I do not always write up-tempo songs, but when I do they are good ones. At least I think so. Today I am sharing seven with you. You decide.
All are published by River and Stones Music (ASCAP) and cowriters’ publishing companies.
And now – one bonus to slow the tempo down a bit
Seven ballads for you. All songs written by me with cowriters in various combinations and published by each writer’s publishing company. River and Stones Music has all of my publishing except Love is Everything which is in Golden Ladder publishing company.
When my mother passed, she left her quilting fabric to me. If you do not come from a quilting family, you may not understand. Leaving a quilting stash (all fabric) to me was more important than leaving any jewelry or anything else, except maybe cookware. Mother sewed for our family and others. She was a quilter. One room in her house was full of fabric to the point of only a pathway through. When she moved into town, she did give a lot of it away. I did not realize how much she still had until she passed and I moved it to my house.
I took the fabric in the house and attic, but the fabric she had in her shop went into storage at my nephew’s. I got all of that this week. The photo collage you can see how much I got and some of what I have washed and folded, which is not nearly half of it and is not counting all I already had. All of it is 100 percent quilting cotton. Some of it is themed like thte Elvis and the pigs. Some of it is outdated. Some of it is beautiful. i love touching it all.
My daughter is a beginning quilter and wants some of it. We laughed and said her grannie would probably come back and haunt us if we did not take care of the fabric. To say we have a fabric obsession is an understatement. When we were cleaning out Mother’s house, my daughter and I would not let my brother who was the boss that day come into the sewing room. I remember him standing in the hall with the most puzzled look.
A crazy quilt I made for my sister in 1998 was in with the fabric. I had forgotten it and how much I loved making it.
To see more of my quilting projects go to Stephanie Mae’s Quilting on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Stephanie-Maes-Quilting-112301187162424
Once again, I am barely making the deadline for my Saturday post. I have barely touched on quilting. Come back. I am sure I will be posting more about quilting in future posts as it seems quilting is calling my name again.
Sometimes you just know your life is going to change even before it does. Mine is. I am seventy-five soon to be seventy-six. Last year I wrote two or three songs most weeks. I do not see myself writing so many songs this year. I am not going through writer’s block or discouraged with myself as a songwriter. This is not just about age. Something else is out there for me.
I welcome whatever is coming. I do not have preconceived ideas about what one should and should not do at any certain age, but I can not see myself at eighty still writing relevant songs. For several years, I have been writing legacy songs, songs to let listeners know my beliefs and emotions. How much more do I have to say that is not already in one of my songs?
I have been in strict self-isolation since last March. I got my vaccination shot this week. By this March I will not be isolated depending on Zoom for human contact. Perhaps that is the shift I am feeling. Still I do not see myself forever focusing on songwriting even when I can once again be in the same room as my cowriters. I can see myself still writing, just not so many songs. I was writing poetry and short stories long before I became a songwriter. I am writing a book and this blog. I can see myself doing both years from now. I have a history of offering guidance to other music people, especially young ones. I can see myself doing that. I also have enjoyed planning and hosting events. I can see myself doing that.
And then, there’s what I call my personal lfe. I want more time for it. I see myself focusing more on family. I see myself spending more time planting and taking care of my flowers and watching birds. Then there are the things I want to do that I have not done. When I retired, I had a list. Life is short at best. I want more than songs in mine.
Welcome to my inner world. I hope what I write in some way touches you.
…but not to 10 yet.
I have already written about it here. Now I have captured it in a song. When my cowriters have writing sessions, we check in with each other. When we ask, “How are you?” or “What’s going on with you?”, we are not being polite. We care about each other and want to know. Sometimes the song has nothing to do with our answers, but sometimes the honesty of those talks fuels passion into the song. Those songs are different. They are not written around a hook or idea one of us comes in with. They are written from raw emotions. I am not saying they are better songs, but I am saying I love them more.
Two cowriters and I wrote such a song this week. I am not calling names or going into details because those talks are the kind you have with someone you trust. We wrote about struggling with keeping passion and enthusiasm for a dream or an endeavor begun wiith high hopes and energy. With dreams and projects, it is true the bigger they are the harder they fall. We wrote about hearing the count. At that point, we have to make decisions. Is it worth the fight? Will our life be better with it or without it? Do we give up or get up?
In our song, the singer wonders if she has anything left to give. She has searched her heart. She does not know which way to go. As often is in true life, although the answer is within, something from outside gives hope. She knows she will live to fight another day.
The song is not about boxing. It is about living. The song? Red Bird.
I have updated – Stephanie C Brown Songs – I hope you enjoy some of the songs.
Through it all, I write. Through songs, I process the world as I see it and feel it. I believe in the power of words and that that power is amplified with music. Sometimes I am given words. That is hard to explain. We call it writing the song in the room. My hope is always that we write a song that is true and universal. There does not have to be a lesson or even a comment. If our words and melodies move you in body or soul or both, as songwriters we have done our job. Writing a song that expresses for someone who does not have the words for what they feel is the ultimate for me.
I am still feeling the unrest in my country and have no words about that. For tonight’s post, I took songs off the song page and added more. They are all demos, rough takes, or a simple songwriters’ demos. All are published in River and Stones Music (ASCAP) and my cowriters’ publishing companies.
Please, go to the song page. You can find it on the menu. I hope one or more of the songs moves you in some way.
Now – by Stephanie C Brown
This is no fine line
drawn in the sand.
This is chiseled
in concrete
filled with tar
painted black.
Rage skyrocketing
fueled by hate.
Love staying afloat
on a raft of hope.
The weight of the world
weighing heavy.
Is there a heart
light as a feather?
I am thankful all my days are not the same. Mark Narmore and I wrote a song around that idea. It is not about birds, but this entry is. Thanks to Mark for his great demo of Most Days. I hope you enjoy the song and the photos of today’s birds.
I am feeling the unrest in my country so am having a difficult time settling down to do anything productive. Thank heavens, today was a day for the birds. I put out black-oil sunflower seeds on my deck every morning for the birds. My camera stays on the coffee table right in front of an easy chair. Today some came. I have chosen to post only the ones of Red-brested Woodpecker and American Goldfinch
The day could have been for many things. Today it was for the birds.
American Goldfinch – Florence, Alabama – my deck – January 9, 2021 (I can not travel in time so ignore the date on the photos. I need to reset my camera.)
Red-breasted Woodpecker – Florence, Alabama – my yard – January 9, 2012
Today has been a good day.
The cardinals on my deck
know nothing
of riots and protests.
Their’s is a world
of trees, rivers and streams.
The sun rises, the moon sets.
Winds blow, rain falls.
In storms, floods, and hurricanes
They seek shelter.
The beating of their wings
can not save them.
(Stephanie C Brown – January 7, 2021)