Last fall after I had played at the Carrboro Farmers Market a few times I was contacted by a lady that hosts a local radio show in Carrboro called The Wacqueline Stern Show on WCOM 103.5 FM. She'd heard me play at one of the markets. Her show happens every Friday evening and brings in local musicians to share their music on the air and do a short interview. We booked a date for me to come on the air and I polished up some original material to share. January 13th was my date and it was a lot of fun. It was my first time doing a show, but it went off without a hitch. We talked a little bit about me and my music and I shared a few songs as well. The whole session with me was recorded (with video) and you all can check it out below. Enjoy!
Bel isi,
-kyle
Kyle Scobie - 1-13-12 from Jackie Helvey on Vimeo.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tire Swing (original) - SOTM #1
Greetings friends!
I figured since the month in winding down I'd better get on here and deliver my debut submission for my 2012 resolution. For the newer folks and others unfamiliar, last year I resolved to learn a new song every week and present my cover via YouTube. 52 songs/weeks later, I knew I wanted to continue the fun in the new year, but I also wanted to do more original material. So I decided to scale things back and shoot for one original tune every month, although I've recently come across this guy who's been writing song EVERY DAY for almost 3 years! He probably just needs to get a life.
Anyway, I'm here to present my first original song of 2012. Starting things out I decided to keep it simple. The fingerstyle tune is something I've had bouncing around my head and fingers for the last couple of months or so, and the lyrics were added recently. It's called "Tire Swing" and it is just a simple little song about enjoying a tire swing. It takes somewhat of a child's perspective in some of the lines and imagery. Lyrics are posted in the video description for your read-along pleasure. Enjoy!
Bel isi,
-kyle
PS - As promised, I do plan to continue doing covers, also once a month, so look for that within the next week.
I figured since the month in winding down I'd better get on here and deliver my debut submission for my 2012 resolution. For the newer folks and others unfamiliar, last year I resolved to learn a new song every week and present my cover via YouTube. 52 songs/weeks later, I knew I wanted to continue the fun in the new year, but I also wanted to do more original material. So I decided to scale things back and shoot for one original tune every month, although I've recently come across this guy who's been writing song EVERY DAY for almost 3 years! He probably just needs to get a life.
Anyway, I'm here to present my first original song of 2012. Starting things out I decided to keep it simple. The fingerstyle tune is something I've had bouncing around my head and fingers for the last couple of months or so, and the lyrics were added recently. It's called "Tire Swing" and it is just a simple little song about enjoying a tire swing. It takes somewhat of a child's perspective in some of the lines and imagery. Lyrics are posted in the video description for your read-along pleasure. Enjoy!
Bel isi,
-kyle
PS - As promised, I do plan to continue doing covers, also once a month, so look for that within the next week.
Friday, January 6, 2012
New Year, New Songs
A whole week has gone by since the grand finale of my Song-of-the-Week series. Miss me yet?
While it seems a little strange to not be sharing a new song with you all this week, I must admit that I'm quite relieved. I've spent the last week not really playing any of those cover songs from 2011, but just noodling and doodling my own tunes on my trusty Taylor guitar, getting into a new, more creative mindset. I think I'm ready to start hitting my originals head-on now. So hopefully I'll have something to share here within a couple of weeks. Might try to squeeze out a cover, too, if time allows.
In the meantime, check out this neat little YouTube playlist I've been compiling over the last year. It contains, in order, all 52 of my SOTW entries. Mr. Frog and I enjoyed sharing them, so I hope you all enjoyed them, too, and still do. Do you have a favorite?
Thanks for watching!
Bel isi,
-kyle
SOTW Playlist
While it seems a little strange to not be sharing a new song with you all this week, I must admit that I'm quite relieved. I've spent the last week not really playing any of those cover songs from 2011, but just noodling and doodling my own tunes on my trusty Taylor guitar, getting into a new, more creative mindset. I think I'm ready to start hitting my originals head-on now. So hopefully I'll have something to share here within a couple of weeks. Might try to squeeze out a cover, too, if time allows.
In the meantime, check out this neat little YouTube playlist I've been compiling over the last year. It contains, in order, all 52 of my SOTW entries. Mr. Frog and I enjoyed sharing them, so I hope you all enjoyed them, too, and still do. Do you have a favorite?
Thanks for watching!
Bel isi,
-kyle
SOTW Playlist
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Have I Told You Lately - SOTW #52
The fat lady has sung.
Wow, what a journey! Here we are in the final week of 2011. Hard to believe it was about a year ago when I was setting out to start this whole thing; it doesn't seem that long ago. But it's been a fun ride of musical exploration and sharing. When I started this Song-of-the-Week thing I wasn't sure what would come of it; I just sort of let it evolve and let the songs do the work. Now, I've got 52 "new" songs added to my repertoire, and I have to say they've been a blessing as I've played out more, busking farmers markets and doing a few diner gigs. My catalog of options is big and varied, and I think my playing has improved a bit as well from just the fact that I've had a regular routine. Now, onto SOTW #52.
Over the past month I've been thinking about the final song I would do for my SOTW series. I wasn't sure what song I wanted to cover, and really didn't decide until I was posting up the video from last week. I thought about doing something really ambitious, but time and energy sort of nixed that. Plus, I didn't want to choose a song just for the "wow" factor. I wanted to do a song that I like and that would fit my style, that I could add to any set list and make people smile and sing along (my favorite response). So I went for simple, smooth, and soulful. Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately".
Now, to be perfectly honest, I had never heard the original until this past week. I think Rod Stewart's version was the one that first grabbed me. I like his raspy, rock vocals. I also have a nice folk-bluegrass version performed by Darcy Cotten (owner of Cotten Music in Nashville). So hers and Stewart's covers were the big influence for this one, with Morrison's original sprinkled in for throwback flavor. Of course, all the usual players are involved here: my Taylor 716ce-LTD, the Sanyo Xacti camera, and Mr. Frog. He's had a lot of fun sitting in with me this year.
Ok, two more things:
1) THANK YOU!
I'm so very grateful to have such a wonderful community with which to share all of this stuff. You all have been a wonderful audience in giving me the best compliments and suggestions I could ask for. Thanks a bundle for coming out and supporting me and cheering me on and offering your insights. It's very much appreciated. I can't help but think this entire thing would have fizzled without all of you coming around to check out the progress. A few of you have been along since the very beginning, or at least the first month or so, while some may be checking out this very post as a newcomer to my crazy SOTW world. But I'm happy to have all of you. I feel strongly that this was not a solo journey taken by myself, but one of a great community, all of us together, whoever happened to stop in and tag along, if only for a week or two. And I hesitate to name names with something like this for fear of leaving someone out, but I do want to give a shout to a few people who have been especially helpful or present along a good chunk of the journey: Tom, Eric, Jeremy, Michael, Bud, Mark, Rob, Roy, Steve, Gale... I know I forgot some others.... Anyway, I'm blessed beyond words. Thanks a million. Thanks for watching!
2) NEXT YEAR!
Some of you may be wondering what I'm going to do next year. After all, it's hard to just back down off of this kind of momentum when so much musical progress has been made (to me) and there is so much left to be explored. I definitely want to continue doing something, and I know I've hinted at some ideas. The last half of the year I've really felt like I should be writing more of my own music. The covers are great and fun, but I've got so much of my own music floating around in my head and fingers that needs to be developed. So I'm thinking, for now, that I want to really push myself to do some originals. I'm going to try and go for one every month. In light of the weekly thing this past year, it doesn't seem like a lot. But I'm more nervous about this than the weekly covers. I won't set any rules for these originals other than the monthly goal. Lyrics or instrumentals, short or long, that doesn't matter. I just want to write songs/tunes.
I also want to keep doing covers, if only to continue adding to my repertoire. There's a lot of good music out there that I want to explore, so I'll be trying to sprinkle in the covers here and there as well. At first I was thinking of doing a cover every month, but I don't want them to get in the way of the originals. So I'll just do them as I work them in. Feel free to send me suggestions! Choosing the next song or two was absolutely the toughest part of the SOTW series. I'll gladly accept your help on that. I'm open to just about anything, so if you think it would be a good fit, send it along.
Ok, enough of me. Now go listen to #52. Cheers!
Bel isi,
-kyle
Wow, what a journey! Here we are in the final week of 2011. Hard to believe it was about a year ago when I was setting out to start this whole thing; it doesn't seem that long ago. But it's been a fun ride of musical exploration and sharing. When I started this Song-of-the-Week thing I wasn't sure what would come of it; I just sort of let it evolve and let the songs do the work. Now, I've got 52 "new" songs added to my repertoire, and I have to say they've been a blessing as I've played out more, busking farmers markets and doing a few diner gigs. My catalog of options is big and varied, and I think my playing has improved a bit as well from just the fact that I've had a regular routine. Now, onto SOTW #52.
Over the past month I've been thinking about the final song I would do for my SOTW series. I wasn't sure what song I wanted to cover, and really didn't decide until I was posting up the video from last week. I thought about doing something really ambitious, but time and energy sort of nixed that. Plus, I didn't want to choose a song just for the "wow" factor. I wanted to do a song that I like and that would fit my style, that I could add to any set list and make people smile and sing along (my favorite response). So I went for simple, smooth, and soulful. Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately".
Now, to be perfectly honest, I had never heard the original until this past week. I think Rod Stewart's version was the one that first grabbed me. I like his raspy, rock vocals. I also have a nice folk-bluegrass version performed by Darcy Cotten (owner of Cotten Music in Nashville). So hers and Stewart's covers were the big influence for this one, with Morrison's original sprinkled in for throwback flavor. Of course, all the usual players are involved here: my Taylor 716ce-LTD, the Sanyo Xacti camera, and Mr. Frog. He's had a lot of fun sitting in with me this year.
Ok, two more things:
1) THANK YOU!
I'm so very grateful to have such a wonderful community with which to share all of this stuff. You all have been a wonderful audience in giving me the best compliments and suggestions I could ask for. Thanks a bundle for coming out and supporting me and cheering me on and offering your insights. It's very much appreciated. I can't help but think this entire thing would have fizzled without all of you coming around to check out the progress. A few of you have been along since the very beginning, or at least the first month or so, while some may be checking out this very post as a newcomer to my crazy SOTW world. But I'm happy to have all of you. I feel strongly that this was not a solo journey taken by myself, but one of a great community, all of us together, whoever happened to stop in and tag along, if only for a week or two. And I hesitate to name names with something like this for fear of leaving someone out, but I do want to give a shout to a few people who have been especially helpful or present along a good chunk of the journey: Tom, Eric, Jeremy, Michael, Bud, Mark, Rob, Roy, Steve, Gale... I know I forgot some others.... Anyway, I'm blessed beyond words. Thanks a million. Thanks for watching!
2) NEXT YEAR!
Some of you may be wondering what I'm going to do next year. After all, it's hard to just back down off of this kind of momentum when so much musical progress has been made (to me) and there is so much left to be explored. I definitely want to continue doing something, and I know I've hinted at some ideas. The last half of the year I've really felt like I should be writing more of my own music. The covers are great and fun, but I've got so much of my own music floating around in my head and fingers that needs to be developed. So I'm thinking, for now, that I want to really push myself to do some originals. I'm going to try and go for one every month. In light of the weekly thing this past year, it doesn't seem like a lot. But I'm more nervous about this than the weekly covers. I won't set any rules for these originals other than the monthly goal. Lyrics or instrumentals, short or long, that doesn't matter. I just want to write songs/tunes.
I also want to keep doing covers, if only to continue adding to my repertoire. There's a lot of good music out there that I want to explore, so I'll be trying to sprinkle in the covers here and there as well. At first I was thinking of doing a cover every month, but I don't want them to get in the way of the originals. So I'll just do them as I work them in. Feel free to send me suggestions! Choosing the next song or two was absolutely the toughest part of the SOTW series. I'll gladly accept your help on that. I'm open to just about anything, so if you think it would be a good fit, send it along.
Ok, enough of me. Now go listen to #52. Cheers!
Bel isi,
-kyle
Sunday, December 25, 2011
I'll Be Home for Christmas - SOTW #51
The Penultimate Song-of-the-Week is here! #51, can you believe it?
Rounding out a quad of Christmas-y songs is my version of a classic seasonal favorite, "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Bing Crosby recorded this in 1943, and it's been a chart topper ever since, especially when the US has had troops overseas. Other well know artists have recorded there own versions, but Bing's set the standard on this one, IMO. It's always been one of my favorite secular Christmas songs, as the lyrics and melody are "just right".
The reason I chose this song to cover as the SOTW before Christmas, apart from now having played it on guitar before, is because of one simple lyric in the song. The very last line of the song says "If only in my dreams" in referencing being home for Christmas. This year, for the first time, I won't be going "home" for Christmas. Work schedules and being further away from our Michigan home will prevent my wife and me from being with our families this year. It'll be strange to not join my parents for Christmas Eve services at church, or have my mom's traditional seafood feast that evening, or join my in-laws for gifts and gluttony on Christmas day. It'll be hard indeed. I would trade all the gifts just to spend time with family. Yet my wife and I are pursuing our dream and doing what we have to do. Skype and cell phones will shorten the distance, and we'll find other times to make it back home for fellowship other times in the year. Needless to say, the song has deeper meaning for me.
All the usual stuff on this one. Taylor 716ce 2009 spring limited, Sanyo Xacti camera, Mr. Frog, and me. Enjoy!
Bel isi,
-kyle
Rounding out a quad of Christmas-y songs is my version of a classic seasonal favorite, "I'll Be Home for Christmas". Bing Crosby recorded this in 1943, and it's been a chart topper ever since, especially when the US has had troops overseas. Other well know artists have recorded there own versions, but Bing's set the standard on this one, IMO. It's always been one of my favorite secular Christmas songs, as the lyrics and melody are "just right".
The reason I chose this song to cover as the SOTW before Christmas, apart from now having played it on guitar before, is because of one simple lyric in the song. The very last line of the song says "If only in my dreams" in referencing being home for Christmas. This year, for the first time, I won't be going "home" for Christmas. Work schedules and being further away from our Michigan home will prevent my wife and me from being with our families this year. It'll be strange to not join my parents for Christmas Eve services at church, or have my mom's traditional seafood feast that evening, or join my in-laws for gifts and gluttony on Christmas day. It'll be hard indeed. I would trade all the gifts just to spend time with family. Yet my wife and I are pursuing our dream and doing what we have to do. Skype and cell phones will shorten the distance, and we'll find other times to make it back home for fellowship other times in the year. Needless to say, the song has deeper meaning for me.
All the usual stuff on this one. Taylor 716ce 2009 spring limited, Sanyo Xacti camera, Mr. Frog, and me. Enjoy!
Bel isi,
-kyle
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Infant Holy, Infant Lowly - SOTW #50
Week #50? I think I might just make it!
This week I went with another traditional song. This time landing in the land of pierogis and Pope John Paul II. "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" is an old polish carol with a simple tune and neat lyrics. I gave it a contemporary groove and had a lot of fun with it.
I'm back up to standard pitch with my tuning, and fresh strings as well. So the guitar is really driving on this one. It's still all the usual stuff; Taylor 716ce-LTD and the Sanyo camera. Hang out with Mr. Frog and enjoy!
Bel isi,
-kyle
This week I went with another traditional song. This time landing in the land of pierogis and Pope John Paul II. "Infant Holy, Infant Lowly" is an old polish carol with a simple tune and neat lyrics. I gave it a contemporary groove and had a lot of fun with it.
I'm back up to standard pitch with my tuning, and fresh strings as well. So the guitar is really driving on this one. It's still all the usual stuff; Taylor 716ce-LTD and the Sanyo camera. Hang out with Mr. Frog and enjoy!
Bel isi,
-kyle
Monday, December 12, 2011
The Wexford Carol (flute-guitar duet) - SOTW #49.5
Flutes and guitars are not really considered a classic pairing in the music world. However, on the right tune, they can certainly compliment each other. Late last week as a part of my Song-of-the-Week series I covered an traditional Irish carol called "The Wexford Carol". It's a neat tune with a unique melody. I figured it would be a really nice song for the flute to double up on the melody with my guitar playing. I found the sheet music so my wife, Dana, could learn it and play along with me. I think it turned out quite nicely, if I so say so myself. Always fun to share a hobby with your wife. :)
Bel isi,
-kyle
Bel isi,
-kyle
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