VOL 16 ISSUE 3		March 2021

New Songwriting Group = New Song   
by Mark Greenawalt

"Love Didn't Change The Man" was written for a songwriting group that I was recently invited to called The Two Week Tune Geeks. We were all challenged to write a song within 2 weeks that contained the phrase "love didn't change." I came up with several ideas for lyrics, but the one that stuck the most was the concept of no matter how much a woman tries to change her man, no amount of love can change his basic instincts. There are two stories told here, one about a guy who is a player and moves on from woman to woman and the other is about an abusive alcoholic. Not the positive uplifting messages that I usually write about, but this was fun stretching the songwriting muscle to explore different subjects.

Musically I tried something different too. On my back porch, there is a utility cart that has been turned upside down to hold the Jenga blocks. My son Sage and I were hanging out one afternoon when I noticed that spinning the cart's wheels made an interesting "vroom" sound...so I recorded it into this song. Also note that the marching infantry sound at the beginning was made by lifting a toolbox that I inherited from my dad and then smashing it on the concrete floor. The other instruments that I played were the more traditional Gibson Gold Top Les Paul guitar, a Jackson bass, a Roland VR-09 keyboard, a Yamaha DTXplorer electronic drum kit, and a CAD Equitek vocal microphone. Everything was recorded and mixed in Logic X including the producer drum set Eastbay. This lyric video was all shot on my iPhone and edited using Premier Pro. Click here to see the video.

Vegas Roadtrip     
by Mark Greenawalt

I have a passion for lighting design and I enjoy every opportunity I have to go to Las Vegas and see the spectacle of "The Strip". This past month I drove up from Phoenix for a jobsite visit to two lighting projects I am working on for Pulte Homes (North Ranch and Lake Las Vegas). I opted to stay at The Strat (I remember when it was called the Stratosphere). It was a cold and windy evening, but it was so worth it to take the long elevator ride to the top and take in the city lights from high above. I took this shot of The Strip from up there and centered on The Luxor which has to be one of the most iconic lighting displays in the world. On the way home I took a moment to capture some landscape shots just after sunset of the beautifully weird Joshua Trees near Wikiup and Wickenburg. This is a treat that I've only ever seen here in the southwest. They remind me of somthing you might see in a Dr. Seuss book. Click on the pics for the hi-res versions and visit the photography section of my website for more of my photography.

On The Boards - What I'm Working On     
by Mark Greenawalt

Here's what is up right now:

• A brand new, sparkling blue, trumpet has joined the family here at the Mark Greenawalt Musical Instrument Petting Zoo. I did an "unboxing" video live on Facebook this month and proved to everyone that I have never played a trumpet before. I did get some sound out of it and since then I have been able to do some distinct notes. Hopefully I'll be showing some more progress soon!
• Still working on two songs mentioned last month"Listen To Me" and "He Sings His Song." I also finished a second song for the songwriting group that I'll link to next month called "Banner Day".
• The mini concert series of original songs played live continued in February with two songs that are tuned to Drop D and tuned down a whole step. "Listen To Me" was fresh since I had been recording tracks for it and the other one, "Long Time Coming" needed to be dusted off a little. Join me on the third Friday of March for the next episode.
• I've been wearing out the new Pretty Reckless album. Highly recommended..

E-ya later,
Mark Greenawalt
[email protected]

copyright Mark Greenawalt, Future-Class X Publishing - Phoenix, AZ 85044

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