I Had A Dream

I knew it was ready.

I plugged in my headphones and listened to check the levels. As I listened I forgot what I was supposed to be checking and found I was just hearing the song. Emotions welled up inside me as I was catapulted back into my days working around Europe and the fractured emails and texts that make up some of the lyrics. It was all about the distance: the distance between people who are doing what they love but cannot be together. It made me think about the future too - and how it would happen all over again.

It's ready, please listen and enjoy:

Lightkeeper MP3 (3'40)

NB To get more of an album vibe, then you should also download The Prophet and The End Of The World Part II which come before and after it respectively.

Next job is to record Until We Pass This Way Again - as a DJ would say... Stay tuned!

Lightkeeper
===========

I hope that you got home okay,
I had a coffee in Stockholm,
There are riots in Estonia,
And somewhere we are still at war.

I had a dream,
That I was the lightkeeper,
A beacon in the night,
I was the lightkeeper.

I've a fantasy to share with you,
But it's cold and it's wet,
They're burning cars at the airport,
But I can still get your text.

And I had a dream,
That I was the lightkeeper,
A beacon in the night,
I was the lightkeeper.

And the beautiful people were everywhere,
But they had no faces,
And you were blinded by the light,
And could only feel.

But you found me by my energy,
The days are long without you.
It's funny how when you find it,
You just can't live without it.

And I had a dream,
That I was the lightkeeper,
A beacon in the night,
I was the lightkeeper.

I hope that you got home okay,
I had a coffee in Stockholm,
There are riots in Estonia,
And somewhere, we are still at war...

(D. Callow / G.A. Staiger)



Next gigs (not all in London!!):

31st August, 7.30pm
15 Minute Club @ The Living Room, 18-26 Essex Road, Islington, London, N1 8LN

6th September, 7.30pm
Lesstival, somewhere in Kent
The most minimal festival of 2008, it's small, but beautifully formed.

17th September, 8.00pm
The Chequers, 58-62 Carter St, Fordham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5JT
Taking my urban songs to a rural setting.

25th September, 9.30pm
The White Hart, 1 Mile End Road, Whitechapel, E1 4TP
Open mic night at the White Hart

2nd November, 8.30pm
The Horn, Victoria Street, St. Albans, AL1 3TE
Featured artist slot at this excellent St. Albans music venue.

Some Good Things

The gig at the Fiddler's Elbow went really well. I was nervous before as I'm using a voice processor and a looper to create effects and harmonies and it calls for quite a bit of co-ordination. I've been practising really hard and it's starting to pay off. I think I may have inadvertently invented a new form of exercise. One part of the set calls for me to stand on one leg, whilst playing the tambourine with my other leg, playing guitar and singing! It'd doing wonders for my core stability. Anyway, enough of the technical details, the point is that it all came together and, by all accounts, sounds great. It's a thrill to finally start hearing the songs the way I have in my head and headphones for a while now. Many thanks should go to Steve the sound guy who was very friendly and professional, and did a superb job. I really can't wait for the next gig - it's an exciting time.

I'm also working hard on a new song, the working lyrics are below and the chords are pretty much there. Not sure on a title yet though, so feel free to post your suggestions... Until We Pass This Way Again is one option, Like A Melody is another.

In the morning the Sun will rise again,
After noon it drys my falling rain,
Evening comes to soothe and cool,
And night-time falls on king and fool,
Will we see the dawn again?

But these moments they don't last long,
Just like a melody they linger fleetingly and then,
In a heartbeat they are gone,
'til we pass this way again.

In the Spring the trees will grow again,
I remember Summer days without an end,
In the Autumn we all fall down,
And Winter chills the frozen ground,
'Til the seasons start again.

Chorus

We are born with wonder in our eyes,
As we grow we feel the pain of life,
In the middle some gain a frown,
And the last act brings the curtain down,
Who will remember we passed this way?

(D. Callow 2008)

As you may spot it's a bit of a digression from my usual writing, and the tune is quite folky (perhaps NiteByrd's comments have had an effect?). But I think it's a strong song, that may suit smaller more intimate gigs. If I get the lyrics finished over the weekend, I'll try and record a version for you to hear next week.

Love and peace to all,

Daren
xx

A Moment In Time

I have a fragment of a new lyric...


...Those feelings they don't last long,
Just like a melody, they linger fleetingly,
And then in a heartbeat, they are gone...

...and some chords. But no song... yet. Where do these words fit in? I have no idea, but I hope to find out.

Dxxx

The End Of The World pt1

I started writing this song a month or so ago whilst watching The Day After Tomorrow The chord sequence suggested itself straightaway, along with a strong urge to sing "It's not the end of the world", at the refrain at the end of the verse. I thought at the time that this was a bit cliched, especially as I ended up writing global-warming-is-upon-us kinda lyrics, inspired by the theme of the film. After the initial burst of interest, I shelved it as it wasn't really inspiring me.

Weeks later I improvised some new lyrics to the chords and it started to be about something else entirely... now it kind of conjures up the idea of a person suffering from mental illness or possibly hallucinations, and the verses started to shape from there. I've been on both sides of the mental illness equation and I know that it often affects the people around the person suffering more than the victim themselves, especially in cases of mania, schizophrenia or Alzheimer's. Recent play-throughs have been interesting as I manage to work myself up through the refrains... not actually singing, but kind of implying the words "I'm waiting for the end of my world" that the title suggests. I may or may not sing that bit live, it all depends. I really like the "How can we stop you screaming?" line, which is actually inspired by Whitley Schrieber's book Communion, and a man who believes he was abducted by aliens. At least I think it's from there... it might have been from a dream.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the lyrics. Demo to follow when I have the rest of the second verse and the melody/form pinned down. I will definitely play a version of it on Wednesday at the Blag Club in Notting Hill - even unfinished I have a lot of belief in it.

The End Of The World pt1
================

There's a hole in my heart,
Where the blood runs cold.
I've been told that I better calm down,
But I never could do what I'm told

So I'm looking down on myself,
And I can't feel my own skin.
I hear this clown say I really feel down,
But the joke is wearing thin

I'm really struggling here...

I think I've been here before?
On the slide or roundabout.
There's something I've been meaning to say,
But the words just won't come out.

I'm really struggling here...

How can we stop you screaming?
(We're only trying to help.)
How can we stop you screaming?

I really shouldn't be here,
This is all a mistake.
I think I might even know who you are,
If I can just recognise your face.

Why is my brain speeding up?
Why is the room changing size?
I'm sure that we can clear this all up,
If the doctor's stop telling me lies

I'm really struggling here...
I'm waiting for the end of my world.
I'm really struggling here...
I'm waiting for the end of my word

How can we stop you screaming?
How can we stop you screaming?

I'm really struggling here...
I'm waiting for the end of my world.
I'm really struggling here...
I'm waiting for the end of my word


(D. Callow 2008)


Yesterday I saw the slides of Nan Goldin set to the (live) music of John Kelly and Patrick Wolf in the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern. A very inspiring performance, especially by Patrick Wolf, whom I had not heard of before, but is a very talented multi-instrumentalist with a fantastic vocal range. Apart from getting a sore bum from inadequate cushioning, it was a very uplifting evening.

Dxxx

Go Or Stay

I've written a new song, which I've been battling with for a long time. It's got the best melody I think I've ever written and it's taken a long time to get a structure and a set of lyrics that match. I think I've managed it, but why not come down to Mannings Bar tomorrow and be the judge yourself. Btw, it's actually not about anything at all, but rather an example of a song which is just about strong writing. Having said that I'm hoping it will resonate with people's lives if they've ever had to make a decision.

I'm still trying to decide what to call it... the choices so far are Go, Go/Stay or The Fool I Am... any preferences?

Go
==

Go if you want to go,
Stay if you want to stay,
Just don't expect me to be waiting here endlessly.
Life is a mystery, to everyone including me,
I don't pretend to know the rules,
Just don't take me for the fool I am.

They all let me down,
My body that is failing me, the words escaping me,
They crumble to the ground,
And lie there soundlessly.

But I'm never tongue-tied
I've always got something to say,
But not today so...

Chorus

It all drags me down.
The decades of misery that stained indelibly.
And left their mark on me, there for the world to see.

But I know my own mind,
Surely I'm okay if you're okay, thanks but not today so...

Chorus

Go. Stay. Go. Stay.

I don't know what I've done.
I just know someone has to pay, but not today so

Chorus

Stay if you want to go,
Go if you want to stay,
You know that I'll be waiting here endlessly.
Life is a miracle it created me it created you,
I don't pretend to know the rules,
Just don't take me for a fool,
I don't pretend to know the rules,
Just don't take me for a fool,
I don't pretend to know the rules,
Just don't take me for the fool I am.

(D. Callow 2008)