Influences: Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Punch Brothers, Radiohead, Glen Hansard, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Lawson, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Edgar Meyer, James Taylor, Billie Holiday, Iron & Wine, Lake Street Dive, Ani DiFranco, Carole King, Ami Winehouse, Alison Krauss, Chris Thile, Sufjan Stevens, Ben Folds, Kate Bush, Doc Watson, Clare Bowditch, Neil Finn, John Hartford, Tuck & Patti, Jobim, Melody Gardot, Don Mac Glashan, Harry Connick Jnr, Dougie Maclean, Fionn Regan, John Martyn, Jonathan Coulton, Vince Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Bjork, Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen, Lucie Thorne, P J Wolf, Nat King Cole, Sting, The Police, John Cleary, Parliament, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Chet Baker, Paul Kelly, Queen, Carl Pannuzzo, Anáis Mitchell, Scott Cook...
I'm a singer/double bassist who is transitioning out of a full-time touring career into voice teaching. I live in a small falling down house in a cute little rural town in Central Victoria Australia with my patient and talented husband. I make a living from music and if you like it enough to encourage me not to give up and get a day job then I invite you to show your support at https://www.patreon.com/lizfrencham
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NO COMMENTS ON THE MIX PLEASE!
I have no ambitions to do my own mixes, I like the playing, writing and producing part but I pay someone else to mix things if I want to release them professionally. For me FAWM is about the writing only and demos are just there to paint a rough sketch.
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FAWM 2022 Diary
01/02
Depression and anxiety have been my constant companions over the last 12 months and I guess I shouldn’t have expected it to dissolve with the first day of FAWM. It may be a while before I post something but it WILL happen. :)
04/02
It’s been a terrible first week for FAWM, depression, insane amounts of work interrupting me. But this seems to happen every year and I have found some time in the cracks to get started even though I haven’t had time yet to record anything. Tomorrow I think I have a four hour window. Maybe get two songs up by the end of the day and I’ll be caught up?
09/02
This is dire! I just don’t have the energy this year but I HAVE finished a song. I will attempt to get it recorded today. I also have some collab to work on. Maybe that will help.
10/02
Oh wow... It feels so good to have a song up at last, and even better it's a song I really like. For the rest of the weekend I'll be working on collabs and some overdubs so the pressure has eased off a little and I think I'm actually having some fun now. :)
18/02
Just relentless commitments until I drop each day. I’ve had time to work on some collabs but they have all stalled once it’s time to start recording and editing my ideas. That requires real focus and energy and I’m struggling to harness that. But I haven’t given up. I’m going to send out some smaller snippets to potential collaborators today and see if I can start a snowball effect in any direction.
25/02
Offering to collab with a whole bunch of folks is going to keep me working ‘til the bell and I’m grateful. It means no more of my ‘own’ songs (written for myself as a performer) but that’s fine. I’m hoping I will have a strong desire to continue writing in March for that reason. I don’t think I’ll make 14 this year but if I finish all the collabs it COULD happen.
28/02
Well I’ve worked like an insane person over the weekend but I still have 6 incomplete songs that I’m not ready to let go of yet. I may FAWM INTO March just a little this year which seems fair considering my late start. So nice to see that little trophy icon!!
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PHILOSOPHY ON COLLABORATING
1. I’m a hopeless collaborator. Ask @zecoop! I’m text book ADHD. I have all the enthusiasm and intention but even if it’s my idea I may not get around to it in my limited time and I’m unlikely to pursue anything into March for my own mental health’s sake. So don’t get attached to me finishing something and say ‘no’ if I approach you, if it means you may get offended at my inability to complete.
2. I may drop out of contact due to touring weekend availability and internet access. Sorry!
3. Please don’t take lyrics/music I’ve posted and use them in your art without consulting me. This happened with a lyric of mine once and it shut me down me from finishing it myself and kinda upset me a little. If I don’t have a plan for something I’ll usually make that clear in my description. Yeah, I’m a bit precious. But this is my stuff and it takes vulnerability and trust to even share it with you before it’s finished.
4. If we do something together let’s keep talking. I’m open to everything that is polite and respectful. Any co-writes we may want to take further than February we can talk percentages and registration with performance and mechanical rights organisations when that becomes a thing.
#1 | Make It Rain |
52 Feb 2022 |
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#2 | Nothing For Me |
22 Feb 2022 |
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#3 | Faith In Change @tan482 |
8 Feb 2022 |
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#4 | Suck It Up, Buttercup @petemurphy |
17 Feb 2022 |
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#5 | The First Step @guatecoop |
24 Feb 2022 |
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#6 | Oxygen Thief @zecoop |
30 Feb 2022 |
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#7 | At The Seams @wobbiewobbit |
15 Feb 2022 |
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#8 | Clumsy @metalfoot |
12 Feb 2022 |
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#9 | They Would Sing Together (Collab with @kahlo2013, @cleanshoes @sorby69 @fearlessflight2014) @sorby69 |
1 Feb 2022 |
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#10 | Somebody Else @zecoop |
20 Feb 2022 |
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#11 | Treading On Me |
8 Feb 2022 |
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#12 | Under Mongolian Skies - alt acapella version @mahtowin |
12 Feb 2022 |
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#13 | The Radio Springs Hotel |
12 Feb 2022 |
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#14 | Cut Wood Carry Water (Mrs guatecoop on vocals, too!) @guatecoop |
18 Feb 2022 |
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#15 | This Invisible String @gilhari |
12 Feb 2022 |
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#16 | Breathe @zecoop |
ZONG Feb 2022 |
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#17 | The Red Dress @leepat |
21 Feb 2022 |
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#18 | Teaching Carys |
ZONG Feb 2022 |
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#19 | Sunny Day |
13 Feb 2022 |
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#20 | Missing You @timfatchen |
24 Feb 2022 |
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#21 | Bring You Back @hamiltonpoolhall |
18 Feb 2022 |
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#22 | Rainy Days @mrgee1952 |
19 Mar 2022 |
Thanks a lot! Which name shall I mention in the credits?
I am so impressed of your version of "Mongolian skies", I would like to experiment and add some music. Do you allow me to do that? Without commercial intention or business - just for fun and to upload it on my SoundCloud account when it is ready (which will take a while, because I am busy and no professional musician :-) ). it would be a great honor to me to work with your wonderful vocals! And of course I am gonna mention your name in the credits. Is this ok for you?
These are actually selling much better than I expected. https://my-store-c73006.creator-spring.com/listing/choices-february-2022
I will continue songwriting but for me FAWM is not what it used to be, and I’m not who I used to be either. I think it’s time for me to turn the page perhaps. We shall see. Here in the northern hemisphere, February comes at a time when we are tired of winter and it is a diversion to look forward to. However, I moved from Michigan to Colorado in 2014, and winter here is rather enjoyable so there isn’t this pent up desire to write like I had in Michigan. My goals have changed significantly from meeting the challenge, to collaborating with those whose past work I admire. This isn’t meant to put pressure on you. I was blessed to have Tomas “Old Lost John” take a set of my lyrics and put them to music and sing them. That was a blessing. A few years ago Ft. Elmfield did the same for me and it was a sort of life changing experience. The quantity push inside of me just died. Steve Guiles fired up a passion and talent I didn’t know that I had; drawing. I find it also creatively magical, and significantly satisfying. Also macro photography has become a source of creative energy for me. Hit me up if you might need some album artwork. Here’s a drawing I made that I recently started selling as a t-shirt.
Enjoy the festival. Let’s work something up before FAWM 2023 of that works for you. I don’t know if I’m going to do another FAWM. This was my 15th or 16th and I just don’t have the energy for it for all the late nights.
Liz, it looks like you ran out of placeholders!!! If you did record something I would love to hear it. It’s an honor that you even accepted the idea of a collaboration with me.
Thank you for listening and leaving such kind comments on my pieces "A Doomed Love" and "Disintegration". I appreciate it.
Thanks a lot to listen to one of my heavier songs, Liz! It's not a collab yet, I did everything on my own with MIDI programming and recording some rough vocals. We will re-record this song with real instruments, as soon as I find a vocalist who can nail these techniques. I'm more into composition and production - Performance is my weakness.
I enjoyed my dive into your profile and hope that I find some time to listen to more songs of you!
By the way, I didn't make Bring You Back downloadable because I didn't know how you felt about that. Let me know if you want me to change that status.
Thank you, Liz :) I've really appreciated your thoughtful comments!!
Can’t do keto when the Jellyman is in the house!! Thank you so much for listening!
of COURSE I like the song!!! But I'm not going to zongbust your/my song!!! You've worked wonders again; that lyric is absolutely right.
You worry too much Liz!
the invisible string. i see now i had posted my comment on your soundboard by mistake.
Ha! Stoner vibe? When you get to "The Wasted Youth That Should Have Been Mine," all will become clear :-).
an awestruck voice inhabits and elucidates this mysteriously evocative. lyric. as i listen, i feel like i am walking the path around walden pond, voices driftiing melodiously from trees.
You’ve beaten me to the binge!! But I have one planned…
Hi Liz! I'd love to have you listen to this song for #Tit4Tat since it was inspired by your poetry of the day challenge. https://fawm.org/songs/131422/
Hey Liz. It's great to see you had a successful and happy FAWM. I'm looking forward to listening to all of your recordings. I would subscribe to a daily feed of you playing double-bass and singing the news headlines. :-)
I’m really happy for you that FAWM has ended with a Liz that seems in a better place….like you got filled up… like you needed it. Very nice to see.
Not really 29….I post the ones with new vocals so they get the attention they deserve, rather than just updating my instrumental. Probably more like 20 if I’m guessing. Soooo, yeah I’m pretty positive about the oxygen thief. Haha. I’m not sorry that I missed that—I ducked out. No whiff or sight since, but we all know that there is no monopoly on that sort of thing…..hehe. I’ll be there tonight for sure.
Liz, are any of those placeholders for me?
Well, look at YOU!!! You did just fine, though I'm sure that it didn't feel like it....I hope that you are pleased and/or surprised by the results! I'm going to dig in and listen now....
I thought that might have happened! But I was in such a rush to get it posted. I'll check and repost if necessary!
-- you are, of course, totally correct about that. Re-running the mix and posting ASAP.
--new version posted!!
Posted!! Let me know if you have any mix thoughts/tweaks. I think we can re-upload beyond tonight if necessary?
HOLY COW!!! These are amazing...
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear of your tech hassles! Nothing kills the creative buzz like misbehaving software! But I'm thrilled you liked the tracks and am so looking forward to hearing what you've added! I'm about to download them now and get a mix going. Should I just post on my end when I'm done?
See your normal email Liz. You'll need to put up a locked collab because I realised the second author cant do anything if the original poster has locked it! And you may want to change the title too dependent on your lyrics/approach. Putting up a [PIANO VERSION] with a different piano on mine.
Vocals anywhere you like :-). I basically just wrote/sang two verses and the rest is wide open. It could just be instrumental but I feel like there's space for some kind of variation/harmonization/abstraction of the existing verses into some kind of refrain but if that is too vague or lazy of me let me know!
Upon reflection, I felt like my posted electric guitar part was stepping all over your nonpareil bass line – hardly very conversational, so I have uploaded an alternative electric guitar part, plus more of an accompaniment part on National. I'm imagining National and electric panned hard left/right but who knows. Also, the National track is pretty noisy - foot taps and headphone bleed. But it's day 27...
Ye gods! I forgot! I'll put the snippet up locked with both of us on it to ensure that it doesn't fall off and try to get it out today to you...
Congrats on the win!!
I've uploaded a vocal stem and guitar stem. The guitar could be...too busy on the back end. But that could be a mix thing. There are basically two verses, and that's it. When the toms come in, I tried a sort of vocal riff of repeating the line "I want to bring you back" but it sounded kind of dorky when I did it. I'm thinking it would sound pretty awesome if *you* did it, but just left wide open space for you to try whatever you like after the two verses are done. It could also just remain instrumental from that point on. I want to take another crack at a guitar part that leaves more space on the back half, but need to step away from it for now so I don't just keep playing the same things over and over. Feel free to finalize and post on your end, or send back to me to do so on Monday. Whew!
Yay FAWMwinner!
Looks like you got your 14 this year Liz! Glad to have been a tiny part of it.
Excellent :-). Well, I had to leave the studio earlier than I'd planned this afternoon and I was still working on a guitar part, but lyrics and main vocal are as done as FAWM permits so I should have something over to you tomorrow. Since I'm not sure if you're ahead or behind me that may leave you down to the wire on the last day, for which I apologize! Stay tuned for further the developments, but it has been SO FUN working with this absolutely stellar groove – I'm trying to leave as much space as possible for what's already there to shine through :-).
So sorry, I got an involved phone call just as I was checking through the bass before exporting. But you should have an email now with a link to a google drive folder.
Haha….I just sent you an email! I will have it up shortly after I get the files. Thank you so much!
Also - if I get lyrics/vocal/guitar part together, any chance you'll have time left to add some harmonies?
perfect! Thanks (and, uh, good morning! It's grey, cold and late afternoon here :-)
I love what you sent!! Do you want me to use that drum track (it's pretty cool!) , or is it there just as an idea of how the bass line sits in the groove?
Also, if you have a moment, I'd love to know the bpm...
Absolutely you have license to do whatever you wish… Your changes you sent via email are welcome and lovely…
They improve the flow quite nicely. I am really looking forward to hearing someone else’s interpretation of my lyrics… it’s a first for me.
Awww thanks! Would LOVE you to add some bass and harmonies!
Yes!! I’m hoping to get into the studio for a bit tomorrow and am looking forward to checking out what you’ve shared!
Ahhhh, I can totally understand that. Well I hope that she does it tonight
When I say no worries, I really do mean no reason or cause for worries at all! Michelle might do vocals tonight, but she may not….really no problem
I would need to have the raw tracks (instruments) to mix with your vocals to help it along!
It came out so well! https://fawm.org/songs/135625/. Feel free to post a song on your page, and say it was a collab with @sorby69. I can't put more than one person on as a collaborator here, and I'd love for you to all get credit!
Just got it! Whatever you can do it awesome! I'll now have to put them all together and add my part. I should be able to get it done by this weekend! Yay!
Thanks so much!
cheers Liz, whatever happens. i’m good either way :)
Hey again....It seems as though I can also relate to you in that other stressors and challenges exacerbate my management of ADHD. I, along with everyone around me, can tell when the stress, emotion, and challenge has reached a boiling point. I end up feeling like I am coming apart at the seams. What I mean by blessing is that 1. I never get bored. I don't even know what that is like and am grateful that I don't. 2. My mind comes up with ideas in all directions and in unpredictable ways. This makes me someone who is a good problem solver and very creative, as long as I don't get too lost in the weeds with too many ideas and thoughts. And 3. I am not the hyperactive type, but I do have energy to spare and can do many tasks and jumping from task to task doesn't typically bother me--my wife loves that one because she really doesn't like crusing around with a lot of errands. Those are just a few off of the top of my head. There are definitely drawbacks and challenges, too....
Awesome! Thanks. I know you've got a lot going on, so it's okay if we needed to switch someone else in, but I'm so glad you're doing it!
Hey Liz! Sure that would be great. Michelle is going to do vocals tonight or tomorrow. We've got LOADS of time, right? Hahaha. By the way, your vocal on The First Step is absolutely wonderful. Beautiful, soaring in some places, descending in others....just so lovely. Additionally, I think that you know that I can relate directly with your experience with ADHD. It absolutely can be a blessing and strength, but that takes time to work out how we do that. Where you are now I have certainly been and I felt like there was something really wrong with my wiring. As it turns out, it can certainly be a challenge and definitely detrimental, but it ends up being a tremendous advantage and I am glad that I am not so regimented and structured all of the time--I've managed to be able to function in that way when I need to, but is work to do so. I hope that makes sense. Thank you so very much. Your honesty regarding your struggles has been beneficial to many people this FAWM. Very well done.
@fearlessflight2014 Seems like it's your turn to record your harmony. When you're done, send it along to me so that I can record my harmony and stitch it together. Thanks!
I just replied to the Harmony Singers group email with my track. @sorby69 is next, but I want to make sure you get it too. Let me know if it got through, and if not I'll resend it!
Liz, I did send it to the email address you mentioned on my board, and I got it from here. I'll send it again
Just sent you an email with info on the Harmony Singers Challenge.
I saw and I am willing to work on it for sure, I just have about 4 other collabs in the queue ahead of it at the moment. THANK YOU SO MUCH for thinking of me, Liz. <3
okay will do a cleanup tomorrow. and send severals by email rpobably Sunday. Time? yes, always a problem. My conscience keeps biting me...
HopefulOptimistic? something along these lines? ot is that to pedestrian/poppy a chord sequence? https://files.fawmers.org/FAWM_2022/timfatchen/hopop1.mp3
A) I’m delighted to have made you laugh out loud; there is no higher praise in my book.
B) oh wait, yes there is: allusions to Mark Knopfler. Thanks for the very kind comment about making something new out of old bones.
C) YES PLEASE send baselines; I would LOVE to get outside my own head and my own default grooves and working on something of yours sounds like just the ticket.
yesyesyes piano for you! wishlist please! adjectives dark/bright/melancholy/upbeat/snide/etc etc (I now know not to fool with erratic time signatures!!)
Liz, I would love it if you set some music to "This invisible String"... let me know, I am looking forward to hearing your interpretation...
Liz I didn’t hear back from you as to if a co write is too much pressure. I miss your songs!!!
Hey Liz, you were exactly right about the vulnerability piece in my Friendship Lost song. I’m glad that came through. I think that there is something hollow in songs that just exude anger. It’s probably my counselor brain, but maybe not. I do believe that anger is a secondary emotion and only sits atop others—not being able to exist without the foundational feelings. For me, anger happens (rarely) when I haven’t addressed the primary feelings, though there are occasions when the process of building the foundation of feelings that lead to anger happens quickly. Thanks for the listen and comment!
Hi Liz, yes, I was going to do sth like that. Or a lyric? Give me a few days.
I'm happy either way. If you have lyrics lying around, by all means pop them over!
Yes please! At your service.
Oh Liz, you should know that you can do WHATEVER you want….I would be thrilled, like I am every time.
Hiya, yes of course. It’s downloadable so you can either help yourself, or if you want it in WAV, let me know and I’ll send it to you. It’s not 100% in time as I threw it down quick, but feel free to have fun with it. :-)
Liz thank you for taking time to listen to my song about Penny, my office mate Portuguese Water Dog.
I have just read your bio update.
Your livestreams were some light to me in 2020. Inspirational is a weak word but they were a hopeful example to me that humanity itself could take some thing dark and poke holes through its veil to let light shine through. Thank you for that. Later in 2020 I decided to quit Facebook outright because of my urge to prove others wrong. I really don’t miss it except for the kind of joy that people like you can bring. Like the stars in Starry Night. Speaking of which if our collaboration feels like a weight instead of hope then by all means drop the weight! I will not be offended. And I understand entirely. I’ve given myself plenty of space this FAWM to drop the weight of 14 and just let what happens happen. Even desiring to let lyrics go to others is a weight release of sorts.
You are in my prayers.
Thank you for the comment on Wild Iron! So good to hear from you again. I hope to see some classic Liz Frencham tunes this month! Working through the dross is a drag, right? I honestly wasn't expecting to participate this year but a knee injury has given me lots of extra downtime and it's been nice to write again. I'm rooting for you!
I got a late start myself this year too, though admittedly essentially due to the busy-ness part, and I would never wish to be glib about the anxiety and depression part. But I did get a solid piece of advice from Ms. Poolhall around day 4 to not try and write something perfect and amazing, just something, which kind of cracked me open enough to finally start.
Purely from an enlightened self-interest point of view, I'll say I'd enjoy just about anything you ultimately post, including that 90-second solo bass free jazz space opera I know you've got lurking inside you....
Thanks so much for the commentary on my first couple songs – pointed, succinct and encouraging, as ever. YES, of course, I would love to work on something! And love what you do just as much. Maybe figure out a way to actually write/play/sing on something together? But happy to approach it in any way that could help you crack the code this February.
Would love to, Liz. Do you have a direction in mind? (And don't beat yourself up over the slow start - I think the whole Victorian FAWM brigade is running on empty batteries after last year. Just good to see you here.)
hey Liz, just checking in to see if you're still interested in singing some harmonies? if so, I will (try to) start to write something suitable and demo it. & no pressure, re: your philosophy above. when the time is right, how should I contact you, the email above? thanks, rock on!
Working title I have is Maybe You Are Cezanne
Sent via email!
I used your connect form from your website
Sent you lyrics for a collab. If it doesn’t inspire, no worries.
Hi, have a jolly February.
Hi Liz. Great to see you here. I hope we get to collab. You have my avatar. :-P
Hi Liz!! Have a wonderful FAWM! Can't wait to hear your music.
Put in an order. What would you like? Mood? feel? Up? Down? fast?slow?romance?cycnicism? Send me a wishlist!
Yo Liz, so great to see your name again. My beloved Mom died two days before Fawm last year; it blew me out of the water and the bits are still falling but I'm doing Fawm this year in her honour, come hell or high water.
Let's rock Mama......
Pearse
I was already watching you Liz, of course. Will be in touch about harmonies in feb : )
Ah, glad you liked it! A collab would be great, can send through some noodling if that's easiest for you
Hey Liz, ready to rock FAWM again this year?! xox
Hi Liz, I just heard Dirt Coloured Glasses, linked to from that forum post where everybody is introducing one of their songs.
Your voice, playing and songwriting is fantastic! Hope you enjoy FAWM :)
Hope you can find that magical creativity that makes you feel whole, enjoy your FAWM!!
Oh beautiful Liz...looking forward to hearing your mind blowing compositions...Luv all u do...xxc
I just saw your 'King of DIY' video (from the 'that isn't me' thread) and I have to say it's totally brilliant, amazing, and so damn funny! It just builds and builds and wow, that's just fantastic! Those 'shaving cream-style' rhymes at the end. lol! ('shaving cream' as you probably know, was a song from the 1950's or maybe even '40's where every time you thought he would say a certain four letter word, he 'd say 'shaving cream' instead) (and ps, and it goes without saying, welcome back and great to see you here again!!"
Hi Liz, thanks for reaching out on my forum post. I'd love to interview you. If it's alright, I'll flick you an email either later tonight or tomorrow with more details so we can arrange a time. Happy FAWM
hi! i saw you post about your love for gabriel kahane and that alone earned a follow! :) looking forward to hearing your songs!
Hey Liz :) Looking forward to listening to your music again :) x
You just picked the title! Open Up the FAWMgates!
Yes, it's been a very weird time. I think of you often, always going that you're doing ok.
And I would lurrrrrrve to collaborate on something. Yeah, I started feeling that I didn't really have anything fresh inside me when it came to the standard pop song structures, and these days I don't worry if a song is 10 seconds long or 10 minutes long, or if sections don't repeat, or if there's only one section that repeats 20 times, etc.
I hope you have a great FAWM! :)
Hi Liz! Welcome back, welcome back, welcome baaaaack! Happy FAWMing and looking forward to your awesome music!
yay! Lizzzzz!!! good to see you. loved our collab last year. Saving lives! Yeah! hope you have a great fawm