Selecting Songs for my New CD project

I am now in the process of selecting which songs to include on my new CD project, so I thought I'd post my processing here as a part of my preparations. Here are my thoughts and a little bit of context and background on each song.

Possessed in Poses:
I wrote this song several years ago about an amazing woman I met at an artist retreat. The best summary I have is that she created her own art form of poses almost like a yoga asana that she would stand in and consult when she needed to tap into her internal wisdom. You can listen to a demo of Possessed in Poses here.

From a songwriting perspective once I figured out this chord progression the lyrics literally flowed out of me and for some reason I cannot fathom this is one song that I didn't need to memorize. It just showed up to me pre-memorized if that makes any sense. I'm not saying it is a complicated song, but I am struck every time I return to this song that I am able to recall this one easily.

I've sent this demo to my mixing engineer in preparations for starting the recording and got an interesting reaction. He was asking me what treatment I was looking for and said this could work really raw just guitar and vocal or might even be interesting as a rock trio. I am mentally heading toward a simple folk treatment, but told him it might be fun to do the rock trio version as a bonus song!

... OK that's a start... more to come!

My 3rd CD Project

It occurred to me as I'm launching into my 3rd CD project that I should take advantage of my blog.  I'll be posting the adventures of preparing my songs along with my experience of the whole process. Having said that I'll dive right in...

Before I start in with this current project, let's take a walk down memory lane...
My last recording project that culminated in my 2nd CD Jongleur wrapped up in 2008.
Here are some shots of Dan Feiszli, mixing engineer, amazing bass player and overall great guy. Here is a link to his studio website:
Dan's Studio website

I was also fortunate to have Dan bring in some wonderful session musicians, such as Alan Hall on drums. In this picture Alan was explaining to me how he figures out which snare to use. The choice of snare really adds specific color to any given drum kit. He's holding up a piccolo snare that he used for my song "Remember Who I Am" and telling me how it is nice for funk rhythms.

I had lots of great lessons during those recording sessions. I very much remember trying to get my lead sheets accurate and readable!

Finally, here's a shot of the ProTools session in what is now Dan's old studio!

April 29th, 2011 I said Goodbye to my male cat Bazil. He was a handsome guy, and good friend. I wrote a song to honor his passing and to help myself get through making such a horrible decision to say goodbye.

I have heard from many people that have also lost beloved pets - and shared tears and stories. My heart goes out to everyone in this situation.

Here are the lyrics, I hope to be posting a recording soon.


When You're Ready You'll Know
by Daniel Mandel

You can say goodbye
Don't say goodbye
You can say goodbye
Don't say goodbye
You can say goodbye

When you're ready you'll know
Lay your head down
Close your eyes
Set your worries free
The end of suffering
When you're ready you'll know

I am so, so sorry
For any times that I have let you down
Any times that I have done you wrong
Put you out in the rain

I can show you your food
Your water is good
But I cannot show you how to die
Or where you might go
What you might do
How it might be
What you may find
Could be nothing at all

I can no longer comfort you

You can say goodbye
Don't say goodbye
You can say goodbye
Don't say goodbye
You can say goodbye

When you're ready you'll know

A Promise for a Promise! Happy New Year 2011

I received a request for the lyrics to my song The Promise, from my 2nd CD Jongleur, and wanted to share this with everyone.

THE PROMISE

I kept the promise, at least to myself

I’m still a child in spite of myself

I always wanted to live life this way

to have this adventure, discover this place

Aren’t we in love?

Why don’t we just dance?

Why don’t we just fly?

When we get the chance?

What’s on the other side

That scares us half to death?

Aren’t we the love

That won’t allow itself?

You kept the promise, at least you’re still here

still with this child inside of this fear

You made your way along this same road

made this a place to call this your own

Here we are so why?

Why not take that chance?

To walk into the air

Have ourselves that dance

The ground is where we were

It’s Not so far to fall

Not so much to lose

Aren’t we love after all?

I'll Let You Go - SongVault listener's have voted!

It's been a while since my last entry. I guess I should learn to balance my communications and "marketing" better. The truth is I've really felt engaged by life and I've been very productive, so now I need to shift gears and tell you all about my activities!

First off - I just received an exciting announcement about my song, "I'll Let You Go". SongVault.fm is especially interesting to me because it is a very open and fair proposition. Anyone can enter and post songs that get played on the SongVault internet radio station and then listeners can vote on what they like! Not all of my songs have passed all four rounds and been permanently placed into rotation, but a few have and I'm so grateful for the opportunity. It's also a fascinating opportunity to get a glimpse and see what listener's consider worth voting for... or dare I say, "popular".

Although in terms of popularity I really resonate with a lyric from Bernie Taupin from Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirty Cowboy: "just someone his mother might know"...

Check out my artist page on SongVault.fm to listen to "I'll Let You Go" from my 2nd CD Jongleur. Take a listen and cast your vote for this song to promote it to the SongVault.fm radio station!

Stay tuned and I'll be sharing lots more about my band. We've got a FULL line up, conga, bass, keyboards, sax/flute and backing vocals. We're playing September 25th for the 1st time with this full line up at Sue's Coffee Roasting in Gilroy starting at 1:00 p.m.!

thanks for listening!

- Daniel

Asking for the Rain

... you'd think I'd be writing rain songs with all these rainy days! This is a song ASKING for the rain...

Here are the lyrics to a cowrite from a year ago with John Lansner called RAIN DANCE

I feel the earth beneath my system of tears
passed by a restless early bloom
walking circles around myself
Imagine the life of trees

Breathing the sunshine into my leaves
Watching the saplings pushing up from the seeds
Reaching my branches to grow where I need   
Grasping the earth, roots pull the life into me

I’m gonna RainDance ‘till the break of dawn  
Daring the sky to fall down

I feel the earth beneath my frozen fears
It seems the rain was NEVER here
walking circles around myself
Imagine the life of trees

Two hundred winters before I must sleep  
Back to the earth I pull my covers over me 

I’m gonna RainDance ‘till the break of dawn 
Daring the sky to fall down 
I’m gonna RainDance ‘till the break of dawn  
Daring the sky to fall down 
Daring the sky to fall down

Hide

I just received a notice from the website SongVault that my song Hide was placed in their SongVault Directory and on the play list on the SongVault Radio Network.

This is quite an accomplishment and something I am proud of, considering that this song has been up against hundreds of other songs and has taken several months in order to pass through all the tiered stations.

On SongVault the listeners vote and decide which songs are in or out and which songs ultimately move on to get a placement in the directory. This is my second song to make it into the directory. My 1st song was "Train My Heart" both from my Jongleur CD.

HIDE is a song that was born out of a simple observation. I was participating in a men's group. One night while sitting in a circle one of the guys in the group turned to me and asked me a simple question: "Are you hiding behind your humor?" As I recall it wasn't a particularly shaming question. In fact I think I had just thrown out a particularly funny comment. But his question stuck with me for a few years until I managed to figure out what I wanted to say in a song. So in many ways this is a song to myself to remind me to not hide. I found a surprise as I was writing this — that the opposite of hiding is love...

Give a listen to Hide.

HIDE

I hide from you

inside a conversation

these words I use

avoid a confrontation

I’m in plain view

but in this situation

my slight of tongue

just like a magician

If I act as Shame

If I think as Fear

If I live as doubt

would you still be here?

If I Live as love

If I am as love

If I act as Love?

I don’t reveal

my truthful aspect

because if you knew

then I might be suspect

I hide from you

behind a witty comment

I dodge your glance with a smile

to conceal me in this moment

If I act as Shame

If I think as Fear

If I live as doubt

would you still be here?

If I Live as love

If I am as love

If I act as Love?