A songwriting boy scout

Oh, man, I gotta work on this video thing for the Kickstarter project.

Having any trouble with it?

Just with getting started. The usual, you know.

So then...let's figure this out, farmboy. Let's start with the points you want to make.

Huh?

What do you need to say in this video?

Um...I need to explain who I am and what I'm doing. I need to give people some kind of sample of my music. I have to give them some info about my experience and maybe some kind of mission statement about my music and what makes me different from everybody else out there. I need to give them some kind of overview about the project.

I'd like to come across as likable and friendly and confident about my abilities without being egotistical about it.

Like putting the focus on your music and your songs...

Instead of myself and -- for lack of a better word -- the show-biz aspect of performing and recording and writing. My songs don't have much to do with that fuckin' show-biz world out there. I'd like the emphasis to be on the writing

Maybe some little examples of songs off the new CD, like a verse of a chorus of a couple of songs.

Yeah, and I've thought about maybe recording a couple of videos for YouTube of some songs. I don't know for sure if we'll have time during the video shoot Friday, but we'll see. I can do that with little problem.

So, farmboy, let's figure out some kind of order for this video. Let's make an outline.

Okay. Here's what I'm thinking:

1) Start off the bat with some kind of music, maybe a verse or chorus or maybe just some instrumental guitar. If it's got lyrics, I want it to be representative of who I am and what my writing is like.

2) Introduce myself. Like "Hey, folks, I'm farmboy and I've been trying to fight the good fight by writing songs for a long time..."

I think specifics would be a good idea, farmboy.

That's true. Then I'll tell people that I've been writing this album for the past seven years or so and now it feels like it's the right time to put them out for other people to hear.

3) Explain what the album will be -- a simply produced CD with some backing but with the emphasis placed squarely on the song. Everything will be in service to the songs. Maybe mention some of the people who will be playing on it.

4) Explain how much money you'd like to get and explore the advantages of, basically, investing in my music. This is where I would tell people about the premiums.

5) In closing, remind people of the deadline, tell them how much their support would mean to me, how I intend to promote it...

And to say thank you.

Yeah. That's super important.

And then I would end with some snippet of a song and fadeout. Or something like that.

So this gives you a starting point...

It gives me some kind of organization and something to work with.

When do you shoot the video, farmboy?

Saturday afternoon, 5 p.m.

So you still have time to flesh this out and prepare it.

Yeah. I'd like to do some rehearsing but I really don't want it to be slick or manipulating. I would like it to be sincere and honest. But I'd like to be sure of myself and the only way I've found to do that is to put work behind it. Being prepared. It's like being a songwriting boy scout...

Be prepared!

Exactly, man.

Thanks for your help.

You're the one who did all the work, farmboy.

Maybe. But you did the pushing. And that's what I needed.