San Marcos, TX – Keynote Address

by | Apr 1, 2016 | Events

When Darden does a keynote address, it’s not your average run-of-the-mill event.
Along with insights pulled from his 30+ years in the music business, thoughts on collaboration and change, he actually writes a song with the group, and then records it. The result is that so your group has a copy of the experience that lives far beyond the end of your meeting.

If you’re interested in having Darden bring this to your organization, contact him here.

MODERN FOLK MUSIC

MODERN FOLK MUSIC

by | Mar 31, 2016 | And here's another thing..

Years ago, David Kahne (the record producer and also my A&R guy atColumbia Records) told me that the magic of Bruce Springsteen is that he writes new folk songs. You feel like you’ve heard them for years.
This morning when I sat at the piano for an hour learning “Racing In The Streets” that statement made sense.

I woke up singing the song today, and lately when that happens, I have to learn whatever it is that’s bouncing around my head. Songs like “Autumn Leaves” or “My Funny Valentine.”
I like to explore how the songs are put together, why they work.
With those old songs, the melody and chords go together like a complicated jigsaw puzzle. There’s a lot of moving parts.

“Racing In The Streets,” has this incredibly deceptive simplicity that, when you really look at it, is so complicated and crafted, so beautiful, and haunting in it’s truth. The lyric just sits there on the notes. There is nothing fancy about it.
It’s just real, true.

You don’t have to be behind the wheel of that car to feel it.
And there’s only 6 notes in the song.

Almost twenty five years after David Kahne’s statement I found myself sitting at the piano, playing that same melody for an hour, singing the words over and over, marveling at what a truly great gift Bruce Springsteen is to the planet.

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