The second segment of summer sessions!
My grandma asked me to write something from Lamentations 3:19 - 26 So this is what came out..... Probably not what she expected but.. here it is!
My songs usually tend to be very lyric-y, and slow singer-songwriter-ish... But this one took a more upbeat and less word-y direction.

Lamentation Excerpt (Summer Songwriting Challenge)

The third segment of summer sessions!
Just close your eyes and don't think about anything. Take a break for a few minutes. 
It's a great track for doing art to!

Hear me
Stay calm
Remember where you came from
Be at peace
Feel relief 
It's not just you
You'll see it through
Don't hold it in, just let it out
And love the ones you think about
Rest
What's to fear?
Take deep breaths
You're no victim here
Deface it from your breasts
Hey hey hey
Hey hey hey
Stay calm
You'll come along
There is hope around you
There is healing coming through
Don't give up
Always love
Peace will come
You are loved
   You are loved

Rest (Summer Songwriting Challenge)

The fourth segment of summer sessions.
THIS SONG IS SATIRE. It was meant to intentionally sound cheesy and cliche, using every word and sentence I could possibly think of that I hate hearing in songs. -And other pop song mannerisms.

This Is Who We Are [Ft. Gavin Woods] (summer songwriting challenge)

 The fifth segment of summer sessions! 
Lyrics:

In a foreign land and it’s cold here not much city 
Don’t know where I am and it don’t look pretty
Tried to have some fun but the folks here ain’t that nice

Couple miles North and I took some wrong exits
Stopped to get a drink at a place I shouldn’t mess with
A ghetto side of town where the snakes are ruled by mice

And now I’m running       
and I won’t stop until these muscles start shutting down          
But there’s no place    where those faces    
won’t face me    lowly raised
And I’ve gone so far I just can’t turn around  
  Now I’m runnin….
    
I’ve always had a knack for a good ol’ hustle     
Finding my way home from a big ol’ jungle
And challengers who challenge me just don’t quite understand

Competin’ with me may seem easy if you think that I’m a sissy
Talk it up, I’ll race you down - may not be fast but I’m persistent 
If I try it here though I just might end up in a can

So I’m running       
and I won’t stop until these muscles start shutting down          
But there’s no place    where those faces    
won’t face me    lowly raised
And I’ve gone so far I just can’t turn around  
  Now I’m runnin….
    


Running (summer songwriting Challenge)

Sixth segment of summer sessions
Lyrics:

So many places I haven’t been      
Was born and raised in Oregon
Some people think that since I haven’t traveled 
that my life is just a tragic lowly tide
Visited California once          
To Washington maybe twice a month
I may have only gone as far as Seattle 
but I can tell you every exit of two – oh – five!

It could be true that I’ve never been on a plane 
But the fact that that even bothers you can drive me insane   
‘Cause                                          
If you don’t know how to make the best of your life 
without flight, tourists sites,    
then get out of my sight, cause       
I’ve got my own lane
	  
The West coast could be the best coast   
and as for the scenery only the best goes
From yellow grass in the flats-hot weather   
 to pouring rain on the mountains we tread in
From ranches to cities, It’s raining then sunny, 
then raining again and again did I mention it rains                             
and the best and the worst part is 
Oregonians             Don’t use umbrellas.

All jokes aside,  it’s really fine     
  I love it here despite cloudy lines 
If I didn’t have friends and family here
 I’d move to California cause I actually hate the rain	
And even after twenty years     
There’s plenty to occupy me living here
Some people think that it can get really boring 
but not a single day is the same!

I’ve only ever lived in one state this beautiful state 
And when it comes to traveling I still got a clean slate
But even now I’m told that I have not experienced life yet
Not until I’ve set my feet upon a different continent
     
The West coast could be the best coast   
and as for the scenery only the best goes
From yellow grass in the flats-hot weather   
 to pouring rain on the mountains we tread in
From ranches to cities, It’s raining then sunny, 
then raining again and again did I mention it rains 
and the best and the worst part is 
Oregonians           Don’t use umbrellas.

Don’t get me wrong I’m more than open
 to the idea of traveling
For goodness sake my biggest dream
 is to go around the world while I’m singin
But have you ever stopped to consider just one thing?   
That airfare isn’t free
ASAP once I have money, 
break from priorities,
job off for a week     
it’s off to Nashville tennessee

But the West coast could be the best coast   
and as for the scenery only the best goes
From yellow grass in the flats-hot weather   
 to pouring rain on the mountains we tread in
From ranches to cities, It’s raining then sunny, 
then raining again and again did I mention it rains 
and the best and the worst part is 
Oregonians           Don’t use umbrellas.



We Don't Use Umbrellas (Summer Songwriting Challenge)

Seventh Segment of Summer sessions!
lyrics

Silly seventeen year old walking down the street        (Doowap     dap dap doowap)
Saved seven dollar bills,  heads to town to eat            (Doowap      dap dap doowap)
Stumbles into a man with some long long hair            (Doowap     dap dap doowap)
Significantly tanned, clothes with wear and tear         (Doowap     dap doowap doowap)
 
The boy could easily see that he was struggling       (dam dadam dam dam dam badam)
Doesn’t want to be greedy, starts contemplating      (dam dadam dam dam dam badam)

(aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh)  (Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh)
I really want to eat right now but what if, just what if I
Re-evaluate my goals in town and give my money to this guy
I know I don’t really need it, I just wanna use it, because I’ve earned it (earned it)
But what if I put it to better use and gave it to him so he could use it
Cause I know that he would use it

Days are brightened with special surprises, enlighten new horizons
Give your heart and hope arises, with love inspires someone 
Waking up to work and getting steady figures 
Doesn’t matter much when you see the big picture
We’re stepping out to make the world a better place   

The man appreciates the gift and goes on his way               (Doowap     dap dap doowap)
He won’t admit it but that just made a brighter day             (Doowap     dap dap doowap)
Although it isn’t much, it’s more than he needs to eat         (Doowap     dap dap doowap)
So he decides he’s going to repeat       that young boys big ambitions
                                                                                       (Doowap     dap doowap doowap)

After getting his meal he saw a capital deal 
Another man on in heels about to order something
Prepping himself for a talk,  the rugged man starts to walk
In his direction to buy it for him

The most insignificant things can
Bring you to a place where you can appreciate life in different ways




Stepping Out (summer songwriting challenge)

Eighth Segment of Summer sessions!
lyrics:
    I was never meant to be a manager
Stone cold job - sold mobs going over my head
    I only live to make people happier
People say to refrain – I’ll be drained – I won’t stop until I’m dead

     Sometimes I simply wish my brain were simpler
Admire all you want - my thoughts – my big box of creativity
    I only wish the time I had were similar     
So many big plans, tall scams, but every bite is too big for me

     And if the world ever did me any favors     
     I would have it say to money, “see you later”

They give me freedom!  Say “pursue your passion!”
Then never give a chance to be heard
They rob your income, you never get to have fun
And ‘reason’ is no longer a word

                                                             
    So many things I wanna do      and bringing in the cash only rings a darker blue  
 When you grow up with imagination, and education villages raise to make bigger nations
   But nations aren’t made alone   it’s a relational station of collaborative loans
Collecting money for things? – 
Corrected: rejecting your means to create your dreams from anything
So, tell me how you’re feeling when you find yourself refilling an affiliated fiction
Which’ll only leave you fixed on the fact that you can’t make it work, saved for dirt, 
never certified for more than lies, then hides on the highest shelf in your eyes for life
     
I was never meant to be a manager 
Telling others what to do,
I’m through
But I’m here to make a sacrifice          
So I’m only here to make people happier     
But I feel I can’t do that when I can’t create my own life right


Manager (summer songwriting Challenge)

My second fully self-produced piece using a DAW (LMMS) and midi controller. (AKAI Mini) 
This was made in the second/third week of October of 2019, during Andrew Huang's Music Production Class. 
His goal for our 2nd project was to create a piece using our own samples. Andrew suggested that the theme be samples recorded from our kitchens, but we were not limited to that. 
I went for the kitchen idea however, and it was a lot of fun :)
For this portion of the class, he also got into explaining synthesis and creating our own digital sounds. But time didn't permit for me to get into that detail, so I decided I would go back and learn about synthesis later :)

Sounds include but are not limited to, reversed C02 canister carbonating a bottle of water,  a fork hitting a metal bowl with lots of FX, pitch shifted microwave, lots of bowls and plates clanging and clattering, cabinet doors, a toaster being shaken and messed with, a lid opening, microwave door, pouring coffee, water faucet, sizzling soda, a tortilla slapping on a plate, my roommate and I not being able to contain our laughter at the ridiculous project, a sapphire stir stick hitting a glass cup, a soda can being thrown into a metal bin with other cans, etc.

Cisúm Nəhctik

My first ever fully electronically produced piece using a DAW (LMMS) and midi controller. (AKAI Mini) 
This was made in the first/second week of October of 2019, during Andrew Huang's Music Production Class. 
His goal for our 1st project was to create a chord progression/loop, build onto it using the plugins and samples from our programs, and learn about mixing/mastering and creating a melody and song structure with good dynamics.

Do Ya Like Jazz?

This was the third and final project for Andrew Huang's Music Production Class. 
Andrew's goal for our 3rd project was to give us a feel for recording live instrumentation, vocal sampling, comping and processing, and writing lyrics/telling a story with music. As well as more on mixing and mastering with those new aspects.

Although it was supposed to be done in the 4th week of October, through the first week of November, I've only just completed the finishing touches of mixing/mastering the day of this upload, December 7th.. An entire month after the end of class...lol.  
I spent nearly 12 hours writing the lyrics, and realized too late that I should have used a draft I had written before the class and worked off of that instead of introducing myself to a whole new concept I've only ever thought about and never put to words.
But even then, I was only able to put in a few hours every day, and it was a very busy month. 
I have always had a hard time making live tracks sound good, and it was especially hard taking live performance and making it blend with the things I did digitally. Mixing, EQ-ing, adding ear candy to this piece, making space and filling space, etc. took a lot out of me. But I also learned a lot. 
I think for what this track is worth, it sounds good. But I know there's so much about it that could be changed to make it better, I just don't have the experience to have done those things to begin with, and I've personally run out of passion for this particular project.
It's nothing professional, but for the sake of the class and the parameters therein, I am content.

Lyrics:
(Hey this may sound dumb, but..)
What do you do 
when you spread yourself thin?
As a kid, acquired too many friends
ain't that a funny, a funny problem to have?
(Yeah Jordan, that must be tough)

And now you're grown
but still you find yourself fixed 
on the idea that
they should all get a visit
linked forever 
is letting go all that bad?
(Like, would life be worse if some people just.. Fell out?)

I see him once a year
that family disappeared 
What even is her life 
and should I even strive 

To see you again
when I know that this may go nowhere 
and be, be a friend
If I feel like we just haven't been for years 

(This may sound really bad)
I'm just concerned 
some people aren't the right fit
my goals in life are
not pacing well with this crowd
or is it selfish
to think of what I could gain?
(Like, is it wrong to wonder if encounters benifit me?)

Contrarily
All I want is just time
to sit and live 
invest in everyone fairly 
except I know that's
impossible to attain
(But seriously, what's enough or too much?)

She is inspiring 
This couple's good for me 
Give half my heart to him 
Even though I may not 

See you again
Because this may not go anywhere
and be, be a friend 
to you just to show you that I really care 

Am I overthinking?
worried, hopeless, dreaming?
Does anybody feel the same?
Is there an easy reason
to love beyond a 'seasonal'
perished friendship unexplained
'Cause I can live without you
but won't forget about you
a hurt that only God ascertains
Does the internet unite us 
or does it merely bite 'cuz
we're not designed to be ever-sustained

But if I see you again
Even though this may not go somewhere 
I'll be, be a friend
if I feel like we could meet in later years

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