carl stuck

How is songwriting like golf?

A couple of weeks ago, my good friend Todd and I went on a golf outing. At one point, after making a super-sweet shot, Todd turns to me and says, “That’s what keeps me coming back.”

THAT is what songwriting does for me.

Recently, after performing a song I wrote for my son, a woman approached the stage with tears on her cheeks, demanding an explanation of what the song meant. (It’s true, I swear.) Her reaction really punched me in the gut because I so often wonder what the hell I’m even doing and if I should just give it up already. It oftentimes feels like I’m just singing into a headwind. 
But just when you need it someone genuinely connects with something you’ve written and it keeps you chasing the end of that songwriting rainbow. 
THAT’s what keeps me coming back. 

See you soon, 

C

It's been a minute since i've updated anything here. That's because i've been busy getting back to work and between that and raising a 2-year-old i haven't really been keeping up with the site as i should. Anyway, i've been gigging like crazy hoping that this new wave of the 'rona doesn't sidetrack us all and lock everything back down. I've also gotten into the studio a couple of times to work on getting a couple new songs started and i also reached the 400 episode mark of the SOTC facebook livestream series. Crazy to think that i have done 400 of 'em already. As slow as 2020 seemed to crawl by 2021 is flying by and it's hard to believe it's already August. 

I'll try to stop in and update a bit more often. For now, here's the vid of SOTC 400

   I've been really remiss about updating this blog and i've got no excuse for it seeing as i haven't been able to gig for the last few months. Anyway... We've been dealing with this 'rona thing for way too long now and as uncomfortable and inconvenient as it's all been i started thinking that it has actually had a few benefits for me and i thought my "look on the bright side" might be worth sharing. 

   When i first realized that everything was shutting down and my only source of income (i.e. playing live music) would be cut off for the forseeable future i decided to try my hand at the live streaming thing. I thought that maybe i could earn a couple of bucks via a virtual tip jar by playing live on my facebook page and not have to burden the wifey with paying all the bills so the Carl "Stuck on the Couch" concert series was born. I was not the only musician to think of this. We were all scrambling to figure out a way to not "lose the farm" so lots of my music pals did the same thing. Most of them just did a stream here and there, some did a regular weekly stream, and a few even did two or three days a week. For whatever reason i decided to go all-in and just play every night.(I'm still not really sure why.)  I will do my 108th straight stream later today. I never would have guessed that I would have done this for more than 10 or 15 days, let alone over 100. It's almost unbelievable. One of the main reasons that i've continued to do it is that all of the folks who show up to watch and listen every night have become like a kind of 2nd family to me. We really have developed a little community that gets together every night "on the couch" to hang out and it's been really moving to be a part of it. Hell, they even started calling themselves the "couch potatoes" and the "spuds".  It has saved me from going crazy and apparently i'm not the only one. I've nearly come to tears when people have related to me how much it has meant to them to have something to look forward to every night when 6:30 rolls around. I have always known that music has the power to bring people together but this unfortunate situation has proven it and i'm grateful for that. 

   I've also joined a new songwriting group, collaborated with a few new co-writers (even one in south africa), and had a chance to write a bunch of new tunes. In doing so i've discovered that some of the songs i would ordinarily have thrown out without ever even bothering to play for anyone have become some of my most requested songs. Whoulda thunk it? As a result i've decided to record stripped down versions of them to release and that's one of the things i'm currently working on.

   Lastly, i've enjoyed having the opportunity to spend a ton of quality time at home with my family. While a 1 year-old can sometimes test one's patience it's amazing to be able to witness his day-to-day growth and be a part of every day with him and his mom. We sometimes all drive each other a little crazy but i wouldn't change a thing.

Anyway...... those are a few of my silver linings. Tell me a few of yours.

Hope to see you "on the couch",

C

yo, yo, yo

hope you are all doing fabulously well. As for me, i've still been a busy little bee lately. I've been hard at work with my hard rock project Splintered Mind as well as trying to schedule time to finish some more of my solo stuff, all whilst trying to do my best at learning how to be a first-time dad! What? Check him out! This is my boy Cole Anthony. As you can see, he's already quite a character and already the biggest part of my life. He came into the world on June 17th and I can't wait to teach him all about the music i love. Hopefully he'll see what i see in it and be moved the way that i am. 

Needless to say, Cole's entrance into the world has taken precedence over just about everything else but i'm still planning on finishing more music, both solo and SM related, before the end of the year. As a matter of fact SM just released another single (our 3rd) this week. You can hear it here if you're so inclined. It's a bit different than our first two releases and it highlights our attitude of making music that has no rules. It still leans toward a hard rock sound but doesn't really sound like anything else out there. I like to say it's like if the Foo Fighters wrote a song with Steely Dan. We're also currently putting the finishing touches on our next release which should be out within a month or two if all goes according to plan. 

Thanks, as always, for your continued support. 

Hope to see you at a show sometime soon.

all the best, 

c

So much to tell. I've been a busy bee since my last update but i'll try to be concise. First things first, my hard rock project SPLINTERED MIND is finally puttting out our first single which is appropriately titled Starting Now. It will be available via most of the usual spots i.e. Spotify, Apple Music, Itunes, Amazon music etc. Click the logo to the right to pre-save on Spotify and be entered to win a FREE T-SHIRT or click here to pre-order on Amazon.  We've also got our own website at SplinteredMindMusic.com where you can get our latest news, stream music, or buy merch. Please make a visit.

In other news, my sweetie and I tied the knot last week! We went to sunny Florida for a beautiful and intimate beach wedding. Unfortunately mother nature had other plans and dropped a few tons of water on us on the day of our nuptials. Though we had to move it inside we defied mother nature and got it done anyway as the photo on the left plainly shows. The rest of our week was beautiful, sunny, and warm and we had a fantastic time. I may or may not have enjoyed a mai tai or 3.

Lastly, and most importantly, I will be releasing my best and most amazing single this coming June. Little baby Stuck will be making his debut appearance and I couldn't be happier or more excited about it! 

So if you need an additional reason to buy or stream my music please let baby Stuck be it so i don't have to put him to work... haha

My newest release is finally here! YES! I'm super stoked to finally have it out there. You can hear it on all the usual streaming outlets, buy it on CDBaby, amazon, and itunes, or watch the video right here. I can't wait to hear what you think! And if it ain't too much trouble please add it on whatever your service of choice is. 

I also got to talk a bit about the tune with my good friend Steven O'Reilly on a bonus episode of his Bar Star podcast. Check it out when you get some time. He talks to a lot of people in the music business that you may not be super familiar with and is quite entertaining. Click the pic to hear that. 

Hope every single one of you has an absolutely wonderful Christmas (or whatever else you may celebrate) and i look forward to playing music for you soon!

In just a little over a week "If Someday Never Comes" will finally be available and i'm so excited to share it. If you have already pre-saved or pre-ordered it then i owe you a huge THANK YOU!  If not, it's not too late. DO IT!

Entries to the "An Elf Named Moe" art contest are already coming in and i'm anxious to see what all of the kiddos come up with this year. Here's one of the early entries. I'm hoping to get lots more but i know it will be difficult to choose just one to be the winner. If you have a son or daughter who likes to draw go to AnElfNamedMoe.com to find out how they can enter to win the $100 grand prize. It's free so what's stopping you?

I was a guest on episode 267 of Simon Tam's Music Business Hacks podcast. If you're interested in the business side of the music business you can listen on any of the usual podcast providers or just hear it via the website here. Simon had a few great ideas for ways to try to promote my Christmas tune and we talk about books, podcasts, equipment and running among other things.

As always, thank you so much for your support! Talk to ya soon.

Does that mean that someday has come after all? (i know, i know, bad joke)

The release of my latest single If Someday Never Comes is only a few weeks away and my pre-save campaign is underway. If you're on Spotify you can pre-save it here and if you prefer to own your music you can pre-order from Amazon here. This is a song about feeling like your heart has finally been broken for good and the fear of what comes after. I'm super stoked to share it and can't wait to hear what you think. Please pre-save or pre-order it if you have a second (just click the pic-->). It really helps give a new release some legs if there's some action on it on the day of release.

The 2nd annual Elf Named Moe Christmas art contest is also in full swing and I am, in the words of Frosty's magician Professor Hinkle, "busy, busy, busy" doing all that that entails. If you know a school aged kiddo who likes to draw and would like $100 cash to spend on toys or anything else please let them know about it. It's also a great way to keep your little elves occupied while you're preparing for your Christmas parties and dinners, wrapping presents and whatnot. You can listen to the song (free) and sign up at AnElfNamedMoe.com.

I recently did an interview for the podcast Music Business Hacks which is hosted by musician, author, and entrepeneur Simon Tam who, as a member of the all-Asian band The Slants, won a landmark trademark case in the Supreme Court. Simon is a well-spoken and gracious host and we talked about An Elf Named Moe, If Someday Never Comes and other music related topics. The podcast should be online very soon. It will be available in all the usual podcast spots or you can listen directly from his website here.

Thanks, as always, for your continued support. I super-appreciate it.

until next time....

So, one thing that keeps me from getting things done is the fact that i'm a perfectionist who is brutally aware of how imperfect i actually am. Because of this i'm constantly trying to fix things that i think i can do better. That, in turn, leads me to never finish anything or to trash whatever i'm working on because it's not good enough and start from scratch. 

Well, i've temporarily conquered my near implacable desire to perfect something i've written and am set to release a single called "If Someday Never Comes".  Anyone who's gone through the heartache of losing someone who they were not prepared to lose will relate to the feeling that drove me to write this one.

My longtime friend and former bandmate Adam Wells was gracious enough to play drums for me on the tune and did some amazing things that were pleasant surprises and which made me remember why i have always loved making music with him. On the B3 organ is key-man extraordinaire Bob Ramsey. i struggled against the temptation to turn his keyboard part all the way up through the whole song because his playing was just so damn good. (seriously he's that good)  Phil Bright recorded the whole thing and was so instrumental in helping to achieve my vision that i am begrudgingly forced to give him credit as a co-producer. ;)

Anyway, keep an ear out for it.  If everything goes according to plan it'll be available on December 14th.  If you follow me on Spotify or whatever your favorite streaming service is it will be a big help to me and i'll be forever grateful. You can also follow my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts to keep up with me on the socials if that's where you hang. 

I'm super stoked! As of this week I'm finally finished with the final mix of the single I've been working on "If Someday Never Comes".  I had my heart set on a November 26 release but like a bonehead I was so focused on the music that I dropped the ball on getting my art together so while the 26th is still a possibility, it may be necessary to push the release back by a week or two while I get my act together. Keep an eye out for a Spotify pre-save campaign that will be launching in the coming days and if you've got the Spotify app please follow me here! Doing so will let you know when the single drops and can help to get it noticed by the Spotify algorithms and possibly get it some additional exposure.   And if I can make enough money at the $.004 per stream rate that Spotify pays maybe I'll buy you a beer! (but probably not. Most beers at the bars i frequent cost 1000 streams or more. ha!). If you don't have the app keep in mind that's it's free to download and you can still follow me. 

In other news, Phil Bright and I finally decided to officially name our project Splintered Mind and I'm mega-excited to start releasing that music as well. We've already got a few songs in the can ready to go and we've got some special guest appearances by some fabulous musician friends so watch for that.  Our first single is called "Starting Now" and is the tune in the video teaser above. It should be ready for release in short order so if you want to hear my more rockin' side that's where you'll find it. 

My little elven Christmas tune "An Elf Named Moe" is getting a little traction on Pandora radio just in time for the holiday season. It's been added to the Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, and Jimmy Buffet holiday radio stations and I've recorded a special message that you may hear if you're a Pandora listener. I'm also ready to start doing some judging on the 2nd annual Elf Named Moe art contest. Check out AnElfNamedMoe.com if you know a school-ager that would like to win the $100 grand prize.

Lastly, if you're around the Louisville, KY area this evening (November 3rd)  I'll be playing with RED, The Veer Union, Veio, The Villebillies, and Hunter Borowick at the Rock Out Cancer/KevFest concert benefiting Shirley's Way, which is a fabulous charity that helps cancer patients pay their bills while they're undergoing treatment. As many of you may know, KevFest started as a benefit to help out my buddy Kevin McCreery when he was struggling with the big C and I think he would be proud to see what it's growing into. 

That's about all my news. Until next time....