Kicking Ass and Taking Names

Were it not for the use of parentheses in the titles of the previous two posts and the concern of overuse, I would have more appropriately titled this "Kicking (My Own) Ass and Taking (On) Names".

As to the first bit, a new song will be up next Tuesday night, Wednesday night at the latest. Why the deadline? Every once in a while, I pop over to Song Fight! to see what's up. Song Fight! is a weekly/bi-weekly songwriting competition, where the you must submit a song with a provided title. I listen to the entries for the week's competition, often take part in the vote, but I have yet to enter. When I saw this week's title, I quickly got an idea in my head, so I'm going to take the plunge and put in an entry which is due on Wednesday morning. I'll have only had a little over a week - the shortest I'll ever have gone from a blank page to finished product - but it's going alright so far.  The instrument tracks have all been worked out and most of the lyrics have been written, and the recording that I've done so far has gone well. We'll see whether it stays that way; I always find the last stretch to the finish line is the worst.

Entering a songwriting competition definitely feels weird to me. I've never viewed music as a competitive act as some musicians do; I've always felt that the only person I try to outdo is myself, and that one should always view others as peers and collaborators. But this project is about trying different things, and so I will. Truthfully, it does look like those who take part are a friendly, supportive bunch, so hopefully any criticism I get out of it will be constructive (though I can take some trash talk if it's dished out).

As to the second half of the post's title, I'm still trying to decide what to enter the competition as. My own name? The Uncomfortable Project? An alias/stage name? I wasn't expecting to encounter this question for a while yet. I'm still very much in the process of figuring out what to do with the music I'm creating. Does it all fit together? Are there distinct voices being encountered that would be better suited to being under separate umbrellas? Will it work with just me, or is it something that I'm going to need to collaborate with other musicians on to reach something of real substance, and should therefore present as if it were a band/group?

I know it may seem like I'm over-thinking this - and perhaps I am at this stage - but the reality is it can make a difference. Once a choice has been made about 'who' you present your work to the world as, it can be difficult to make changes without losing the history you've built up, and conversely it can also be difficult to shake your past if you want to switch gears a bit. That's not to say it can't be done; Colin James, for example, has no problem juggling his rock, blues, and swing ventures. But I'd say that's more the exception than the norm.

I think for now it'll probably end up just being submitted as 'The Uncomfortable Project' until I get a better handle on what I'm doing. In any case, I've got my work cut out for me. Time to get back to it.