Misty Weaver

Scratch Tracks

misty — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:21:46 +0000

There’s music to go with this song’s lyrics. This is the scratchiest scratch track I’ve ever done but it is my first time writing/playing music with the help of my Mac. It’s okay to keep it in the family for now, I think.

Listen to House of Cards

Lyrics so far 3/6/2010
When I meet up with old friends
How are you, where you been
Stay quiet and pretend

I saw the movie, read the book
Caught the punchline, missed the hook
Built a house of cards
Then I let it fall
down

Through the park, take a walk
Feed the ducks, stop to talk
to the rainbow man*

I know it’s really hard to believe
but he’s having more fun than me
maybe it’s catching
on

The “rainbow man” is a real person. His name is Otis and he wears rainbow tie dye skirts and loud shirts. He always sufi-dances in the front row of Seattle outdoor music festivals, a little local celeb. Saw him yesterday in a beige utili-kilt and black shirt. What happened? Do I change the lyric to “balloon man” “hotdog man” “black hole sun“?

Song and response

misty — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:55:50 +0000

Everytime I hear about the Texas school board I want to stick my fingers in my ear. So this week, I’m going to write a song in response.

(This one is for Roger)

2/22/2010
I heard a story
didn’t have a happy ending but
I thought it was pretty
I thought you should know

Cause you believe in magic
and you can keep a secret
You’re not afraid to swear
on your heart

Before there was a god
there was an earth
He didn’t make a man
out of dirt
He was never angry
just disappointed
that hasn’t changed

There were never dragons
but we all have our problems
All the allegories
were just metaphors
Before there was a lock
there was a door

If you don’t believe me
It won’t change anything
I still think you’re pretty
Cross my heart

Oh oh, cross my heart
I won’t make it hard
If you run across my heart
act as if it was yours

Before there was an earth
there was a bang
and that’s why
everything expands
Better take your place
before it gets out of hand

Oh oh cross my heart
I won’t make it hard
If you run across my heart
pick it up and take it home

Oh oh Oh oh Oh Oh
Cross my heart

Integration

misty — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 20:26:20 +0000

What’s your day job? How does it influence what you create and what you present to the public?

For me, I’ve been interested in user experience since 2002 when I started graduate school in library and information science. Throughout, I tried to make my education and music meet by studying genre classification, designing music recommendation systems and I even played in a band with one of my favorite instructors.

Now that I’m in a music focus phase, I want to integrate my previous work experience with my musical persona. But after years of reading, talking and thinking about user experience and social networking, and online community – I’m much more shy online than I am in person. Why?

Perfectionism? I’m not an expert I’m just someone who likes user centered design AND and I write songs about dragons or bus rides or zombies, etc. I haven’t followed all the best practices in building this blog and I’m terrified of applying user centered design to song writing.

I’m hoping there is a whole world of ways to mesh these practices. And that my next day job leaves room to enjoy both.

Twitter – http://twitter.com/mdawnweaver
Web Analytics = Band Metrics

Start singing an E flat and see where it takes you

misty — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:29:23 +0000

A new song started yesterday about how your friends become zombies when they start relationships. I think it’s a post Valentine’s lash out. I imagine the intro in an a cappela motown style and then run through some kind of “indie-zer” or “hipster-maker” that reflects my current neighborhood ;-> No, I just can’t get the word “roly-poly” out of my head.

Intro: Fools fall in, fools falling
I see them rollin rollin
I see them roly poly

You recognize them by the look in their eyes
They used to be so lifelike
They used to be your friends

But now they wouldn’t know you
If you took them by the shoulder
They’d shrug you off like you were
common sense

Wise men say “Only the lonely”
Only the lonely
Fall for stories even
They won’t believe in the morning

If you’re watching from the sidelines
Try to keep the smile from your eyes
You know how these beginnings end
can’t tell your enemies from your best friends

Don’t try to shoot ‘em down
Wouldn’t matter anyhow
They fall, get right back up
They fall, get right back up
Better run before you’re one of them

Oh oh yeah yeah yeah yeah
Oh oh yeah yeah yeah yeah
Oh-oh just like the living dead

Lyrics: Your name

misty — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:59:17 +0000

Tweeted song #2 “Your Name” complete? Feb 10 2010.

Recorded draft version on Feb 9 experimenting with creating my own vocal backing loops as instruments – an hilariously fun process inspired most by the great Reggie Watts. It’s definitely something I’ll have to keep working on ;> The goal is to sound less like my college’s all-female a Capella group and more like “I get where this song is going.” Today’s research project is find others who use the technique in their writing process.

A nod to Valentine’s Day…

The sun shone briefly this morning
then she went away
By the time I was out of bed
there was nothing I could say

Make a fist, fake a smile
Heard the news said your name

With no one watching over me
No shadows on the street
drew a heart in the wet concrete
Inside, I wrote your name

I made a rule there’s no more singing in the shower
No excuse for getting drowned out by the crowd
My little secret, I’m going to say your name out loud

There should be a rule
when somebody loves you
There should be a rule

With no one watching over me
drew a line at the bottom of the sea
One side for you, same side for me

I’m not giving up There should be a rule
I’m tired of being quiet when somebody loves you

There should be a rule
They can say it whenever they want to
I can say it whenever I want to
I can say it

Bringing it together

misty — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:31:38 +0000

And for my next trick…I will attempt to add audio files to this tweetsong experiment. Check out verse 1.

I tried playing with grooves, kits, garageband whatnots, recording my own idea of drums with household objects – let’s just say I’ll stick to a capella tracks for the time being. The current song might be a little valentine themed and although I’ve only tweeted two verses, I’ve written (and rejected) over four pages. The need to tweet is good pressure.

Lyrics as of Feb 5, 2010 Listen to verse 1

The sun shone briefly this morning
then she went away
By the time I was out of bed
there was nothing I could say

Make a fist, fake a smile
Heard the news said your name

With no one watching over me
No shadows on the streets
drew a heart in the wet concrete
Inside, I wrote your name

I made a rule there’s no more singing in the shower
No excuse for getting drowned out by the crowd

Continuing the effort

misty — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:13:47 +0000

I am still tweeting song lyrics as I explore DIY recording options. Ideally I would love to deliver a beautifully complete song when the twitter round is finished but for now it’s still good to explore the exercise.

Song #2 February 2 2010

The sun shone briefly this morning
then she went away
By the time I was out of bed
there was nothing I could say

Make a fist, fake a smile
Heard the news said your name

Evolution

misty — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:17:00 +0000

Now that the verses of my first social media song have been sent, the rewriting has been on my mind so I’ll start logging those changes today. Tweeting compelled me to try and build a narrative, writing verses consectutively while playing Beatles Rockband makes me want to emulate a little “Dig a pony.” The rewrite emphasizes the bird thread…

Crows are afraid of honeybees
We can be grateful for a little sting
Without them the crows are unruly thieves
A balance in everything

Something’s out of sync, the black turns white
A longer day, fly right through night
My love, my life intensified, intensified

All my plans were going so good
Lucky star I thought I’d follow it
Didn’t think for a moment to stand still

Wasn’t looking anywhere and I found you

Chorus:
Don’t Say it Don’t Say Don’t
Don’t Say it Don’t Say No
Don’t say No Don’t say No

Like a magpie in the morning sun
Want to sweep up and take you home
don’t want to share you with anyone

But the timing’s bittersweet
I can’t stay and you can’t leave
There’s only so long I can stay in flight

Only so many times I can say goodbye

Chorus

Don’t say No Don’t say Try
Don’t say Go Don’t say Why
Don’t say Goodbye

The tweeted song

misty — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:59:55 +0000

The “song” so far 1/27/10

Crows are afraid of honeybees
they know that even the sweetest thing
can still sting
love don’t come easy not even for the birds and bees

Something’s out of sync, the black turns white
You’re blind as day, I’m blind as night
If it’s not love, I’ve lost my mind.

All my plans were going so good
Lucky star I thought I’d follow it
Didn’t think for a moment to stand still

Wasn’t looking for anyone and I found you

Like a magpie in the morning sun
Want to sweep up and take you home
You’re bright as silver you shine like gold

But the timing’s bittersweet
I can’t stay and you can’t leave
There’s only so long I can stay in flight

Only so many times I can say goodbye

Tweeting a song is a kick in the pants. Just knowing you have to publish a new lyric everyday is motivating and sometimes embarrassing?

How the song is coming along

misty — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:41:41 +0000

I’m still working on the challenge part of “twitter challenge” and whether/how to continue. As a writer it’s a cool experiment, a fresh way to open the day’s writing & composition session. You’re starting with the hardest part of writing – sharing your work with an audience.

It also makes me itchy; Publishing unfinished, unaccompanied words is scary. The cliches, the rhymes, the length of the lines – all the things you smooth out later in the writing process are bare and contextless.

So is it writing challenge or a social media challenge? Can it be both?