In 2010, I wrote, recorded, and posted a new song every single day for three hundred and sixty-five days in a row. I had a lot of reasons for taking on this monumental project, as, I expect, do most people who take on crazy projects. But the most basic reason was this: I felt out of touch with what it means to be a musician. 2009 had seen my longtime band, The States, record a great record, tour from Chicago to Texas to North Carolina to New Hampshire and back, and then fall apart. It was heartbreaking. By the end of the year, I was exhausted, devastated, and angry. I needed something positive to pour myself into: thus was born the threesixfive project.
2010 was a year of ritual. Writing a song every day felt like both a curse and a blessing. A blessing because I love making music. A curse because this year of devotion to music required a lot of practical sacrifices: sleep and spending time with family and friends being the two biggest. But it was absolutely worth it. It’s funny — I didn’t really feel an overwhelming sense of accomplishment the way I expected I would. It wasn’t like finishing a race, or getting to the end of War and Peace, or anything like that at all. It was a lot more like looking at a picture of yourself from 5 or 10 years ago and all of a sudden realizing how much you’ve grown. I got to experiment with a lot of songs over the course of the year, and I’ve come a lot closer to figuring out who I am as a songwriter and as a musician. In that sense, the threesixfive project was all about self-discovery.
Now, in February of 2011, I have some space from the project and a long list of new things to look forward to. I’ve already released 3 EPs drawn from the project (a fourth is on the way). I’m playing my first real show as Ace Reporter. I’m preparing to record a full-length album. A video is on the way. It feels good to be back in the saddle, out of my cocoon, living in the real world again. Hopefully I’ll see you around.
Yours,
Ace Reporter
February 9, 2011
Hobbes: “Do you have an idea for your story yet?
Calvin: “No, I’m waiting for inspiration. You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.”
Hobbes: “What mood is that?”
Calvin: “Last-minute panic.”
The 365 songs project is my answer to a year (2009) during which I spent almost all of my time “being a musician” — touring, promoting a record, twittering (!) — but very little time actually writing music. By the end of the year, I was so frustrated with the situation that I decided to do something Extreme. This project is a re-commitment to music on a scale that is frankly unreasonable and unrealistic. Last-minute panic will be a daily occurrence. Which means that it must be the right thing to do.
It’s a mildly insane project, especially for someone working a full-time job. I don’t expect every “song” to be done, or polished, or even good (though I’m going to try). I have no idea what they will sound like, what genre they’ll be, or what progression they will take. All I can say is that most of them will be pretty damn short. In any case, the rules are pretty simple: write, record, and post one song per day, every day, for the entirety of 2010. Hope you enjoy.
Yours,
Ace Reporter
December 31, 2009
