Timing and Expectation

 

I choose the title, Timing and Expectation, for my 5th studio album, long before I had written all of the songs. Even though we often have no control over "timing," when reflecting on my life, it always occurs to me that the timing of an event has a significant bearing on the result. The degree of pleasure or pain that you experience from even the most trivial events can be affected by their timing along your life’s pathway. “Expectation” because keeping your expectations in check is one of most difficult and important life skills I have ever had to learn.

 

I kept a copy of the album cover on my music stand to motivate and inspire me during this two year recording project. Timing and Expectation is a collection of thirteen of my original folk-roots songs.

I continue to enjoy writing a travellers tale, and four of the songs are inspired while riding the open road on my motorcycle: Eighty-seven Years, Wilcannia My Darling, Travelling Man and Where the Wind Blows Cold.

 

Falls of Thunder, Can I Dance? and Smoky Bar were inspired by some of the folks and places that have made an impression on me along life's way. My home town of Rockingham in Western Australia inspired Down to the Waterline.

 

Help Me Free My Mind turned up unexpectedly. It was important to include this song on the album as the more we talk about mental health the better the long term outcome will be for everyone.

It's 3am in Studio 453

I worked for hours with my trusted companion, affectionately named Harvey Korg (Korg Harvian 30 Digital Ensemble Piano) on the arrangements for the songs.

 

My vocal and acoustic guitar recordings were recorded in the early hours of the morning, when the town was quiet. All sound checks were completed the night before so we could begin recording with a minimum of fuss. On a given morning we would record either vocal or guitar. We would set the alarm for 1am. Guitar recordings would begin at 1:30am. Vocal recordings would begin at 2am, giving me an extra half an hour to warm up my voice. These early starts took their toll on us and after we had recorded the last track of the last song both me and my sound engineer were very pleased that the recording side of the project was complete.

 

We busied ourselves and created music videos for four of the songs. The music video for Eighty-seven Years was filmed at Porongurup, Western Australia. On Falls of Thunder I used super 8 footage of the falls, taken by my mum and dad. My role in the Down to the Waterline video was filmed on my home town beaches of Warnbro Sound and Mangles Bay. Help Me Free My Mind was filmed late one afternoon, in my front garden, during a covid lockdown.

 

One of my favourite places, on the beach at Warnbro Sound

I would like to say a special thank you to my sound engineer, and life partner, Steve Laws, for the hours spent in my studio, recording, mixing and mastering this album.

 

Sound bites and lyrics are available on my website. I hope you enjoy Timing and Expectation, the album is available for purchase or streaming on all of your favourite music apps; enjoy.

 

My recording studio is made up of the following components:

·       HP Envy 17” (Intel Core i7-4700mq processor, 16GB RAM and 1TB hard drive).

·       Cakewalk Sonar X3 DAW.

·       Roland Octa-Capture Audio Interface.

·       Rode NT2000 Microphone.

·       Adam F7 Studio Monitors.

Maton EM100C-808 Messiah

My journey to purchase a new guitar, to compliment my Maton EM225 Dreadnought, began two years ago. I am not a collector of guitars. Until 2021 only two acoustic guitars have ever lived in my house, my first guitar, a "learn to play" Yamaha, purchased in 1974, and my trusted friend, my Maton EM225 (1996).

Trying out the Messiah at Kosmic Sound.

Two years ago the pickup in my EM225 developed a ground hum which could not be fixed even by Perth's best technicians. I thought I was destined to buy another dreadnought as I am a dread kind a gal. Then a chance discussion with a technician at The Rock Inn in Mt Lawley suggested that maybe the old pickup could be replaced with a new, state of the art Maton AP5 Pro. After discussions with Maton in Melbourne I said "let's do it." The AP5 Pro has breathed new life into my EM225 and opened up the opportunity for me to purchase a "different sounding guitar" as my new best friend.

For a couple of years I looked around and played many guitars from all over the world, but I always came back to Maton. In January 2021 Kosmic Sound had a great selection of Maton guitars for me to try out. I sat down in their practice room for two hours playing one guitar and then another. I kept coming back to the EM100C-808 Messiah. I was enjoying the beautiful chime of this guitar, the high notes sounded like a harp whispering on the wind; a very different sound to my dreadnought - exactly what I was looking for. The next thing I knew I was at the checkout and my 808 was in her flight case ready for the drive home.

Nothing like getting out in the bush and playing a few tunes.

Double the fun.

To say I am thoroughly enjoying my 808 Messiah is an understatement. I can seamlessly change from the EM225 to the EM100C-808 as the neck profile feels identical. At the moment I have the EM225 in standard tuning and the 808 in Double Drop D. My 808 has arrived just in time as I am working on recording my fifth studio album, Timing and Expectation.

I have just recorded my first song with my new 808, Help Me Free My Mind. In recent years songwriters have been encouraged to write songs about mental health to help bring community awareness to this most sensitive and important subject. I recorded the Help Me Free My Mind “lockdown video,” just as the sun was slipping below the horizon.

Every time I lay eyes on the Messiah I smile a contented smile. I think of picking her up and writing a song with her all the time. I bought the right guitar and every time the flight case catches my eye I think "Have flight case, must travel;" watch this space.

New album - due for release in 2022

Falls of Thunder - Victoria Falls - Mosi-oa-Tunya

My journey with Falls of Thunder, my song about Victoria Falls, began while listening to the teachings of Aboriginal elder, George Walley, at George's song writing seminar in February 2020. Fremantle community choir, Walyalup Kannajil, organised the song writing sessions with George Walley, an award winning songwriter who operates MandjoogoordapDreaming ~ Mandurah Aboriginal Cultural Experience.

Even though I lived in Zambia and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) from the age of three, and crossed the border at Victoria Falls many times, I had never thought of writing a song about the falls. Listening to George's teachings, I searched my own spiritual journey for inspiration and "Victoria Falls" came to me at the end of our first song writing evening. In the early hours of the following morning, while the house was quiet and my partner was still sound asleep, the lyrics to Falls of Thunder came to me, as if by magic, and by sunrise my song was complete.

I will never forget the response when I sang Falls of Thunder at our next song writing session. From that moment, the idea was born to release Falls of Thunder as a single.

The cover artwork features a painting of Victoria Falls by Zambian artist G. Mottini. Through the years, while living in Luanshya, mum and dad bought several paintings from local artist Mr. Mottini. Every now and again he would come to the house, to present and sell his wares. Mum and Dad gave me this beautiful painting when they heard Falls of Thunder for the first time. The painting now has a prominent place in my lounge, and I enjoy the falls every day.

My mum and dad had the joy of filming our childhood holidays on super 8. Scouring the archives, I found some footage of Victoria Falls, taken during a family holiday in 1966. I used this footage in the Falls of Thunder music video.

The days seemed like they might turn from weeks to months while I worked on the arrangement, recording and the creation of the music video for Falls of Thunder. When the Corona Virus became a global pandemic, and I began to understand the seriousness of this terrible disease, I said to my partner "If I only get to do one more thing, I would like to finish this song." I worked harder and longer and on the 1st April 2020 I finally let go and released Falls of Thunder for worldwide distribution.

I hope you enjoy the Falls of Thunder song and video. Through the lyrics I hope to convey the deep spiritual connection I have with Africa, a connection I have carried with me my whole life. Falls of Thunder has given me the opportunity to express feelings and emotions that I have never previously included in a song. As with many of my songs, I feel like I am only the messenger.

Group therapy for song writers 

David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is believed to have been the first European to view Victoria Falls on the 16th November 1855. Livingstone named his sighting in honour of Queen Victoria, but the Lozi (Kololo) name, Mosi-oa-Tunya ~ "The Smoke That Thunders" ~ continues in common usage. Livingstone also cites older names, Seongo or Chongwe, which means "The Place of the Rainbow."

Falls of Thunder

Where do you come from Falls of Thunder?

Where must the rain fall so you can flow?

Through the changing smiles on both sides of the border,

May your mist rise, may your mist rise, may your mist rise and free us all.

Through the eyes of a child I came to your water,

To dance in the mist and watch the hippos play.

And the rainbows end shone deep in the valley,

And even a child's, even a child's, even a child's breath was swept away.

I remember the border, your humble existence,

You always had a smile for a child like me.

While we waited and wondered the mist rose from your river,

Until it was time, until it was time, until it was time to go home.

In December a picture as silent as the enemy,

No water, no wonder, no hippos at play.

I pray for the rain and the sound of your thunder,

Let no man take, let no man take, let no man take your spirit away.

Where do you come from Falls of Thunder?

Where must the rain fall so you can flow?

Through the changing smiles on both sides of the border

May your mist rise, may your mist rise, may your mist rise and free us all.

Copyright   Jane Laws 2020

Unauthorised copying, public performance, broadcasting, hiring or rental of this song prohibited.

Wings of Hope

Sometimes magic happens. A chance meeting with author, Wendy Campbell, turned into a wonderful song writing project for me. Wendy asked me if I could write a theme song for her autobiography On Aspiring.

The phrase Wings of Hope was mentioned just once in On Aspiring but I knew as soon as I read those words that Wings of Hope would become the title and the fundamental theme of the song.

On Aspiring is an honest and thought provoking read, detailing Wendy's own personal life struggles and achievements. Beautifully written, I found it easy to immerse myself within the pages and to write Wings of Hope. 

I placed the phrase "I am letting go, and holding on to the wings of hope." at the end of every verse. After writing Wings of Hope I've noticed that I remind myself about "letting go and holding onto hope" as I go through my daily life.

Wendy and Rob Campbell produced this music video of "Wings of Hope" using film from their climb to the summit of Mount Aspiring / Tititea.

Play Wings of Hope on Spotify or Youtube.

          

Wings of Hope

And I will keep on searching along the wings of hope,

Hearing only angels voices, fearing nothing in my way.

And I'll share with you my dreams, as my tears wash my pain away.

Along the wings of hope I fly today.

Where I am, it's not where I'm meant to be,

And this road I find me on isn't really me.

I must find a way, find a way to save me from myself.

I am letting go, and holding on to the wings of hope.

You may be the one who's taken all of my heart,

But the mountains and the stars have captured my soul.

I am drowning, drowning in a sea of fear and glory.

I am letting go, and holding on to the wings of hope.

I've learnt to trust the arms of a stranger,

I've known the summit glow, I've learnt to dare.

And in my prayers, I pray for strength and confidence.

I am letting go, and holding on to the wings of hope.

And I will keep on searching along the wings of hope,

Hearing only angels voices, fearing nothing in my way.

And I'll share with you my dreams, as my tears wash my pain away.

Along the wings of hope I fly today.

Copyright   Jane Laws  2020

Unauthorised copying, public performance, broadcasting, hiring or rental of this song prohibited.