Dreams of a Songwriter

A lot of songwriters have pet “theme” to their writing. Jon Bon Jovi, for example, writes about struggles of common folks. He is a rich rock star, so is he not authentic when he sings about people living paycheck to paycheck? I believe he is. He may now be a …

My Formative Years

Teen years are important time. I was living in Brazil, attending a Japanese-speaking school and I got exposed to rock music in English, probably around 14-years old. I was always good at music, but until then I thought nothing of it. My mother made me take piano lessons starting at …

Looking for My Song to Sing (3 Key Questions in Any Pursuits)

I’m doing vocals for the song I’m working on.  Vocals are always a bit of struggle for me.  I love to sing but what I hear in my head and what comes out are two different things. Vocal is one example of where the concept of “discovering who you are …

22 Albums That Changed My Life (Part 1)

Here are 21 albums that shaped me as a music enthusiast and musician.  It’s listed more or less in the chronological order of my discovering  them.  It’s fun to trace my journey and see my tastes evolved with time. Bon Jovi New Jersey Europe’s Final Countdown was perhaps the very first English-language album …

Bon Jovi, Metallica and Pursuing What We Need

Do you think it’s phony, Jon Bon Jovi writing about struggles of blue-collar workers?  How about James Hetfield talking about self-destruction in the latest Metallica album?  These are multi-millionaire rock stars.  What do they know about the reality of common folks?  Sure, they are self-made men who climbed up the …