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Keep Warm

August 31, 2019 by Mark ODonnell

Creative Process, DIY, Home Recording, Home Studio, Indie, Local, Local Music, Original, Recording, Support Local Music

Keep Warm
By The Ram (Key of A)(Harmonica Key of D)
© 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED – THE RAM / OD SOUL, INC.

★ SONG LYRICS ★
= Verse 1-6
Looking down on the Rocky Mountains
on a jet plane flying over
peering out the window clouds pass me by

Well, I must have been crazy,
to love a wildfire.
A wildfire explodes then its gone.

= Chorus 1
And a change in the weather,
the wind changes direction.
Just a signal that the fires gone cold.

the times we spent in love
are the times that last FOREVER.
Sure gonna miss them when they’re gone.

= Verse 7-12
Wishing you were here with me
drinking my bourbon whiskey,
just one kiss of your lips would light up the sky.

Streets of Philadelphia
Golden Sun of California
freedom sings her song, the greatest gift of all.

= Chorus 2
Well Ive been around this world
this old world a few times
One thing I’ve learned I will explain

the times we spent in love
are the times that last FOREVER.
Sure gonna miss them when they’re gone.

★ RELATED TUTORIALS ★

Here is a link to the song page on my site…

Keep Warm (A)

Here is a link to the iRealPro backing tracks I just made…
http://bit.ly/TheRamiRealPro

★ FOLLOW ME HERE ★

Instagram – http://bit.ly/theRamInstagram
YouTube – http://bit.ly/theRamYouTube
Twitter – http://bit.ly/theRamTwitter
TeeSpring Merchandise – http://bit.ly/theRamTeeShirts

★ LISTEN TO MY MUSIC ★

New Music 2019 on My Site – http://bit.ly/theRamNewMusic
Tutorials Chords & Lyrics on My Site – http://bit.ly/theRamTutorials
Band Camp Site http://bit.ly/theRamBandCamp
Sond Cloud Site – https://soundcloud.com/therammusic

★ ABOUT & SPECIAL THANKS ★

The Ram is a traveling singer-songwriter based out of North County San Diego, California. Part of traveling means we play with musicians from all walks of life and exposure to all sorts of different genres, styles, and instrumentation. It’s the pure freedom a songwriter needs to pivot, working with a collective of musical talent as opposed to managing a working band in a specific genre or class of music.

New Music coming out in 2019, the song was originally written and recorded over Christmas 2018 break while visiting the family farm in Pennsylvania, a stone’s throw from Philadelphia. All footage shot on iPhone 8 Camera at the Ram’s house or studio. The mountain shots and self-portraits from an airplane were shot from a NetJet X flight from Mammoth Mountain, California to Orange County Flying over the Sierra Nevada mountains after a spring break snowboarding trip. The snowboarding footage was shot by the one and only Spencer B in Breckenridge Colorado Jan 2019. All music is original, composed by the Ram and registered with ASCAP.

Mixing & Friends is Good Business

August 31, 2019 by Mark ODonnell

Creative Process

Creative Process, DIY, Home Recording, Home Studio, Indie, Local, Local Music, Original, Recording, Support Local Music

Contrary to the street wisdom I’ve heard advising us to never mix friends with business, life experience has shown me that it’s quite the opposite. It all depends on what type of friends you choose to work with, or if you’re even able to distinguish friends from acquaintances. I’m going to assume that all of those sayings about working with friends, love interests, or family come from the negative underbelly of the lives we lead. Let’s take a look at it from the “glass half full” vantage point, it’s the Friday before Labor Day, so I’m keeping it light-hearted.

Meaningful friendship is tied to personal growth, challenge, trust, and being able to learn from failure. Surrounding oneself with good people who make us feel good about ourselves to a point which never goes close to “blowing smoke up the ass” is a motivator. Having the ability to call me on my own bullshit by a trusted friend and advisor is valuable to me as a human. Friends that both trust us to fail as part of learning while instilling in us a drive to go beyond our limited perception of ourselves are pure gold.

I’m only as good as the person next to me. This is a fact and understanding as such is one of the keys to a good life. It’s applicable at work, at home, and with the family. In music, art and any form of self-expression it is MISSION CRITICAL. Perhaps it’s different for others, but my abilities are tied to my mental and spiritual state when performing. Listening takes compassion and empathy and a willingness to put yourself out there with no safety net. That’s not a thing you do with people that would use what they learn in that type of situation against you.

Performing is also similar to what I’d imagine a seance would be like, a journey into the spirit world to attain knowledge or across another plane of existence. Abso-fucking-lutely if you are doing it right. Any psychic negativity results in pulling everyone out of the creative zone, the vibe, or the groove. People have always been my connection to that source being referenced. The more I feel it, the more I get to stage infallibility, my confidence in the music grows to a fever pitch where all else disappears. Who else better to share this journey with than friends and loved ones?

At the end of the day, I believe the cliche I quoted earlier is taken from people who’ve gotten burned. I get it. I was kicked out of my own band, the band I founded when I was in my twenties and it broke my heart. If given the chance I would do it all over again because the experience was worth it. When you have to be fearless, its best to do it with people that have your back, with people that help you become more than yourself.

Music Section Added

February 25, 2019 by Mark ODonnell

Creative Process

Creative Process, DIY, Home Recording, Home Studio, Indie, Local, Local Music, Original, Recording, Support Local Music

We recently added a section to browse original songs. A step beyond just chord and lyrics, each entry will be a compilation of early recorded demos & video sketches to help better illustrate the creative process.

The overview page URL is …
https://www.theram.io/?page_id=6056

and a great example to start with is the song “Motor Kine” which imagines the singer as a motorcycle raging to surf breaks down through the Baja Peninsula of Mexico. Three recorded demos are available in the media player. The chords and lyrics are available as well. At the bottom of the page are 3 videos from the YouTube channel which follow the songwriting process in a friends garage, all the way to the first public performance of the song. In the earliest video, you can see me reading from a notebook the lyrics that were scratched down hours before hashing out word emphasis, diction, and rhythm. The following recording flows with more confidence as the rhythm section locks in and finds the groove, then when we open for a friends band in Encinitas, CA we blow out all stops.

Here is the URL for the song Motor Kine by the Ram…
https://www.theram.io/?album=motor-kine

If you want to have a backing track to the song, you are in luck. Use the mobile or Desktop app iRealPro and download the charts here for your use…
https://www.irealb.com/forums/showthread.php?21974-The-Ram-(Band)-songs

As with the rest of the site, updates are taking place regularly. As each original song profile is completed, it will be added to the learn page for future reference. Enjoy.