Mark Shepard: A Life In Song

Posts Tagged ‘life in song’

Fly, Fly, Fly (version 4)  |  #324  |  11/11/02

I’ve seen a flock of geese fly on a windy night
Like Christmas lights across the moon
I’ve heard a mocking bird sing everything

in the world Except for his own tune
I’ve seen blank horizon fill with thunderclouds
Whirling in the August sky
The wind on my skin is the house I live in
Let me teach you how to fly

Refrain: Fly, fly, fly, fly, fly

If you want to see, well then, you’ve got to look
If you want to hear just listen
If you want to learn you’ve got to pay attention
Every failure gives a lesson
If you dare to be who you want to be
You will be judged by some
But if you stretch your wings and open up your heart
You just might reach the sun

Refrain:

There are so many things I want to learn
So many things I want to know
So many places that I want to see
That I’m packed and set to go
I choose you to be my traveling companions
Brothers, sisters, friends
We lift up today into a sky
That beckons to the end!

this is the fourth version of this song which started out as “Ride, Ride, Ride” and eventually graduated to flying…

please leave a comment below or share this with the buttons above.

Thanks for listening!

-Mark

Fly, Fly, Fly by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Fill in your e-mail address and get instant access to the entire Ocean of Dreams CD =====>

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Ocean Of Dreams | 5/28/08-6/22/08 | Song #382

Sometimes I feel so fragile
That the merest hint of a breeze
Could pick me up and scatter me
Across the ocean of dreams…

Sometimes I cannot find
The strength to smile
And I am filled with dis-ease
Then a look from you
Could shatter me
Across the ocean of dreams

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel like I’m made of glass
Sometimes I feel like I’m never gonna last
And I want to see you…one more time…before I go
Yes I want to see you…one more time…before I go

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

And then I remember
As I stumble through the shards
That I assemble myself
From my dreams
And I decide what they mean…
(and it lifts me up)

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel like I’m made of glass
And I was born To allow the light to pass
Right through me To illuminate your eyes
Let the light through me to illuminate the skies

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel so powerful
That I can smash right through
Any obstacle that blocks my way
Or obscures what is true…

Across the ocean of dreams (X3)

Sometimes I feel like I’m made of glass
And I was born to allow the love to pass
Right through me to illuminate your eyes
Let the love through me to illuminate the skies
Let the love through me to illuminate your eyes
Let the love through me to illuminate the skies

Across the ocean of dreams
(X3 high intensity, then 1x soft and low)

Commentary: This song brings to light a process of healing and transformation that epitomizes the NLP process. It starts with a frank acknowledgment of pain and struggle. Then, in the middle of the song the very image of fragility, feeling like glass gets turned on it’s head. Instead of it being about being fragile or brittle or broken it becomes a powerful thing. The ability to be transparent. Glass may be fragile but it also allows light to pass through it. So what starts out as a defeat, as a giving up song becomes a song of empowerment and victory. This song reminded me once again that the very writing process that songs emerge from is inherently healing for me. The next step ( the one that has eluded me for 30 years) is to share it congruently with other people who can get value and healing from listening or singing along.

Please share this song! You can e-mail it, or post it to social bookmarking sites or even embed it in your own blog with the little widget thingys at the top of the page.

To find out how you can get instant access to Ocean of Dreams as well as the 12 other songs I wrote in 2008 for free please register in the box at right ====>

Ocean of Dreams by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Saw some incredibly beautiful Roses the other day…reminded me of this song from my Eyes On The Horizon CD.

 

 Walk Through Roses: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When You Walk Through Roses |  2/9/2004 | Song # 336

When you walk through roses
Do you feel the thorns
Or do you see the blossoms
In spite of what you’ve torn?
Can you catch a glimpse of heaven
In a drop of dew?
Or your reflection
In the people around you?

Refrain:
We get what we focus on
So focus in on what you want
Focus in on me, focusing my love on you…

If you cried a river
Would it feel much better
Than if you laughed the ocean
And then chose to dive right in?
When you hear a jazz band
Do you hear the bass or the horns?
And if somebody asked you
Could you tell them why you were born?

Refrain:

If I wrapped my arms around you
Would you feel constrained
Or would you feel connected
And choose freely to remain?
If I then released you
And then danced away
Would you chose to feel abandoned
Or would you see it as a chance to play?

From my Eyes On The Horizon CD.

© Mark Shepard 2004-2009.

Walk Through Roses by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

I’ve been so busy with my Modern Jedi NLP On-Line/Hands-On Course that I neglected to let you know that I have a brand new CD out!

) Oya Moochka Hanna Hee Knee!

Here’s how to get it FREE!

It’s called Ocean of Dreams and it consists of every single song I wrote during 2008 in chronological order. It’s an all acoustic project so you can hear the songs in their raw, “un-produced” state recorded in pristine digital sound at Joe Menonna’s studio.

I’ve sneak released a few of the songs here on the blog in the past few months but if you want the whole thing and in much higher quality than what you can download here, you will want to get this now.

For a limited time it’s FREE. Yes. Free. 13 digitally mastered original songs instantly downloadable to your computer. fer nothin’. Nada. Zip. Zilch. FREE, FREE, FREE. (I think you get the idea huh?)

Soon though, I’ll be adding it to the the catalog at $20 postpaid. So get it now.

Here’s how it works.

Opt-in with the form below or to the right of this post and follow the instructions to confirm. You’ll get an e-mail with a special link, follow it and it will lead you to a special download page where you can preview each song and then right click to download to your hard drive….

1. Zoooooom!
2. It’s like an unexpected Birthday present.

Thanks again for caring enough about this music to give it a listen. I know you’ll love it. Everyone who’s heard it so far is raving about it. One of the first folks to get it said this:

I Just wanted to let you know that I have listened and think it is awesome!!! Sincerely, Maria

Your friend,

Mark

P.s.  the CD has been exquisitely mastered and sounds way better than your little computer speakers can handle so make sure you listen with the headphones.  Check out the title cut: Ocean of Dreams

Pete Seeger is the guy who I saw when I was 8 years old that inspired me to want to make music and tell stories in such a way as to leave the world a better place.

Check out this article about Pete Seeger’s 90th Birthday Tribute Concert

Here’s a song I wrote a while ago to the “Pete Seeger in my Mind”. I was at a place in life where it was incredibly painful to sing my songs in public. All I’d ever wanted to do since I was 8 years old was write and sing songs for people to enjoy. But getting people to actually listen to songs they had never heard before seemed increasingly daunting.

Pete Seeger is inspiring to us because he has lived and continues to live an authentic life in his own way.

I realized at the time of writing this song that I had to stop trying to be like Pete Seeger and start being authentically myself.That realization led me to set the whole music thing aside for awhile in order to do the challenging work on myself that eventually led me to study NLP…

I heard a great quote once: “God’s delays are not God’s denials.” So many years later my music is starting to be heard around the globe via the internet…

Heroes are wonderful. What’s even better is striving to become like them without abandoning our own uniqueness…My challenge to you today is become your own hero!

If you like the song please share it! – Mark

 

 All I Wanted by Mark Shepard: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

All I Wanted | 7/13/1991 | Song #162

The sudden realization strikes me with a start
I thought that I had courage, I thought that I had heart
I thought I was important, I thought I had control
I thought I had a purpose I thought I had a goal

But everything is ashes, dust and bones
I have no place to lay my head I have no place to call home
I am just a pilgrim, barely just a fool
I stumble when I walk and every day is like a day at school…

Refrain:
All I wanted, all I wanted
All I wanted was to be like you
All I wanted, all I wanted
All I wanted was to be like you
I turned out a lot like me…

I thought I was a prophet, I thought I was a seer
I thought that I had songs that maybe people would want to hear
But no one seemed to listen, no one seemed to care
It seems that to be noticed today you’ve got to walk around in your underwear!

Refrain:

Now I see I’m nothing, a speck out in the void
And you know? I feel much lighter and so very much less annoyed
Now I’m ready to move onward, I’m ready to be new
And most of all I’m ready to stop trying to be you!

Refrain

All I Wanted by Mark Shepard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Play the Song. Download it Free. Share it.

 

 Field of Dreams by Mark Shepard: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This song is from Thirsty For The Sky: Songs of Empowerment and Healing

Field of Dreams (Take A Ride With Me)  | 7/21/2002 | Song #320

When I was a young boy I dreamed a mighty dream
But I told it to the dream thieves and they laughed and called me “green”
They told me I should wake up to reality
They said that I had better take responsibility

So I got myself a good job I and went to school at night
I followed to the letter all their sound advice
I got a better job and then a bigger house and car
I had my benefits and a dozen credit cards

Refrain:
Take a ride with me, Take a ride and see
Take a ride with me, To your field of dreams

One night I could not sleep and so I went out for a walk
It seemed as if the moonlight and the stars began to talk
They whispered and they sang about my long forgotten dream
They told me I could live it. It was mine still to redeem

The moon said I should listen to that still small voice inside
Instead of to the dream thieves because the dream thieves have to lie
They have to steal from you ‘cause they’ve been robbed right to the bone
But if you dare to live your dream, they just might find their own

Refrain:

Bridge:
Why do you see the possibilities?
Why do you live a mighty dream lately?
Why do you listen to your own wisdom?
Why do you know to ask the right questions?

So if you are a young boy or a young girl in your heart
Now is the time to give that mighty dream of yours a start
If you come to a crossroads where you need to choose
Choose the “path with heart” and it will give you dancing shoes

Refrain:

Why do you see the possibilities?…

Tuning: EBBEBE

Copyright 2003-2009 by Mark Shepard. All Rights Reserved.

Commentary: All my life I’ve struggled with the conflict between what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be versus what I felt others wanted. I think that is a natural part of growing up. We are told so many things by well meaning parents, teachers, friends, society. We hear “You can’t always have what you want…” We hear, “Well how are you going to pay the bills?” We hear, “be sensible, be practical.”  We are told constantly to “settle”. So we do. Until it starts to fester inside. Many people get cancer. I’m taking a course with Dr. Bernie Siegel. In the first class he says one of his cancer patients said, “My mother’s words have been eating away at me…”

A few radically change their lives. They start living for themselves instead of for all these others. Healing occurs. We discover that when we are being true to ourselves, we have excess love and energy for others. When we try to be who we think others want us to be we stifle and start dying. We close up. We dry up.We get sick.

I ask myself every day, what would I do if I only had 6 months to live. Not always easy to answer or to live according to my truth.

I was put here to write and sing songs. I’m a storyteller. I’m a healer. But first and foremost I’m a songwriter. “Every one knows it’s impossible to make a living as a songwriter.” Particularly now. Bah, blah, blah, blah, blah

That’s fine. I’m going to do it anyway. What would you do if you could not fail? If you were guaranteed to succeed? That’s what you should be doing. Sometimes you will miss the mark. I would rather go for what I want and fall flat on my face than to be miserable thinking “if only I had….”

You are not getting any younger. As Bernie Siegel’s mom said to him everyday. “Do what makes you happy.”

May I ask you a favor?

If you got anything out of this song, I’m hoping you’ll do something for me:
Pass it along to someone else. E-mail the link. Download it to your computer. Burn it to a CD. Play it for a friend like you used to. Share with them how it made you feel. Ask them to listen to it. Maybe you can sing along to it together.

Maybe they need to hear this song today. Maybe you need to connect with someone you care about who you haven’t touched in a while. This is one way.

We (these songs and I) need you. We need your friends too.

A song does no good unless it is heard. Spread the word.

Thank you so much!

Thanks! – Mark

p.s this song can be found on my Thirsty For The Sky CD

p.p.s. Please leave comments or reviews below!

Here are some specific things you can do to help to preserve and share these songs that keep insisting on jumping out of my guitar…

Stage 1: Fan and Enthusiast

1. Go to any one of my song posts and download it by right clicking the little down load link just below the audio player. Put it on your mp3 player. Play it on your computer. Burn it to a cd and play it in your car. burn another copy for a friend. Attach it to an e-mail and send it to a friend who might need to hear whatever the message is in the song (ask them first cause the files can be a bit big).
2. If you like it come back for more or sign up for my weekly news letter or RSS feed. I upload a minimum of 1 song per week so there’s always something new happening. If you opt in I will also give you the option of providing me with your street address to which I will send you a free CD.
3. Share any post by clicking the little buttons at the bottom. With a click of a button you can post to your facebook page, or twitter or stumbleupon or digg etc.
4. If at any point you feel so moved, you can make a donation of any size with the handy donation button at the bottom of each post or in the right sidebar.
5. Wherever possible come to see me live in concert. Introduce yourself, Hang out a bit. Request a song. I’ll do my best to dedicate it and play if for you.

Stage 2  Song Sponsorship:
Here’s how you can help me and help your business or favorite cause (or just make your mark on the world).

Earth Sponsor:
You can sponsor the recording of one of my songs. This will preserve the tune in crisp clear digital sound. Just me and my guitar. No fancy production. Just raw and clear.  Participation Investment $100.00 per song.

You get:

1. Your name and website link listed with the song post (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
2. Every time I perform the song I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here”
3. You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
4. If you are local, and schedules permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person.

Please Note: Maureen Carney was the first “Earth Patron” She sponsored It’s A Beautiful Day

Wind Sponsor:
You can sponsor an entire year of the Life In Song Project (10-15 songs). When I go into the studio I can record several songs at each session. Again this is raw, acoustic Mark Shepard along the lines of Eyes On The Horizon or Ocean of Dreams. Investment: $1,000

You get:

1. Your name and website link listed with each of the songs posted (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
2. Every time I perform any the songs in this collection I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here”
3. You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
4. If you are local, and schedule’s permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person.
5. You will get the entire session on CD
6. You will get your name on the CD label
7. You will get a dozen CD’s to give away
8. A free house concert at your home. Invite your friends or just keep me to yourself for the evening. Please Note: Unless you want to fly me in to your city, or cover travel expenses, this benefit is for the local folks only within an hour or two drive from New Haven CT.

Fire Sponsor:
A number of my songs are crying out for other instruments and arrangements that will totally set fire to the raw material of the basic song. In order to produce a song I have to pay other musicians as well as 10-30 hours of studio time and arranging with my long time collaborator Joe Mennonna (at $100 per hour). So each produced song costs anywhere from $1,000-$3000 depending on the complexity of the arrangement. The benefit of producing a song is that it is much more accessible to a wider audience. So your sponsorship message can reach more. To see how this works compare the Youtube video of Motivation with some of my acoustic videos. At this writing, Motivation has had over 3,444 views just in the MarkShepardSongs channel since November of 2008. It’s also up in Kathy McAfee’s channel as well as on other video directories on the web. I just mentioned the song and Kathy McAfee on TV. Whenever I perform this song I talk about Kathy.

Watch the Video here to see what I’m talking about and imagine your name as patron/sponsor.

You get:

1. Your name and website link listed with each of the songs posted (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
2. Every time I perform any the songs in this collection I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here“
3. You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
4. If you are local, and schedule’s permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person and experience the entire process from start to finish.
5. You will get the entire session on CD
6. You will get your name on the CD label You will get 2 dozen CD’s to give away
7. You will get your name on the tee shirt along with the song lyrics.
8. You will get sponsorship mention in the music video The video will be uploaded to over a dozen of the leading video directories on the web. Where appropriate we can even work your photo or one of your favorite photos into the video. Possibly even a cameo appearance. Again, see the Motivation Video. I was able to work photos of Kathy McAfee and her two sons as well as a memorial picture of her brother into the video.
9. A free house concert at your home. Invite your friends or just keep me to yourself for the evening. Please Note: Unless you want to fly me in to your city, or cover travel expenses, this benefit is for the local folks only within an hour or two drive from New Haven CT.

This is obviously still in the formative stage so if you have any other ideas or suggestions on how you can help and how I can support your support please let me know.

Interested? Got Questions?

Please contact me at mark [at] MarkShepard.com or 203-495-8808

It’s official!

I am now the world’s record holder for the fastest songwriter!

I wrote a theme song for Fran Capo, The Guiness Book of World Records holder for Fastest Talking Female as well as Deepest Book signing and Highest book signing.

I talked to Fran for about a half an hour on the phone. About 30 minutes later I’d written her theme song, “Adventure Girl”. A few hours later I recorded it with my friend Joe Mennonna and it was on it’s way to being played on national radio. So in less than 24 hours it went from concept to creation to broadcast.

Even Fran was impressed. So she submitted my song to Record Holders Republic who officially recognized it just this past week! Check out my world record!

Co-incidentally (BTW there ARE no coincidences!) I will be taping an episode of Fran Capo’s new TV show tomorrow. I’ll let you know when it will be aired.

While I’m at the taping tuesday am 3/24/09, my friend Joe Mennonna will be on the View as part of Kevin Bacon’s band.  Without Joe’s being available for an instant recording session I wouldn’t be the fabulous world record holder that I am now ;o).

I want to thank Fran Capo, Joe Mennonna, all my fans, my mom and dad, my sister Lynn, my high school band teacher, Ernie Schefflein, my piano teacher Marcia Slater, my 4th grad teacher….

)

Here’s the song:

 

 Adventure Girl - Fran Capo theme song: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Adventure Girl – Fran Capo Theme Song 12/12/08 Song #390

Adventure girl
Explore your world
Live it fast
And make it last
Live it bright
And make it light
Adventure girl
Explore your world

Fast talking not afraid of walking
Or ashamed of asking questions
Living life relentlessly and
Open to the power of suggestion

Record breaking motivation concentration
Education passion
Rapid fire rhyming and you
Know that everything is in the timing

Adventure girl
Explore your world
Look alive
Get outside
Learn to climb
Learn to dive
Adventure girl
Explore your world

Inspiration, perspiration,
Guinness book of records domination
Collaboration, exploration
Burning hope for future generations

Fast talking not afraid of walking
Or ashamed of asking questions
Living life relentlessly and
Open to the power of suggestion

Adventure girl
Explore your world
Relentless love
To climb above
Relentless thirst
To be the first
Adventure girl
Explore your world

Persistence, persistence, persistence, persistence, persistence

© 2008 by Mark Shepard. All Rights Reserved. ASCAP
www.MarkShepardSongs.com

Click here to play the song. Right click the “Download” link to save to your computer free.

 

 Rose Colored Glasses by Mark Shepard: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

If you feel so moved, please use the donation link in the right side bar or at the bottom of this post. Proceeds from this site will be used to preserve and share the songs that have never been recorded. Thanks for listening!

Rose Colored Glasses | July, 6, 1993 | Song #190

I may look like a fool in my rose colored glasses
I may look like a fool in my rose colored shades
I may look like a fool but I don’t care
Cause I believe in the power of prayer
To pull me a miracle or two right out of thin air*

I know that the good times are gonna catch us
I know that the good times are gonna come and stay
I know that the good times are gonna catch us
Though today they seem slow as molasses
I know that the good times are gonna come and they’re gonna stay

Refrain:
The Sun is hot and mean this morning
It’s a hundred in the shade the radio’s warning
And I’m wishing for a breeze to blow a storm in through these trees
I’m wishing for, I’m wishing for a breeze…

I called you on the phone but you weren’t home today
I called you on the phone but your home and that’s okay
I called you on the phone to tell you why
I refuse to hang my head and cry
Called you on the phone and you weren’t today

Refrain:

I’m walking down a road that’s got no name and has not end
I’m walking down a road that’s got no name and has no end
I’m walking down a road that has no name
Just mountains, rivers, valleys and plains
Walking down a road that got no name and got no end

Refrain:

I may look like a fool in my rose colored glasses
I may look like a fool in my rose colored shades
I may look like a fool but I don’t care
Cause I believe in the power of prayer
To pull me a miracle or two right out of thin air*
To pull me a miracle or two right out of thin air
Gonna need a miracle or two or three right out of thin air…

*Alternate:
‘Cause I’m floatin’ on clouds of air
I know that someday soon I’m gonna have it made

Commentary:

I wrote this song at what was arguably the worst time of my life. I had bought 4 houses for “nothing down” at the top of the 1980’s real estate bubble. The “Bubble” subsequently burst and left me owing far more on the houses than they were worth. I made a living at that time as a Title Insurance agent. And that was a business that was totally dependent on the real estate market as well. So when I talk to a lot of the people in this current economic “melt-down” I have deep compassion. I know that horrible sinking feeling in your gut…

The old saying goes, “the only way to avoid making mistakes in business and life is to have experience. But the only way to get experience is to make mistakes.”

Ultimately after all the twisting and contorting to try to find a way out of the financial mess I was in I ended up losing the houses to foreclosure and went through the “humiliation” of bankruptcy.

I had a lot of moments of sheer panic and doubt and anxiety where I saw myself and my family homeless and living out of cardboard boxes…But on occasion I was able to clear that out and focus on miracles. One miricle that happened was when we went in to court for our eviction hearing. The Bank attorney never showed up. We had 6 more months of living in our home before they found the file that had “fallen through the cracks”. Call it what you will I call it a miracle.

The reason I’d bought all the houses in the first place was because I was trying to make a lot of money so I could do my music. Ultimately I had no choice but to do music. My friend Gene Moore said “Mark, this guy comes to my son’s day care center once a week and plays songs for the kids for $75.00 an hour.”

I had written a bunch of kid songs for my own three children and so I opened the Westchester county phone book and started “cold calling” nursery schools and day care centers. I have since helped a lot of professionals overcome their fear of “cold calling” and I know what that terror feels like staring at the phone…knowing that if you don’t make that call you may not eat.Being  terrifed of “rejection”. But I figured “how mean could a nursery school director be?”

I had no choice. I made the calls and I started getting a few opportunities to play for kids. Ultimately that economic meltdown gave me a chance to do something that I truly loved to do.

Eventually I added drums and story telling to my bag of tricks and DrumSongStory was born (which in this current economic meltdown is still providing income as well as satisfaction.)

Now don’t think that all my financial challenges were over. Because I have yet to discover how to get “steady, passive income” flowing. I am continually challenged by changing circumstances and economic conditions. But the point of the story is that sometimes when it seems really grim, the solution is trying to get your attention. Sometimes when everything else falls apart it’s an opportunity to re-align your core values. And ask some powerful questions like,

• “If I knew I could not fail, what would I be doing?” or

• “If I only had a year to live what would I be doing?”

Take a moment and write some of that down. Now start doing it. Even just 15 minutes a day. Do what you would do if you knew you only had a short time here on earth.

And as you focus on that and begin to do that, I guarantee all the other stuff begins to lose it’s scariness.

Thoughts? I always appreciate hearing from you.

© 1993-2009 by Mark Shepard http://MarkShepardSongs.com
All commercial rights reserved.
Permission granted to reprint with copyright info and link intact.
Permission granted to download and distribute/share the mp3 file for non-commercial purposes

Please share this song with others
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You can follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/MarkShepard

The Record Companies Are Dead…
Would You Be My Record Company Instead?

In the olden days it worked like this:

• Really talented musician got “discovered” by a record company talent scout
• Musician signed multi-year record deal and recorded his songs
• The record company paid for all the marketing and promotion which actually came out of the musicians pocket because the musician never saw a dime until the record company paid off their investment. Any “advance” had to be paid off too.
• The radio stations (often paid off in various ways by Record companies) played the music and people heard it for free and liked it enough to run to the record store to buy it.
• Musicians with the right amount of support and talent were able to build large audiences and get their work out into the ears of millions.

Now it works like this.

• The record companies are either dying or all ready dead. Even if they were alive and well, a 48 year old unknown singer/songwriter would be the absolutely last thing they’d be interested in.
• A musician who has talent has to “discover” him or herself and begin to learn how to “do it yourself” or DIY. Marketing, promotion, internet search engine optimization, blogging, social media etc…
• The new musician is competing not only with established acts (in my case James Taylor, Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, John Mayer, Peter Gabriel etc.) he is also competing with a gazillion new and unheard of acts. He is also competing with TV, and with all the other gazillion voices, causes, ideas, books, movies, games, sports, people who are clamoring for attention. Paris Hilton is the Michelangelo of the new Attention Age. She has elevated the art of getting attention to the highest art form. But she doesn’t really contribute much of lasting value.( Oops sorry about getting up on my soap box for a moment…:o)
• So now, in order to get even a micro slice of the attention pie, in order to get people to listen, there is a new process. It is still evolving. But it is basically based on me giving away unlimited free downloads of my music. Because unless you listen you will not get a chance to like what you hear and if you do not get that chance you certainly are not going to come to see me live in concert or buy the tee-shirt.
• But here is the question. If I give away my work how do I buy food and pay rent? How do I put gas in my car so that I can drive to the show? In the really olden days I would find a patron or benefactor in the nobility or the church who would support my work. After that it was corporations that did that. Now it’s all comes down to you and me.
• It all hinges around me somehow finding a way to reach out to you so that you will stop what you are doing in your busy life long enough to listen to one or more of my songs. Then if and only then, if you like it, download and share my music. Email it to your friends. Burn it on a mix CD and give it away for Christmas. This is exactly what the old dinosaur record companies are suing college kids for. Those college kids are actually doing the music a huge favor. They are sharing it and spreading it. It’s like when radio first started playing music for free over the air waves. The record companies screamed “Who will buy our music if it’s able to be heard for free?” Well that free listen was what sent us scurrying to buy the LPs back in the day. And then when radio stations started playing the entire side of an LP and people had (gasp!) cassette recorders at home. The record industry screamed again. The end result was that the people won and music grew new audiences.

So I don’t really need you to be my record company in the traditional sense. I don’t want you to be stiff, and closed minded. I need you to be my open minded partner. I need your help. I’m entering a viciously competitive, attention clobbered world where my small voice can barely be heard. I’m not a 20 something hottie. Most people my age are still listening to the stuff they “bonded” with back in their own college days. So I need ears that are willing to try new stuff.

I’ve waited 30 years for this. I’ve overcome immense personal challenges to even be here. I’ve made a deep commitment to preserve and share these tunes that chose me to be their songwriter. I’ve invested thousands and thousands of dollars of my own money on the dozen or so CD’s I’ve already recorded. It’s okay if I don’t make back that money. I’ve preserved the tunes so at the very least my kids will know my life through the songs. But so far I’ve recorded only about half of what I’ve written. I need your help to record the other half and get it out.

I am moving forward with this goal every single day. I would like your company on this road. I will do my best to provide back to you support and a transformative listening experience that can in some small way touch and improve your life or give you the ability to touch and improve the lives of others.

Here’s some specific things you can do to help.

Stage 1: Fan and Enthusiast

1. Go to any open of my song posts and download it by right clicking the little down load link just below the audio player. Put it on your mp3 player. Play it on your computer. Burn it to a cd and play it in your car. burn another copy for a friend. Attach it to an e-mail and send it to a friend who might need to hear whatever the message is in the song.
2. If you like it come back for more or sign up for my weekly news letter or RSS feed. I upload a minimum of 1 song per week so there’s always something new happening. If you opt in I will also give you the option of providing me with your street address to which I will send you a free CD.
3. Share any post by clicking the little buttons at the bottom. With a click of a button you can post to your facebook page, or twitter or stumbleupon or digg etc.
4. If at any point you feel so moved, you can make a donation of any size with the handy donation button at the bottom of each post or in the right sidebar.
5. Wherever possible come to see me live in concert. Introduce yourself, Hang out a bit. Request a song. I’ll do my best to dedicate it and play if for you.

Stage 2 Micro Patronage:
Here’s how you can help me and help your business or favorite cause (or just make your mark on the world).

Earth Patron:
You can sponsor the recording of one of my songs. This will preserve the tune in crisp clear digital sound. Just me and my guitar. No fancy production. Just raw and clear.  Participation Investment $100.00 per song.

You get:

1. Your name and website link listed with the song post (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
2. Every time I perform the song I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here”
3. You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
4. If you are local, and schedule’s permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person.

Wind Patron:
You can sponsor an entire year of the Life In Song Project (10-15 songs). When I go into the studio I can record several songs at each session. Again this is raw, acoustic Mark Shepard along the lines of Eyes On The Horizon or Ocean of Dreams. Investment: $1,000

You get:

1. Your name and website link listed with each of the songs posted (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
2. Every time I perform any the songs in this collection I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here”
3. You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
4. If you are local, and schedule’s permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person.
5. You will get the entire session on CD
6. You will get your name on the CD label
7. You will get a dozen CD’s to give away
8. A free house concert at your home. Invite your friends or just keep me to yourself for the evening. Please Note: Unless you want to fly me in to your city, or cover travel expenses, this benefit is for the local folks only within an hour or two drive from New Haven CT.

Fire Patron:
A number of my songs are crying out for other instruments and arrangements that will totally set fire to the raw material of the basic song. In order to produce a song I have to pay other musicians as well as 10-30 hours of studio time and arranging with my long time collaborator Joe Mennonna (at $100 per hour). So each produced song costs anywhere from $1,000-$3000 depending on the complexity of the arrangement. The benefit of producing a song is that it is much more accessible to a wider audience. So your sponsor ship message can reach more. To see how this works compare the Youtube video of Motivation with some of my acoustic videos. At this writing, Motivation has had over 2500 views (just in the MarkShepardSongs channel.

Watch the Video here to see what I’m talking about and imagine your name as patron.

I also have it up in several other channels and video directories across the web that have garnered about 500 views each fromall over the world.

You get:

1. Your name and website link listed with each of the songs posted (or if you are supporting a favorite cause and choose to be anonymous you can have your cause info here instead)
2. Every time I perform any the songs in this collection I will say “The recording and preservation of this song was made possible by your name here“
3. You will also get the first listen to the new recording.
4. If you are local, and schedule’s permit, you are invited to come to the recording session in person and experience the entire process from start to finish.
5. You will get the entire session on CD
6. You will get your name on the CD label You will get 2 dozen CD’s to give away
7. You will get your name on the tee shirt along with the song lyrics.
8. You will get sponsorship mention in the music video The video will be uploaded to over a dozen of the leading video directories on the web. Where appropriate we can even work your photo or one of your favorite photos into the video. Possibly even a cameo appearance. Again, see the Motivation Video. I was able to work photos of Kathy McAfee and her two sons as well as a memorial picture of her brother into the video.
9. A free house concert at your home. Invite your friends or just keep me to yourself for the evening. Please Note: Unless you want to fly me in to your city, or cover travel expenses, this benefit is for the local folks only within an hour or two drive from New Haven CT.

This is obviously still in the formative stage so if you have any other ideas or suggestions on how you can help and how I can support your support please let me know.

Interested? Got Questions?

Please contact me at mark [at] MarkShepard.com or 203-495-8808