After a few failed forays into trying to write something new, I finally got over the hump and got one in the pipeline. It's a combination of getting that initial impulse that 'there's a song in there' followed by some focused time fleshing it out. It started a couple of nights ago when my friend Jimmy had had too much to drink (and smoke) and was waiting around trying to get sober enough to get on his scooter and ride the fifteen minutes home. I asked him if it was the weed or the whiskey that was the problem. He said a little bit of both. But when I asked the question and heard myself say 'the weed and the whiskey', I got that little ringing bell that says, 'that's a nice little sound.... could be the opening line of a country song chorus'. So I spent a couple of hours wrestling out a chorus and it looks like this:
It's the weed and the whiskey
That sets my head to spinning round
My mind is up in heaven
But my body's on the ground
I wonder if she's gone to stay
Wonder does she even miss me
Why did I throw it all away
For the weed and the whiskey
I'll get back on it today and start writing some verses. I seem to work best up in my room with a guitar and a notebook and a pen.
Spent a couple hours yesterday walking around taking pictures of some of the amazing temples that are here in Chiang Mai. I don't know how to be a 'photographer', not sure what makes a great shot, but between my own instincts, and then experiencing the process of dealing with them afterward, cropping, manipulating, uploading, I think I'll learn as I go. My first album was pretty good for the initial foray.
Kinda fun to have a camera. Last night I was in the Reggae Bar and there was this Thai Ska Band playing some pretty peppy stuff, had the crowd going. I took a couple of pictures and even rolled a minute of video. Different world when one tries to document.
I led a set at CU Corner last night from 9-10:15 pm. I was playing with a Dutch bass player I had never met and a good ole boy guitarist from Georgia, who plays OK but doesn't know the names of chords... oy. So I called a super 'least common denominator' set of tunes a la Evil Ways, Sloop John B, Blue Suede Shoes, Peaceful Easy Feeling, slipped in a couple of my simpler ones, and it worked out really well. I think I'm a pro at this kind of stuff by now. Taew paid me a little cash, and it was a positive experience. I do like leading a band....
The Kow Soi has just arrived, (chicken curry over noodles, northern Thai style), time for breakfast...
