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monestevole songwriters workshop week 2006
Day 1, Darren Poyzer at the helm, and a good ship of sorts sails into port blog once more, to gather a few berries, cocktails, stories and insights. How are you? Today, as I write, I’m fine. A little overwhelmed by beauty as it happens. To be grammatically correct this is probably Day Two. The first day of travel however, was a long tiring one that didn’t go exactly to plan, but was nonetheless not too stressful anyway. Let’s call that prep day. To set the scene, 10 people from 3 continents who write songs have flown in to gather here in a mountainside villa called Monestevole in Italy, for a week of song writing exchange and workshops. I am one of them. It’s morning, about 8.45am local time, we are one hour ahead of UK time. A couple of the US contingent arrived late last night, I believe we have one more today. I’m typing whilst sat outside our villa, a re-vitalised and splendid building that maintains the traditions of oak beams and open plan stone construction. I am in the garden overlooking a quite breathtaking valley and mountain range view. There is mist across a valley below, and there’s peace unlike you’ve never known. It’s kinda like the Scottish Highlands, but with weather. Thing is, this scene is slightly soiled, but yet it remains stunning. There’s a lorry that has arrived to deliver windows for the currently being built recording studio building, and the sky is overcast. And yet when the lorry engine stops, it hits you again – the silence, the calm, the wonderment of this setting. I have found the coffee machine and quickly learned that espresso is the unit value of coffee. So, concocting a milky coffee to get me rocking, I find myself with a double espresso shot with milk – it’s a beastie of potency. Last night at supper, having not eaten all day, I had 3 portions of the best pasta ever, only to find, quite bloated, that this was the starter. Meat and potatoes followed. It’s going to be a week of outstanding food and wine, I guess. I appear to have packed only my tightest t-shirts, hoping for a slim down week of weight loss. I fear a little discomfort of shape, balanced by satisfaction of food lust. Maybe I can re-discover an exercise routine to ease the concern! Doubt it somehow … the food already is just too good to promote anything but tasty adventures followed by creative rest and relaxation. |
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Welcome to Monestevole. This is the scene at the bottom of the garden area, behind the outdoor pizza ovens. Taken early morning, this view greets me as I sit and write / rehearse from about 7.30am until 10am, and the nearest town is down there somewhere, about 20 minutes drive down a long and winding road. The sun is hot even at this time, and as we were so high up, a hat is required! As we turn to mid-day, the mist you see disappears, leaving either a clear blue day or, if nature dictates, rain and overcast grey. Even then, the setting is still stunningly beautiful. |
And so to breakfast. I’ll keep the deepest thoughts of the morning in my head for now, for they have sought to feel and understand how we lived before mechanisation. I guess in centuries gone by people would fear illness, hunger and the hunger of others who sought to take or conquer. I guess mechanisation was therefore inevitable, alongside the search for God. Settlement or outpost? I find myself closer to mankind the further my outpost. God for me remains distant. Will I find God here? I don’t think so, however in this kind of setting you know anything can happen. And they do say strange ways and all that. One of the 30 or so cats that frequent the villa grounds has just landed on the keyboard. I fear early blog deletion. I think it’s time to move on and live once more amongst people … ciao, dp x |
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Yesterdays opening song writing day was very interesting. After breakfast we split off into song writing teams of 3. To simply write songs. No formal introductions, no sit down and tell us your life story and issues. And whilst I’ve come to expect that at such gatherings, I have a feeling that by the end of the week, I’ll be glad of this informal development. I know one of the questions I will be asked on return is “what was the standard like?” – please pardon my fellow song writing ‘crisis of confidence’ friends for that one! Well the answer is very high, although what you see here is a reflection of the music scene everywhere – in terms of career path, there are probably two who earn a living from music, three if you include myself (although that’s not strictly true in the writing sense). Only Chris and a New Yorker called Adam Levy have a current publishing deal in place. For me yesterday was a little tiring. Alongside a Canadian song writer called Lizanne Evely (now resident in London) and a Glasgow chap called Geoff Martyn, I spent the entire day outside of meal times co-writing what eventually became, a quite impressive song called 'Rules Of The Game'. It was a learning curve, for believe it or not I have never co-written songs before. At first therefore, I jumped from sitting back to wanting to get my own way with an alarming erratic sense of self-consciousness. No worries in the end though – Geoff and Lizanne are both quite outstanding vocalists and musicians, and my input was good enough for me to hold my head up and know that I made a valid contribution. |
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 Chris Difford and one of the resident dogs! |
The chap who invited us all here is Chris Difford, one half of the Difford / Tilbrook songwriting partnership that propelled the band Squeeze to the higher echelons of the singles and album charts during the late 70’s, 80’s and I guess, peeping into the early 90’s. Chris appears to be a quite focussed under-stated guy. Very pleasant … not someone you’d go for a rowdy beer and football match with, but someone you can casually hold a good deal of easy-going respect for. He has a reputation for being one of the very best lyric writers of his generation, and quite rightly so. It would be easy for someone to come here and expect Chris to lead on a more personal level than he does, and the key to working this kind of scene is not to expect, but to take part. Maybe it’s the new found teacher in me, but I yearned for some in-depth discussion at first, and some personal ‘one to one’. The teacher in me did I say? More like the child!! I think I still suffer a little crisis of confidence at times, and I am certainly wary of a ‘make or break’ feeling in my song writing lifetime, that has focussed me on this one week away. |
Still, it’s a beautiful setting, and anyone who knows the Highlands will testify you do not need sunshine to appreciate their splendour. To some, this scene in itself with the low flying wisps of cloud surrounding, has a wonderment and tranquillity all of it’s own. So, language issues … very few actually, though being able to say “Bon Journo” is important, as is “Grazzi”. And just so you read this as it is spoken, the villa is pronounced ‘Mon-es-tay-vo-lay’. Our hosts are cooking the most splendid food. It’s like heaven at every sitting. Last night I thumbed through my t-shirts, and only one seems flexible enough to compensate for a little weight gain. Is this going to be an issue? Well if I keep getting served up with mountains of quite sensational pasta, meat and potatoes, then yes, but in a happy way! So much for my push towards vegetarianism – it wouldn’t happen here. |
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 Lizanne Evely jotting a few 'working' lyrics |
Lizanne Evely is a Canadian songwriter, these days resident in London. Her piano playing and vocal style reminded me of Barbara Dickson, though I have to confess that my observations on such matters are often wayward. She's more BD than Kate Bush anyway, I can assure you of that! There was a nice moment after my return home, one night coming home from a gig and trying to impress upon my songwriter mate Kevin Farrell just how good the Monestevole week was. At the time I was playing the cd of songs that we wrote and recorded during the week. As Lizanne's piano and vocal provided the intro into a song, Kevin remarked "now I know how good it was!". I would so love to be able to play piano like that ... |
And so to breakfast. It stuck me this morning that it’s Tuesday already, and when I return home it will be October, Summer will be over, and the shadow of Autumn, Winter, and maybe for me another bout of quite heavy depression. I grow to live with it, and I am learning to serve the better days with a quest for magic, and to shine on those days as brightly as I can. Maybe this year I’ll be better than last … maybe this week is a week when I can reflect on a Summer of quite wonderful recovery. There have been times when I have merely looked at my life as nothing more than waiting for the cancer. I don’t ever want to feel like that again, but if I do, knowing that I will come through to embrace peace, tranquillity and creative goals as I am doing right now, makes all the difference. It’s survival and it’s good quality stuff … onwards! |
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Day Three Weather: light breeze, but mostly clearly skies, hoorah! About to hit third day of writing and as I’m not used to this kind of ‘factory output’, fearing exhaustion of a creative sort. It is all entirely optional though, however there are priceless creative opportunities aplenty here, and only a fool would sit outside of this circle. |
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Yesterday was great, food remains spectacular, wrote with a guy called Damien Bracken from Boston USA. He penned one called 'Somehow' and I played backing guitar (there's a novelty!), and with Damien's backing and encouragement I created a new personal write also, a rocking rolling jokey kick ass thing called ‘Baby Let’s Not End It This Way’. Oreste Gargaro is my room mate during the week, although we don't get the chance to write together. Oreste is an Italian Scot, coming out of Glasgow where he distributes guitars and accessories. With the rocking strum of a soulful guitar / vocal, wild hair and rough cut facial growth, he's probably the most likely rock'n'roll star out of the lot of us ... Damien Bracken is of Irish descent, a Dubliner who lives and works out of the prestigeous Berklee College Of Music in Boston, Massachusetts as director of admissions, scholarships, and student employment. Damien is highly proficient in particular on piano, and although he doesn't claim to be the gigging musician that some of us do, ultimately he will contribute to some of the most wonderful songwriting moments of the week. |
Onwards … 11.59pm Another day of fine songwriting in pleasant surroundings, and the exciting task of performing those very songs in the newly built studio. The standard is now bordering on the incredible, it’s a whole new scene for me. Piano ballads are just about to the fore, and everyone is changing songwriting partners daily to keep everything fresh. |
Today I co-wrote a song called ‘Walk Gently On This Earth’ with an Australian girl called Jane Walker. She’s hopefully got a record deal pending and is working out of Brighton with Chris Difford. Jane is another of those truly breathtaking piano vocalists who can take your vacant soul somewhere special and fill it with life and colour. She's also a good laugh, especially when she swears 'Aussie accent' style! Maybe that's just my warped sense of humour though? Hmmm. |
I also part penned a new song of my own called ‘My Favourite Girl’. This could possibly be one of the finest songs I’ve written in a long long time. And to think I have written this song whilst residing in a mountain top villa in the wilds of Italy in the company of 12 other fine and wonderful songwriters. I’m about to pen a few more lines before I go to sleep. This is quite an amazing experience, and we’re only half way through the week. Out of respect to everyone, I ought to do some pen pictures for the blog. They’re all quite fantastic writers and musicians. dp x |
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Alessio Giottoli has spent around 10 years re-building and developing the Monestevole site and villa, putting every penny and spare minute into what was a ruin and turning it into one of the most splendid and welcoming 'home' for travelers and musicians. With his wife Valeria, family and supporting friends, he has created a most wonderful and magical mountain-high welcome. He also has a little fame to his name as an actor, most notably in the brilliant cult movie 'The Orange Thief'.
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It’s been a long and quite fantastic day. A quite beautiful morning and day that has been taken up co-writing once more. Today we ‘upped the ante’ a little as Chris provided an assortment of lyrics for a recording project he’s been working on. The aim is to write and record a compilation album for a hospice in Battersea, and as not all the songs are written yet, today we have the optional task of writing and recording songs for the album. So, quite wonderfully I’ve been paired with New Yorker Jen Clapp, who has the most amazing voice. Chris’s lyrics are guides for us, and each set is based on a interviews with people resident in the hospice. As it goes, some of the people in these stories are no longer with us, and as we read through them we see stories and reflections of quite high emotion. Suddenly the process of writing songs has a whole new meaning. Jen and I take on a piece called ‘Kitchen Cabinets’, and it’s the story of a man who used to make kitchens, but now due to illness he is incapacitated and struggling to survive on benefits. It’s a very moving and sad story that is full of anger and anguish. At first we sit and play around a few ballad-like chord progressions (see the pic for the wonderful setting!), however we have a dilemma. The words are driven by anger and anguish, the final stanzas in particular are quite disturbing, and as I see them, not allowing ‘closure’, something I feel a song should do in a kinda therapeutic way. We have to choose: re-write the lyrics a little to dilute this anguish, or find a way to make them work musically. Working in teams like this is a whole new thing for me, a real learning curve, and it takes at least an hour of suggestion and deliberation before we hit the right notes. I suggest an up-tempo country / blues stylee in the key of A, and Jen takes up the vocal duties with gusto and aplomb - she's just ace. This songs kicks, it's a beaut! |
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 Monestevole Studio Engineer and Producer Sean Moody |
Sean Moody, a native of San Francisco USA, runs the studio side of things at Monestevole, under it's own name as Daltonico Studios. Known to us as 'the luckiest man alive' due to the fact that he's landed in Heaven here at Monestevole, Sean is one of the fastest to fly around Pro Tools software, is a fine rockin' guitarist who made a name for himself with Jonny Quality, and quite simply one cool laid back and wonderful dude. Sean is very much our 'frontman' this week, crossing the lingual barrier when required and giving us enough basic local knowledge as we need to know. It's when it comes to recording our songs that he really steps up a gear, sticking mics in front of instruments and capturing the vibe of moments in all their raw beauty. |
 New Yorker with awesome voice, Jen Clapp |
So we work an arrangement and immediately Jen’s country / folk / Cajun-esque vocal, which could only belong to a US singer (believe me!), takes this song into fabulous territory. And I am so pleased because without taking too many lyrical liberties (Jen works in a small number of phrasing changes at most), we are able to stay true to the story and the passion of the original interview. Having completed this arrangement we contemplate an alternative, as we are unsure as to whether this will sit alongside other tracks on the album. So, best thing we think is to ask Chris for advice. I’m happy to say that on first play he’s delighted, although as I find later, he’s not convinced by the vocal pieces that I have in the track. They really don’t sit alongside Jen’s, and I’m already kinda of this opinion myself. |
And so eventually, with Sean working like a beaver to record everybody’s songs in the shell of a part-built studio building, we get to record our track during the evening hours. Sean I must say, is one of the quickest Pro-Tools sound engineers around – he’s a whizz! The whole day is a little behind schedule, so we opt to work without click-track. Jenn puts her guitar track down, then a vocal. It’s sounding great, although with her guitar lacking in punch, we need my own guitar and as planned, 2nd vocal for 3 bridging stanzas. The vocal comes first, and I am not convinced. Neither is Chris, although everyone’s being nice about this in a collective kinda way. I’ve been around long enough to know something isn’t right, and am glad now to say that I pushed a little to get myself dropped. Jen now sings the entire piece herself. Then we move on to my guitar part, but we have issues. 5 takes in, I am struggling. For me, Jen has wavered a little with her timing and again the niceties come first. It takes Sean to pipe up and say “It’s not you man, it’s Jen’s guitar” and I feel greatly relieved. If there’s one thing I excel at in this situation it’s keeping rhythm and time! So plan B, and this is where we move into overdrive. From scratch, I hammer out a guitar track whilst Jen mimes the vocal. It rocks and at the end the room is filled with ‘yahoos’ of relief and celebration. Now all that’s left is for Jen to record the entire vocal track and we’re away. |
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Our final product, will be delivered tomorrow. At our request, Sean will be filling in with a guitar solo and accompaniment. I have to say I am incredibly happy at this moment. To co-write a song with Chris Difford and Jen Clapp is a real thrill, especially as I think we’ve done an awesome job with this. Late in the evening, there is time to perform / record a couple of new tracks that people have written outside the hospice project. I decide to give ‘My Favourite Girl’ an airing. It’s an incredibly moving and as Oreste suggests, a sad song. I’m not convinced yet that it is right, though this is what workshop is all about. I’m taking chances with such a deep song as this, but that’s what I do. Everything I have done in my life that has turned out wonderful has come about because I’ve taken a chance on something. At various times this week with the most wonderful food, the creative buzz, the community and this delicious altitude setting, one or two people have stated that this is the best week of their lives. On an unbelievable high at times, I have echoed this statement. |
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Day Four There is talk of overnight music-making, watching the stars, greeting the sunrise. One or two have already done this during the week. Myself, well I am enjoying getting up early to sit and rehearse, sit on a rock at the bottom of the garden area, overlooking a beautiful, mist covered valley. It’s quite the most beautiful scene in which I have had the opportunity to sit, play and sing. ‘My Favourite Girl’ is benefitting from a fair amount of fine tuning in this location. Today was a day off from writing. We went to Perugia, marvelled at some of the local history and architecture, sat in café for coffee and cream, and found ‘Joyce’s Pub’, an Irish bar with a rear outdoor patio. Mention in dispatches here for Damien Bracken, now resident in Berkely USA, formerly of Dublin, Ireland … good work fella! It was good to taste just a little Guinness. Our host family here have an extended family who also own a restaurant in the nearest town Umbertide, some 20 minutes drive down the windy slopes of the mountain. So tonight we ate there. Two courses of hors douves, then some of the most fantastic pasta I’ve ever tasted … well, only matched by other pasta dishes we’ve enjoyed this week! Already stuffed, we then get a meat and potatoes dish (gorgeous) and a pastry and cream sweet that is simply devine. Coffee, liquor … I don’t think I have even eaten so much fine wine and food in one sitting. Bed. |
Breakfast has got later and later each day, to the point that it no longer exists as a community sitting. It’s now a drop-in. This morning I met the early sun to sit on my rock over-looking the cloud covered valley, with a milky coffee. I have just about mastered the coffee that is right for me, Americana style. Today I guess will be a final day of writing, although I feel most people will be wasted after last night. Then there’s the shadow of our return, the bursting of the bubble as we make our way down the mountain for one last time. Maybe until next year anyway … Today we’ll hear the final version of ‘Kitchen Cabinets’. I do so hope I like it, and although I’m sure I will, that bloody self-criticism thing has followed me, even here. It’s a demon that frustrates the f*ck out of me sometimes! |
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Day Six No worries – ‘Kitchen Cabinets’ kicks. Sean has added a ‘fender-style’ tremolo guitar fill and lead riff and I can now proudly add ‘co-written with Chris Difford and New Yorker Jen Clapp’ to my cv. Turns out Geoff Martyn used to be in Travis, and I’ve also now co-written songs with Canadian Lizanne Evely, Australian Jane Walker and Irish / American Damien Bracken. A big mention goes then to those I sadly haven't had the chance to write with: Ry Byron; Steve Hillier; Adam Levy; and Oreste Gargaro. All have been incredibly entertaining and superb in their writing and performances. Yesterday was just another incredible day. I can’t believe it really. I was in no rush to write so as expected some of us just did our own thing. So on another beautiful day I sat and strummed whilst sat on the rock overlooking the cloud caressed valley, strolled around the garden playing and singing whilst taking in the fresh air and scenic views, listened to Geoff and Damien playing piano, ate two more outrageous heavenly home cooked meals, and watched an incredible transformation as the sun went down, the sky changing dramatically yet gradually from a glorious day into a glorious star-filled and crescent moon-lit evening. It was the longest day of the year (thanks Adam and Jenn for that one). Inevitably this brought me to stroll up the small mount to the seclusion of the swimming pool area, where I sat beside the pool in moonlit reflection and cried. I wept … for my life, for the lives of those I love, and did you read the bit from Day One about finding God here? Well … I can tell you that questions were asked, and some answers were given. Not all, for if we had all the answers, there would be no life as we know it. Last night was our final night together as a group, and so after the evening meal we once again provided the evening concert as a live recorded performance in the studio. Added interest was provided tonight by Italian friends of our hosts who had come to eat with us and enjoy the music. I think it’s fair to say, as Geoff pointed out, that we were all a little restless yesterday. The reality of our regular lives we will soon return to, however it’s a surety that we will all take something very substantial from this week. I have to say that hearing Geoff’s 'Travis' story yesterday made me wince a little. The guy is here doing what he does so well, and it could so have worked a different way for him. He and his brother were founder members of the band Travis. Sadly, Fran Healey negotiated a deal with the record company that saw them removed from the band so that he could front and write all the songs that were heavily backed financially, ultimately scoring hit singles and albums during the late 90’s / early 2000’s. As Geoff puts it, a mindf*ck. As Oreste added though, Geoff knows that if he’d been with the band, he wouldn’t have been here. For me that’s a statement of real substance, for rock’n’roll is neither everything nor the answer to something. It’s merely one path amongst plenty. It's an intriguing one though - Geoff is everything on that piano that Chris Martin is, fine songwriter and soulful vocalist, and if the world was waiting for Coldplay, who's to say that Travis adopting that Geoff Martyn stylee wouldn't have got there first? Hmm, a mindf*ck indeed! New Yorkers Jenn and Adam were the pick for me last night – well someone had to write a song called ‘Monestevole’ and what they presented was a highly entertaining, comical and incredible warm charmer of a song. It was a magic moment amongst many magic moments. No new material for me though yesterday, so I treated all to a mad rendition of ‘Have A Nice Day’. A good night’s sleep for me was broken by the sound of Ry and Oreste packing and leaving in the early hours. The sight of 6 foot big guy Ry falling head over heels in love with the charming local kitten star ‘Pirate Cat’ has been one of the most enduring images of the week. Indeed, we’ve all fallen for the charms of a most charismatic little feline fella. Or is he a she? I don’t think we looked, although consensus of guess opinion suggested female. This morning as I type I am once more in the garden. Today we are in the clouds, visibility is down and there’s a slight refreshing breeze. The southerners will be wearing jumpers this morning! I have my coffee, I have a cd courtesy of Adam playing through the laptop. I feel good, if somewhat a little sorry to be leaving. We all do, however accepting departure is part of the growing up process. It just doesn’t get any easier. Did I say I’ve had the best week of my life? Right now it still feels like it, and it will be interesting how I view this in the future, and indeed if Chris puts this together at this location next year, how many of us will return. Circumstances will change, yet I guess a good number will endeavour to. Who knows, some may even return on the wave of their own individual spirit at different times. If any of us do, this place will still have all it’s magic and the warmest welcome from Alessio and Valeria, Sean, 30+ cats and 3 dogs … of that I am sure! One person I will wonder about is Oreste. He has returned to Glasgow to a job he currently is not enjoying. Having tasted the good things here, I wonder if he will now re-set his sights on some new direction in his life, and come looking for this magic as a replacement for the shit of his daily work. I hope so, and believe in time he will. The guy has a determined passion about him – well, he is half Italian / half Scottish, a potent and passionate blood-line is ever there was one. For me it’s a return to Cheshire, to teaching, playing my handful of shows, and writing a new cd. In my most cynical phases, I believe if I do actually finish this collection of songs, it could will be my last, and yet there’s an immortality out there that is still worth reaching out for. Though who knows? Maybe for me, life is just beginning. I have so much more to learn, and one of the finest things I still posess is the desire to keep on learning, opening doors, and finding new people and inspired visions. Here I have found beauty and peace. These things exist. What comes next, comes next … dp x My final word is a big and heartfelt "THANK YOU" to everyone who made Monestevole 2006 such a magical and beautiful experience. My love and very best wishes to you all ... dp x |
Links Adam Levy . Chris Difford . Damien Bracken . Daltonico Studios / Sean Moody . Geoff Martyn / Oreste Gargaro . Jane Walker . Jen Clapp . Lizanne Evely . Monestevole . Ry Byron . Songs From The Weald cd . Steve Hillier
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Monestevole, Umbertide, near Perugia, Italy
There are celebrations of Italian conversation and “Ciao” as the lorry delivers it’s windows and leaves us. The large studio building with it’s new concrete floor and large windows looks potentially amazing. I am once more overwhelmed yet comforted by the silence and the beauty. I’ve said it before and I’ll hopefully say it many more times in my life: music can take you to incredible places.
Day Two
What was that I said about the weather? All day yesterday and also this morning, it’s totally like the Scottish Highlands. Consistent rain and cloud throughout yesterday, and although the rain has relented this morning sufficient enough for me to once more sit outside, the overcast sky and light breeze hints not of a summer dream.
Aforementioned New Yorker 
Day Four
Having written our song, Jen and I can go off to watch others record their songs, sit and do our own individual thing in one of the many beautiful creative corners of the villa and the grounds, or use time to catch up with sleep. For me, this is a great opportunity to further develop a new piece I have called ‘My Favourite Girl’. It’s starting to feel like the essential song I wanted to take out of this week to re-ignite my own ‘Bloody Love Songs’ project.
Day Five
