Staff Picks

John - Sam Broussard and Barry Jean Ancelet - Le Grand Silence and Other Stories - The collaboration between producer/guitarist/multi-instrumentalist, Sam Broussard and Cajun poet, Barry Jean Ancelet is magic. This album carries on the stunning art of its predecessor, Broken Promised Land (which was Grammy nominated in the Roots category). The lyrics are in Cajun French, but you can find translations. Once again, Sam and Barry share vocals and have also enlisted the ethereal Cajun songstress, Anna Laura Edmiston. This is some of the most unique music you will come across; easily accessible, but also challenging. Just a note, while this album is drenched in Louisiana, it only occasionally hints at Zydeco. These guys blow me away. 

Chris - Andy Summers @ Variety Playhouse, November 9 - When I heard that former guitarist of The Police, Andy Summers, was playing in town, I told myself that I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t go. Andy is one of a select few guitarists that completely transformed the way that I look at the instrument and I’ve never gotten a chance to see him live. This live show, “The Cracked Lens + A Missing String” is a multimedia project consisting of literature, music, and photography from a modern-day renaissance man that I can’t wait to experience.

Mike - Kitty, Daisy & Lewis (Self titled 2008) - This LP from 2008 is a prime example of how to do period roots music in a modern context without ever erring towards cheeseball self parody or cliche.  Known for building their own recording studio sourced of vintage analog pieces, as well as custom in-house built equipment, this album was recorded in the back room of their mothers house.  It is raw, gritty, and sweet all at once.  Don't believe me?  Listen to their arrangement of Canned Heat’s “Going Up the Country” and see if you can resist the rest of the album.

5 Ways to Beat Writer's Block  

As a songwriter for the last 25 years, I have most assuredly grappled with the seemingly Sisyphean task of overcoming bouts of writer's block.  While more accomplished writers (and much greater thinkers) have waxed philosophical on the topic ad nauseam, I humbly submit that the rub is getting yourself out of the way of your writing.  Below are several tricks I’ve picked up over the years to keep the creative gears greased, and while it is never easy, it sure can be fun.

1. Try a new open tuning  - Whether slack tuned, or pulled higher, open tunings you have never used before are a quick way to get out of your normal headspace.  It is as though it’s your first day with the instrument, but this time you have a cheat sheet.  You have a functioning rhythm hand, as well as an understanding of how to fret and use both hands in harmony.  The only thing you’re lacking is chord vocabulary.  Hunting for chords can open up new melodic possibilities, and the voicings themselves are often different than your instincts might have found tuned to standard.  
2. Chase what excites you – If you excitedly get a verse or chorus down and are fighting with the next passage, at a point do not be afraid to set it down and pick it back up later.  If you take this approach frequently enough, you’ll have a vast field of starts to pick from, and many will be the occasion where days, weeks, months, or even years down the road you’ll be able to pick the fruits of your labor.
3. The John Cable story – in the words of our own John Cable: Thank you, Mike. Years ago, when I was hanging out with famous people, I found myself on the Atlantic City boardwalk with John Hartford. It was roughly 3am and we were trying to clog on the boardwalks wooden slats. I began complaining that I was being pressured to write some songs for my band’s project and was not having much luck. John then imparted this bit of wisdom that I have relied on during many dry spells. Start by finding a recording of someone you admire that you have never heard before. This works well when one of your favorite artists releases something new. Now, here’s the trick; listen to the entire album only once. Then, sit down and try to write what you just heard. You may think to yourself that this sounds a little like plagiarism, but trust me, what you come up with will be completely different. Besides, we all steal unconsciously most of the time anyway. Give it try!
4. The off the top of the head approach – If the first three didn’t work, you may be starting to feel desperate.  Don’t fret….well actually do, and strum too.  In fact, pick up your axe and just start playing and singing literally anything.  Don’t think, just grab chords.  Sing melismatics, or sing whatever words come to mind, as sometimes the most profound truths are sitting just under the surface.  Sing to your dog, or cat, or roommate, or the evening air.  The idea is to play with no pressure or expectations.  If you’re lucky, you might have just push started your brain in to writing a tune.
5. If all else fails, laugh to keep from crying – My all time favorite.  Drop what you’re doing, pick up your guitar, and just write a stupid song to make yourself laugh, or to make a friend laugh.  There’s no pressure to it.  Just get outside of your head and have a laugh.  When you take the pressure off, often the dam breaks and the juices start flowing.  Even if nothing profound comes of it, you’re still stretching those creative muscles.  

There you have it.  They might not always get the job done, and they surely aren’t the only ways to go about the task, but hopefully if any of you are struggling to create, this list can help shake you loose.  Good luck friends, and get writing!
Mike Little 2024