tag:www.manoukiansongwriter.com,2005:/blogs/the-sidewalk-cafeThe Sidewalk Cafe2020-05-31T22:39:47-04:00Manoukianfalsetag:www.manoukiansongwriter.com,2005:Post/63375862020-05-31T22:39:47-04:002024-02-04T03:35:55-05:00Good Times, a story of friendship <p>Ever had a long lost best friend that you've reconnected with after many years?? Feels good, right? That's what this song is all about. Several years ago, after moving back to the East coast, I reconnected with a very old friend of mine. We were 12 years old when we first met. and both of us were new-comers to a French language middle school that we attended in Montreal, and I guess the new kids on the block would hang out together. We also both had different cultural backgrounds than some of the other kids, and that let us to identify with each other a little more. During our teens we would end up being best friends, hanging out, going to movies, grabbing a burger at the Downtown Montreal Burger King, etc. We also both had a love for music. Back then I had a love for all the bands that were popular with my generation at that time...The Police, U2, Depeche Mode, DuranDuran, just to name a few. My friend however was a jazz connoisseur at a very early age. He would try to introduce me to all the jazz greats and the more modern, upcoming jazz fusion sound. We even saw the great Miles Davis together live in concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Good times indeed. Then real life started to settle in, I started a family, he continued his educational pursuits, trying to satisfy his many curiosities and philosophical questions in life. I eventually moved to the United States. We kept in touch but it got less frequent and our lives slowly but surely drifted a part. Years went by, each of us caught up in our own lives, we didn't really know how the other was doing. We were on opposite coasts now. I learned after a while that there were some hard times he went through, no fault of his own to say the least, but he kept going, kept fighting for what he believed in. I eventually reached out to him and we spoke on the phone for quite a while catching up. It felt good to hear his familiar voice. Soon after, we set up a reunion and saw each other face to face, at a bistro in the latin quarter of Montreal also known as Le Plateau Mont-Royal. This was the first time we had seen each other in almost 25 years!! He hadn't changed in my eyes, and I'm sure it was the same for him. This time we really caught up, and I learned about many of the things he had been through over the years, which would have been made easier if we had stayed in touch. Ever since the reunion, it's like we never lost touch,,,we just picked up where we left off always talking about music, science, philosophy and life in general.</p>
<p>I wrote this song in the spirit of that day, when we rediscovered our long lost friendship. We continue to support each other through good times and bad, but in the end, Good Times will prevail. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading and take a listen to <a contents="Good TImes by clicking this link!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/2262743/good-times" target="_blank">Good TImes by clicking this link!</a></p>
<p>Peace, Love and Music,</p>
<p>Raffi Manoukian</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/33123/0b78134c1f55aba944788cc9542deb543383b445/original/good-times-1.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Manoukiantag:www.manoukiansongwriter.com,2005:Post/49945152017-12-26T18:30:18-05:002024-02-04T03:39:30-05:00What comes first...music or lyrics?<p>One question I get a lot is, "when you're writing a song, what comes first the music or the words"? Typically, the music comes first for me. I'll be working in the lab (I'm a scientist by day) and around 10am, almost like clockwork, I start getting musical ideas that just pop into my my head! They call this period of musical lucidity as "being in the zone". I'm sure that's how the creative brain works...every artist, writer, etc. has a time of day where their brain is flowing without effort. It also occurs when I go out for long runs...whether it's the endorphins from the running or the rhythm of my running shoes hitting the pavement, I start to get all kinds of ideas for melodies, beats, and bass lines. Unfortunately for me, the lyrics don't come as easily. A lot of times I struggle to find topics to write about. I know, I know...there is so much going on in the world today (and has been for ever) that it is hard to believe that one can't find something to write about. But the problem is that when the music comes first it usually has a mood or feeling of its own and can't be paired with just any lyric and so you spend time thinking about what is the right topic for that melody or that bass line. So you end up spending a lot of time thinking about how the music makes you feel...this is called writing from inspiration and most professional songwriters will say that this is the least effective/productive way to write a song because you're dependent on when inspiration will hit (although it can result in more moving songs). The other problem when you have the music first is that you need to find words and phrases that will naturally fit with the flow and rhythm of the music. It may take a while and a lot of effort, but eventually I'll find the right words to fit the music and the right story to fit the mood.</p>
<p>I've also tried, to make the effort to write the lyrics first and this is equally as difficult, especially when you don't have something to say that is coming deep from within your soul, a story that you are dying to tell or words that show your empathy to common human emotions and situations. But like any story, it always starts with an idea that can make itself evident to us at the most unknown and unexpected times (and that's why songwriters have little notebooks scattered all over the place). And then after a while you'll have a collection of ideas, words, phrases, story lines that you can try to pair up with the musical ideas that you've hopefully been capturing over time (thank goodness for voice recorders on iPhones). This is a method of writing lyrics that I personally need to develop more as a craft.</p>
<p>The best scenario however is what I call the perfect storm which is when words in a phrase will take on a life of their own (at least in my mind) and "come along " with the music! When this happens, it's almost as if the words and music feed off of each other and themselves, to where you are getting all kinds of lyrical ideas fitting perfectly into musical patterns. This can happen quite often, but you just have to teach yourself to recognize and capture that moment and put it into words...and when that moment is something lively, exciting, moving or related to any emotion that is slightly above the level of what you're used to, that's when the magic happens, that's when the words and music appear together perfectly suited for each other. I really think this is a method that can be practiced and sharpened to the point where one can see a situation, describe it to themselves with lyrical overtones and then start crafting a song out of it. It's almost like a snowball effect...one musical/lyrical phrase will lead to another set of ideas and phrases and so on.</p>
<p>One thing I'm learning on this journey is that regardless of how I write, I need to always be writing, even when feeling uninspired. All writers (musical or not) have heard or read this at some point when learning writing techniques. The more you write, the easier it becomes...you create your own inspiration by starting the process (no matter how painful writer's block can be!). Combine that with going out there into the real world and experiencing life with good friends, family or even strangers, and you've got yourself a winning formula.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/33123/bfa71b75358b64a09001e3c54f7cc8c2b5e1a4f5/original/fullsizerender-1.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Manoukiantag:www.manoukiansongwriter.com,2005:Post/49625182017-12-04T22:29:39-05:002024-02-04T03:40:47-05:00Running in the Family<p>Recently my father gave me an old sepia-toned photograph of my grandfather proudly standing alongside his band mates....no, not a rock band, Rock didn't even exist yet! The picture was taken circa 1932 and it was a group portrait of the Joseph Corinthios Mandolinata Orchestra, the hottest ticket in Athens, Greece!! (or at least I'd like to think so, haha). Can you guess which one he is in the photograph below? Here's a hint, out of the 12 members, my grandfather was one of the guitar players among the mandolin players that seemed to make up the majority. Some say we have similar features...he is the handsome dude on the top left corner with the guitar! Growing up as a child, I had seen and heard him play at family get-togethers, but when I saw this photograph, I could only think, wow... that's so cool. The story has it that my grandfather was helping out a buddy of his one night with serenading a girl that his friend was interested in. The friend sung while my grandfather played guitar. There was no response from the girl, instead they heard the reply of a mandolin playing in the shadows around the corner...it was the girl's brother... but instead of chasing them away, he asked my grandfather to play in his band...yup, the brother was Joseph Corinthios!</p>
<p>After seeing the photograph, I started thinking about heredity and how so many traits are passed down from our ancestors, both physical and personality traits. My father is himself a connoisseur of classical music and had aspirations to be a composer. He clearly took after his dad and I think it is safe to say that I got the composing gene from my dad. Three generations of different musical styles but the love of playing an instrument and singing melodies and harmonies remains the constant. I'm proud to say that my daughters are very musical as well and can interpret, feel and play music of all styles. Some people say that music can be taught and is not necessarily hereditary...I agree with that thought as well, after all, a musical lineage has to start somewhere. But I think once it has started, it gets embedded in our DNA, so to speak, and will be passed on for many generations to come.</p>
<p>Regardless of what you believe there is one truth that is hard to argue with: from all the photographs I've seen and the memories I have of my grandfather, the one thing that is immediately evident is the smile on his face when he is playing the guitar and singing.... Music=Happiness.</p>
<p>Thanks for the genes Garbice Manoukian!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/33123/19bc145dbeda83f4054c1aabf976a0630eef23f5/original/file-dec-04-7-58-35-pm.jpeg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p> </p>Manoukiantag:www.manoukiansongwriter.com,2005:Post/49057292017-10-25T18:30:55-04:002024-02-04T03:41:48-05:00Delete, delete, delete<p>There was a time when writing a love letter was an art form! You'd go out and buy the perfect stationary, (which cost way more than it should have), take your time to write as clearly and neatly as possible and then hand deliver it to the post office to make sure that it didn't slip through the cracks and get lost in the postal abyss! And then there was the waiting....would you even get a response? Of course you would, and when that envelope showed up in your mail box, your heart skipped a couple of beats. Then you opened it, smelled the perfumed pages (hopefully!) and took in every single word! So much sensory involvement, when you think about it.</p>
<p>Fast forward to today, the letters are replaced with instantaneous messaging (pick your platform), with the choice to add a picture, video, or emoji that describes how you're feeling.....all this at the touch of a button...SEND! A few seconds later, a reply comes back. It's almost <em>too</em> easy. It's just as easy however, to back out at the last second and hit DELETE. There's something about pen and paper that commits the author of the letter to deliver it and live with the consequences!</p>
<p><a contents="Take a listen to Delete" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/1329315/delete">Take a listen to Delete</a>, one of my new releases, and see how the protagonist deals with instant messaging to get his feelings heard ...or not!</p>
<p>Feel free to comment below this blog and tell me what you think of this topic, the song, the lyrics, the music, etc. Would love to hear from you!</p>
<p>Enjoy.</p>Manoukiantag:www.manoukiansongwriter.com,2005:Post/48925742017-10-15T12:08:55-04:002024-02-04T03:42:42-05:00Embrace the Notion...<p>Global Love...an interesting concept indeed. Everything else is going global these days: technology, economy, arts, culture, etc. What about love though? In my song Global Love, I talk about the concept of there being an intangible source of love that surrounds us, in the air we breathe, in the words we speak, but most of us don't realize this or stop to think about it. I guess that's the metaphorical way of looking at it but in the end, it comes down to choices we make about how we treat others and about facing our fears. When you boil it down to a simple concept, people are typically taught to be afraid and weary of what is different from what their culture is familiar with. To state an overused cliche, we all have blood circulating in our veins, deep down we are the same.We have similar basic needs...we like to laugh, to sing, to dance....</p>
<p>And that's where I'm going with this song. The love is out there for us to grab and make a part of our lives, to share with each other, and it is MUSIC that is the common denominator in any nation that will always bring people together. To quote from the song's lyrics:</p>
<p><em>I've got a plan/ to infect this planet as much as I can/ with the message of global love riding this funky jam/ let it permeate your soul and make you clap your hands/ 'cause the music's the universal thread through every land/ Just like you found this melody/ you can find civility, compassion, even love/ its the only way to rise above all this hate/ before it gets too late/ I'll put my faith in you and you can put your faith in me/ embrace the notion and you'll see.....</em></p>
<p>I wrote this song several years ago and have recently re-mastered it for release with my EP. I would say that my influences of Jamiroquai and Stevie Wonder show up on this track. If this song makes you tap your feet, nod your head or snap your fingers, then I've succeeded...the music and the rhythm is in you, and you've taken the intangible and made it a part of you.</p>
<p><a contents="Got to be a Global Love, that's the plan I'm thinking of!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/1327863/global-love">Got to be a Global Love, that's the plan I'm thinking of!</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Peace.</p>
<p> </p>Manoukiantag:www.manoukiansongwriter.com,2005:Post/48845042017-10-09T21:48:54-04:002024-02-04T03:43:44-05:00The Sidewalk Cafe<p>One of the very first songs I wrote many years ago was a jazzy ballad called <strong><em>The Sidewalk Cafe. </em></strong>When I wrote it, I imagined this fictional place at the end of a long dark street that was lit up with music, laughter, people talking... the sounds of life. People would go there to find old friends and meet new loves. I imagined it to be a magical place that you felt you had to return to, because that's where you felt at peace, you felt at home. Everyone was safe there and it's where all our humble wishes came true. To this day, whenever I listen to it, or better yet, when I play and sing it, it still takes me far away to that place in my imagination....</p>
<p><br><a contents="Try it out for yourself...what do you see?" data-link-label="" data-link-type="track" href="/track/1329592/sidewalk-cafe-acoustic">Try it out for yourself...what do you see?</a></p>Manoukian