Songs with Exclamation Points in the Titles

In most forms of writing, I rarely use exclamation points. In fact, my use of this particular punctuation mark is pretty much limited to dialogue, but even then, I only end a sentence with an exclamation point to indicate that a character is yelling. Beyond that, I tend to believe that the emphasis should be clear in the phrasing. (Did I mention that I teach English to college students?) 

The two songs that I would like to share with you today happen to be my only two tracks with exclamation points in the titles. Wake Up! is the opening track on my 2017 album Mechanical Bull. It is about how an informed and engaged citizenry is a vital component of a functioning democracy. 

    Walk out of that door

    Open up your eyes

    Time is not the measure of a life

My other song with an exclamation point in the title is Make Some Noise! (Summer of '99), from my 2019 album Better Days. It is essentially an ode to power chords, and a nod to one summer in particular where I played a lot of music in dank Michigan basements and sunlit front porches. 

    I played these chords until my fingers hurt

    Screamed at the top of my lungs without saying a word

    Banging on an electric guitar

    I don't need to be a superstar

    All going supernova, it only goes to show that

    No one will ever hear your voice

    Unless you learn to make some noise!

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Thanks to all of my listeners on Spotify for putting Original Miles and Black Ribbon Day on the charts. Both tracks are from my 2021 album Embers and continue to climb in popularity, which is both an honor and a thrill.

If you dig my music, please add it to your playlists and share it with other people who you think might like it as well. As a one-man-band/recording artist, I need and very much appreciate your help in promoting my songs amongst your friends and around the world.

As always, thank you for supporting independent art... and by all means: crank it up!!!

(Consider those bonus exclamation points.)

These Are All Original Miles

Today's song that I'd like to share is the opening track from my newest album, Embers (2021). I've posted about it before, but here it is again. Original Miles is essentially about accepting people, including ourselves, despite our imperfections.

    These are all original miles

    Some city, mostly highway

    You could even say

    I've been around a while... 

As a bonus track, here is my song Be Civilized, from my album Better Days (2019). It is a reminder that human beings need each other; in fact, this is exactly why civilization exists. I've written about this one before, too.

    I hope you realize

    What it means to be civilized

    It's not like they advertise

    You hold the truth behind your eyes

I hope you like my music. If so, please add it to your playlists, share it with your friends and follow me on Spotify and other streaming media platforms. 

Thank you for supporting independent art. 

Thank you

This past week, I've had a major uptick in Spotify streams, particularly of my song Black Ribbon Day, from my latest album, Embers (2021). Even though I just wrote in a recent post about how I don't really promote any particular singles, it appears as though listeners like you may have essentially done so on my behalf. Further, it seems that I am also rising in the singer/songwriter charts on ReverbNation. This is all very cool. I appreciate everyone who helped to make this happen and continues to do so. 

Thank you to all of my listeners and fans for supporting music that isn't corporately owned. 

You really can't get much indie-er or deeper underground than this, and discerning connoisseurs like you are vital to shining a sustained light on my work. I don't know how you found my music, exactly, but I'm very glad that you did. You must have cool friends. We should all hang out sometime.

If you like my songs, please share them with your other cool friends, add them to your playlists and follow me on Spotify (and other media platforms). This is how it spreads, and it all starts with you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for the support that is so crucial for an independent artist to thrive in today's music industry. No joke. 

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Today's track that I'd like to share happens to be my number one streamed song on Apple Music, where, incidentally, you can also find a digital version of my first book. How's that for shameless self-promotion with a twist? This song was among the very first that I recorded, produced and mastered as a solo artist. (Unfortunately, I think this comes through somewhat in the production value, so please be forgiving.) It's called Baby Blue, from my 2017 album Weather Patterns. 

Fun fact: the writing of this song began with me lamenting about a light blue shirt of mine that my wife accidentally ruined by means of an act of kindness. By the time I finished crafting the tune, it had become a story of love lost. I've always imagined the video for this song as a slow dance in a high school gymansium, if you want to ride along in my mind with me. You can see me perform an unplugged version of it below:

Thank you again for supporting independent art. You're the real rock stars; I'm just a guy who plays music.

The Algorithm

I made three playlists on Spotify today. The first is composed of songs of mine that are political in nature, the second are what I would (and did) call my pretty songs, and the third is a setlist of stuff that I practicted yesterday on acoustic guitar and piano in my sunroom. The neighbors have yet to applaud. 

Enjoy. Please follow these playlists and share them. That's how my music finds its way into the algorithm... which sounds like it could be the name of a live music venue in Germany. Of course, I think it would have to be spelled Algorhythm.

I'd go there. 

Bronze Medal

My songs Original Miles and Black Ribbon Day have gotten an astounding number of streams on Spotify recently. Thanks to all of you for listening to and sharing my music. This is how it happens. Your enthusiasm is contagious (in a good way). 

On a sidenote, I thought it was funny that while these two songs are steadily inching their way toward the stratosphere, at a very distant third is another song from Embers (2021), which happens to be called Going Nowhere. It was meant to be a title, not a prophecy. 

Then again, isn't it just like fate to change?

Thanks for listening. If you dig what I'm doing, please share it with others, add it to your playlists and follow me wherever you can find my songs. 

You are beautiful.