The Main Thing

Episode #10: The Main Thing - (Song at 7:35) This song, number 515,  traces the trajectory of a (musician’s) life and marks the points where he prioritises his goals as he goes through a series of transitions - which pretty much sums up a lifetime. Along the way, his definition of the main thing keeps changing. I’m loving archiving these songs and I hope you’re enjoying them too. Alfred, the Labrador, makes another appearance this week - the Labrador we were looking after kept me company as I wrote the song, 19 years ago. As a lyricist, I generally write from an ‘I’ perspective. In this case, I wrote the song as a ‘storyteller, this time in 3rd person. It started off with a true episode that happened when a girl was young and moves on through her life, then it becomes equally - or more so - about the man she eventually meets - and their relationship down through the years. There’s a saying ‘being in the zone’ …not blowing my trumpet here, but there was something about the songs, the demos from this particular fortnight of house sitting. Writing lyrics really flows for me. I don’t work on these lyrics for months. These generally come together in about 20mins - and the music generally happens in about the same amount of time.  I’m looking forward to recording an album of these ‘demos’. Recording these podcast episodes is proving to be a useful sorting process for me. Also, it’s very much a time of discovery, as I discover things about the songwriting process as I talk about this. I welcome your feedback about what I’m up to on this podcast. I’m very much finding my way. I’m enjoying analysing the lyrics and exploring the song from more of a composing point of view towards the end. I find these episodes entertaining and informative. I hope you do too. There’s nothing like some new music, too. I hope after listening to this episode, you feel a bit like you’ve been to gig, heard the story of the song and maybe even picked up thing or two about songwriting and arranging - which is certainly an ongoing learning process. If you’re tuning in and finding you’re enjoying these episodes, you might like to hear more at www.petepascoe.bandcamp.com. There are a selection of my albums here, including 2 piano/vocal singer/songwriter style, along the lines of the songs on this podcast. Also you’ll discover my other albums and styles there - which I’ve touched on in previous episodes:  Piano solo, Rock, Folk rock, etc.  Other links for you to explore: www.petepascoe.com www.petepascoe.wordpress.com  (blog  - art and music with links to more) Youtube: Pete Pascoe Art and Music  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHYCpWbGGaBQr8ukxASVnw Enjoy.

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.