[pompeyjazz]

@CaliaMoko Rejoice,  outstanding vocal work

@Wicked Deeds Paul, Motorway of lies is an excellent track. A younger sounding Mr Vasey,  strong Prefab Sprout vibe which works for me big time

[Andreas]

I don't come from a especially musical family. My folks listen a lot to music, but none of them have ever played any instruments. My brother played the electric guitar and, I think he played little drums, as well.

I got my first guitar from my brother-in-law and sister for Christmas when I was 10, I think after I had been looking at it at a store. Nothing fancy, but it did one heck of a job for a young kid. Then I went on to get an electric guitar and an amp from my parents for the next Christmas. I started out learning some basic chords from my brother-in-law before getting a chord-book. Then I started to learn songs from YouTube and playing by ear and watching live-performances from other artists I admired. Everything I know I have just figured out on my own or been watching YouTube videos.

I got into songwriting at the age of 13, when I wrote my first song, which wasn't very good if I shall say so myself. And after that, I fell in love with the creation of music, and every song I have ever written I have kept in a notebook, and I have now written over 1000 songs over a period of 12-13 years, including all the songs I have written for other artists. I have been using songwriting for every occasion when I just need to get out of my mind for a while. I write down all my feelings, thoughts, and things I see and hear. I have used music as a defense mechanism to cope with all the shit that has been going on in my life, and it has been my way to get out my feelings.

In recent years, I have been playing a little bit of harmonica as well and have been playing the piano and starting to get more and more interested in the production of music. I have started reading up a little on music theory, and have been playing around with different chord shapes, and breaking down chords.

[pompeyjazz]

Loving reading all these stories. Big up to you @LukeArmstrongMusic as I believe some of the younger people around here say 

[jacksimmons]

This is such an interesting thread! Lovely to hear some old tunes from you guys. @pompeyjazz I LOVE your 80s stuff. Night Flight is possibly the coolest name for a band ever and it sounds like Elvis Costello meets the Buggles meets Chic. Awesome! Is Out of the Game an original? It's a great tune. @CaliaMoko what a voice!

It's so cool to read all of this. My own musical beginnings are not too far in the past. My Dad and Uncle have been self employed musicians since before I was born. Their Dad was in a band that supported some big names back in the 60s. My Nan and her Mum were/are dancers and performers. My Uncle had starring roles in Bugsy Malone and Oliver on the West End as a little 'un and had a brief career as a child actor, even hosted a TV show on computing called video and chips in the 80s. In the 90s my Dad and Uncle appeared on Stars in Their Eyes as the Bee Gees and since then have been doing a Bee Gees tribute show. So, I guess you could say music was in my blood, but I wasn't at all interested in playing music until I heard Bob Dylan for the first time when I was 16 and knew immediately I had to learn acoustic guitar...I am still fumbling with that to this day but have written quite a few songs now.

I had a few bands, but the main one was in 2012/13 and we were called The Streetcars. Made a few songs which are still on YouTube and preformed maybe a dozen shows in Bristol. That was when I realised I loved preforming. So this was the first time I ever made music, but I had a friend who knew how to do the production and another friend I was songwriting with. And my range was about half what it is now. And I had no idea about singing at all haha

Alongside the band and at the age of about 18/19 I did acoustic shows. Here's a song from around that time:

Since 2014 I have been slowly teaching myself production. That same year I joined my Dad and Uncle's theatre show, a tribute to the Bee Gees called Jive Talkin', which is now my full time job. Which makes me possibly the luckiest kid alive.

Now I am just recording by myself, and am hoping to have a band together this time next year. I've written maybe a hundred songs now but recorded probably only close to half.

[CaliaMoko]

I've been listening through the songs posted so far. So intriguing--listening (and watching, when videos) the flashes from the past. And the variety in the stories. Someone could gather them all into a book (I'm sure there are many more to come) and we could all buy a copy.... This is a great thread!

@pompeyjazz and @jacksimmons : Thanks for the lovely remarks. I wish I still had that voice, but I guess, what I've lost in range and depth I can say I've gained in experience and character. Especially character. 

[pompeyjazz]

Great listens and great story @Jack Simmons I've really enjoyed this thread,  reading everyone's different experiences. To answer your question,  Out of the game I co-wrote and all of the songs I listed I either wrote or co-wrote. More stories please  Btw, I really enjoyed your acoustic piece

[MonnoDB]

Had a listen to a bunch of these songs earlier - such a lovely journey through your material.. loved listening, some really fab songs there, great vibes and energy!

Followed the trend :-) and threw my oldest / earliest-recorded song into my original post..


Btw@CaliaMoko beautiful vocal but I think that about your recent material too, your voice always shines!

Great thread @pompeyjazz !

K 

[pompeyjazz]

It's so lovely to hear all of the stories and to hear that we all managed to make it onto this forum. Music is our universal language. It breaks down barriers and we share it because of our love.

[CaliaMoko]

@MonnoDB : I really, really like your song. I love the words, and the setting really suits it. Much better than my first songs! I don't have a recording of my first song, so we're all safe from that....

[Skub]

@jacksimmons

Love the Streetcars stuff,quite Paul Simon sounding. Great melodies.

Bee Gees stuff is awesome,good skills kiddo!

[MonnoDB]

@MonnoDB : I really, really like your song. I love the words, and the setting really suits it. Much better than my first songs! I don't have a recording of my first song, so we're all safe from that....

Thanks a mill Vicki @CaliaMoko - thankfully I also don’t have a recording of my first! It wasn’t very good at all :-).

[Skub]

Wow @PaulAds Great history!I didn't know about your voice problems,scary stuff man.

@Wicked Deeds A deep and rich musical past Paul. Love your voice back then,super high and clear! Big,epic Spandau Ballet/Bond theme sound on Rooted.
I love how you sounded on Mary Told Her News.

@CaliaMoko Rejoice is lovely,your voice is beyond awesome! Very Christmassy!

@Bill Saunders The things we could have done without kids! Daws rock,don't they!

@MonnoDB  Far from boring,Karen it sounds like you had a good solid grounding in music,I'm always jealous of those with loads of theory,but I'm too old/lazy to learn it all now! You know what I think of 'Alice',it's a heartstring tugger,for sure. Great to listen again.

A fine read y'all,keep 'em coming. 

[cowparsleyman]

Really fascinating read...keep em coming.

[shadowfax]

picked up a guitar when I was 16...formed a band at 18..band fell apart at 19...became an industrial photographer for British Steel at 20 so music took a back seat...British Steel went bust at 28 so bought an old large house and killed myself turning into a small hotel in which I formed a new band...new band would rehearse in one of the Hotel rooms a few times a week...drummer got us a gig at local pub..( for no pay of course ) played to 10 peeps on a Monday night but went down fairly well with original stuff...month later played same gig and the pub was full..we,re thinking ..hey..looking good, 2 days later drummer dies in car accident..band falls apart..I sell small Hotel and move to Norwich and get back into photography, but fashion rather than industrial..music takes a back seat again and during this time my apartment is burnt to the ground..( came home looking forward to a shower and the building is gone) electrical fault in a lower apartment apparently..!! I lose everything including all music tapes except some I had in the car..long story short I end up opening studios in the Czech Republic and working all over Europe..music is a long distant memory...long story short again, after 20 years I move back to UK, retire from photography and buy Cubase...music becomes main focus again...here I am in the present.. head still spinning

forgot to mention..worked with some Czech musicians while in their country..which was interesting...

[MonnoDB]

@Skub - interestingly I'm always jealous of those unconstrained by a classical background who play instinctively and freely.. I think it has far more value than theory, which you can learn any time. Not that theory doesn't come in handy but it's certainly not the most important part of the package IMO... Far away fields maybe ! Thanks re Alice btw..

Did I say this is a great thread @pompeyjazz Such great stories and insights..