I had a conversation with my Modern Fools bandmate Jon Braught the other day on the way to band practice. We both live in Keene, so we often carpool to the practice space together. We were talking about our respective dreams and hopes in the music world, and I thought it was really interesting how two people who had shared so much of their journey could have such different aspirations.
We have been making music together since 2011 - we met when I joined a band he was in, called girlandpiano. We eventually started a band together called Honest Thieves. I helped him write and produce the Badlands EP, and another dozen songs that will hopefully see the light of day eventually. Jon and I work in very different ways, but I think our strengths have been complimentary throughout our history together. He is chaotic - a fountain of ideas. He's got so many that he can have a hard time finishing them. I am methodical - left to my own devices, I can spend months agonizing over the smallest decisions, and I've had songwriting droughts that lasted a full year. Together, we've finished over 20 songs in a 3 year period.
Anyway... We were talking about what we wanted in music, and about careers we could envision for ourselves.
Jon really just wants to follow his creative musings anywhere they take him - he's a very musically-curious guy, and at this moment he is interested in no-wave punk jazz. That may wear off next year, but he's fine with shifting focus, because he always feels like he's moving forward in his own development.
I said that if I could build a career where I just co-wrote songs with people, I would quit my day job. I definitely wouldn't quit it to be part of a touring band (even if it was my own tour). I wouldn't want to go work in a studio, or produce, or work for a label. But if my career was specifically based around writing songs with other artists, I think I would find that incredibly fulfilling.
With that in mind, I've made it a specific goal to do more co-writing 2023. If you're a musician and this sounds like something you want to explore, please get in touch. I don't have a particular blueprint for what a session would look like... whether it's trading demos remotely, or actually sitting down in a room with a time limit, or if you just need help coming up with that damn second verse... or whatever. I've found that working together to finish ideas is a creative process that brings me great satisfaction. If it's something you're interested in, drop me a line. (Email or Instagram works best).
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