From Idea to Finished Song

Anyone who knows me knows I’m not the best singer in the world. Nor am I the best guitar player in the world. I took guitar lessons from a guy with huge ears at a dinky music store when I was in 7th grade and I haven’t gotten any better. Seriously.

But what I can do, as my friend Paul Mirkovich says, is write a song. And right now I’ve written a bunch of songs for my new musical Tom Jones the Musical. (I still can’t get over the cleverness of that title.)

What amazes me is hearing the songs go from idea to finished product. I am blessed with  amazingly talented friends with whom I can collaborate with. One of my best friends and my go to collaborator for musicals is Paul Mirkovich. There aren’t enough words to describe his brilliance so I’ll just go with “not mediocre.”

Our process is pretty simple: I write the songs, he arranges the songs, and then he or some of my other friends sing the songs. Here’s a great example:

I wrote the song “The One.” It’s one of the first songs I wrote for Tom Jones. I recorded a very basic demo, in which I attempted to play all the right chords and not sound like a sick dodo warbling out a melody. I took the song to Paul, told him the sound I was going for, and then we recorded it at his home studio. I sat in amazement as the song came to life, just as I imagined it in my head.

On to the Studio

Me with the incredibly Deedee and Cliffton Hall.

With the tracks in hand, I went to a recording studio in LA to record the vocals with my friends Deedee Magno Hall and Cliffton Hall. (I defy you to find a nicer and more loving couple). And then they sang the daylight out of the song.

It’s the journey from idea to finished song that I love. Seeing something created before my eyes. And having friends along for the ride is the best part.

Here’s the original demo I did at my house. Guitar, vocal.

And here’s the finished song.