So for those not reading the resolutions thread, here is what I posted:
Well, this year I don't so much have a resolution, more of a project/self challenge.
I want to write a 50-song album. One about each American state.
I have never been to America. Ever. And as such, each song will be based only on what I can find out about a state on Wikipedia - I already know quite a bit about America so I will have to make sure I check on Wikipedia that anything I already know is cited on there.
This works out at about a song per week. I'm not sure if I'll upload one by one or two a massive upload towards the end of the year, but I've already got Delaware written in my head and my brother-in-law is lending me a synth that should bring some breadth to the proceedings.
So yeah. That's my stupid idea.
It works out at just under a song per week.
On Facebook Method offered to 'check' my eventual Jersey offering, but that kind of defeats the object of it given that I am meant to only be using info from Wikipedia.
However I think I may have been too quick to respond. This project is designed to semi-fail I guess. The whole point is meant to be an outsider looking in without any background knowledge or direct experience of being in the US.
Thinking about it though, that doesn't mean I can't get information from you guys in other ways. So I thought if anyone wants to contribute, they can help me out here in various ways.
I'm considering opening up an instrumental part or two to my fellow musical forumites; however I think the one caveat should be that you can't contribute to a state that you live in. Or possibly even have ever been to, because it's meant to be, after all, from the perspective of my having no fucking idea what I'm talking about. Those non-American forumites have the same rules - you can join in but not on a state you've been to. I'm especially interested in people who can contribute things that I'd not be able to get myself, like proper piano (step forward Detachable Felix).
One question I'd like to open up to the forum is, should I make it so that I only base this on the actual state's own Wikipedia page, or instead on information on Wikipedia that I can be linked directly to from that state's Wikipedia page? Say, if Pennsylvania has a dedicated page for agriculture or some shit.
If you have an idea for a song that's not a state you live in or have been to, I am all ears to suggestions provided you can back it up with a Wikipedia page to show it's on there.
I am planning, however, on doing songs that are not necessarily ABOUT that state, but are set there, with some shout-outs. A love song, say, that is set in a certain state but has to include some information of that. Some of these will be serious, some of them will be humorous, because that's kinda how I roll, motherfuckers.
I thought I might also shove my work-in-progress or random ideas up here, because I may as well be told if something is terrible.
Anyway, here is what I have so far as far as spitballing/works in progress.
1. Delaware - Why Don't You Got To Delaware? (partially written in my head already, mostly about how completely uninteresting Delaware is, mentions its lack of sales tax)
2. Georgia - Something REM-style, given my instrumental limitations probably Out Of Time/Automatic era, and I have got a mandolin. Considering they're from Athens I considered flirting with Greek mythological imagery
3. Hawaii - I have a uke, I suspect this will be a sub-one-minute joke song of some sort.
4. Kansas - Considering a song about Superman, without actually mentioning any of his names (Superman, Kal-El, Clark Kent)
5. Louisiana - Something Randy Newman-esque because I fucking love Randy Newman
6. Maine - Something Stephen King related
7. Nebraska - a parody of Bruce Springsteen's titular album, but possibly using that overwrought style to talk about it being the only American state with a bicameral legislature (or possibly unicameral, I forget which; point is it's the only one)
8. New York - 'Every Single Song Ever Written Is Already About New York' - I've already written this and recorded a quick demo at my usual quality standard, although I'm going to work on getting some cheapish new gear to try and have a slightly better recording quality. This will be the album intro, it's one minute long and basically about how there are so many fucking songs about New York already that we don't need any others.
9. Pennsylvania - Some kind of patriotically themed song, I've got some music ideas for this recorded on my phone. Not like douchey right wing nuttery, but maybe some kind of nationalism
10. Tennessee - Given that this is where Nashville is and I love country, this has to be a country song
11. Washington - some kind of love song themed around rain
12./13. The Dakotas - Patrick has been tasked with writing music to send to me
14./15. The Carolinas - given to my best friend, who isn't on the forum
That's all I have for now. Some of these ideas may already be terrible but if I'm doing 50 songs, some of them are bound to be terrible. The Dakotas will likely be terrible, the Carolinas probably will be as well (although I think I can get something out of Ric Flair being from there if that's on wikipedia) and Christ knows what I'll do for New Mexico (NOT Breaking Bad) or West Virginia.
But hey, I am open to suggestions.
This is one of the dumbest projects I've ever undertaken, but I sure hope some of you guys can contribute some of your own thoughts and be dragged down with me
anyone who contributes I will give a co-write credit to a song if they give me an idea that I actually use, and I plan on putting this up for sale on bandcamp for a low price, the lowest I can stand to put it up for given it's likely to be terribly recorded.
HAVE AT YE!
