AI-generated rock tracks have a tell — a big throaty scream at the top, every time, whether the song earns it or not. The machine knows what rock looks like. It has no idea why. That's not a music problem.
The False Scream
Tag: songwriting
Take A Nap
May 2016. The vice president over our group called and asked me to come to his office. He hardly ever talked to me. I knew before I stood up. I knocked, he waved me in, and he said it from behind his desk — times are tough, the decisions have been hard, we're going to … Continue reading Take A Nap
Falling More
A few weeks ago I was standing at the stove making my son's eggs. I'd already fixed my wife's breakfast and she was sitting there eating it, doing something on her phone, not paying any attention to me. I stopped cooking and just watched her. My son looked over. "Dad, what are you grinning at?" … Continue reading Falling More
The Only Way Out Is Through
7-40 Challenge | Rest Week I wrote a song this week. It's called "The Only Way Out Is Through," and I didn't set out to write a midpoint reflection on the year — but that's what came out. The verses are claustrophobic on purpose. Same four walls. Weight on the chest. A voice saying you're … Continue reading The Only Way Out Is Through
The Song That Outgrew the Woman I Wrote It For
It must have been 2013. We were at our Toastmasters club, and our mentor — a woman who had been in the organization a long time, the kind of presence who leads by example without announcing she’s leading — stood up to give a speech. She titled it Watch Me. I don’t remember every word. … Continue reading The Song That Outgrew the Woman I Wrote It For
