I joined Taxi in early January 2008. I was pretty sure I wasn’t ready, but at some point you have to go with what you have and get to the show! There’s a lot of piece parts that go into all this, from production to songwriting to the various performances, to matching the song to the listing. Everything has to be just right. I started out by trying some of the songs that already existed, basically to see where I was at and how far I had to go. The critiques came back (along with the songs!) and showed I had a lot of work to do…but also seemed to indicate I could get there. They gave me things to target, and though a bit cryptic at first (just like the listings) I learned to dissect and read them and get some pretty good insight on what to work on. And oddly they seemed to think my vocals and musicianship were good.
One song in particular, “Tried So Hard” seemed to be pretty close and lined up well with some of the Modern Rock/Alternative listings. I took the clues from the critiques and embarked on my first ever rewrite, which seemed really strange. I didn’t disagree with what they said, but had no clue how to go about it. So I took my best shot at it, and son-of-a-gun, it made it through!
There’s always more I can do (and I might tweak a couple things here and there) but it’s time to put this one on the shelf and keep submitting until it finds a home. It’s also time to move on and write some new songs to pitch! I’ve learned so much in the last 8 months, and things seem to be starting to come together. At some point I hope I can consistently crank out songs with all the pieces…production, arrangement, performance, etc. the first time, instead of the second or third. But if it takes a rewrite to make it through, well then that’s what I’ll do!
Hey maybe this is the peak, don’t know. I need to go chase the next forward to find out!
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I'm J.J......and I'm a Gator!