Fingers In The Trees

Episode #106: Fingers In The Trees  (Song starts at 5:52 & 26:00) Autumn is a great time of year. It's a season which really resonates with me for some reason. I was camping in Bright, Victoria recently, camping by a stream (which you'll get to listen to in this episode). The trees were all losing their leaves, the birds singing.  The bare fingered trees are the image I had in mind when I wrote the song 'Fingers In The Trees'. The sort of fingers that reach out against the twilight sky, the sunset. It's quite an evocative image. Who's fingers are they? Who am I thinking of? Friends who are perhaps in another country, friends and family who perhaps may no longer be with me.  Incidentally, the night I recorded this episode was exactly 24 years after I composed the song. I just noticed that as I read the lyrics and analysed the meaning of some of the lines.  I love that about the creative realm, It constantly speaks to us, surprises is & plays with us - if we are open to tuning in. And that's exactly what you do as a songwriter. You open yourself up to another realm. It's within us all, like a muscle, which gets stronger the more you use it.  To have a song like this one in the song books, it sort of makes all those years of work,all the ups and downs so worth it. Well, they were worth it anyway...but now and then it seems you catch a special fish. I'm reminded of another memory as I wrote. My very young daughter caught the tiniest, most delicate, beautiful golden fish when we were fishing together off a pier, a long time ago.  I can see that fish, see the expression of wonder on her face (mine too, I sure). I remember the weather, the temperature, the season. It was Autumn.  The thing about a song like 'Fingers', it brings back so many memories when I sing it. The hope is that listeners will have their own memories reawakened when they (you) listen to it.  As a songwriter, you create a touchstone of sorts, I guess. It’s a great feeling. Words and music are such a potent force, a powerful combination.  So is the spoken word, especially when you speak from the heart, when your in the moment, just allowing want ever thoughts come to mind.  That's what I do each week here. Then all the images and ideas seem come together and theme emerges for each episode. I hope you enjoy this week's episode. There are two versions of the song this week. A piano/local version and a band version too.  Blog www.petepascoe.wordpress.com.  The Hazy Line - Tales Of A Pianoman is a memoirs ‘work in progress’ sort of blog.  The Roughest Cut by Pete Pascoe and The Patient Hum has Fingers In The Trees on it. Streaming now.  Correction:  The Untrodden Track is the name of the upcoming album by Paul Dredge and myself (not the Roughest Track, which I mistakenly called it in this episode). 

Om Podcasten

Be entertained with a song and an extended chat, ranging from off the cuff banter/humour to life observations and song analysis. Welcome to Song and a Chat. This is the podcast where you'll have the pleasure of listening to a new song each week - plus, you'll get to step into the shoes of a songwriter : You'll hear about the background of the song, the inspiration, how/ why the song came into being.  After the song finishes, I'll go over the lyrics and finish each episode by looking at the song from a songwriting point of view. If you just want the song and no talk, the time where the song kicks in will be in the title of each episode. Hi, my name is Pete Pascoe. I am a performer and composer - I love lyrics and I love a melody. I play piano and sing. I have a number of albums to my name.  I have written over 800 songs. Of course, not all of these songs I written will make it onto an album. As a songwriter, the first step for a new song is ( or was ) to record a demo. Often you catch something unique in this demo - something that is often not replicated in the studio cut....a certain feeling.  If you're looking to be entertained, like listening to new songs and live recordings, I hope you'll enjoy what's on offer here. I have a stack of demos from which I'm sharing one on a weekly basis. Plus I relate anecdotes about my life as a piano man, from around the time each song was written. I treat each show as a mini intimate concert - with extended chat, which ranges from off the cuff banter/humour to life observations and analysis. The idea is : the song can be listened to for pleasure in its own right, or the listener may choose to also be entertained and informed by the story around the song.  I'm really enjoying recording these podcasts. Each week I look forward to getting behind the mic, setting aside my current musical and artistic projects and casting my mind back in time by focussing on a song I've composed. It's turning out to be a satisfying - and sometimes surprising - time of reflection and discovery for me.  The lyrics and the recordings take me straight back to when the song was written. Gain an insight into songwriting and listen to a series of snapshots of life of a songwriter / performer / artist.  It's a great way for me to archive a song and it's 'back story'. Music is to be shared. What point is there In having five songbooks and piles of demos gathering dust?  I welcome feedback - whether you're tuning in to enjoy music for music's sake, you enjoy finding out about the origins of songs, you're looking for tips on songwriting or perhaps you've got tips for me. Either way, I'll be learning plenty as I go along. Thanks for a having a read. Come on and join me for a listen.