Interview with my Papa, James “Jaybird” Schwartz. May 2018. At his home in Rural Retreat, VA. He details his life growing up in small town Appalachia, fighting in WWII, meeting my grandmother, raising a family and grandkids, and losing his son and wife.

StoryCorps Interview with Papa - May 2018

This song was written for my folks on Thanksgiving day last year. Written and recorded in a day.

Thanksgiving #26

I Dreamed I Was a River

Goofing with trying to create electronic music back in 2010.

2010

Electronic Tinkerings

2017

Music:
Jesse Chan lent me a banjo, so I decided to write a song on a banjo. It's fairly simple musically. I look forward to working with Jesse to create a full arrangement for this. I have some ideas for the guitar and light drums (just a kick or floor tom). I'd like to hear a trumpet in there too.

Lyrics:
These were some things that had been on my mind for a while. I had written two lines: "It's a thousand miles to be in your arms, but a thousand more to be in your heart." The rest of it was built around that idea. This is a song about being cynical in regards to love, having that cynicism lifted by meeting someone, and then ultimately having your heart broken again. These lyrics come from the place before any healing has taken place--when you're lower than when you started.

A Thousand Hours (Demo)

I Will Try (For Lola)

I saw Hayes Carll play at the Cactus Cafe a few weeks ago, and I got it in my mind that I was going to write a rowdy country song about meeting a Texas girl in a bar. I had that in mind with the verses, but emotionally I was somewhere else when I sat down to write the music and bridge/chorus. I was pleased with the result, because I think the song probably came out a little more honest than what I was trying to write originally.

Baby, You're the One

I didn't write this one. I wanted to cover a song outside of my typical style/genre, by band that I both love and hate. I do think this is an amazing song, but I loved playing with it musically and melodically. It kind of ended up with a sort-of Clem Snide sound to it, which is one of my favorite bands from when I was in college.

I Still Ain't Found What I'm Looking For

There was a while that all I could write music about was subjects like war and death, and I couldn't write songs from my own heart. It was easier to read "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" and write an angry folk song than to look into myself and write. The last year, though, has been song after song about regret, loneliness, and heartbreak. I guess I turned a corner about being able to open up about things inside myself. I wouldn't say all these songs have been autobiographical, but most of the emotions have. That's the case with this song.

jameslynnmiller

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