JUSTIN KLUMP

“You like wine, I take my whiskey neat. There’s no need to rush, these are sipping...

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:58:54 -0500

“You like wine, I take my whiskey neat.
There’s no need to rush, these are sipping drinks.
We’ve got a warm night of summer ahead,
and nowhere to be.”

Days turn into years,
let’s slow life down.”

// New Album Coming Soon

Trust your instincts. If you don’t, no one else will either.

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:20:00 -0500

Trust your instincts. If you don’t, no one else will either.

Another Day in the Studio

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:29:22 -0500

We need more lovers & dreamers,
we need impossible believers,
there’s a space where only you belong.

It was a great day in the studio. We finished up lead vocals on four of the songs, and BGV’s on two. If all goes to plan, we’ll finish tracking tomorrow. I can’t wait for you to hear these songs!

Justin

You are a songwriter. Write songs. Read. Live. Take the world in. Write. You are an artist. Create....

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 11:37:00 -0600

You are a songwriter.

Write songs. Read. Live. Take the world in. Write.

You are an artist.

Create. Give the world something that is original. There is a void where you fit in. Spend time finding and cultivating it.

You are a business owner.

Make smart, intentional business and financial decisions that will grow your career. This is a job, not a hobby.

You are capable.

Work hard to build your career independent of anyone, or anything you might think you need. You don’t need them, or it. What you need is belief in yourself and what you’re doing. Keep working. Every day.

You are a student.

Learn from everyone, and everything. You have not arrived. In fact, you will never arrive. Commit yourself to practice, diligence, patience and perspiration.

You are a performer.

Perform. Often.

You are a musician.

Study. Listen. Practice. Play. Study. Listen. Practice. Play. Study. Listen. Practice. Play. Study. Listen Practice. Play.

With art, you don’t have perfection; you have options.

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:05:22 -0600

With art, you don’t have perfection; you have options.

The Secret to Great Writing

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:15:52 -0600

I’ve been working on a song this afternoon. For the last two hours, I’ve successfully found multiple distractions for myself. I’ve recently shut off my phone and closed down Facebook, but I’m still managing to pull away from writing. I’ve yet to tweet, however.

I have many business related tasks that I need to complete. So, I’ve turned to email too.

And, now, I’ve turned to blogging. But, I need to focus on my song.

The secret to great writing is to write. This is what I’ve learned from people who are much smarter, and much better communicators than I am. Even if I don’t complete the song, the rule still applies. Write. We learn through free-writing, analyzing and re-writing. Through feedback from others. And, through learning to be objective - all the while staying as connected as possible so we don’t lose the heart in what we’ve crafted.

I can think about lyric, about the melody and the changes all day, but, I need to put my pen to the paper and write.

The secret to great writing is this: keep writing.

Sticks & Stones Album Commentary

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:07:27 -0600

I did a commentary on Sticks & Stones for a music blog, and wanted to share it with you here.

The audio & transcript are below. I hope you enjoy!

Justin

[TRANSCRIPT]

Sticks & Stones
Sticks & Stones was the last song I wrote for the album. And, it took the shortest amount of time for me to write. I wrote an initial draft of the lyric in late May, and I think I just did one revision the next day. I recorded a demo of it that same day, and I don’t think I touched the writing again after that, after listening to it a bunch of times.

I wrote this one about how there are times in life where things are really good, and other times where things aren’t so good … a lot of times where I just feel like I’m just going through motions, caught up in the day to day, and I don’t really see an end. And, other times, I’m feeling really good about how things are going.

I wrote it because when times are bad I always know that I need other people in my life. But, when it’s good, I usually forget that. I wrote it to remind myself that regardless whether life is good, or bad, I need people that are in my life that love and support me, support what I’m doing, and can encourage me and help me through those ups and downs. And, I’m learning that just as much as I need them, they need me to be there for them too.

Sweet Chariot
I wrote Sweet Chariot in two parts. I wrote the three verses back in November of 2011. I quickly put together a demo of it and listened to it, and started playing it live just the way it was with the 3 verses.

When I started narrowing songs down for the album, I was listening to the demo, and I wanted a lyric that bridged the first two verses to the last verse. And, I wanted a musical build as well, so I wrote the falsetto melody to contrast with the mid-range melody and descending harmony in the verses.

I wrote the bridge in May of this year.

I have a good friend whose favorite song on the album is this one, and he said that it’s, in his mind, the most poetic song on the album. And, with poetic songs, he thinks it’s best to let the listener decide what it means for them. So, I’m going to leave this one for you to settle on your own interpretation. If you want to know why I wrote it, I’m sure it’ll come out sometime in concert. So, come out and see a show.

Time to Leave
I wrote Time to Leave in April of 2012. For a while, I had been struggling with feeling like life was standing still, and I really wanted something to move forward. I wanted more opportunity with music, and a change of scenery, and just felt a really strong pull towards Nashville.

I was born and raised in Vancouver, WA, and I had lived in the northwest for my entire life. So, I was pretty scared to move, but really felt that it was time to get out of my comfort zone.

This song was written about stepping out on a new adventure, and anticipating everything that awaited me on that journey.

Bandages
Bandages, was the song I struggled with most to produce and arrange. I arranged it much bigger, initially. When I went to mix, I realized that the instruments were way too heavy, and there was too much going on. So, I fought with it for a couple days, got rid of tracks and re-recorded some. After a few days, I got it to sit where I wanted it to sit. But, it almost didn’t make the album. I almost gave up and threw it out.

The song is about taking time to heal from the things in life that have hurt us, rather than just covering them up quickly and trying to forget about them.

It’s easy for me to want to just ignore things or people that have hurt me, but I’m learning it’s better to take the time to deal with the issues when they’re right there in front of me. And, if I don’t, they’ll just come up again later.

Come to the River
Come to the River was the first song I wrote for the album. I wrote it in May of 2011, and I started playing it out pretty quickly after that. In February of this year, I rewrote most of the lyric because I wanted to make it more conversational.

In August of 2011, I released a live performance video on YouTube that has the original lyric. So, if you want to check that out, you can google “Come to the River” on YouTube. But, in my opinion, the new lyric tells a much better story.

I wrote Come to the River after I watched a close friend of mine who was pretty unhappy with life for quite a while. I wanted to help, but wasn’t really sure how to. So, the line in the second verse that says, “ stop telling me you’re fine”, speaks to the tendency that we have sometimes just to reply with “fine” when people ask us how we’re doing.

I think we gloss over what’s really going on inside of us, and I don’t think it’s really doing our relationships any good.

Sticks & Stones is available at JustinKlump.com & iTunes

Thank you

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 15:51:05 -0600

We released Sticks & Stones on Tuesday, and I want to thank you for making its release a wonderful success! Not only did we reach our goal of having 1 song make the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts for 1 day, we had the entire album debut at #9! You made this possible by downloading Sticks & Stones, sharing and spreading the word about the album, and encouraging your friends, families and co-workers to do the same. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

In a time where resources are limited, and new music is vast, I want to thank you for choosing to support my career.

I look forward to continuing the journey with you!

Blessings,
Justin

1 Day. 1 Song. 1 Goal.

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:21:59 -0500

My new album will be released Tuesday, November 13th, and I want you to be a part of it. After all, going after a goal is more fun with company. Together, let’s get 1 song into the iTunes Singer/Songwriter charts for 1 day!

To help us get there, I’m asking you to download the title track, Sticks & Stones, from iTunes on Tuesday, November 13th.

1 Day.
1 Song.
1 Goal.

Here’s how to get involved today & get free music now:

1. Set up a reminder to download the title track, Sticks & Stones, from iTunes on November 13th.
2. Download my “Sticks & Stones 2-Song Sampler” for free at http://justinklump.com.
3. Share the “Sticks & Stones 2-Song Sampler” with anyone and everyone.
4. Join the Facebook event at on.fb.me/RTyBtd

See you November 13th,

Justin Klump

“On safer shores, we ask if it’s worth the fight, But in different lands, the thief...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 11:02:24 -0500

“On safer shores, we ask if it’s worth the fight,
But in different lands, the thief comes in the night.”

Soundcheck at Alberta Rose Theatre. Opening for Tyrone Wells,...

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 19:19:14 -0500

Soundcheck at Alberta Rose Theatre. Opening for Tyrone Wells, starting at 7. Still a few tix left - come on down! (Taken with Instagram)

"Music: It's in your head, changing your brain" by Elizabeth Landau, CNN

Tue, 29 May 2012 12:22:41 -0500

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

When you can’t get a song out of your head, it means neural circuits are stuck in a loop
Music, like sex, drugs and food, release the brain chemical dopamine
People tend to agree on the emotions they hear in music
Victor Wooten, a famous bassist, approaches music as a language

(CNN) — Michael Jackson was on to something when he sang that “A-B-C” is “simple as ‘Do Re Mi.’” Music helps kids remember basic facts such as the order of letters in the alphabet, partly because songs tap into fundamental systems in our brains that are sensitive to melody and beat.

That’s not all: when you play music, you are exercising your brain in a unique way.

“I think there’s enough evidence to say that musical experience, musical exposure, musical training, all of those things change your brain,” says Dr. Charles Limb, associate professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins University. “It allows you to think in a way that you used to not think, and it also trains a lot of other cognitive facilities that have nothing to do with music.”

The connection between music and the brain is the subject of a symposium at the Association for Psychological Science conferencein Chicago this weekend, featuring prominent scientists and Grammy-winning bassist Victor Wooten. They will discuss the remarkable ways our brains enable us to appreciate, remember and play music, and how we can harness those abilities in new ways.

(Continue Reading…) http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/26/health/mental-health/music-brain-science/index.html

Show Up

Wed, 16 May 2012 11:16:42 -0500

At least half of writing is just showing up, sitting down and staying focused.

The Pines, Hood River, OR

Fri, 04 May 2012 23:42:00 -0500

I am sitting at the Big Horse Brewery waiting for my dinner. I just finished performing at The Pines in Hood River, OR.

I feel great.

After spending so much time in my studio writing and recording, I had almost forgotten how much I love performing live. Meeting new friends, and sharing music is better than playing alone in a room. Seeing old friends was a highlight too. Thanks to everyone who came out.

I had a few takeaways from tonight:

- Be grateful. Smile.

- Pour your heart into every song. Even if it’s an old one, there are a lot of people who have never heard it.

- Keep your eyes open. You’re sharing your music.

- Trust what you write.

Dinner just arrived.

Thanks for reading,
Justin

It's Too Noisy

Wed, 02 May 2012 18:27:31 -0500

“Marketing is not a substitute for a great product that people love. In fact, a great product that people love will market itself, and any noise you make beyond that just supports the growth naturally…we all need to chill out until we have a product that deserves praise.”
Tara Hunt, CEO of Buyosphere

Lefsetz on Kickstarter

Tue, 01 May 2012 11:17:09 -0500

“Musicians are using Kickstarter the wrong way. They’re focusing on themselves instead of their fans. Most are asking for funds to record albums. Their pitch is give me this money because I’ve been screwed by the system and can’t get enough to record properly.

No wonder so many music-focused Kickstarter projects fail. No wonder those that succeed have so few backers.

How do you create something that people truly want to own? How do you refocus your pitch from yourself to your customers?

Kickstarter has a role for beginners, but its true use is for those who are already established.”

- Bob Lefsetz

Read more at http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/

Fearless Writing

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:09:34 -0500

“We write frankly and fearlessly, but then we “modify” before we print.”
- Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

I worked up an acoustic version of my song, “A Song for...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:30:34 -0500

I worked up an acoustic version of my song, “A Song for You”, from my album, Thousand Mile Dream. I’d love for you to take a listen & let me know what you think!

Download it below for free & share as you like.

Hope all you Northwestern’ers are enjoying the sunshine!

Justin

Guitar Playing 101

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:13:54 -0500

Guitar Playing 101

Unfinished work

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:01:09 -0500

I was driving home yesterday after having coffee with a good friend. It was just after 11am, and it was pouring down rain.

I usually get bummed out by the rain, and the dark skies that follow the clouds. When that happens, I wish I lived somewhere that had more sun. Hawaii, or maybe California.

Yesterday though, I was thankful for it. The rain was peaceful.

I was glad to have to use my windshield wipers to see the stretch of highway in front of me. The huge drops of water provided the perfect setting for what I was feeling.

I wanted to write.

I wrote a little yesterday. But, I wasn’t happy with what I was writing, so I stopped.

John Mayer, while speaking at Berklee, said this:

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to write bad songs. There’s a lot of people who don’t want to finish songs because they don’t think they’re any good. Well they’re not good enough. Write it! I want you to write me the worst songs you could possible write me because you won’t write bad songs. You’re thinking they’re bad so you don’t have to finish it. That’s what I really think it is. Well it’s all right. Well, how do you know? It’s not done!”

Mayer’s words here are a good reminder for me… Don’t judge something until you’re done.

Keep putting the work in…

Finish…

Then decide.