Chapter 1: The Beginning

I didn’t start writing and creating music until college. At this point I had been a guitar player for 5-6 years. But it was during my late teens/early 20s that I got tired of playing other people’s music. I wanted to create something for myself. In the beginning, I seemed to have a fairly constant inflow of ideas. Like any other creative venture, I found myself throwing out the majority, but this still left me with plenty of material from which to work with. My first songs were certainly influenced by the type of music I was listening to at the time: DMB, Jack Johnson, and a long list of classic rock songs were at the top of the list. But as I look back on the music I made initially, I can say with a certain objectivity that the ideas were certainly original. They were a good representation of me, and making music was fun.

Chapter 2: Where It All Started Going Wrong

                Nashville, TN: I was at an open mic at the Bluebird Café one Monday night in 2007 playing a couple songs that I had recently written. After I finished a man (whose name I cannot remember) came up to me and introduced himself as a producer from California who had just moved to Nashville. He said to me, “I really liked your songs tonight. I would love for you to send me a demo of those songs so I could share it with some people I know.”

                This is where I started getting a little confused. Up until this point I was happiest making music that inspired me. I was focused on making music that I liked listening to. But with one comment from one innocent person, my focus began to shift: All of a sudden I wanted to make music that inspired this person. I wanted to make music that he liked listening to. As time went on, I would meet other people that I wanted to impress with my music, and I would want to inspire them. And so began the unwanted process of creating music to “fit the mold.”

Chapter 3: Fitting The Mold

                Before I define the mold, let me first say that it is neither bad nor good. You can be perfectly happy creating for the purpose of fitting a mold. For example there are hundreds of songwriters in Nashville (and all over the world for that matter) who create music on a daily basis in hopes of fitting a mold. Fitting the mold is this: making music for any purpose other than the purpose of expressing your creative self in its truest form.  Fitting the mold includes but is not limited to the following reasons for making music:

1. The pursuit of radio airplay
2. The pursuit of a recording contract
3. Approval (from family, friends, coworkers, church etc.)
4. Money
5. Fame
6. Any combination of the above mentioned

Anyone wishing to fit the mold should use this 2-step process of creating music:

1. Who is your audience?  (Choose your mold)
2. Write songs that will inspire/entertain them

Again, I stress that there is nothing wrong with this formula, as long as you know what’s going on. It is a very noble thing to be a songwriter in Nashville who writes songs for other people in hopes that their songs will be picked up and recorded by other artists, earn a profit and therefore provide their family with income. You can fit the mold and be happy at the same time.

Chapter 4: Motives vs. Content

The interesting thing I am finding out in my own career is how important motives are. Am I writing a song in hopes of fitting a mold? Am I writing in hopes of being played on the radio? Am I hoping to appeal to a certain audience? Am I writing in hopes of becoming famous or scoring a big hit and making lots of money?

OR

Do I write songs because I have a message that needs to be shared with others?

It sounds simple, but this last reason for writing is the one I really want to focus on from here on out.

For me, it is MORE important to know WHY I am writing a song, than it is to know WHAT I am writing.

In other words, MOTIVES are more important than CONTENT.

This is a new realization for me, and I am so excited to finally see clearly on the subject. I need to tell my story through music because it is the story of “me,” that I think people will have the greatest response to. The story of “me,” is my best chance to communicate a message effectively, because it is the only story I know.

Chapter 5: The Future

In light of this revelation, I am having to go back to the drawing board. More than likely my style won’t be changing a great deal. In addition, you aren’t going to see a drastic change in the theme of my writings either. But what I will be adding to all of my future projects is a heightenend level of passion and sincerity. And hopefully that passion will jump through your speakers and headphones. This is what gives me peace now, and this is what fuels my desire to continue creating music far into the future. 

--David