Banks

I’m extremely lucky to have made my home in a very beautiful country.

Scotland.

At the moment we’re discovering another wonderful side to it. The eastern shores of Loch Lomond.

Beautiful woodland and hillside walks. Native woodland too, which sadly isn’t the case in many parts of Scotland where the ubiquitous deserts of Sitka spruce, earns a few squids for various anonymous landowners. I’ve had a few refreshing swims in the loch. It’s not that cold, honest. And of course those beautiful midges, which feed all sorts of wildlife. So we can forgive them for feeding on me. (But not my wife…she’s immune, the lucky Redhead!)

Today we’re going to be climbing a munro, Ben Lomond. And then back home tomorrow, after a wee coffee with a fellow Homesinger Dave Arcari, who lives very close to our tent, it turns out. LOL.

Life feels good right now. And you’ve got to enjoy it when it’s good.

Trust

The most trustworthy guy or gal on the planet might die tomorrow. 

The most untrustworthy be born. 

Meanwhile, the rest of us inbetweeners, the ones who really make the difference, have daily choices to make  between becoming trustworthy. Or not bothering. 

It won’t change the world, but I think it’s worth bothering. 

Muscle Memory

Amazing what our bodies can learn to do in an automatic fashion. The very complicated processes those limbs achieve without any conscious effort. 

And it is even more amazing if we consider how damned difficult it is, at the beginning, when we are consciously thinking about every single movement.

 I’ve been learning a new picking pattern on the old geetar, and there is a well worn path to be trodden. But when the path is new to you, it certainly doesn’t feel “well worn”.

In the beginning, I,  The Learner,  resemble nothing less than an inebriated Brontosaurus Dinosaur attempting to embroider a daisy petal upon a silk negligee.

Very messy.

But it ends…yes, it will END….with fluent mastery. It’s inevitable, however Evitable it seems right now.

As long as I keep walking down the path. 

As long as I don’t turn back. 

Perspective

The big defeats in life are better shared as a team. 

Likewise the big victories. 

Perspective comes, in an empty room, sitting quietly on your own. 

Yesterday

Yesterday I watched Yesterday. The film. I’d heard about it, and expected it to be cheesy, which it was. But, for me, a good one never the less.

If you haven’t seen it, the premise is that a young and struggling singer-songwriter (quite a humorous rendition of that particular experience I thought) suddenly finds himself in a different world where he is, almost, the only person who has heard of The Beetles.

After the initial sense of weirdness, he starts to recognise the possibilities and goes chasing the Fame and Fortune dream. But instead of focussing on his own, OK-ish songs, he uses those unknown Fab Four tunes as the vehicle to carry him to success.

Despite the gorgeous melodies and ubiquitous inevitability of the songs to most of our ears, the film does briefly touch on an awkward question. If written now, would they have taken off as spectacularly as they did in the 1960’s. Or even at all?

In fact following through with that particular premise might have made for an even more interesting film: we live in a world of music often written by teams of people in a studio, and focussed far more on polished production values, and hooky rhythm ‘n bass grooves.

Would the old melody driven classics still take off today?

Anyhow, the film assumes that the songs will succeed. And hearing their pure beauty played, unadorned, on acoustic guitar, it’s hard to believe that wouldn’t be the case.

And so the film becomes more of an insight into the moral and personal value dilemmas faced by our song “thief”.

He does (spoiler alert!) successfully re-introduce the world to The Beetle’s fantastic body of work. And the inevitable love story woven in, is used to help to focus our eyes on whether the cost of Breaking Through is really worth it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the film. Despite the cliches, it still contained enough believability and nuance to carry me through, without any sense of irritation.

And it did happen to contain some quite lovely music.

AA (BA)

I’m David and I’m addicted to songwriting.

I previously mentioned that I was trying to kick the habit for a year, in order to work on my guitar playing.

But I’m not sure that I’m going to manage the whole year.

Balancing precariously on the edge of the wagon, right now.

Oh mercy!

New Website

Here is the new Homesong website (if you’re reading this you’re on it) which is still a work in progress, but at least up and running. Many thanks to Kim Le Clair who has been a rock of creative help and support in moving forward with all of this.

To those who are familiar with the old site, there won’t appear to be many differences quite yet. But there are some key changes I’m wanting to make.

One, already here, is to provide hosts with a page they can exclusively link to for inviting their friends and acquaintances to any gigs they are hosting. It will look like this one, we are just starting to push for H4Lifers Rosie Nimmo and Norman Lamont. As you will see, for the first time I am trying to get donations paid ahead of time, in order to provide a bit more certainty and security for hosts and performers.

Secondly I want to have a place for those of you who have played Homesong gigs, or been part of HomeSongs4Life, to be able to profile yourselves. This is so that hosts are able to easily contact artists who are definitely interested in doing home gigs. That will hopefully get started over the next month or so.

None of this is rocket science, and the basic premise of hosting a home gig is simple, and doesn’t need me or Homesong at all. But all along I have felt it would be so much better if everybody interested in these kind of gigs was working together.

I know you appreciate that doing things right, to this end, takes time, and a LOT of mistakes! I really appreciate all the support received so far, and would welcome your input about any of this as we move along.

For now, if you know anyone who is already hosting home gigs and might like to make use of the Homesong website, please feel free to put them in touch with me here. Especially mention us if you are an artist who happens to play a gig at someone’s house.

I’ll be back here everyday writing something relating to music, life, and the lovely happenings we call Homesongs.

cheers
David Fee

ps. This blog will be coming from this site from now on, and not from my personal music website.

Keep Doing It

The world isn't short of advice for anyone trying to get better at something. 

Mostly though, getting better at something, whether it be writing songs, performing gigs, hosting  Homesongs...or rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time...comes down to one simple thing. 

Keep Doing It. 

That's my self-help book written, anyways.

It’s Coming Homesong

Today's Homesongs4Life is supposedly "competing" with the football. 

But of course it's not. The football is watched by millions, and it's we who have to adapt our schedule, not the other way round. 

And we can easily adapt. It can be advantageous to be small and flexible. It happens that the tiny mammals outlived those clomping, humungous dinosaurs. 


Music is coming Homesong!


(I'll get my coat). 

Talking To Yourself

"Of the making of many books, there is no end" - Solomon, Ecclesiastes. 

Talking To Yourself

So what do you say, when it's all been said 

The song been sung and the book been read?

But you've still got voices in your head

Giving it laldy.



Well, it's probably time to go to bed

With a glass of water and a slice of bread,

And lie there patiently, until your dead,

Or at least till Friday.

Alternatively

You could let those many voices out

Whether they whisper, scream or shout

And find out what they're on about

They might be lonely.


Just offer them some company

A bit of a blether, a cup of tea

And in a while you both will be

Arrested.

Probably. 

by David Fee

 

Chilled

Recording a song is like getting yourself dressed up for a special occasion. A wedding or a posh meal perhaps. Everything has to be polished and proper. You are going to be seen. Photo's will be taken. People may even look at those photos in the future.

Do not go to these events with a dodgy hair-do!

On the other hand, singing live at a Homesong is more like a bowl of rice and chilli while you're slouched out on the couch. All about the fantastic taste and the moment. There may well be the odd splotch of sauce that misses your mouth.

But, unlike the chilli, you can chill.

To All The Caterpillars Of The World

My 6 year old grandson Saul has taken over drawing the pictures for my monthly Fourth of the month song release. He was only given the title for this one and came up with the wonderful idea of a caterpillar painting a portrait of it's future butterfly self.

Beautiful.

A Place Called Home

Kintyre has been the place we've lived for 25 years, and the house I'm writing from, our specific residence for 10 years. And we're not going anywhere. But in my life, as a kid and as an adult, I moved house about 20 times. It's not a recipe for a settled, secure existence. That's why this house and Campbeltown have become so important to me.

We've found our home. And having one isn't a given. Many people don't even have the physical house, let alone that special emotional shelter, that gives us the security to spread our wings and try new things. If we want to.

If you haven't got a home right now, don't stop looking, or working to build one. It's a precious thing to have, and I'm certainly not taking mine for granted.

Ignoring The Flies

It's a gorgeous, warm summers day. I've climbed for a while and I approach the Paths of Tranquility, my place of peace, along the forest trails on the slopes of Beinn Ghuilean. Entering into the fragrant smell of pine trees, I start walking in and out of shade, sunlight bursting through the branches in glorious patches of warm light. Beautiful.

Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention the flies. They arrive with the nice weather, attracted perhaps by the sunshine and the small amount of my own fragrant sweat from the uphill walk.

So what is usually an unhindered solitary wander becomes a battle to ignore the swarm of flying beasties shouting "LOOK AT ME!". No...really....LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!

For a while I'm winning. I maintain my Zen, and see beyond them to the always wonderful colours, listening out for the bird song in the trees. But my Zen is not always very Zen. And the moment comes when I obey orders...and I look. And then, inevitably, I look again. And then I slowly become irritated. You perhaps know how it goes. And suddenly I turn into a whirling dervish, hoping to fight them off forever with a spinning dance and waving arms.
And perhaps you also know how that ends. Or doesn't.

Learn to ignore the flies?

Maybe we can, maybe we can't.

Only way to find out is to keep walking, I suppose.

That’ll Do

"That'll do" sounds like a settling for second best.

For me it is a cure for the sort of perfectionism which can freeze a soul and stop anything getting done.

Nothing is perfect. We just take steps in the right direction.

Hand Ground Coffee

Electronic Devices and Fuel Driven Machines don't seem to like me. That's how it has often seemed anyway. 

These days I take it personally! I've got a manual lawn mower for instance. So much more peaceful. And a while ago I bought a hand worked coffee grinder. It takes me 10 minutes or so to grind the coffee every morning, and it could be a hassle.

Instead it's becoming a wonderful daily reminder to slow down. Take my time. Haste me not. Honestly, my breathing gets calmer as I do it, and before I face the tasks of the day. 

I see Homesongs as the hand ground coffee of music. The end product is much the same.

They're just that little bit less rushed. And less parts to go wrong!

Not Quite Home

Even though we might have been seeing more of our homes during this past year and a half than we really would have wanted to, the places we live haven't always felt like home.

It is the presence of other people that make it so, and many of those "other people" haven't been able to cross the threshold. 

Without the people we love passing in, and out, a home is not quite a home. 

Chaos Theory And Scrambled Eggs

Chaos: noun 

"complete disorder and confusion".

For better or worse we humans attempt to bring order and meaning to almost everything that appears on our path through life. It involves constant work. No wonder we appreciate a good night's sleep. 

Chaos, on the other hand, doesn't seem to take  any effort at all. 

Apparently those words and notes aren't going to arrange themselves into a song.

So even if Yesterday did come to Paul McCartney in a dream, it came to him in a dream because he spent so much of his time putting the work in - arranging tunes, trying out different musical notes alongside each other, on a day to day basis.

 And it was still a pile of Scrambled Eggs until he put in the work to write the lyric properly.