I have to tell you I picked up my guitar from Glaser's today off East Iris and if that isn't the damn best place for you to take your guitar in Nashville I don't know what is. A week ago I picked up my Alvarez for a long-overdue set up, and I dropped off my Martin. The Alvarez buzzed too much and couldn't stay in tune. Picked up the Martin today (which is perfect like the day it arrived) and had the guy fix the Alvarez on the spot. Got it tuned a step down and sure there'll be a risk for buzzing but apparently that low E string was sitting way too low. And 2 dudes in that shop called me by first name. How's that for customer service.
Gym today and Burger Up for lunch. Headed to the Ryman tonight for Of Monsters and Men.
Songs are so sweet. Progress is being made. In the past it took a Herculean effort to tap into the signal that a riff was carrying. It'd take me forever to write a song. It takes me less time now. I find I'm making more decisions now that I have more clarity and focus. Maybe it's more confidence and much less fear. Less fog, usually much less fog.
One of the great tricks I think a performer can pull off is to go into a song's emotions, wear them for 4 minutes, and put the suit back in the closet. I think I'm well enough now to explore these very, very dark places inside me. Sit in them and root around for awhile for the most effective lines - and come out of it and go back to my normal psychological level. It can be incredibly exhausting and in my experience discouraging because I can make attempts to go to the place I need to be to get the lines but sometimes the lines don't come. Dangerous labor of love. The working titles for this one new song oscillate between “Lunatic” and “Indestructible Suicide Machine.” I giggle at just how melodramatic this all sounds. It'll be quite a work of art when I'm done with it. Thank god I don't have thoughts about running and throwing myself off my balcony anymore.
But I can talk about it. I want to. I need to talk about it.