I want to write you songs. Specifically you.
Songs are a quick and personal way of connecting with folks and I want to connect with my audience in an even more personal way. My SongSmith service can provide you with an original song written just for you or someone you love. Here’s what you do:
1. You commission me to write a song for you (or someone you love) by sending me an email.
2. I write and record an original song, based off of your suggestions and information, and send it off to you.
3. You can then enjoy for yourself, give as a present, or use to mark a special occasion or event.
What do you get? A one-of-a-kind, unique-to-you original song to enjoy and/or gift.
What do I get? A free song idea, a puzzle to figure out, and, eventually, a cool collection of original songs about people I, quite possibly, hardly know.
I collect a small fee for my time and retain all rights to the song, of course. I can also offer more boutique-y offers—EPs, album artwork, etc.—for any special negotiated requests. Heck: think up anything. How about a song about your entire life? How about something aimed at your mortal enemy? Something about your hometown? Whatever you can think of—
The fee for 1 song would be $100. For $250, I can offer a more elaborate, many-tracked version of a song—something with more instrumentation and arrangement.
I would need at least a month to get the song to you. Special requests will take longer.
Included on the SongSmith page are some testimonials from a test-run of the service, I offered earlier this year. Please email me with any questions or requests.
All inquiries to bensmith27@comcast.net
Aimee Mann posted a tweet last night that read, “Just started a new song. So far there’s a mention of Milwaukee’s statue of the Fonz in it. That probably won’t stay. #BronzFonz.” The Huff Post last year identified Mann as one of the “13 Funny Musicians’ You Should Follow On Twitter,” so I attempted a reply, giving her a lyric. I wrote, “There’s a statue of the Fonz / where all Milwaukee’s Johns / wait for a girl who’ll hear their ‘Heyys.” I was excited when she replied, “That’s fantastic…where’s it from?” I told her we should finish the stanza and that, in any case, I would finish the song either way and so, inspired by in a her in a new way, I finished a demo for “Happier Days.”
It was hard not to write, “Sit on it!” or namecheck Ralph Malph, but I did magage to work in “Rock Around the Clock” and “Blueberry Hill.” Predictably, it’s another sad bastard song, but I’m sure the Fonz is one by now anyway.
Aimee: can I say that we co-wrote this song? Her new album is great and you should read about it and buy it here.
Lyrics to “Happier Days”:
There’s a statue of the Fonz
where all Milwaukee’s Johns
wait for a girl who’ll hear their “Heyys.”
The line wraps round the block
and the girls rock round the clock
They know there’s just some things they’ll never pay
But don’t get down
We’re all waiting
Waiting on Happier Days
Somewhere across town
there’s moonshine underground
and now it’s coming down with the rain
And we’ll watch it hit the lake
and the ripples that it makes
but the wind is more than you can face
But don’t get down
We’re all waiting
Waiting on Happier Days
You’ve tried to find your thrill
Looked up on Blueberry Hill
but the clouds were hanging low that day
You won’t find it on TV
but you might find it right with me
cause Misery loves some company
But don’t get down
We’re all waiting
Waiting on Happier Days
Partridges and Their Pear Trees
I’m thrilled to be selected once again by WXPN to be a part of their “12 Days of Local Christmas.” Each year, Helen Leicht and XPN select 12 original holiday songs written by local artists to countdown the days until Christmas. This year my “Son, You Should Come Home For Christmas” will be featured on Thursday, December 13th. That morning (in the 9 am hour) it will be XPN’s My Morning Download and later, during Helen’s 1pm show, the Philly Local Pick of the Day. The track, as well as the 11 others, will be offered as free downloads on the their website.
You can also download the song and its b-side, “Black Friday,” as they appear on Old Man Winter Vol. 2, at my Bandcamp website. While you’re there, check out volume 1 from last year, featuring “I Got a New Tattoo for Christmas” and “Same Old New Year’s.”
Many thanks go to Matt Magarahan and Tim Celfo who perform on the new song and to Joel Metzler at Milkboy Studio who recorded, mixed, and mastered it.
I can’t thank XPN enough for their support over the years—but I’ll try to. Helen, Bruce Warren, and Jon Vettese do so much for local musicians and we are lucky to have them.
I’m also open for business for my song-for-hire project, SongSmith—personalized songs for the people you love. I’ll be posting three sample tracks and information about how you can commission a song of your own later this week—along with some testimonials. All you have to do is email me and we’ll work out all the details. Write to bensmith27@comcast.net with the subject heading “SongSmith.”
Old Man Returns
Held by the obligation of calling last year’s holiday song sampler Old Man Winter Vol. 1, I’m well into the writing for the second volume of seasonal songs to be released by Thanksgiving.
That timing should be just about right for “Black Friday,” one of two new songs I’ve written for the collection. It’s one of those lonely Christmas time ballads—this one about empty, sad trips around mall parking lots. It will not play a part in revitalizing our economy. The other one’s more upbeat despite the title. “Son, You Should Come Home For Christmas” is from the point of view of a father who’s bored with his plans for turning his son’s old bedroom into an office where he can put his Stairmaster.
Both ideas were inspired by my friend Steve Hanna, who has notebooks of these ideas. One of those notebooks he left with me years ago. Inside were the lyrics to one of the greatest Christmas songs never heard: “The Lonely Shepherd.” It’s about the one young shepherd who couldn’t go visit the manger because, of course, someone still had to tend to the sheep. I wrote music to it ten years after the trade, but it deserves a Disney-sized choir and orchestra and remains un(properly)-recorded.
Steve and I are also working on a time-traveling musical that features lots of 1930s-era parlor music. It was one of the most un-lucrative ideas we could come up with. The working title is Page Two—inspired by four photos and a one-page excerpt (page two, of course) of someone’s memoir that was stuck behind a panel in a mid-century bar I bought at an antique store.
And a few words about old music. I’ve put both Wise and Foolish Builders records, 2000’s Sleight of Hand and 2004’s Someone Like Smith, on my Soundcloud page (follow these links.) You can also find both Missing Palmer West records there: the eponymous debut and Shoveling Smoke. They are downloadble “sets”—and free. I had an idea to George Lucas them a bit, give them a proper remixing, but the strange, then-new digital format they’re in makes that project seem like more work than it’s worth. And we know how it turned out for Lucas.
Also newly uploaded on Soundcloud is the complete Key Studio Sessions from XPN. It originally aired back in November of 2011. It features an interview by the very supportive and generous John Vettese. Included on the track are live in studio performances of 5 songs.
Song-for-Hire songs coming soon. Just to need to get the sample tracks mastered.
Hope you’re having a beautiful fall.
Summer Sundries
So here’s what’s going on:
The Songsmithing/Song-for-hire project is afloat (see below) and will be launched for real-sies by September, I’m thinking. I received a number of wonderful emails from folks requesting songs about loved ones and each request included really touching sentiments that made writing the songs a lot easier. I’ve recorded two of them already and passed them along; a third one I just performed the other night at The Flash.
I’ve got to tell you, it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve written songs with other people in mind before, certainly, but never so specifically. It’s been a nice change of pace to write something that’s not “for me”—but for someone else, informed by their intentions. I imagine it’s closer to how someone might commission an artist to paint a portrait. I’ll be sharing these in the next month and will include some testimonials from the recipients.
In other news, I’ve started putting together some performance videos which I will post under the video link. You can find a live version of “Wine, Women, Song” from a recent Kennett Flash performance with Tim Celfo on bass. Tim provided an iPhone, a Flip camera, and a point-and-shoot (along with three tiny tripods) and using Final Cut Pro’s new multi-camera editing, it’s easy to put together a modest little 3-camera video. Also on the video page I’ve posted a video that I started years ago but finally decided to finish recently. It’s the song “Aftermath” from Missing Palmer West’s 2009 album Shoveling Smoke. It features some disturbing, but weirdly touching footage from an old VHS tape I had called “The Art of Mime.” Why did I have that tape? I don’t know.
Can’t wait for the fall. Music sounds better.
Woody Guthrie at 100 Years
My friends in Mason Porter, with the help of The Philadelphia Folksong Society, are putting on a showcase of songs celebrating Woody Guthrie’s 100 year birthday at World Cafe Live this Sunday night. There are many special guests lined up including Bob Beach, Hezekiah Jones, Foxhound (Chris Kasper and Kiley Ryan), John Flynn, Michael Braunfield, Step Hewett, Ike Wilder, Gene Shay and more (like me.)
It promises to be a great night of music. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance here. (Folksong society members get a $2 discount.) The show starts at 7pm.
