It’s been a while since I shared a song. This one  is called “Peace”. 

I posted the video on Facebook and Instagram first. My Mom asked me, “[Do] you really feel like you’re losing control?”

The thing about “being from the 1900’s” ( hah, hah ) is that I have 50 years of anxieties and trauma to pick from. Although my days of teenage angst, rebellion, and that weird reoccurring nightmare of not being able to find my classes are far behind me, I can still draw from those experiences.

This song is actually about sitting in the computer lab at UCSD, confused, frustrated, and pounding my fist in anger while everyone else seemingly just “got” it. I never felt like I belonged there and ended up dropping out after a couple of years.

So, there it is. 

I probably shouldn’t have shared that. 

Just like one should never have explain the punchline of a joke, songs ( I feel ) should be left up to interpretation. You might get something entirely different out of it if I never explained the premise – even though I wrote and sang it. That’s art I guess….

Now it’s your turn.

Live life. Stay healthy. Go make some art.

-Scotti

P.S. I did eventually graduate – just not from UCSD. It took a transfer to USD and the help of some really good friends.

#singersongwriter #ranchobernardo #drawnandcoded

This song is called “Mixed Tape”. 

I wrote the lyrics a while ago but wasn’t convinced they’d work as a song seeing as how cassettes died out when recordable CDs became popular – followed by iPods, Spotify, and ( wow ) I’m feeling old here…

It took some indirect “encouragement” from my daughter for me to move forward.

“Hey, Ash”, I asked, “Do you know what a ‘Mix Tape’ is?”

“Yeah, but my friends just exchange playlists now”, she replied.

“Like – on Spotify?”,  I asked.

“Yeah”, she replied.

Okay, so – not entirely the same thing, but at least “mixtape” is in the teenage vernacular.

Thing is?

I used to love mixtapes. 

There was something so personal and endearing about someone spending time to record a tape ( often from the radio ), decorating it with sharpies and ballpoint pens, and giving it away as a token of their friendship. Those songs offered a glimpse of “who” someone was, too.

I feel like it’s a lost art – one of the many things that got pushed to the wayside in the rush to modernize and optimize everything. A Spotify playlist is way more convenient, sure, but it just isn’t the same…

I hope you like the song.

Live life. Stay healthy. Go make something cool.

-Scott

#singersongwriter #drawnandcoded #therubberband #ranchobernardo #mixtape

This song is called, “Super”.

Songs are getting a little easier to write at this point. I credit my friends and family ( you know who you are ) for giving me the confidence to put this stuff up here. It’s not easy – and I don’t just mean the strumming and singing ( although that ain’t easy, either ).

It was inspired by a friend of mine that takes a little too much on. I don’t think she’d have it any other way, though. Per the last line in the song : Even heroes need heroes sometimes.

I’m trying to get the courage to start going to open mics. I’ve been playing at a few parks and the food courts at a couple of campuses where I work, but there is something terrifying about having all eyes on me. When playing with the Rubber Band the attention is shared between the six of us. And, when I play at parks and stuff, people rarely stop and listen – it’s casual. At open mics it’s just me. And that’s scary.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the song. I have more I’m working on and I’m trying to get some collaborators, too.

Till next time!

Live life. Stay healthy. Create something!

-Scott

#singersongwriter #drawnandcoded #thewestwoodrubberband