I wanted to find a place where I could work and escape from the world at the same time and as of a few days ago, this goal has been realised.
Yes… I’ve just bought a house in Yankalilla.
I’ll get the keys on November 8th and after some cosmetic tweaks to the inside such as a new kitchen, polishing floorboards and a new coat of paint, it’ll be ready for Charlie and I to move in and make our own.
It feels good to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel as there were a few times in the house hunting process that my hopes had been dashed but this time though, I got what I was looking for.
I’ll now be able to work and record from home in an environment that will be more conducive to productivity and creativity.
Living with Mum and Dad has been absolutely wonderful but the space I worked in was always a temporary one and therefore the atmosphere was always going to be different, more restless and slightly inhibited.
I’m now looking forward to creating more, working more, relaxing more and just “being” more because now that I have my own place… I can do what I bloody well like.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a great believer in using anything that can create, inspire, stimulate and expand on my songwriting ideas and turn them into a finished song.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in our day to day lives has just exploded over the last few years and the world of songwriting has not been immune to this phenomenon.
It seems that “AI” is the newest buzzword around and there’s a huge demand for AI to be involved with any and every part of the creative process.
It’s easy to come to the conclusion that any human involvement in the creative process will become obsolete. I don’t think this will be the case at all.
Now I myself have used AI songwriting/musical tools to expand, embellish and enhance my own songwriting ideas and to get myself out of writer’s block.
I do this because I’m truly fascinated by the promise of AI and what it can do for songwriters and musicians alike. The promise being a never-ending flow of randomly generated songwriting ideas.
Of course these ideas are not going to be perfect but that is the beauty of working with AI songwriting tools. These AI generated songwriting ideas will still need (and will probably always need) the discernment filter of a human brain that’s been trained by years of experience to steer those song ideas to completion.
Are songwriting ideas generated by an AI tool less relevant than if they were 100% generated by a human?
As far as I’m concerned, no way because at the end of the day an AI songwriting tool is just that… A TOOL.
It’s a means to an end and when you think about it, any tool that can generate a songwriting idea is a good tool in my book.
Recently, I updated my most popular blog post The BIG List Of Songwriting Prompts And Lyric Generators to now include a list of AI powered songwriting and lyric writing tools because whether we like it or not, THIS is going to be a big part of the future of songwriting.
Whether they’re created by a computer program or, through machine learning, these songwriting ideas and prompts are just there to help stimulate creativity within the human mind.
They exist to merely take your creativity to places you’d never go. For me, it’s like a mate giving you a tip on a great fishing spot but there are some advocates against AI in songwriting who talk about how using these tools is tantamount to cheating.
Yes, I suppose you can technically “cheat” if you really want to, but having AI write a song for you and then claiming it as your own work is a hollow victory (if you can just watch the film Yesterday and you’ll know exactly what I mean).
Just letting AI do all the heavy lifting would simply take all the fun out of creating and besides, is a guitarist who uses a capo a cheat? No, not at all.
I personally want to be on the forefront of these developments rather than be lagging behind to play catch up. I’ll continue to use AI songwriting/lyric writing tools in my songwriting process and if there’s anything that I can share with you all in the future I will.
So, in conclusion… As long as we control the technology within the process rather than the other way around, I think songwriting as a craft is not going to diminish in its humanity.
What do YOU think about the role of AI in the songwriting process?
The role of AI in songwriting has already launched some robust discussion and will continue to be an interesting conversation topic now and into the future so let me know what you think because I’m always up for a good chat.
I think it goes without saying that I love to write songs.
Sometimes a song can come from thin air and basically write itself and sometimes a songwriting session can be more painful than passing kidney stones. It all depends on whether you’re attuned to the muse or not.
To really get my creative juices flowing I like to participate in online songwriting challenges like FAWM, 5090 or RPM because there’s nothing like a deadline to make things a bit interesting.
I really love putting my songwriting process to the test, turning everything that I see, hear and experience into a songwriting ideas and then crafting those ideas into a completed song but there have been times when I needed a little bit more help getting my songwriting process underway.
When this happens, I am comforted by the fact that there are free online songwriting tools to the rescue.
As a songwriter who comes up with musical ideas much more easily than lyrical ones, I use these online random word generators and songwriting prompts whenever I find myself in a situation where I’m fresh out of songwriting ideas.
I know from personal experience that from time to time a prompt such as a good song title or a few well chosen lines overheard in a conversation can be all that’s needed to open the floodgates of inspiration.
I mean, there are even songwriting tools out there that are using Artificial Intelligence to power their results. It’s this area of songwriting and music creation that I have been most fascinated with of late.
So, with that in mind, I thought I’d do some online research into these types of songwriting tools for you all.
Some are fairly serious and some are more humorous but if you have a look at them and give the ones you feel will work for you a go, you’ll find some real value in these sites so here is the BIG List Of Songwriting Prompts And Lyric Generators for you to enjoy and be inspired by…
You’ll notice that some of these tools are a bit tongue in cheek but there are also some songwriting tools that are seriously good.
Either way, by using these songwriting tools it’s my hope that you’ll take your creativity to places you’ve never imagined as much as I have by using them.
I’d be interested to hear how you go with any of these. If you come across any other songwriting tools that you feel will help anyone with their songwriting process, feel free to let me know about it and I’ll add it to this list.
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the release of my debut CD “Seeing Stars” and after giving it a bit of a listen before I started writing this post… I’m still quite proud of it.
A lot of things have happened since then which can be summed up by quoting John Lennon’s famous lyric:
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”
Yes, I wished I had continued on with the initial momentum the CD created but in true Corey fashion, I got scared and through my inaction, that momentum gradually slowed until one day it stopped.
It really does amaze me that 10 years have flown by so fast as I remember the Seeing Stars CD launch as if it was yesterday.
The Promethean was a wonderful venue for the show and I think I managed to get almost 100 people there. The band was cooking and the overall atmosphere was electric to say the least.
I do remember feeling like I had come home after wandering around for a few years in the musical wilderness. Standing up on stage at the end of the night after playing a set of my own material, feeling the love of the crowd…
It was the closest thing to Heaven on Earth but why did I get scared and let it all die out?
Well, I suppose that even with all of the initial success of the recording and release of the CD, I still didn’t have the belief back then that I could do something with the momentum I created.
It just goes to show that having an unwavering belief in yourself and your music is just as important as the music itself. It was a hard lesson to learn but I think it was worth it.
As I said before, a lot of things have happened since then. Some things have been really good and some things have been really bad.
There have also been a few curve balls thrown my way which I’ve managed to dodge most of them but at the end of the day, I am a better person for it and therefore a better songwriter, musician, producer and blogger as well.
With that in mind, I know that I have so much more to offer through my music and I look back on what I created 10 years ago and now think to myself… This is only the beginning.
My first CD might have been two years in the making and 25 years in its development but I promise you that my next official release will not take as long to appear. I am now in a much better place now and the belief that wasn’t there 10 years ago is right now sitting beside me, whispering in my ear… “Mate, you’ve got this.”
Watch this space…
Peace,
Corey 🙂
Heaven on Earth
A big thank you to Leonard Choice (MyBestOf Photography) for the CD Launch photos 🙂
A while ago I participated in one of those Facebook activities where you get asked to do a task and after it’s done you then nominate someone else to do the same task to keep the chain going.
The task I was nominated to do was to post…
“…10 all time favourite or influential albums. What really made an impact and is still on your rotation list, even if only now and then. Post the cover, no need to explain particularly and nominate a person each day to do the same.”
The challenge was accepted and I diligently completed it but the problem is that with Facebook, once something goes onto your feed it gets lost for all time and to find it again on Facebook takes a bit of time.
Anyways, I found the pictures and thought that I should share them with you all plus a bit of an explanation as to why I chose these albums.
So, in the order that they appeared on Facebook, here are my 10 all time favourite or influential albums (so far)…
01 War Of The Worlds – Jeff Wayne
My Aunty Pat (Mum’s sister) got the double LP for me for my 9th birthday because every time I went over to her place I would take out her copy of War Of The Worlds and put on some headphones and spend all night listening to it over and over and over again while looking through the extensive album notes and pictures.
I still have the album even now, it’s still a treasured part of my music collection.
The album captured my imagination plus it turned me on to the concept of modern orchestral music even though I didn’t start studying music until I got into high school.
Here’s a video of my favourite songs from the album Forever Autumn performed by Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) and narrated by the great Richard Burton.
I’ve got to say… Richard Burton still has the best speaking voice EVER.
In fact the 1980’s King Crimson trilogy of Discipline, Beat and Three Of A Perfect Pair would be my desert island discs for sure.
Check out Sleepless and you’ll know why I make such a fuss about this album
03 Remain In Light – Talking Heads
To me, this album displays for all the world to see the absolute pinnacle of what Talking Heads was doing.
The matching of Brian Eno as the producer/songwriter was genius, the inclusion of Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Zappa) on guitar was sublime. Everything about this album is perfect, even the imperfections are perfect
What do I mean by “even the imperfections are perfect?” Check out Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) and pay close attention to around 5:18.
You’ll know what I mean 😉
04 Scary Monsters – David Bowie
Thanks to my music teacher in high school, this was one of the albums that I discovered in that time of my life.
I found David Bowie through this album first then there was Low, and Lodger. That set me up beautifully for my lifelong love for David Bowie.
I fell in love with songs like Up The Hill Backwards, Teenage Wildlife and (of course) Ashes To Ashes (which I do a pretty good acoustic cover of if I say so myself) but it’s the song Fashion that really got me.
Fripp’s guitar work is blistering.
05 Gone To Earth – David Sylvian
This is one of the albums that I would listen to before I go to sleep. The whole album has an enigmatic quality to it and David Sylvian’s voice… One word DIVINE!
My favourite song from the album is Wave which again showcases Robert Fripp’s guitar mastery but it also demonstrates that David Sylvian can write a simply beautiful romantic lyric.
It’s a long song but it’s definitely worth a listen
06 Sheik Yerbouti – Frank Zappa
Another one of my “discovered in high school” albums, I was introduced to Frank Zappa through this record and the stand out song for me is Bobby Brown Goes Down.
I’ve always wanted to do a version of this song in a band but I never had the courage to do it. Maybe one day.
07 Hounds Of Love – Kate Bush
I couldn’t tell you how many hours I have spent listening to this album either with friends or alone, in the dark through headphones. This album is an absolute masterpiece and has affected me in more ways than any other album.
Listening to Hounds Of Love in its entirety will put you through the wringer of emotions but after the final note has sounded you’ll be a better person for experiencing it.
It was Mother Stands For Comfort that really cemented my love for fretless bass. Eberhard Weber’s playing on this track is simply exquisite.
08 Before And After Science – Brian Eno
I was aware of Brian Eno before hearing this album but it was Before And After Science that I started to become obsessed with Eno especially with the song By This River.
The whole album has mostly a dreamy quality to it but By This River (a collaboration between Eno and Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of German experimental outfit Cluster) is the epitome of the dream. It also makes me cry every time I hear it
09 Synchronicity – The Police
No top 10 album list of mine would not be complete without a Police album and Synchronicity was my doorway to the band and I didn’t just walk through that door… I ran as fast as I could.
Every song on the album holds a special place in my heart.
It was on high rotation when me and a few friends were waiting in line at Memorial Drive for Sting’s Dream Of The Blue Turtles concert way back in 1985. We were there from 8:30am that morning.
Hard to pick a favourite song but I do have a soft spot for Tea In The Sahara. Enjoy…
10 The Beatles – The Beatles
Well, what can I say about this album that has not already been said by countless other critics, bloggers and the like?
I could quite easily put in any Beatles album from Rubber Soul onwards onto this list but somehow this self titled wonder got the gong
My favourite song on the album is Blackbird mainly for its simplicity. It’s this simplicity that sets it apart from the rest of the songs.
Ahhh, going through this list inspired me to listen to them again and what a journey down memory lane that was.
It just reminds me that there is so much wonderful music out there to be listened to, consumed and experienced and that it will take several lifetimes just to get through all of it.
Personally, I love learning covers in my own unique way almost as much as writing, recording and playing my own music.
The main reason for this is that by me learning and deconstructing/reconstructing songs that I really connect with or, have proven to be popular with the public and have charted in some way, I learn how to write my own songs better through the experience.
Here are some ways I reckon that learning covers has helped my own songwriting process:
I learn different song formats, song structures and chord patterns.
I expose myself to singing different melodies, and lyrical ideas.
I spice up my guitar practice regimen.
I maintain my musical theory knowledge by learning a song by ear.
I get to know my favourite songwriters more by learning their songs.
For every song I learn, many other unique songwriting ideas will naturally bubble up to the surface for my own material later on.
I reckon the trick with playing covers is that you never do them like the original as much as you possibly can.
I know that if I’m in the audience and I hear someone do a cover in their own style, I get hooked into their version every single time (and I also get hooked into them too).
Now, some performing songwriters I know feel that playing covers is just selling out but, I respectfully don’t agree. I mean who is going to say that Jeff Buckley’s version of ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen was a sell out on his part?
It’s one of the most beautiful performances of any song I have ever heard. It makes me cry every time I hear it.
Of course, your goal as a performing songwriter is to play your own songs as much as you can because there’s nothing more satisfying than people actually being touched, moved and inspired by what you are playing and singing that has come from inside you however, an amazing thing happens when you add the occasional cover song into your repertoire.
The audience becomes much closer to you.
I can’t tell you how many times a quiet gig became a much greater gig after I play a well chosen cover (in my own style of course). Every other song I play afterwards becomes music to their ears.
For me, the term “selling out” is generally used by people who wish they were in the same position as the other musicians they were commenting on. Jealousy rears up its ugly head in the music industry all the time.
If you keep focused on writing your own music and at the same time learn a few covers (at the very least for research purposes) to break up your songwriting process from time to time, you will have better gigs, become a more well rounded instrumentalist and (most importantly) you will be a real hit around the odd campfire or two 😉
At the end of the day, I believe playing covers affects your ability to write your own songs only if you allow it to.
It’s a known fact that having a sense of community in our lives is a very important aspect of being human but it’s even more important for songwriters, artists, musicians and bands.
Swimming upstream and forging your own path in this new music business can be a very tiring exercise and quite frankly we need all the support and encouragement we can get.
At this very moment, it seems that the individual is cherished way above the endeavours of the collective group and personally, I think this is a very sad symptom of the modern society we live in today.
You see, underneath all of our technological advances and progress, we are social creatures and to put it quite simply, human beings tend to not function at our fullest potential in anything just by ourselves.
We need other people around us and it’s this strength in numbers that defines the power of building a community, a tribe around you and your music/art.
In this music industry it’s so important to understand the power of networking and developing a working knowledge of the music business from the inside out.
The ongoing aim of anyone building a music career is to build your own tribe of fans, like minded individuals, businesses and organisations that can help you, support you, encourage you and inspire you to become whatever you want your music career to be.
In fact, as songwriters, artists, musicians and bands, the very thing in which we all have in common is… Each other.
That’s COMMUNITY, that’s your TRIBE.
Whether we know it or not, we have all manufactured our own tribe around us and in turn, we are all part of someone else’s tribe.
The secret is embracing this fact and to use this to your (and everyone else’s) advantage.
As your tribe grows, your music career will grow plus the people around you will grow with you. This is the power of growing your tribe. It’s a place where everyone wins.
With a strong, loyal and passionate tribe behind you and your music…
You can get more people to your shows
You can get more people to buy/stream your music
You can get more people to buy your merch
You take the pressure off you to write “hit” songs
You negate the need to score a record deal
You have more opportunity to reach out to others
You feel more supported, encouraged and inspired
You receive good quality feedback in a timely manner
You are reminded exactly why you do what you do in the first place
You have the opportunity to have the best time of your life
I personally have a wonderful community of people, bands and networks that I can tap into and this was apparent to me when I was running Open Mics, organising songwriting showcases and putting on my own shows either as a solo artist or with different bands.
I’m always on the lookout to expand my own tribe hence the reason for Corey Stewart Online. I truly believe that if you build your tribe, they will come.
Nowadays, building a tribe, an audience, a community and a team around you and your music is equally as important as the music you create, the songs you write and the art you produce.
This is because your tribe is YOUR CURRENCY.
It’s your measure of (potential) success. It’s what you bring to the table when you approach anyone about anything to do with your music career.
Tribes are created on the foundation of inclusion rather than competition, collaboration and cooperation rather than exclusion and elitism and in conclusion.
Now, imagine if the music industry as a whole worked on these principles there would be a multitude of networks all helping each and every one of us to reach the same goal…
To be seen, to be heard, to be noticed and to be validated.
I just want to be part of that positive forward momentum. Come and join me.
In an earlier post I wrote about what the famous quote attributed to Socrates… “the unexamined life is not worth living” means to me and how I can utilise mindfulness (which I believe is inferred in the quote) in my day to day life.
What I hadn’t mentioned is what might happen when you stop using mindfulness to examine your life and start falling into the bad habit of living life on autopilot.
This is what has happened to me.
Firstly, a few days ago I got booked for speeding not by a speed camera but by a police officer with a mobile radar device. It was around 9:30pm on the Wistow to Strathalbyn road and I was doing 111km/h in a 100km/h zone.
Why was I doing 11km/h over the speed limit? I just wasn’t mindful of my speed, I was concentrating on the destination rather than (the speed of) my journey and in turn I was penalised for it.
Not a good thing when you’re running out of demerit points on your licence. Yes, I have been caught speeding a number of times by speed camera and always for going about 10km/h over the limit.
That’s inattention not hooliganism.
I’m currently waiting for my fine to come through to me by post and also whether I’ve run out of demerit points which means I might lose my licence altogether for a period of time or, I might get one point back as a second chance.
Secondly, I’ve started to get migraine headaches again, culminating in one that knocked me off my feet the day after I got done for speeding (I’m sure the stress of it all didn’t help matters).
It’s times like this that my body forces me to stop and take stock of what is happening to it and what I found isn’t that good.
I’ve gotten lazy, comfortable and content. Again, I’m eating and drinking the wrong things, at the wrong time and in the wrong portions. I haven’t been walking due to my knees being sore which is due to my weight gain.
All of this is also because of inattention, of me not being mindful of what I’m doing in my day to day life but now that I’ve caught myself doing all this, I can now get back on the mindful wagon again and get back on track.
In essence, I need to practise what I preach and walk the walk. I need to stop getting obsessed with things that take my eye off the ball and I need to stop listening to others that have a contrary view to me when it comes to my overall health and wellbeing.
In an earlier post, I described my experience watching the new David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream and how it had affected the way that I viewed myself, my music and the creative process in general.
As a songwriter/musician who is about to step back into the world of live performance, the opportunity to see this film could not have come at a better time for me.
This is because seeing the film had firmly reinforced some of my tightly held views on live performance, the music played at a live performance and the relationship between the performer and the audience.
This can all be encapsulated into one phrase…
Don’t just be an entertainer, be a “creator of experiences” for your audience.
So, what does that mean to me? Well, first of all let’s look at what I think a live performance is (or should be in a perfect world).
A live performance should be a seamless and meaningful conversation between the performer and the audience.
It should go a bit like this…
The performer is on stage to deliver a message to an audience who is there to receive it. The audience upon receiving the message then acknowledges the performer indicating that the conversation is now complete with the end result being both parties (ideally) enriched in some way by it.
At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter whether you perform your own songs, other people’s songs or a mixture of both, just don’t seek to merely entertain your audience, become a “creator of experiences” for them.
Don’t get me wrong though, I personally know of some very talented cover musicians who are wonderful entertainers and do an amazing job of showing people a good time through their live performances
However, this “entertainer” label has never sat very comfortably with me. You see, I don’t want to be just an entertainer. I want to be one of those performers that creates an experience for their audience.
I want the audience to come away from one of my gigs being able to look at the world that they’ve “escaped” from for that moment in time, in a much different way.
As a performer, I reckon you create these experiences if you utilise the following in your live performances…
Musicianship – You’ve got to have the musical skills to do it.
Vulnerability – You’ve got to fully put yourself out on a limb while doing it
Desire – You’ve got to really want to do it
Enjoyment – You’ve got to find your happy place doing it
Mindfulness – You’ve got to be fully aware of what you’re doing
Professionalism – You’ve got to know what you’re doing as you’re doing it
Humility – You’ve got to be humble as you’re doing it
Yes, I know it all sounds a bit lofty and maybe even arrogant of me, but this time around I would much rather set my own live performance bar as high as I can rather than just show up, go through the motions, take the money and go home again.
Of course this is irrespective of whether I am playing covers, originals or a mixture of both in my repertoire.
As Norman Vincent Peale once said… “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars” and that is what I intend to do.
Watch this space and you’ll find out more of my upcoming gigs very soon and finally, do yourself a favour and catch Moonage Daydream before its season runs out.
Last Friday night (September 23rd, 2022) I went with my mate Steve to see the new David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream and it totally BLEW MY MIND! I didn’t know much about the film but I knew that I had to see it.
Actually, let me rephrase that last sentence…
I didn’t know much about the film but I knew that I had to experience it. And what an experience it was.
What I had experienced was a 134 minute aural and visual masterpiece with not one second wasted on fluff, padding or irrelevant content. Everything had its place and every place had its thing.
What did take me by surprise was how the film made me feel afterwards about David Bowie and his music as well as how it might relate to me and my music.
Now, I am in no way directly comparing myself to Bowie as a person and as a creative genius (although he is a Capricorn whose birthday is a day after mine) but not many films inspire me to ask myself questions about me as a person, my music, my creative process/output and what I’m doing about it right now.
Off the top of my head, what I initially took away from this experience was…
A much deeper appreciation of Bowie and his creative output
A greater need to examine my own life and creativity on a deeper level
A realisation that I just want to do my stuff
A realisation that I don’t “do” other peoples stuff very well and that’s not a bad thing
Creation is much better than imitation
Giving the audience what they want is not the best thing to do as an artist
Over the days, weeks and months that follow, I’m sure that more realisations and moments of clarity will appear to me and I’ll make sure that I document them here but for now, I have a lot of stuff to unpack.
My mate Steve had seen Moonage Daydream three times before going to see it with me and he indicated to me beforehand that for me to get the most out of the film, I would need to see it multiple times as well.
I don’t normally feel inspired to see a movie more than once but with Moonage Daydream, I would gladly make an exception.
The film is a montage, anthology, historical document and a multidimensional homage to the beauty and wonder of the creative mind all rolled into one movie experience.
Moonage Daydream is something that all musicians need to go and experience at least once. Whether you’re a David Bowie fan or not.
I am glad I had my opportunity to see it and I’m a better person, musician and creative individual for doing so.
