It’s that time of year when musicians from around the world gather virtually and try to write an album’s worth of songs in 28 days. Yes, FAWM is where you try to write 14 songs in the shortest month of the year.
Last year was the first time I came across FAWM, and as I had just started writing songs late in life, I thought it would be fun. And indeed it was. I was able to write 14 or so songs, although some of them only had lyrics. (Yes, I am a lyric first writer.)
I would say that out of the 14 songs, there were a couple that I really liked. Some of the others still need a bit of work. Now, many people actually come up with fully formed songs that sound like they were professionally recorded. I am amazed when people can do that. What I do is generally a little different. I’m posting the equivalent of scratch tracks. It’s just me and a guitar. I try to clean up the sound a little, but it is as bare-bones as you can get. I am pretty sure that there was at least one song that I just recorded on my phone.
This year, it is February 3rd already, and I only have one song up. I have some that I’m working on, but I feel like I’m behind. I may be able to get a very raw song up tonight, which would put me on track to a certain degree.
Part of the problem is that the bar/music venue where I liked to write lyrics has decided to eliminate live music, and I really haven’t found a replacement venue with the same vibe. I like to write in public spaces, but I’m just not going out as much. I have other excuses for my laziness, but I’m going to stick with that one for now.
Anyway, if you want to check out my very bare-bones recordings, you can find me on SoundCloud, YouTube, and of course, for a month, you can find me on FAWM.
Henry James Morello 