Song writers: writing a song or telling a story

What's more creative? Making a song from scratch out of ones imagination? Or, creating a song that captures the essence of the feelings that happened in a real life event?

Arguments can be made for putting a pen to paper and making up a song out of your heart. Certainly you can tell any story through a song if its created. But to take a real life experience and find a way to convey it to listeners in a way that not only captures their attention but makes them feel like they lived it to, to me, is the most creative form of vocal art.

I came to this topic while listening to a playlist I have on YouTube that combines outlaw country, new country, and classic rock. Have you ever listened to this live version of Hootie and The Blowfishs' "let her cry"? Song live by Darius Rucker, the lead singer and the original song writer of this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ9ZtoiHkJo

He takes the lyrics he originally wrote about a relationship he had and changes them up a little to let you really feel his pain. Darius Rucker even to this day sings about parts of the relationship he sings about here.

What about Bob Dylans'  "the times they are a changing"? Ever heard it live? First time I did it sent chills down my spine, I felt as though I was with him.

I feel like outlaw country and singers like Hank Williams Sr., Jr., Jamey Johnson, Johnny Cash, and George Jones write the songs from the "heart". Songs that depict certain times, feelings, and may not be what main stream listeners want to hear. I feel when your singing songs about what you feel and your not worrying about the money, that is when the best music is made.

Some songs I feel convey the message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2V4UUjYBsA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsQzw_Ax8Cw (** my personal favorite because he grew up in Danby, Vermont which is 15 minutes from my home town)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiMdb2MnYr8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mRFWQoXq4c (my favorite artist of all time)

Fabricating junk into something useful

I spend most of my life revolved around cars and motorsports in general. So whenever I have a chance to use my creative (self proclaimed) mind to solve a problem, my mind races. While hanging out with one of my best friends Keith, we had been discussing how we needed to solve the "blow by" issue on his truck. Keith’s truck is a home built turboed lq4 gm v8. Under "boost" (the exhaust spinning the turbo to create pressure in the engine intake greater than atmosphere pressure) the truck on 11 PSI makes according to his 1/4 mile trap speed times, around 650 wheel horse power. Under this extreme power (double the engines original horsepower rating) the engine crank case becomes pressurized. Once he makes a pull in "boost" and lets off the engine wants to let this pressure escape. So it pushes the smoked oil past the piston rings and out the exhaust. This coats all exhaust components in oil and makes the motor appear as though it is "blowing up" to those who do not know the cause. A simple solution for most is what is called a "catch can". Which is a device used to provide a ventilation for the motor, also separating the oil from the hot air. But catch cans will cost upwards of $250. Being as we have a garage and a welder at our disposal, I said, "let’s make one!" He looked at me as though I was crazy until I explained my idea. So after factoring how much oil we wanted the can to hold, 1 quart, we took a piece of old exhaust piping, sheet metal from an old dryer, a left over breather, and $25 dollars in hose and fittings from Lowes and made this!

Here it is on the truck. (follow the two clear lines toward the fender)

This would be a $350 store bought one from summit racing.

BUILT NOT BOUGHT

A video link to to the truck I made a while back. Truck has run a 10.8 quarter mile and has been proven reliable. As a comparrison this is faster than a Z06 Corvette.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UU49nXwopSEOHzA4Rgk55Mwg&v=n9UhkNv1f9I&feature=player_embedded

Cool Advertisement

I am currently a Resident Assistant here at Utica Collge. This week I had the task of figuring out a way to get residents to come to my floor event, advertisement. My event was a movie night, to get the group together and allow them to mingle.  So to avoid printing out flyers and hanging them on the wall, which everyone ignores, I tried to figure out a new way to make them aware of the event. While looking at all the bags of popcorn I had purchased for them I thought to myself, why not put the invitations on the popcorn and tape it to the door of their dorm. So I did, I typed up a who, what, where, when, and why paper giving them all the details and taped it to the bag of sealed popcorn. Specifically instructing them to not use the popcorn until the movie night, and IT WORKED. I had great attendance and was pleased with the result!

Intro and preview

What would a first post be without a little intro?

   My name is Damon Casey, I am a currently a psychology student at Utica College, also I write this as a 20 year old, though I will be turning 21 on saturday! I am an avid auto enthusiest, more of an obsessor. My true passion is taking pictures/ videos of cars and action of cars, while also knowing specs like I am a walking encyclopedia. Since I love so cars so much, I must own my own!

Unconvential, yes, who would have thought a 25 year old base model pick up truck could be made into something "cool" (whatever your definition may be). I seemed to have found it as I myself have built everything on the truck. Taking it from a factory v6 to a 5.0L v8, with self ported aftermarket heads, a different camshaft, intake, suspension dropped, welded my own exhaust,  and electronic fuel injection system I tuned myself. Yes I LOVE to tinker.

Now on to the important part. My series of blogs I am going to try to aim at something I love doing and I feel do well,to PROBLEM SOLVE. I will try to share weekly a new way inwhich I used unconventional things, in my everyday life, or solved everyday problems in unconventional ways.


For this week I will start with something quick and easy, while hanging out with a friend of mine this week, we were discussing tuning his car and how under boost (a term used to describe a force induction of air above vacum) his car was significantly going lean (the air to fuel mixture was more air than fuel). But he could not figure out why, I suggested a loss in fuel pressure, which he claimed he could not tell because the car had to be under load (driving) while the car built boost for it to go lean and the gauge was under the hood. So with my left boot lace, a bungy and left over rag i was able to use my Go Pro hd camera to record his car with the hood off (to dark with it on) going down the road, and even though we could not see particular numbers we saw the needle have a huge drop in pressure, so we checked the "boost" referancing fuel pressure regulator and sure enough the vacuum hose we had hooked up fell off, we put it back on, zip tied it down and away he went!