Member Since: 9/30/2006
Band Members: GIDO: Bottle of the Past
GIDO: Picture This
Influences: My influences come from various types of writing: 1 The story song which doesn't necessarily have a chorus. Every word counts and needs to be heard. Therefore the song needs a sparse musical backdrop using very little chord movement and 3 or 4 diatonic chords. Springsteen's Nebraska album and some Randy Newman songs influenced me in that way. My songs ROBBIE from PICTURE THIS and I-5 SOUTH from BOTTLE OF THE PAST were written using that concept. 2 The straight up pop song with verse, chorus and maybe a bridge, using richer chords and borrowing from other keys is what I love about The Beatles. My song BRILLIANT MOMENT is written in that way. 3 As a drummer I started out listening to Stewart Copeland and The Police and only later realized what an amazing singer-songwriter Sting is. There is always a high level of musicianship and great songwriting to be found on his albums. 4 The crystal clear lyrics by Cole Porter sung by Frank Sinatra is another thing I really love. Frank phrases his lines like a great horn player and sings the lyrics as if they were his own, much like an actor playing a convincing part.
These are the writers I have studied more extensively but of course there are many more that I draw from. I find it helpful to look at the complete catalog of one artist to find the reoccurring themes and the "common denominator" of all their songs. That way it is easier for me to find their idiosyncrasies and their general approach to songwriting.
Sorry for all the shop talk but I love talking about this stuff. If you like to find out more about the making of my songs check out my blog section. you can also preview (hear) all my songs on my CD BABY page (see link above).I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4
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