November's Winning Song!

To those who took the time to listen to November's Songs, Stank you all!  Stank you smelly much!  For those who DIDN'T, you can always go back and check them out here.  We had a couple weeks of open voting for your favorite 1980's-Themed Pop Song.  When the voting closed up, the winning song was not a 1980's-themed song at all.  It was a TRUE 1980's song!  Danny recorded it in 1988!  Your votes showed that you can't beat the real thing!

Danny Imig - Serial Monogamy

Congratulations Danny!  Also, I hope you haven't forgotten about December's "Whatever" songs.  The month is winding down (maybe I should start mine...)

November's 80's Pop Songs!

November has come to and end and hopefully everyone is doing a good job to shovel themselves out of the heaps of leftovers you've been buried under.  With the start of December comes a slew of 1980's themed songs for you to check out!  I honestly really enjoy all three of them so my vote will be a difficult one, for sure.  The optional subject was a doctor's appointment and only one of the songs uses it.  Either way, have a listen to the songs and vote for your favorite below!

Danny Imig - Serial Monogamy

My comments:  This song of Danny's is not just in the style of the 80's, it's FROM the 80's!  It was recorded in 1988 and has a cool new wave-y ska feel to it.  It's an upbeat, bouncy and fun song.  1980's Pop Music is such a vague genre, which leads to songs like this that I would never have expected, and I that's what I love!  Good job, Danny!

Rene Zansman - Doctor's Appointment

My comments:  Rene went total Casio on this song and it sounds great, even for a song about a butt rash!  He told me that the lyric "doctor's disappointment" was an accident, but I think that is a brilliant lyric.  All of Rene's songs have such a huge basis in pop music that this song is a great fit for the song writing game.  I really love this song!

Brian Salapek - Doctor Dance

My comments:  All of my songs start out with pure intentions of fitting the genre as well as possible.  But then I hit a niche and the song veers off into no-where land and ends up far from the original idea.  Not that that is a BAD thing though!  I had a lot of fun writing this song and especially love that harmonic note at the end of the chorus.  It just makes me happy each time I hear it!

Vote for your Favorite!

December Song Announcement!

I hope everyone had a good thanksgiving!  With the holidays officially in full swing, it can be hard to find the time to write and record a song, let alone a song that fits the stupid stipulations I throw at you every month!  So we will follow in the tradition of December's past and say that you can...

DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!

That's right.  Do whatever you want!  There is no criteria at ALL for your song.  If you send it to me, I will post it and it will go into the voting poll!  It could be a 43 minute spoken word piece or a 30 second thrash metal song, I do not care!

Also, be sure to turn in your 80's Pop Songs for November!

October's Winning "Jug Band" Song!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to check out the songs from October!  I can see that both songs were well enjoyed since they ended up having almost FOUR TIMES as many views as the September songs!  Whew!  Awesome!

When the voting was all said and done, the song I wrote along with Joel Forsgren ended up being voted favorite!  Thank you so much to everyone!  The song felt like it wrote itself and when it was all done, I was thrilled with the result.  If you hadnt had a chance to listen to it yet, check it out here:

Brian Salapek and Joel Forsgren - Jug Band Muzik

Also, as November is winding down, don't forget about your 80's Pop Songs for this month!

October's Jug Band Songs!

Almost four years ago when the Song Writing Game started, the very first genre was none other than Jug Band music!  Since then we had done bluegrass and country a few times, but had never touched back on Jug Band, which started it all.  Until now!  I am not sure what put me in the mood for Jug Band, but it jumped into my mind and I am glad that it did.  There were only two songs, but they are both cool.  Check them out!

Brian Salapek and Joel Forsgren - Jug Band Muzik

My comments:  After taking September off, I had a really hard time getting into the mode to write a song.  When I finally did, I had a completely different lead melody picked out, but scrapped it when I improvised the lead you hear in the song now.  With that, it lost a lot of it's jug band feel, but I like the song so much more now.  I had Joel over who recorded the electric guitar track as well as the banjo intro.  All in all, I have to say that this song is one of my favorites.  I am really happy and proud of it!

Rene Zansman - Yatzy Pursuit

My comments:  Rene went the same route as me, giving his song the jug band feel through a harmonica track.  The song itself has Rene's trademark catchy pop punk vibe with an awesome chorus in it, which I really enjoy!  And to boot, he kept with the gambling theme by singing about my new favorite fictional game, Yatzy Pursuit.  Great job, Rene!

Vote for your Favorite!

November Song Announcement!

October still has a few days left in it, so it's time to announce how things will roll for November.  This one is pretty general, but we hadn't done it before, which is surprising because of the nature of so many of my guilty musical pleasures.  We will be diving into...

1980's POP MUSIC!

For a subject, let's be stupid (like usual).  How about.... A Doctor's Appointment?  Yeah.

When you are working on your song, just remember what you want...

Good luck, everyone!  And remember to turn in your Jug Band song for October!

August Winner and October Announcement!

Man, this song writing thing definitely was put on the back burner.  I always skip September because I run a homebrew beer competition every year, and just wouldnt have the time to write and record a song.  But this year it got so far away from me that I never even announced the winner from August!  Ugh.  Well the homebrew competition is all said and done, so I have some time to dedicate to the Song Writing Game again for the next 11 months.

First, we need to pay homage to the last winning song we had.  It was Danny Imig's Diminish +1.  If you hadn't listened to it, check it out here:

Second, it's time to announce our next song genre and subject.  As always the subject is optional.  For this one, we will be returning to the VERY FIRST genre of the song writing game from December, 2011 (That can't be right, can it?  Holy shit, it is!)...

GENRE: Jug Band Music

(Optional) SUBJECT: Gambling

There you have it, have fun and good luck everyone!

August's 5-Note Songs and September Annoucement!

August has come and gone and we have a few songs to show for it.  If you recall, we opted to go with a simple song with a limit of 5 notes, regardless of octave.  When writing mine, I found that the 5 note limit was not very limiting.  A two or three note limit would have been a lot more challenging.

Well, while we are talking, I will make the announcement for September that has slipped through the cracks...

TAKE A BREAK!

That's right, we will be taking September off.  I organize a large homebrew beer competition and it will be taking up a lot of my free time this month, so everyone gets a break.


So now without further ado, here are the songs from August.  Have a listen and vote for your favorite below!

Danny Imig - Diminished +1

My comments:  Danny put together a cool little piano instrumental.  It's got a great feel to it, almost along the lines of "danger."  Alone, it would be a little too simple, so the drums were a great touch.  They really amp up the song as a whole.  I like it a lot!

Jack Eggleston - Joney loves Charlie

My comments:  Jack utilizes his "stage name" (found embedded in the mp3) of DJ Jazzy Jack.  I only hope that is a reference to BB Jazzy B!  Again he goes full-on electronica for the song.  I have a hard time telling if he utilizes only five notes, but it definitely throws the "minimalism" theme out the window.  No worries though, because what it does, it does well.  Good job, Jack!

Brian Salapek - 5 Notes

My comments:  I chose my key as A# and every one of my notes was a sharp, which is a little different of a key for me.  To be honest, I wasn't feeling super inspired but trudged through and came up with this.  It's pretty, I guess, but that's all it's got going for it, if you ask me :P

Rene Zansman - Late Night in a Terrible Hotel Eating Potato Chips and Listening to Jackson 5

My comments:  Rene wrote a small piano instrumental as well.  Unfortunately it seems like he mistook the 5-notes as 5 single notes, rather than 5 notes regardless of octave.  This must have been pretty difficult to put something together, and I commend Rene for working with such a HUGE restriction!

Vote for your favorite here!

July's Winning Cover Song!

With a huge percentage of the vote, the winner for July's Cover Songs was clear!  Jeff Coral took home the prize with his great medley of songs.  I especially liked Jeff's song because it was different than the rest and really was an interesting concept.  Add in the fact that he integrated all of those songs so seamlessly, and you have a winner!  If you hadn't had a chance to listen to it yet, check it out now!

Jeff Coral - I Won't Cry

Also, how are everyone's 5-Note Songs for August coming along?

July's Cover Songs!

From the start of the Song Writing Game, July has just been too busy of a month for me.  Summer is just in full swing and I find myself struggling to have time for most anything, let alone thinking about, writing and recording a song.  So, it's been an annual tradition to dedicate July to Cover Songs!  Not just cover songs, but a significant change must be made to the original song.  Here are the songs, take a listen and vote for your favorite below!

Danny Imig - My Way (Frank Sinatra Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  Danny took this classic Sinatra tune and stripped it bare.  Building up from soft, pretty guitars which stay true to the original, he burst that acoustic guitar forward full blast for the rest of the song.  It's a nice and simple take on the song, contrasting the big, orchestrated original, and a cool way to hear it performed.

Brian Salapek - Melon Collie Reprise (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  It is crazy to realize that the album this song is from is turning 20 years old this October.  Ever since it came out and I had it, this brief ending of Thru the Eyes of Ruby has always stuck with me.  It turns out that it is titled Melon Collie Reprise and I decided to turn it into it's own song.  In Smashing Pumpkins tradition, I tried to make it a legitimate rock song.

Rene Zansman - Everybody Loves a Clown (Gary Lewis and the Playboys Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  I had never heard this song before so I am thankful to Rene for exposing me to it!  Rene took the song and really made it his own.  I think it really improves the song to speed it up a little and add that pop punk edge to it all.  Great job, Rene!  I think you picked a great song that fit you really well!

Jeff Coral - I Won't Cry (Oasis, Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Gotye, Bon Iver, The Calling Medley)

The Original Songs:

Sorry, but there are too many to embed all the videos.  Here are links:

Oasis - Wonderwall  Jack Johnson - Sexy Plexi  Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry  Gotye - Hearts a Mess  Bon Iver - Skinny Love  The Calling - Wherever you Will Go

My comments:  Jeff took a different route than everyone else with this medley, and it really worked out great!  It's cool to hear each distinctive song flow into one another.  The guitar is constant throughout, but Jeff changes his vocal melody with each song, and they all work great over the chords he plays on guitar.  This was a very welcome change of pace for July!

Jack Eggleston - Creep in a Remix (DJ Jazzy Jack Remix) (Portugal. The Man Cover)

The Original Song:

My comments:  Along with Jeff, Jack did something different than everyone else.  His song falls more into the remix realm, which I guess I should have realized by the title.  Again, like Rene's song, I hadn't heard the original song here until after listening to Jack's remix.  And hearing the original was almost lack-luster.  Jack's remix really does add a lot to the song and makes it just cooler.  I like it!

Vote for your favorite!

August Song Announcement!

I had asked for an interesting suggestion for August's Song Writing Game.  And interesting is what I got!  Danny Imig had a great suggestion and I didnt hesitate at all to jump on board.

Subject: Minimalism

Genre: "Five Notes or Less"

That's right, you're limited to five notes for this song.  Simplicity is a beautiful thing sometimes.  How about chords?  Do all the notes in the chord fit in your 5 chosen?  If so, go ahead.  If not, NOPE!  Obviously I will not be analyzing every song to be sure it follows the rules, but the subject of Minimalism gives you the idea of what we are going for here.  Good luck everyone!

And remember to turn in your cover songs for July!

June's winning song!

As always, thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in the songwriting game.  It always amazes me to realize that it is still going on after all this time and we are continually getting new participants!  Thank you as well to everyone who took the time to listen to the songs from June and vote on your favorites.  When the voting was all complete, we had our winner...

Brian Salapek - Tuesday Morning, 5:32 AM

I was really surprised to find that my song had won.  Thanks to everyone and I am happy that people liked it.  I guess simplicity really is the key!  Thanks everyone!

How is everyone's cover songs for July coming?

June's "Front Porch, West Virginia" Songs!

June came and went and we've acquired some song that represent a whole slew of "Font Porches" in West Virginia.  Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a song.  I hope you enjoy them!  Listen to them all and vote for your favorite below!

Ryan Kinal and Family - Same Old

My comments:  This is Ryan's first submission to the song writing game and I really enjoy it!  The song has a great bluegrass-y feel to it, and I love that it is a video of the song being played live.  But what I love most are Ryan's vocals.  They just shine through so well in the song, I love it.  He had help from his parents to record the song, even adding more to the theme of "front porch" music.

Brian Salapek - Tuesday Morning, 5:32 AM

My comments:  Awhile back, Danny said he was working with "first takes only" and I decided to go with that approach as well.  That way, it was more of a "live-recorded" song, which I thought was important for the theme.  It may be a little repetitious, but I left it simple so the birds and the rain that morning could take the spotlight.

Danny Imig - Hot Tub Terrorist

My comments:  Danny's front porch is that of some hippies tripping on LSD.  This song is more about ambiance than anything, it seems.  There is a fountain flowing constantly, complimented by some wind chimes from hell.  The banjo playing feels almost Indian which makes me ask, is that a banjo or a sitar without many strings?  Very trippy and very cool.

Rene Zansman - Front Porch, West Virginia

My comments:  Rene's song is a super-happy-sing-a-long style song.  The verse has an almost-reggae feel to it, and the chorus kicks in and that's where Rene always shines (the second chorus is particularly fantastic).  I love the hand claps, tambourine, and layered vocals, those elements give it the front porch sing-a-long aspect that really brings it home. 

Vote for your favorite!

July's Song Announcement!

I dont know about the rest of you, but I expect to have kinda a busy July.  It always seems to be that way, so we will do the usual July song.  To make things a little easier and/or less time consuming, we will be doing cover songs!  The only stipulation is that you must make a significant change to your cover, setting it apart from the original.  Easy enough, right?  Now the hard part, deciding what song to cover.

COVER SONGS!

You must make a significant change from the original!

Good luck!

May's Most Disco-est Songs!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to listen to May's Disco songs and vote for their favorite!  There were two definite favorites of the bunch, and they ended up BOTH winning!  Yes, we had a tie, ladies and gentlemen!  The winners were Jack Eggleston and Jonas Peterson!  I really enjoyed both songs quite a bit!  If you hadn't had a chance to listen to them, check them out below!

Jack Eggleston - Disco Shit

Jonas Peterson - The Tyger

May's DISCO Songs!

So here we have it, what I am sure everyone has been dying to hear, the song writer's take on DISCO songs!  As you will remember, the subject (always optional) was Animals.  Check out the songs anf vote for your favorite below!

Brian Salapek - Bird Berries

My comments:  I was in the woods with my four year old son and he found some bird berries and was very excited to show me.  I told him not to eat them, to which he replied "I'm going to hold them in my hand and wait for a bird to come tickle my fingers."  So I decided to write a song about it!  Maybe the song doesnt scream disco, but the bass line is just perfect for the genre.

Jonas Peterson and William Blake - The Tyger

My comments:  Jonas and William are good friends from way back in the 1790's.  So with personal permission, Jonas used the lyrics from William's famous poem for his song and the results are great.  The song has a super cool funky feel to it that reminds me of BoomBox or Jamiroqua.  Very good job!

Danny Imig - Get Down Disco Doggy

My comments:  Have you ever yelled at a dog enough to get off the couch that it sounds like youre singing a funk song?  Is that the joke Danny is going for here?  I hope so because it's a clever one!  Danny pulls out a really great funky beat and adds in some of his signature surfy guitars for this one.  I love the intermitant dog barks thrown in there.  Very cool!

Rene Zansman - Not About a Duck

My comments: Rene told me that this song "should come with a warning sticker."  In a weird, but good way, I agree.  It has a great hip-hop-esque beat and a cool guitar part that got stuck in my head.  In come the vocals and thats when things get strange.  At one point there is a really high pitched and awesome background vocal track going on, that I really enjoy.

Jack Eggleston - Disco Shit

My comments: Jack is back after a long hiatus!  And he seems to be getting into making electronic dance music now.  This song is a pretty long but great instrumental incorporating audio clips.  It goes through a lot of different transitions and parts that make it so the length isn't a bother at all.  Jack did a really good job composing and arranging this song.

June Song Annoucement!

I am a couple days later than usual with the next song annoucement, but it's still not June so we should be fine!  As the weather is getting nicer, and people are taking advantage of the summer, I think the song should reflect that.  This one is pretty wide-open and maybe a little cryptic, but I like it like that.  For June we will be doing...

"Front Porch, West Virginia"

Wait, what?  What does that mean?  The real question is what does it mean to YOU?  I think of a family bluegrass jam.  But don't take my word for it, use whatever kind of association you have with the idea and run with it.  RUN WITH IT!

April's Winning Song!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to listen to April's Inappropriate Children's Songs!  We had a very interesting group of songs, and I loved the diversity and range.  When the voting came to a close, our winner was DANNY IMIG with his song FEED THE BIRDS TILL IT HURTS!  I think Danny won some bonus points for using a real kids' instrument!  It sounded like a xylophone with buttons, like this:

If you hadn't had a chance to listen to Danny's winning song, check it out here:

April's Children's Songs!

I'm a few days late this time around, but am very happy to be posting these ridiculous songs for your enjoyment!  As you may remember, we were writing Children's Songs with "Adult themes"  So basically, something that a children's song shouldn't be written about.  I always enjoy doing silly songs like these and the songs all really jumped on this and ran with it!  Have a listen and vote for your favorite below!

Brendon Burgess - Kookies

My comments: Brendon tells the tale of an evil baby in his song.  He did a great job musically, to capture the children's songs feel.  Throw in lyrics about an evil baby and you have just perfect juxtaposition.  I really enjoy the cookie-eating ending, it just so over the top, I love it!

Rene Zansman - A comprehensive guide to female Shakespeare characters

My comments: This song has a really pretty, classical sound to it that I really enjoy.  It works well as a children's song, since it is pretty enough to be a lullaby.  Then kick in the lyrics about death and betrayal from Shakespeare's plays.  Definitely not kid-friendly!  I also love the rhyme in "Ophelia, is that really ya?"  That's probably my favorite lyric from all of these songs!

Danny Imig - Feed the birds till it hurts

My comments:  Danny turned in a real top-notch entry this month.  The song is hilarious and the music really works well.  When the xylophone (a kid's push button one, it sounds like), it just gets driven over the top.  I think he was the only person who actually used a real child's instrument, so he gets bonus points!  Oh, and apparently Mary Poppins IS a suspected communist plot according to google.

Brian Salapek - Debt

My comments: So here is the revised song, for anyone who heard the original.  I decided it was just too much and redid it.  Sure it's an inappropriate thing to sing to kids about debt.  The whole idea that "When I grow up, I'm going to do whatever I want" is utterly shattered when the realization of how much debt an average person gets into.

Jonas Peterson and Jesse Denby - Out for a walk

My comments: What a weird song, I love it!  It really does well with the children's genre, with that bouncy country bass line, and it just sounds so happy.  In kick the Ween-ish vocals that start out ambiguous and end up full-on inappropriate, that dissolve each verse into a chaos.  This song definitely stands on it's own, but that's what I like about it.

Vote for your favorite!

May's Song Annoucement!

When it comes down to it, it gets kinda difficult picking genres anymore.  We have done so many, leaving obscure ones that could potentially turn people off.  So if a genre is reused (many of which get done once a year, almost), there should be ample spacing.  Here's one we haven't done in a long time....

Genre: DISCO!

Subject: Animals (except for duck, that's been done)

Yep, Disco!  The last time around, it was in August 2012, so I think more than enough time has passed.  As far as the subject (optional, as always) it just seems funny.  Sorry, but I can't write a serious song if my life depended on it.  Good luck everyone!  And here is a drawing of a disco ostrich from when we did disco last.

March's Winning Blues Songs!

It doesn't happen too often, but when it does, it is well deserved on both sides.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a TIE!  That's right!  In the two weeks of voting, both Danny Imig and Jeff Coral received seven votes for their songs.  I feel the struggle that resulted in the tie, both of these songs are great and the decision is a difficult one.  Congratulations to both Danny and Jeff!  Anyways!  If you hadn't listened, check out these songs below.  If you had heard them, have another listen!

Danny Imig - Six String Highway (Wang Bar Blues)

Jeff Coral - She Won't Play

March's Blues Songs!

For March, we decided to go with a genre that hadn't been done in a few years.  Previously, we had Blues Songs about Buddy Christ, from the Kevin Smith movie Dogma.  This time around the subject  wasn't nearly as specific, it was "A gain and a loss"  This seemed like an appropriate theme for blues music.  As always, it is an optional subject.  Anyways, we ended up with four cool songs.  While I was listening to blues, to get some ideas for my song, I felt really disapointed, thinking that all blues songs sound the same.  Well, each one of these songs is significantly different but all fit the criteria.  I am very impressed with them all!  Have a listen and vote your for favorite below!

Rene Zansman - I Lost My Bottom Dollar

My comments:  Rene goes raunchy with his blues song and I just love the weird gruff and snotty sounding vocals.  The guitars and harmonica work out really well too, giving it a great blues feel.  It's upbeat, it's bluesy and it's definitely punk.

Jeff Coral - She Won't Play

My comments:  Jeff is new to the game, with this being his second song.  He has a really great sound, both with his vocals and guitar work, that naturally lends itself to blues.  I can't put my finger on it exactly but the vocals remind me of 90's alternative.  They have a kinda Stone Temple Pilots/Alice in Chains/Creed sort of a vibe to them that makes me nostalgic.

Danny Imig - Six String Highway (Wang Bar Blues)

My comments:  Slide guitar!  I love it!  Danny grabs a bluesy aspect for his song that I never even thought of.  It really has a cool Led Zeppelin feel to it and I really enjoy that about the song.  What goes well with the song is envisioning Danny playing it with a lit cigarette in the strings on the head stock of the guitar and him playing slide with a Bic lighter.

Jen Robinson and Brian Salapek - A Gain and a Loss

My comments:  I decided that a slow blues approach would be a nice direction to go with this song.  I think it came out pretty well, even if it is very basic and standard.  Jen did a nice job with the vocals and there is even a guest singer towards the end, that I decided not to edit out!  It's definitely the slowest of the four songs, but still has a great blues feel.

April's Song Annoucement!

March is starting to wind down, and it's time to announce what our next songs will be!  I approached Jonas Peterson for a suggestion, after his reggae song did so well, and he had a great idea.  So here you have it...

Genre: Children's Music

Optional Subject: An Adult Theme

So we will have a nice juxtaposition going on here, similar to when we did Children's music years ago.  The Adult Theme is pretty open ended and can be whatever you want.  As per Jonas' clarification, "divorce, funeral arrangements, genital health... lol"  Great suggestion and idea.  I love it and can't wait!

BONUS POINTS IF YOU USE REAL CHILDREN'S INSTRUMENTS!

February's Winning Reggae Song!

Wow, what a turn out of amazing songs and listeners for February!  I was honestly impressed with everyone's song and thank all of the songwriters who took the time to write, record and turn in a song.  I feel like it was the strongest month of songs in the entire 3 year existence of the song writing game!  When the songs were all considered, there really was no choice as to the winner though.  Congratulations go to Jonas and Brendon for their song "Neverending!"  If you had not had a chance to listen, check it out below:

This is the second month in a row that the winner was a first-time entry for the game.  Hopefully this means a rise of new song writers joining in this year and spicing things up!

Also, I hope everyone is having good progress with their songs for March!

February's Reggae Songs!

It really seems like 2015 is on a roll.  We've had a good number of submissions for January and February is no different!  It's really great to receive these songs and hear the diversity in them, while they all have a common theme to compare.

As you will remember, we did Reggae for our genre in February with an option subject of "Chores."  We have some great songs below.  Be sure to listen to them all and vote for your favorite!

Jon Baker - Slave 2 D Housework

My comments: Jon has turned in a handful of songs over the years and they've all been great.  This one is no different.  I especially like the pitch shifted vocals at the end, giving it a sort of a Ween vibe.  I would be interested in hearing the whole song sung in the high pitch!

Rene Zansman - I wasn't born to do dishes

My comments:  Rene's punk roots and reggae seem to lend to themselves very well, and this song shows it.  The fake trumpet solo towards the end is really great.  What I like about the song is that it has a good build to it, starting out simple and ending up with a bigger, complex sound.

Danny Imig - Dreadlock Lullaby

My comments:  Danny took a different approach with his song, going all electric.  I'm a total sucker for music for the 80's, and this Casio sound is awesome to me.  It's all instrumental but doesn't get redundant like some instrumental songs can be.

Jesse Denby and Brian Salapek - Chores

My comments:  One morning while home with the flu, I sat down and started working on this song.  I ended up having it written in no time at all.  When it was all recorded, I would listen to it and just rock out on the guitar, and I ended up finding that the note F was perfect with it and added the 1 note solos over the chorus.  I decided that I wanted some help with the vocals and contacted Jesse, who did a great job on the song we did in December.  The rest is history!

Joel Forsgren - I don't wanna clean nothin' no more

My comments: Joel was actually the person who originated the theme and subject for February so I knew he would be turning in a cool song.  I really enjoy his vocals and how the seem to have a liquid flow, smooth and cool.  Don't let his grizzly beard fool you, he can sing high and this song proves it!

Jonas Peterson and Brendon Burgess - Neverending

My comments: Jonas and Brenden have never turned in a song before so this one was a great surprise.  Jonas plays guitar and sings while Brenden was on the drums.  All together, this is an extremely successful reggae song.  After listening to this, I came to realize just how cool a reggae drum beat can be.

Vote for your favorite!

March's Song Announcement!

February is winding down and I will be posting the songs for the month soon.  Until then, I am going to give everyone a few day's head start on their songs for March.  Good luck everyone!

Genre: The Blues

(Optional) Subject: A Gain and a Loss

Interpret the subject however you want.  I thought being cryptic with it would yield better results from everyone.

January's Winning Punk Song

Congratulations go to Jeff Coral, whose song 'Punk Rock Girl' was voted favorite song on his first submission to the song writing game!  Hopefully this will be a nudge to keep turning in songs in the future, Jeff!  (Hint Hint!)  If you hadn't had a chance to listen to the song, listen to it here.

January's Punk Songs!

It had been quite awhile since we had done punk rock songs, which is weird, because it's the genre of music I was into when I wrote my first songs.  You'd think I'd hit it up once a year or so, oh well.  Anyways, we had no subject for the songs and it definitely shows in the final songs.  Hopefully this is a good sign for 2015, but we had five songs turned in!  Hopefully we can maintain this momentum!  Check out the songs and vote for your favorite below!

Jeff Coral - Punk Rock Girl

My comments: This is Jeff's first time in the song writing game and hopefully he continues to contribute.  He did an acoustic song, which is not out of question for punk rock, and it has the title and subject of his affections for a punk rock girl.  This song has a really big Bob Dylan feel though, in vocals, vocal melody and guitars.  At times I am just waiting for a harmonica to kick in.  I really do enjoy it, but don't think it fits for punk.

Esban and Rene - Ignorance is Jizz

My comments:  Talk about a juxtaposition from the first song (not in a bad way on either end).  Esban and Rene are loud, aggressive and in your face here with their song.  To just push it over the edge, they have the obligatory offensive song title!  It is a pretty full sounding song but I wish the drums were quite a bit louder.  They are there but just drowned out by the loud guitars and vocals.  That's a pretty minor complaint though.

Danny Imig - Brand New Car

My comments:  I am really not sure what Danny was trying to accomplish with his 1:10 long weird keyboard-y introduction to this song.  Please believe me when I tell you that there is a very cool song after it. When the song finally kicks in, it's pretty awesome and definitely punk rock.  I love the lyrics to about hating his parents and babysitter and then being chased by the cops while drunk driving.  Punk rock!

Eric Peabody - Never Whatever

My comments:  Oh Eric and his songs raising social awareness!  This song is about bullying, and is really catchy.  It's short, sweet and to the point, the way a lot of punk music is.  No need for a solo or repeating a chorus!  I've been a fan of Eric's music for quite a long time and this song is no different.  I dig it!

Brian Salapek - Generic Punk Song #3

My comments:  When writing this song, I had all the music done but no ideas about lyrics.  I was playing a lot of Metroid at the time and contemplated writing about that but nixed the idea and opted for an instrumental.  I almost feel there is a surf-punk kinda feel going on here, so being an instrumental kinda fits with it.  With it being short, I don't think it takes away from the song to not have vocals, but that might just me.

February 2015 Song Announcement!

It's been awhile since I've given an optional subject for the songs but this month I was given a fun suggestion by Mr. Joel Forsgren.

GENRE: REGGAE

SUBJECT: DOING CHORES

We did Reggae Cthulhu songs way back when so it's time to bust the Reggae out again.  Good Luck everyone!

2014'S SONG OF THE YEAR!

Thank you to everyone who voted and a special thank you goes out to everyone who participated in the song writing game in 2014.  I feel really honored that it's been able to sustain itself for so long and I look forward to the future of the game!

So, here we have it, ladies and gentlemen.  To you, I present the 2014 SONG OF THE YEAR!

Kayce Kelly, Trever Wilkins and Brian Salapek

Farmer Brown

I've told the story before about this song but will tell it again.  I wanted to collaborate with Kayce on a song, and country was the perfect fit.  The original plan was to record this song one night while he was over for dinner, in December 2013, but it never happened.  I wrote the music and Kayce had the lyrics done, so it was only a matter of time before it fit with a genre for the game.  One night when the song was 90% done, I had Trever and his family over for dinner and asked him to record the guitar solo.  And then it was done.  I am really proud of the song, and my favorite part has to be Kayce's vocals that are half singing/half talking in a Johnny Cash kinda way "Cocaine, the good Colombian kind" lol

So what's the prize?!  Well, first and foremost we have the annual prize of BEER!  But this year is special because Danny Imig made a trophy for the game!  Yes!  A trophy!  Each year, the trophy will be passed on to the new winner.  Here are some photos of his amazing work.

2014 Song of the Year Voting!

Every year I sit down and re-listen to all the songs from the year and pick out my five favorites to go on to the Song of the Year voting!  They didn't have to win the month they were turned in to advance.  A lot of the time, my favorite song doesn't win.  No problem, they get their chance again here!  So here you are, the five songs that I deemed with my seal of approval.  Have a listen and vote on your favorite.  The voting is only for one week, rather than the normal two.

Danny Imig - Same Old Pain (From January)

My comments:  For the first month of 2014, we did New Wave songs with an optional subject of Bugs.  Yes, Bugs.  Danny turned in this gem that was actually recorded back in the 1980's while New Wave was at it's height.  I really think this is a cool song and reminds me of something from The Cars.  It didn't win best song of the month, but it was my favorite.

Kayce Kelly, Brian Salapek and Trever Wilkins - Farmer Brown (From April)

My comments:  Kayce and I were talking about recording a song together for December, 2013 and it never happened.  What did happen was Kayce writing these lyrics and me writing the guitar portion to the song.  April featured Bluegrass songs with the subject "unintentional effects of alcohol."  We spent some time and got the song finally recorded and I was very happy with the result!

Eric Peabody - Crack Feet (From October)

My comments:  Oh God, I don't want to watch this video any more.  As I said before, I didn't know Crack Feet were a real thing.  And now I will never forget.  Never.  Forget...  Thank you, Eric.  Don't let that distract you from the song, which is actually very good.

Brian Salapek and Aimee Loree - I've Got Good Credit (From October)

My comments: I just loved the Gangsta Rap songs from September/October so much that two of them made it to the Song of the Year voting.  Aimee invited my wife and I to a party which had a subtitle of "Rap Battle."  She actually did write a rap and performed it, so I did my old Stumblin' Nate rap as well and we decided that we needed to write a rap song together.  This was the result!

Rene Zansman - Moptop Christmas (From December)

My comments: Rene's long running Moptop series of songs has it's latest installment with the Christmas song (episode?) and it's by far my favorite.  It has a bit of a mellow, somber and a little sad key to it, which really works for me.  I have always enjoyed Rene's songs and there have been some great ones this year (Thunder Across the Planet) but this is my favorite one!

Voting will run until January 23rd at midnight!

December 2014's Winners!

For the (probably) third time in the Song Writing Game, we have a tie!  To make it more interesting sounding, I will call it a 4-way tie!  With three people working on the one song, and one on the other, I can say that, right?  I can say what I want, DAMNIT.  Anyways!  Check out these two great songs below if you hadn't already!

Jesse Denby, Joel Forsgren and Brian Salapek - Cornbread Red

Danny Imig - Garbage Santa

Congrats to the winners!  And don't forget about the Songs for January!

December's "Whatever" Songs!

With all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season it can be hard to set aside time to do something as unimportant as participate in my song writing game.  I am truly grateful that people continue to write songs and keep the game going!  Because of the holidays, I've set the songs to "Whatever".  The idea is to alleviate any extra work or stress that goes into the songs.  So we have a nice collection of diverse songs for you to check out.  Be sure to vote for your favorite below!

Laura Cardinal and Andrew Nicholson - Ho Hey

My comments: Laura and Andy did this great cover of a Lumineers song and had posted it on their Facebook account.  I bugged them enough to have it included in the Song Writing Game.  I am not real familiar to the original song but I really enjoy it.  I always enjoy simplicity in music and love this stripped down version.

Jesse Denby, Joel Forsgren and Brian Salapek - Cornbread Red

My comments: This is a cover of a WEEN B-Side with Jesse on vocals, Joel on lead guitar and bass and I did the rest.  I always have fun collaborating with people and this one was interesting since Joel and I have never met Jesse, we just started talking on the internet.  I am glad we did, I love the vocals, and I am super happy to include Joel since he totally rocks at guitar!

Danny Imig - Garbage Santa

My comments:  Danny gives us some great social commentary on gift giving for the sake of it in this song.  The drums give it a cool surf-kinda feel to it that I like a lot.  Some funky guitar work in the background would have been a good touch but the simplicity of it works well.

Rene Zansman - Moptop Christmas

My comments: Rene continues his MopTop series (here and here are two other songs he's submitted) with a Christmas song (episode?) and it is my favorite by far!  It is his usual pop punk song but is in a sort of somber musical key.  The piano and xylophone give it a great Christmas feel, too.  Really great job, Rene.  I love this song!

Vote for your favorite!