• Bambi (Mother)
• The Lion King (Father)
• Cinderella (Both Parents)
• The Little Mermaid (Mother)
• Finding Nemo (Mother)

I’ve always wondered why this tragic event is so common (in these cartoons made for children). There must be a specific purpose for creating such dire circumstances, especially so early in the storyline.

But is it a sign of great storytelling or just a cheap trick to pull on our heart strings?

Because these are fictional stories and not based on reality, one must question the common thread that weaves these characters’ lives together.  When it’s a true story, it’s simply unavoidable.  When it’s fabricated, there must be a reason, right?

What We Can Learn

There are a few things going on here that we can learn from.  First, it gives the protagonist emotional baggage that can be used to explain why other problems come into their life.

For Simba, he refuses to return and claim his rightful place as king because he believes he is responsible for his father’s death.

Since it creates the conflict, it also helps to give him an obstacle to overcome.

Again, using the Lion King as an example, he ultimately decides to come back to his herd before finding out the truth.  You are taken on a difficult journey, which creates an emotional attachment and where you find yourself rooting for him to succeed.

How It Applies To Songwriting

What can we take from this in songwriting?  Do we have to kill someone off in every story?  Certainly not, but it should give you an idea of where to draw some inspiration at times.

Almost any difficult circumstance can be used to write about the trials and tribulations of a certain character.  Whether you tell it from first, second, or third-hand experience doesn’t matter, as long as it’s relate-able.

The next step is not to listen to any feedback. The problem is most people will tell you it’s good, but not because it is. It’s because they’re your friend and don’t want to hurt your feelings.

Just keep writing. Every day if possible.

What makes a good song? A good story.

What makes a good story? A specific one, told with a purpose. There are many elements that make a good story, but one is the element of surprise. Think of all your favorite movies, or at least the ones that are the most memorable. Did the obvious thing happen or was there a twist in the end? Did the good guy turn out bad or the bad guy turn out good? We like those stories because we didn’t see it coming.

Write about yourself. If you can’t make up good stories, tell your own. Or have someone tell their story and write it. Not in a song yet, just write it down. Then write the story. Then the song.

If you still can’t think of anything to write about, watch a movie and write a song about the character. This is good practice because you already have the storyline. Just write about them and what they’re going through. Write in from their perspective at first, then rewrite it from yours as someone watching it.

• Do I continue to play these songs at shows and try to grow a larger following based off of that music?
• Do I start recording the next batch of songs and make it better this time?
• Do I take a huge risk and make something totally different from the last time?
• Do I take a break and do something else until the direction is 100% clear?

Even though the album may be relatively new to you, these songs have been the soundtrack of the last five years of my life, and I’m ready to move on.  In case you’re wondering, this is something every artist goes through as they try to balance the old with the new in their life.  Right now, I’m in this “no man’s land” in the sense that I still feel responsible to play those songs for people, but what I’m most excited about is the new stuff I’m writing, which you won’t hear for another few years.

In regards to the new stuff, I have plenty of options.  I could release another short EP (acoustic or produced), a full length album, and instrumental album, a Christmas (or other cover songs) album, and the list goes on.  What I think should be next changes almost daily as new inspiration breathes life into each possibility and direction.  But I can’t do it all, at least not all at once.  So, a decision has to be made and that means saying “yes” to one and “no” to the others.

This whole process has me thinking about two things: my filter and risk.

Filters

Every moment of every day we are filtering our life by the decisions we make.  Who we talk to, what we say, what we do, what we listen to, what we buy, what we eat, where we go.  For every decision of what to do, there are a million other things we are simultaneously deciding not to do.

My filter in songwriting started out extremely closed.  I thought I could only write about one specific thing, and actually only one perspective on that one thing (those who know me should know what that is).  But with “Ready To Fall” I stopped trying to fit my lyrics into that filter, attempting to open the valve of creativity and allow my entire life to flow through it.

To some extent it worked, but in reality it was only a small change from everything I have already done, both lyrically and musically.  The side of things I have the most room to improve is the music part of songwriting.  So now, I’m expanding that filter as well.

Risk

With every choice comes a risk.  With every decision, we are choosing to either get it right or wrong.  Sometimes there is only one right choice, while other times we have many, equally advantageous options.  Some choices are literally life and death, but most are not, which is why we get complacent as we get older.  Maybe you found a safe spot to pull over on the road of life, because of a fender bender a few years ago and you still feel the pain of those experiences.  Or maybe it was a full speed collision and your engine is busted.  Or maybe you just ran out of gas.  But I think the scars are there to remind us of the time we took a chance and survived.  After all, we’re still here, still breathing.  So I’m going to stay in the race.

In terms of my music career I realistically have nothing to lose by doing something completely different.  So in that sense it’s not a huge risk that my livelihood depends on.  But in terms of my time, choosing anything means sacrificing all the other things, so that’s what makes it so important.

I can’t say for sure what my next project will be, but right now I’m just turning off the filter, taking a big leap and hoping the parachute opens.  If not, at least I will experience a spectacular fall.

There are tons of quotes online you can find and read about risk, but I’ll leave you with this simple one:

“Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is.” – Will Rogers

So, over the next few months I’ll be laying the groundwork for sharing my process, what I’ve learned about, and my experiences over the last fifteen years of writing songs.

Sound like a good idea?

Unfortunately, my church chose to sing the revised and watered-down version by David Crowder.  After reading the article referenced below by John Mark himself, I have to be clear that there is and should be no ill will toward David for changing the lyric.  However, I am in agreement with John over the issue even being a problem to say those words in church, which is why anyone felt they needed to be changed in the first place.

“It seems that people either hate it or love it because they think I’m some how talking about kissing God. Please folks, I never ever, ever, ever, thought of this line as though it was talking about kissing God. Please read the words.” – John Mark McMillan

So, church, can we please use the original version?  I’m actually begging you because it saddens my spirit that we care more about how someone else might feel than allowing people to worship freely.

And honestly, as I look around in our congregation, I think the people who would be most offended by hearing those words likely aren’t even the ones singing.  Personally, I’d rather we not sing the song at all than change the words to try to please everyone.

It also helps to be aware that Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot) is one of Allen’s favorite songwriters. Foreman is sometimes scarily honest with his songwriting. He’s never afraid to admit fears and failures. The first verse to “These Hands” speaks of being 13 years old, where Allen says, “I thought I could do anything.” Ah, but isn’t that every 13-year-old? Later, Allen sings of how at 17 he though he “had it all figured out.” Again, isn’t that every 17-year-old? At 22, though, he admits, “I wonder how much I got wrong.” Ultimately, Allen struggles with knowing who he is, which is far different from the 13-year-old and 17-year-old. He also realizes the power contained in his hands. These hands can save a man, he sings at one point. These hands can also kill a man, he sings later. “These hands just don’t understand,” the song ends. What powerful words are these, when it comes to aging and understanding the ability and responsibilities each human is given.

“Let It Go” is another exemplary song. It appears to speak to the pain of a romantic break up, although when Allen sings, “Sometimes tears are just the way that you explain/How it feels to lose someone you love,” could also describe having a loved one die. I love how he includes the line, “I know it hurts like hell to think of moving on.” Sure, some Christians will complain that this believer just sang H-E-double hockey sticks. Nevertheless, we all experience a little bit of hell every day, especially after the fall, so why can’t a brother sing honestly about it? Once again, Allen is just being honest with his words, which will go a long way to endearing him to his listeners. Nobody wants to hear boring, happy-happy-joy-joy songs because that’s just not the real world.

Another winner is “Cliché.” Some people are so quick to criticize the usage of clichés. However, if there wasn’t some truth to them, they wouldn’t have been coined in the first place. “Why won’t you say that our love is all you need,” he sings in the opening verse. “It’s a cliché but it means something to me.” The problem with this particular ‘love is all you need’ cliché is not that it isn’t true; the trouble is that humans don’t always know how to put it into practice. Saying ‘I love you’ has no power. Showing someone love, however, can actually change the world. Big difference.

Sonically, Craig Allen’s music is pop-rock. There’s a lot of acoustic guitar and keyboard coloring, and these songs are rhythmic, but rarely loud or obtrusive. Allen sings them in a wisp of a voice. He is not a commanding vocalist. He also doesn’t let his voice get scratchy or let out any vocal growls. It should also be noted that there is an underlying sadness in his singing style, which saturates even his most positive musical sentiments.

If you’re seeking overt Christian messages, you likely won’t find many here. With that said, though, Allen sings from a Christian perspective. Also, sonically, these tracks sound a whole lot like contemporary worship tunes, albeit with a distinctly different lyrical approach.

Were Allen to produce an album’s worth of songs with the quality of “These Hands,” he could truly give Jon Foreman a run for his money. Let’s wait and see and hope he does.

Review by Dan MacIntosh

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)

Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Country Standard Time and Spin.com. He’s an expert in Christian and country music, but he’s also extremely knowledgeable when it comes to most every kind of rock. In addition to reviewing CDs, he regularly writes artist features and biographies.

My sister was thoughtful enough to take a picture of my concert last night, so thanks for watching and providing me with this memory.

I played a few Christmas songs to raise awareness and support for those still affected by the Sandy hurricane, especially for my friend Joe’s parents in NY.

You can learn more about their situation and ways to get involved by going to restore393.com.

Don’t get me wrong, I do feel a huge sense of accomplishment. But I never knew exactly how I’d feel when it was done until it was really done.

Now that it is, I don’t feel like it’s the end.  I actually feel like it’s the beginning, and that’s really exciting!  Now I finally have something to give people that I am really proud of when they ask me what kind of music I play.  I also have received some very encouraging feedback from people who have heard the CD, so thanks!

If you have the CD or have even listened to the songs (for free) on my website, I’m curious to know a few things:

1. What’s your favorite song?
2. What’s your least favorite song?
3. Have you told anyone about it (or do you plan to)?
4. Who do I sound like?

If you’d like to write an actual review, I would love to feature it on my new website (one of the next things I’m working on).  Also, if you have a blog or any online presence, I’d be happy to link back to you in the credit of the review.

Thanks!

That’s what I was thinking as I was sitting in my tiny, uncomfortable chair at a funeral for my Great Aunt on Wednesday.  I didn’t want to accept the reality that she was permanently gone from this world as we know it.  As I observed the tears flooding the entire room, I knew I was not the only one.

Having also said goodbye to my Grandmother about six months ago, I sat in stunned silence listening to the pastor recall fond memories and try to offer comfort to everyone, including himself.  Both women probably would have been upset that anyone was making a big deal about them.

During these times, I can’t help but think about the legacies that people leave behind, and in turn also evaluate the kind of legacy I am creating right now.  Am I going to be missed so much by so many people?  Am I going to be loved as much when I’m?

We sang a song in church on Sunday with the words, “I won’t be satisfied with anything ordinary”.  As I pondered the meaning of that song, I realized both my Grandmother and Great Aunt lived their lives that way, even though to them it was ordinary.  I don’t think they realized how special and truly important they were to so many people, because their standard of living was nothing special to them.  But if you knew or even just met either one of them, it was impossible not to feel their love.

I hate that we only got to know them for a few overlapping years of our lives, and I hate that we all can’t grow old together.  I hate that my kids will never get to enjoy their life and spirit the way we did growing up.  But I love that God gave us these incredible people for any time at all, showing us beautiful examples of what it looks like to be in love with Jesus.

I pray we learn how to do the same.

Other people say they are not consumers, which doesn’t make any sense to me at all. I think everyone is a creator and consumer at times, whether they realize it or not.

Things Everyone Creates

• Thoughts
• Relationships
• Their Own Life (general decisions and follow-through)

Things Everyone Consumes

• Time
• Air
• Food

So now that we have the obvious things out of the way, at another level some people certainly are more “creative” than others, either by nature or determination.  So what stops “lesser” creative people from being creative?

A lack of talent?  Lack of passion?  Or belief in themselves?

Some people are “naturally” talented or able to do certain things.  Maybe you haven’t found something you’re naturally great at, or maybe you are just meant to have to work hard at something you love in order to improve.

For me, I had a natural ability to do a lot of athletic things when I was younger, but I also had to work hard and practice if I wanted to really excel at any one of them.

Musically, I have a pretty good ear, but I have also worked hard for a long time developing general as well as specific skills to improve and sustain those abilities.

I did not start out writing great songs, and I would argue I have yet to write a truly great song.  But, from practice, study/research, and time/experience, I have gotten a lot better.

1. The way to become great at anything is to just start doing it.  Depending on what it is, find a safe place to start creating the kind of work you are interested in.  To me that means a place no one is watching/listening.  Want to learn to juggle?  Buy some juggling balls and practice at home.  Want to play an instrument?  Get one and just start playing it.
2. The second thing you have to do is start simple.  Unless you are the next Mozart, get a beginner’s book and learn the fundamentals.  We tend to disillusion ourselves from someone who is great at something we want to do, as if they didn’t start out exactly where we are now.  Build on small accomplishments.  In other words, baby steps.
3. Lastly, stay focused.  For me, I realized that my pragmatism was keeping me from staying focused and more importantly, enjoying the journey.  “Taking up a new hobby” is a lot safer and more practical than “changing your entire life and career path”.  Also, don’t let failures stop you.  I now know anyone who has been successful at anything had to overcome failure at some point in their life.

Don’t just be a consumer, be a creator!  The world needs your art.