Ready

Episode #162: Ready    (Song starts at 4.55) On these episodes, I’ve often talked about the peace you can find in the outdoors, preferably near water for me. I’ve found by getting outdoors, I manage to still my mind and quickly get into the creative state, the zone required to write a song. This episode pretty much shatters that peace, in a good way (I think). Looking back, the song 'Ready' was probably the result of a build up of tension for me, in my mid to late 20s. It's a guitar/band driven rocker. I was so ready… ready to make some major changes in my life. I was ready to record, ready for a major romance, ready for …life. So I was ready to sort of cut loose in some way. I was ready to do that again this week, when the band (Pete Pascoe and The Patient Hum) played an outdoor gig. I ‘cut loose’ and unleashed a lot of energy, as the front man. It’s fun, that’s for sure. A lot of positive energy can come through from somewhere when you perform, compose and record. Back in 1994, in NZ, my band weren’t with me at the time I wrote 'Ready'. I was out there, on my own and I was determined not to give in. In fact, I was just getting started. So I wrote the words as I sat in my van, overlooking the ocean. Then I drove home and composed what turned out to be a 3 or 4 chord guitar based rock song - on the piano. The old demo I found is on a tape that’s seen better days, so the sound quality is a bit ‘iffy’, this time. But the recording has a certain sort of feeling about it. When I recorded this demo, it was my first time that I had a real studio all to myself. I was given permission to use it between 10pm and dawn for a couple of weeks. I didn’t really know how to work much of the gear, but I set myself of completing an albums worth of recordings in the fortnight - and I did. I realised I had an opportunity to put on tape what was on my mind, without any input for anyone else. No band? No problem… I programmed some drums and played some drum fills live, played keyboard bass, piano and organ. One evening as I was recording the vocals a guitarist knocked on the studio door. He liked what he heard, went home, grabbed his gear and recorded all the guitars in one night. So much fun. All this from came about by writing about an experience ‘I’d rather forget’. Some things that don’t appear to be so great at the time can actually be the catalyst to get you moving. And I did. And I haven’t stopped. Right now, I’ve never been busier as a creative person. The new Patient Hum band album is really taking shape. I’m producing that, painting big seascapes, blogging, making videos, half way through more albums. Making sheet music, video courses. It’s all ‘go’. With 800 songs up my sleeve, I’m enjoying this way of sharing them. By the way, I mention these 2 on this episode: Zed Brookes and Andrew Johnstone. Their latest album is here: www.brookesjohnstone.bandcamp.com You can check out 12 of my albums on www.petepascoe.bandcamp.com, or they’re streaming on Spotify, etc. Or… there’s the 160 songs on this podcast of course (you can scoot straight to the song on each episode if you wish. I mention the time it plays, as above). This week’s blog post has the lyrics, more music and art - including this weeks seascape painting. It’s all go around here. www.petepascoe.wordpress.com And I’m ready - for more. Hope you enjoy Ready. It was a fun episode to record. Ready? Here we go…. back to 1994! Let’s look at song #343.