When your beard turns white and you chuck your former life and move to a mountain village in the tropics, there is a tendency among some people to think that maybe you are possessed of a certain wisdom. I am here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

Sometimes people come to visit me here and think that I have wisdom to dispense to them: I do not. I have opinions, I have ideas, I have observations - but none of them should ever be taken seriously as some sort of representation of TRUTH. It needs to be said here, for the record, and for all time: I am completely open to the possibility - maybe probability - that I am entirely full of shit.

Such people leave disappointed, I suppose. But sometimes they contribute a track or two to what I am working on - a rhythm track, a harmony, a bass line.... I am grateful. Thank you.

Latest News

Axixic's sophomore CD -BALLAD- has been released!

On Becoming Axixic

I discovered music in 1965 when I was eight years old. Country music dominated in my home and I didn't know there was anything else - just Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline. I was aware of The Beatles, of course, but they never got played at my house.

Then someone (it may have been my grandmother) gave me Beatles '65 - my first LP. That changed everything. 'I Feel Fine' - just 2:19 in length - was unlike anything I had ever heard before. Eventually I grew to love all the songs on the LP (and all the other Beatles' LPs) but 'I Feel Fine' changed me.

There was a kid who lived on the block behind mine who also loved The Beatles. Wayne was ten. Two years older is a lot at that age, but we became good friends. While other kids we knew were playing 'Army', Wayne and I played 'Group'. We pretended we were writing songs by putting our own words to existing ones - Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Animals - Wayne's older brothers (he was the youngest of four boys) had rich collections of 45s and LPs and we devoured them.

Someone gave Wayne a hand-me-down guitar and a book of chords and we struggled to learn to play. Later, I would turn to drums but always kept my hand in on guitar, especially once I got one of my own. I got good; Wayne got phenomenal.

We taught each other how to write songs. And we wrote a LOT of them.

Wayne was born to be a performer; I was not. I got a job, got married, started a family - Wayne gigged. But we kept writing - original songs for Wayne to record and perform. He developed a loyal following and performed until his health no longer allowed it.

Wayne really only wanted to perform pop music. He was the performer; we did what he wanted. If I came up with an idea for a country song and had a great hook or some interesting lyrics we would do it - but never jazz, folk, or bluegrass.

So I got the idea to do my own album. Country, jazz, bluegrass, folk - the stuff Wayne didn't really want to do. I toyed with this idea for years.

I collected song ideas. The album would be about the illusion of separateness (that was the working title for a long time). Songs about splitting up, feeling apart, aloneness. Two divorces provided lots of fodder for the theme.

I moved to Mexico and started working on it. A few songs were already written but I needed more. While writing and recording, the idea evolved further and some positive stuff started to creep in (it happens).

For years I carried around this metaphor to describe two contradictory ideas: living in the moment -or- doing one thing when you really should be doing something else. That metaphor was 'dancing on the moon' and it seemed to describe what I was doing in Mexico. I decided to turn it into a song and, loving irony, decided it should be a pop song to bring the thing full circle.

The album took a year to complete.

Comments

Author
ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago to Axixic

I just finished listening to Away With Words and I was pleasantly surprised. (I had imagined some kind of elevator music based on your description...)I would love to know who the musicians are, and what instruments you play. I thought song #8 would be a good one for you to write lyrics to and sing...but it is a bit on the upbeat and happy side, which doesn't appear to be your MO...and I really enjoyed #10, but they're all good. Thanks for posting it.

5 Replies
 
Axixic
over 30 days ago

I play drums and guitar and use synthesizers on the other instruments on that recording - there are no other musicians. I'm glad you like it.

ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago

wow..

ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago

you mean there aren't any other musicians but you on Away With Words? double wow...

Axixic
over 30 days ago

You can do amazing things with software and good synths. Most of what is on there started as experiments, I didn't set out to do an instrumental album. But I would write a piece (or, in the case of the Pachelbel and Carol Of The Bells, transcribe) as a way of testing various synth sounds and different approaches to mixing. It just evolved from that.

ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago

I am truly amazed...great job...as always.



Author
ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago to Axixic

You've got the sexiest voice...I'm in love with it....

8 Replies
 
Axixic
over 30 days ago

Thank you, that is very kind.

ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago

do you ever perform in person at Lakeside?

Axixic
over 30 days ago

Very rarely as I do not have a band. I do sit in and provide accompaniment to some local acts and sometimes they let me do one or two of my songs but it's very random. I see myself as more of a songwriter than a performer.

ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago

I thought so...well, you are a very good songwriter..your lyrics have much soul, feeling and heart. Keep writing! And your voice brings them to life.

Axixic
over 30 days ago

Again, you are very kind. Are you an artist? If so, I would love to check out your stuff. I mean, seeing as you have such great taste and all.

ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago

Actually in some ways you COULD say I'm an artist...I've volunteered the past 6 years to painting the sets at LLT...as well as painting OVER the crappy graffiti along the malecon in Ajijic...I'm mostly a music lover. I used to sing karaoke (not great but just 'ok'...) at Mama's before Stan left...You probably know Jimmy Barto..a former neighbor of mine at the infamous Hotel Perico...anyway...I made a little list of some of my favorite musicians. I imagine you know most of these: Greg Brown, Ferron, Amos Lee, Josh Ritter, Josh Turner, Steve Forbert...and of course Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen. All great lyricists...like you. :-)

ElizabethR2420360
over 30 days ago

PS...lately my favorite song is my the Avett Brothers..
"No Hard Feelings" I listen to it every night before I go to bed...I just love those lyrics. It's probably the only song they do that I really like though.

Axixic
over 30 days ago

Are you on facebook? I have a page there you can follow and if I am ever performing I will announce it there. https://www.facebook.com/axixicmusi c/



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