Official Video for “Sane Like You”

If you want to order a signed copy with Paypal, click on the link below:

You can also buy the CD or download at CD Baby where you can also preview tracks.

New Music Monday – My Version of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer”

Hell yeah…it’s New Music Monday! This week, it’s my version of Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer”:

If you can’t play the song or are on an iPhone or Android phone, click here.

Cortez The Killer

He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.And his subjects
Gathered ’round him
Like the leaves around a tree
In their clothes of many colors
For the angry gods to see.And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood
Straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.Hate was just a legend
And war was never known
The people worked together
And they lifted many stones.They carried them
To the flatlands
And they died along the way
But they built up
With their bare hands
What we still can’t do today.And I know she’s living there
And she loves me to this day
I still can’t remember when
Or how I lost my way.He came dancing across the water
Cortez, Cortez
What a killer.

Words & music by Neil Young

(Image: Click the pic for credits)

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New Music Monday – My Version of Luke Kelly’s “Joe Hill”

Hell yeah…it’s New Music Monday! This week’s song has been covered by many people, including Pete Seeger and Joan Baez. But the most famous version – certainly in Ireland – is by Luke Kelly and The Dubliners. This is my version of “Joe Hill”:

If you can’t play the song or are on an iPhone or Android phone, click here.

Joe Hill

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you and me.
Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”
“I never died” said he,
“I never died” said he.

“In Salt Lake, Joe,” says I to him,
Him standing by my bed,
“They framed you on a murder charge,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead.”

“The Copper Bosses killed you Joe,
They shot you Joe” says I.
“Takes more than guns to kill a man”
Says Joe “And I ain’t dead,”
Says Joe “And I ain’t dead.”

And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes.
Says Joe “What they can never kill
Went on to organize,
Went on to organize”

From San Diego up to Maine,
In every mine and mill,
Where working-men defend their rights,
It’s there you find Joe Hill,
It’s there you find Joe Hill!

Written by Alfred Hayes & Earl Robinson

Image: “Luke Kelly” by Ted Ford

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New Music Monday – My Version of Jackson Browne’s “The Pretender”

Hell yeah…it’s New Music Monday! This week, it’s my version of Jackson Browne’s “The Pretender”:

If you can’t play the song or are on an iPhone or Android phone, click here.

(Image: Click the pic for credits)

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New Music Monday – My Version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Only Living Boy in New York”

Hell yeah…it’s New Music Monday! This week, it’s my version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Only Living Boy in New York”:

If you can’t play the song or are on an iPhone or Android phone, click here.

Only living boy in New York

Tom, get your plane right on time.
I know your part’ll go fine.
Fly down to Mexico.
Da-n-da-da-n-da-n-da-da and here I am,
The only living boy in New York.

I get the news I need on the weather report.
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report.
Hey, I’ve got nothing to do today but smile.
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da here I am
The only living boy in New York

Half of the time we’re gone but we don’t know where,
And we don’t know where.

Here I am……….

Half of the time we’re gone but we don’t know where,
And we don’t know where.

Tom, get your plane right on time.
I know you’ve been eager to fly now.
Hey let your honesty shine, shine, shine now
Da-n-da-da-n-da-da-n-da-da
Like it shines on me
The only living boy in New York,
The only living boy in New York.

Here I am……………….

Written by Paul Simon

(Image: Click the pic for credits)

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New Music Monday – My Version of The Kinks “Days”

Hell yeah…it’s New Music Monday! This week, it’s my version of The Kinks “Days”:

If you can’t play the song or are on an iPhone or Android phone, click here.

(Image: Click the pic for credits)

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I Am An Independent Musician

I am an independent musician.

What does that mean? It means I record, release and promote my own original music. No record company backing, no massive PR machine. Just me, a laptop, and a Twitter and Facebook account. It also means that many of you will not have heard my music. We hear a lot these days about the demise of the record industry but, even if this is the case, it has not led to the democratisation of the music industry. If anything, the music industry is more homogenised than it ever was. To paraphrase Winston Churchill: “Never has so much been controlled by so few.” In the past, no matter how powerful the record label, no matter how famous their acts were, they could never – for instance – have dictated what song would be a Christmas Number One.

Today, Simon Cowell can.

I am an independent musician. This means that you will never see me – or the hundreds of other independent musicians like me – on shows like “X-Factor” and “The Voice”. This is not because we’re musical snobs; it’s because we write and perform our OWN music. The acts who appear on those shows are judged on their ability to perform OTHER people’s music. And, let’s face it, they are also judged on their looks, their age, their potential to be packaged as a TV and radio-friendly commodity. No independent artist would want to subject themselves to this. And this is not some dismissal of musical reality TV shows. Those shows are entertainment; they are enjoyed by millions of people; and the acts that appear on them are often incredibly talented. They should be able to co-exist side by side with independent musicians.

Sadly, this is not the case.

If these TV shows were simply that – TV shows – it might be the case. But they are something else entirely. They have become a monolith that has obscured so much other music. The influence of the shows, their creators and the acts that appear on them has permeated every aspect of the music business – the record labels, the radio stations, the music magazines – so that there is little room any longer for the independent artist.

So it’s all doom and gloom, then? There is no hope?

On the contrary, there is. There is always hope because there are always people – many people – out there who don’t want their music homogenised and delivered to them in a “cookie cutter” package. There are people out there who want to discover their own music. So, what can they do? What can YOU do?

A lot. First of all, the obvious. You can buy music by independent artists; you can go see their shows. But there’s a lot more you can do to not only support the artists but to also change the way the music industry works.

1. Contact your local radio station. Ask them to play your favourite independent artist. Most radio station’s playlists are narrow and repetitive but they also need listeners and they need to keep their listeners happy. If enough listeners ask to hear independent music, the radio stations can’t ignore them. Especially the smaller, more regional radio stations whose listenerships are their lifeblood.
2. Spread the word. Word of mouth is still the most important thing to an independent musician. And the means to spread word of mouth has never been so —-. Tweet about your favourite independent artist, link to their YouTube videos, write a post about them on Facebook.
3. Further to that, if you’re a music blogger, why not start focussing on more independent artists. Nobody – including Daft Punk themselves – needs yet another review of Daft Punk’s new album. But a review of an independent artist’s new album could mean more publicity, more sales, and more people at their next show.

The landscape for artists has changed dramatically in recent years. Whether you’re a musician, a writer, a filmmaker, the tools to produce your work are so much more accessible than they’ve ever been. But that’s only half the battle. The other half is getting it into the hands of the people you want to hear/see it. I’d like to believe that people will support those artists out there who are trying to do things for themselves, without the weight of the corporations behind them.

That right there is a revolution in the making.

(I’d appreciate you passing on this post to any independent musicians you know. Thanks!)

New Music Monday: Original Song from my New Album – “Hearts & Cigarette Ash”

Hell yeah…it’s New Music Monday! This week, it’s another song from my second album, “Sane Like You”. This is “Hearts & Cigarette Ash”:

If you can’t play the song or are on an iPhone or Android phone, click here.

If you want to order a signed copy with Paypal, click on the link below:

You can also preview tracks and buy or download the CD  at CD Baby and iTunes.