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#370134 10/15/16 08:36 AM
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This is my pessimistic answer to Josie’s Music City optimism. ( which I really love-both the optimism and the song ) Over the years I came to realize that some of the best pickers and singers in the world are happy to sit on the front porch. Then there’s those that chase money and fame. After playing on many demos for young singers I became a little jaded about the commercial record biz. There is a lot of disappointment and heartache for those that choose that path, maybe making it all the more sweet for those few that succeed. I’ve heard it said that a pessimist is just an optimist with experience. smile Just an observation put to song. I hope you like it. Tom



RealTracks in song: 2045:Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment CountryPopJohn Ev 085 Held
RealTracks in song: ~409:Fiddle, Background George Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 2038:Guitar, Resonator, Soloist CountryRob Ev 085
Royalty Free Loops, Multitrack Instrument and Song Files and Multitrack Drums from Drums on Demand

Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Tom Adams



https://soundcloud.com/tommyad/what-It-seems


http://tommyadamsmusic.com/music


http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13467024




What It Seems


Hope she got the message I left it on her phone

I don't know where she’s coming from

but I've got a good idea where she's going



silver on her fingers diamonds in her eyes

Strumming Grandad’s Gibson alone on center stage

before she’s even born she dies


Playing a game impossible to win

Another dreamer chasing down the dream

So very hard to tell her she doesn’t seem to know

Nashville’s not at all what it seems


Music’s in her family
she sings a real good tune
a thousand other girls ahead of her in line
she’s gonna find that out real soon


Playing a game impossible to win

Another dreamer chasing down the dream

So very hard to tell her she doesn’t seem to know

Nashville’s not at all what it seems


Playing a game impossible to win

Another dreamer chasing down the dream

So very hard to tell her she doesn’t seem to know

Nashville’s not at all what it seems


Hope she got the message I left it on her phone

©2016 Thomas Adams

tommyad #370142 10/15/16 10:03 AM
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Hi Thomas,

A great tune. I really enjoyed listening to it. Your experience and observations of the industry are poetically expressed here; a reality to the flip side of the creative coin. Thanks for sharing.

Pauline
PG Music Team

tommyad #370147 10/15/16 11:30 AM
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Hey man,

First off, very bittersweet song. Beautiful as always, and a little different for you.

I wrote a column on this subject that is in the off topic area called "Nashville Off the Record" or something like that which was culled from talks with a lot of pros on what really goes on there.

This song is very poignant and addresses a theme many aspiring writers think about every day.

At the end of the day, I think you just keep writing because you love it, and if you only touch one heart you have done your job really. But this is coming from a person who could not watch a single episode of the original American Idol. Couldn't stomach it. Music is not about all that, to me. It is sad that people get their hearts broken, but the good news is the Internet is kinda changing the rules.

It is possible to post a song on Soundcloud written in BIAB that gets listened to on the other side of the world, and somebody can write back and say that uplifted me.

That is pretty awesome to me.

OK, I am rambling. Very touching song.




tommyad #370182 10/15/16 03:14 PM
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Tom what a great perspective put to song! It appears to me that theatrics and make up have taken over for musicianship in many cases.

But your song is a case for musicianship. Super vocal and mix, as always from you. I really liked the lyrics.

This is a keeper.


Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.

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tommyad #370191 10/15/16 04:17 PM
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Tom,

Great intro ( your guitar playing throughout is crystal clear),
to another fine song.
Bittersweet is right - glad you kept your own music alive and Nashville-free!
For me this is one of your best.

Robert

tommyad #370210 10/15/16 09:53 PM
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Tom,,
beautifully put, musically and vocally.
I can relate to the feeling in this song as I have a drawer full of rejection letters frown from the 70's and 80's.

It needed 3 plays, one didn't do the song justice.

This is the quality of song I expect from you, Tom, as you set the bar yet again higher.

wonderful,

Alyn

Last edited by gibson; 10/15/16 09:54 PM. Reason: played it a 3rd time :>)
tommyad #370217 10/15/16 11:17 PM
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Tom
Another excellent song insightful lyrics beautifully sung.
Lovely guitar playing and the acoustic sound is immaculate.

Peter

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Originally Posted By: Pauline - PG Music
Hi Thomas,

A great tune. I really enjoyed listening to it. Your experience and observations of the industry are poetically expressed here; a reality to the flip side of the creative coin. Thanks for sharing.

Pauline
PG Music Team
Thanks Pauline, I'm glad you took the time to come by and listen. Tom
Originally Posted By: David Snyder
Hey man,

First off, very bittersweet song. Beautiful as always, and a little different for you.

I wrote a column on this subject that is in the off topic area called "Nashville Off the Record" or something like that which was culled from talks with a lot of pros on what really goes on there.

This song is very poignant and addresses a theme many aspiring writers think about every day.

At the end of the day, I think you just keep writing because you love it, and if you only touch one heart you have done your job really. But this is coming from a person who could not watch a single episode of the original American Idol. Couldn't stomach it. Music is not about all that, to me. It is sad that people get their hearts broken, but the good news is the Internet is kinda changing the rules.

It is possible to post a song on Soundcloud written in BIAB that gets listened to on the other side of the world, and somebody can write back and say that uplifted me.

That is pretty awesome to me.

OK, I am rambling. Very touching song.



David, I read your piece. A very interesting read and well put together. You are a man of many talents. Thanks for the listen. Tom

tommyad #370247 10/16/16 04:48 AM
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Cool tune Tom. Heartfelt lyric


Scott Collingwood
https://soundcloud.com/scottt709
https://soundcloud.com/spiritlevel-ca
https://www.youtube.com/@SpiritLevel-ge3hm/
tommyad #370250 10/16/16 05:10 AM
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Tom,

Enjoyed this a lot. A well written, beautiful and honest study of the music biz.
Great production, vocals and sweet guitar completes what must be one of your finest.

Top notch.

Rec


BIAB 2022 UltraPAK, CbB, Studio One 5 Pro, Fender USA Tele, Harley Benton Fusion & others.
tommyad #370307 10/16/16 05:34 PM
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Very bittersweet Tom. Great sound.

Forgive me, this is long but I want to respond to the responses of your theme.

One of my first summer jobs was working at a record company - indie label on 17th Ave (now known as Music Circle S.) on Music Row. The building is gone and something else is there. I met a lot of dreamers who'd empty their bank account for a shot. And I heard a lot of great music and some were making a living pulling up in the bus. So yeah, it's always been hard.

Years later we were having a picking party at our apartment and it was packed with people including a young guy a friend brought who'd just hit town. We were taking turns around the room - his eyes got big and the color drained from his face so I asked him was he okay. He mumbled something like - EVERYBODY here sings. So yeah, it's always been that way.

But the friend who told me how to write a song when I knew nothing got an album deal on a major label for a pop/rock group. At that time in Nashville it was almost unheard of - you were supposed to go to LA. And the group only had one album but they had a grand time and he loved it. So it's a matter of looking at the glass half empty or half full before we get too sad here.

What I'd say to young people is remember Garth Brooks who broke all country sales records had to make two trips. He went home the first time to regroup and his mama had connections. He came back and found that magic combination of luck and time. 99.9% of people won't find that but they for sure won't if they don't try. It's a lot like sports - not everybody is going to the NFL or going to get a super bowl ring or make the Olympic team. People still try and why not...

I never got the big cut and hit I wanted but I sure enjoyed the ride and every success I did have and all the great people I got to work with and meet over the course of my time involved in it. smile

tommyad #370335 10/17/16 02:42 AM
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Good song. Well written.

Truth in those lyrics. The majority of people who go there hoping to make it, don't. Singers, bands and songwriters.

A few friends from bands back in the day went there with the goal of getting a gig in a traveling band backing a big name singer. These were some of the best players in our town. We figured the next time we saw them , it'd be at the nearest concert and maybe we could get some backstage passes. A few weeks went by, then a few more. One day, they show back up in town looking to put another club band together. Seems the stories they had to tell were all about cats with amazing voices and unbelievable guitar skills setting on street corners and in little hole in the wall honky-tonks playing for tips and spare change. Heck, our drummer at one time, heard about a country artist looking to put a band together, took off....went to try out for the band. He was gone for 3 days and came back tail tucked. We had started looking for a new drummer but the consensus was any of us would have done the same thing for the opportunity provided..... so we took the easy way out and took him back into the band.

I've been there as well. And it's pretty intimidating to see the skill levels of some of the guys and gals playing and singing and hoping to make it in the biz, knowing there's not room at the top for everyone. In fact, only for a few fortunate, well connected, and often very hard working folks, and a bit of luck.... being in the right place at the right time certainly helps.


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
tommyad #370341 10/17/16 04:16 AM
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Wow. This is lovely, Mr. A. Especially like your acoustic picking.



Regards,

Bob

tommyad #370345 10/17/16 05:26 AM
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That was an interesting little side trip for me, going to Tommy Adam's Soundcloud and giving it a listen. After expressing my admiration for his music, I did have a couple of thoughts.I also liked "Waterline".
Those thoughts can go either expressed or unexpressed. Let me say, lately, my perspective has been shaped by the digital revolution. Also, I have "gone Christian."
1) Nashville heyday, to borrow a phrase from Murder on Music Row, about "drinkin and cheatin' songs." The pathos was internal, the medium was the jukebox.
2) Today, a new introspection has breached the horizon.
Whereas before, it would have been suicide (figuratively) to "up the organization," today it is being done, and done all over the place. Hangovers have been replaced by investigative journalists and alt-news sites.
3) The lead singer of tne of the top 80's and 90's girl groups blew the whistle on the label after cashing out and being handed the measly proceeds of a decade's dominance as one of radio's most played artists. The settlement gave new meaning to "after deductions.."
4) Then, someone else quipped, "Commercial music is going out of business in the worst possible way, banging their heads on every step, on the way down." Wish I had said that.

Incidentally, my experience with those cats in Nashville was nothing but good. I never had conflicts with art and business.
Found the "real" people very friendly, not cut throat, and very
aware of the problems true artists face in the world, since most of them were true artists, in my opinion. They drank a bit.

Last edited by edshaw; 10/17/16 08:40 AM.

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edshaw #370385 10/17/16 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted By: edshaw
They drank a bit.



Who doesn't? More or less....


You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
tommyad #370404 10/17/16 01:05 PM
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Tom,

Solid. A story well told. Simply stated with much detailed packed in, eliciting emotions without forcing that - and pulling out a bunch of stories from your listeners, to boot... seems like everyone's got one... I'm pretty sure you have more than we'll ever get to hear... but keep 'em comin'!

Crisp mix - excellent production. Your vocal delivery is becoming a real signature sound.

Enjoyable as they come.

fj

Robertkc #370418 10/17/16 03:40 PM
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Originally Posted By: MarioD
Tom what a great perspective put to song! It appears to me that theatrics and make up have taken over for musicianship in many cases.

But your song is a case for musicianship. Super vocal and mix, as always from you. I really liked the lyrics.

This is a keeper.
Mario, Glad you liked it. Thanks, Tom
Originally Posted By: Robertkc
Tom,

Great intro ( your guitar playing throughout is crystal clear),
to another fine song.
Bittersweet is right - glad you kept your own music alive and Nashville-free!
For me this is one of your best.

Robert
Robert, if Nashville ever came knocking for one of my tunes, l wouldn't have a problem. smile There are three acoustic tracks here only one of which is me. Thanks for listening. Tom

Last edited by tommyad; 10/17/16 03:42 PM.
tommyad #370459 10/18/16 04:27 AM
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Tom, that song immediately makes it to the top the list for songs of that subject. You said it all in a gentle and less bitter manner than many writes about this subject.

Janice and I listen to Americana playlists everyday and this tune would have a fine fit there. Particularly given that the music scene in N'ville has expanded way beyond whatever passes for country now days.

And IMHO for those here who may have an interest in better mixing of acoustic oriented projects this should be a reference song.

And your vocal performance absolutely nailed the emotion of the lyric.

Kudos!!

J&B

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Originally Posted By: floyd jane
Tom,

Solid. A story well told. Simply stated with much detailed packed in, eliciting emotions without forcing that - and pulling out a bunch of stories from your listeners, to boot... seems like everyone's got one... I'm pretty sure you have more than we'll ever get to hear... but keep 'em comin'!

Crisp mix - excellent production. Your vocal delivery is becoming a real signature sound.

Enjoyable as they come.

fj


I agree. Very nicely put together in every sense. You have such a knack for getting a guitar groove that instantly says "listen to this" and the ability to follow it with a song that made you glad you did. Another great tune!! Take care. Greg

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Originally Posted By: Pauline - PG Music
Hi Thomas,

A great tune. I really enjoyed listening to it. Your experience and observations of the industry are poetically expressed here; a reality to the flip side of the creative coin. Thanks for sharing.

Pauline
PG Music Team


We definitely agree! And we would like to add that once again you've created a very professional recording with beautiful guitar work and vocals.

Rob & Anne-Marie


We are Rob Meulman and Anne-Marie Bovenkamp from The Netherlands.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1gsdNLE7_Gy8qavoOplQow/videos
http://rnam.net/


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