Halfway There

Episode #158: Halfway There   (Song starts at 4:06) The song 'Halfway There' was written in a place called Kuratau, New Zealand. It’s a beautiful peaceful place, situated by Lake Taupo. A river runs silently below the bluff which is covered in the dark green of New Zealand bush and it flows into the majestic Lake Taupo. The tuis and bellbirds calls float on the semi alpine air. We (we being myself and Paul Dredge, my great friend and co-composer)  had decided we needed to hit the road, get outta town and have a break - for as long as it took.… We’d been playing 5 nights at a great gig for a few years, in a piano bar, playing as a duo. We’d loved it, but we just felt like it was time for a change. The emphatic peace of Taupo called to us. It had a profound effect on us. Soothed the nerves, and we settled into some song writing - and some tennis, fishing, darts, etc ,which I talk about on this episode. The riff to 'Halfway There' (song #249), came to me as I quietly played my electric piano one evening. We had the big floor to ceiling glass doors rolled back, so the sound of the summer evening floated in. Our surroundings really do have an effect on what we get up to. The riff just sounds like the country, somehow. Then I opened my mouth and sang. What were the words about? Well, there was another person whom we both thought would fit in with our music very nicely - a 3rd voice, as it were. The lyrics are really just floating images and thoughts about this Idea, how it might be if it happened. So I ended up with another song. Eventually, Paul and I found another residency which I also I talk about this on this episode. It did involve a gorilla suit and a lion suit, one evening! The things you find yourself getting up to when you perform a living. Our van Hercules was so reliable, all the miles we covered, the hours spent driving along with the windows open, the signs and the smells of the New Zealand countryside - all very soothing. This is the mood that came through really strongly in 'Halfway There'. I really enjoyed singing and playing this for the episode. It was also fun. Looking at the lyrics afterwards, seeing how the words came to be & what each line pertains to. Composing music, it’s like you’re walking 2 paths (or more) at the same time, letting your mind be free, creatively speaking - at the same time, you keep your mind on the theory, what notes might be a logical choice to sing next, what chord or bass note, the tempo, etc. It all happens so naturally for me and it happens very quickly, for which I’m extremely grateful. It’s a real pleasure to be sharing the songs and having a chat each week on this podcast. I hope you enjoy what’s turned out to be another very relaxed episode. Here we go, join me in the country in New Zealand, in 1993. Let’s see what happened…