Music – Page 7 – Dan Steven Erickson

Trading Dreams for Memories

Shell Art on a Maine beach – Photo by Dan Steven Erickson

I wrote and recorded 30 songs in 2024. Instead of writing on a guitar, ukulele, or other stringed instrument, I built the songs using GarageBand. You can find those songs here and on BandCamp under the name Mississippi (and Other Demos).

The final song that I recorded for that project is an important song to me personally. It’s called “Trading Dreams for Memories.” The song was based on a random quote I read somewhere. Don’t ask me who it was or where I found it. I don’t remember. But the idea was simple.

Life is short. We only get so much time. Don’t waste too much time on dreaming. Make memories.

Dreams are not bad.

Most of us have been inspired to fulfill our dreams in life. I’ve wanted to become known as a songwriter and writer for most of my life. But that dream has slowly been changing the last 5-10 years.

Why? Because putting too much effort into something that is highly unlikely to happen is vanity. And with age, the likelihood of being discovered and accepted into the circles that I see myself as being qualified to sit in, is even less probable than ever. I’ve accepted that.

I love writing. I love writing songs. I’ll likely do those things until I die. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s more important to live a life that I love rather than chasing the dream of being “discovered.” There’s no point in spending thousands of hours and dollars only to be disappointed. Again.

Memories are more important than dreams.

When I look back at the past few years, I don’t think fondly about writing songs. It’s just something I’ve done. I do think fondly of the people, places, and activities that I love.

Going to LL Bean with my daughter every Christmas has been much more important than writing new songs. Spending time with Shep in the Maine woods and along the ocean outweighs sitting in a room with a guitar writing a song that will likely never be heard by more than a couple of dozen people. Travel and photography outweigh being a tortured musician and poet.

I think at this stage in life it’s more important to focus on the people and places we love than the hope of becoming known for our creative output. It’s better to build tangible dreams (remodeling a condo) than intangible dreams (writing a book with expectations of success).

I’m not saying I will stop being creative. I am saying there are more important things in life. Below are the lyrics to the song. – dse

Trading Dreams for Memories

I’ve been a dreamer all of my life
It’s been kind of cool and it’s been kind of nice
But sometimes dreaming carries a high price
Now I think it’s time to live a little
Yeah, I’m thinking twice

Well it took me so long to see
That your dreams won’t set you free
Now you can do just what you please
But I’m trading dreams for memories

To think about all the things I’ve missed
When I was too busy crossing dreams off my list
But now that I’m older how could I resist
I think it’s time to love a little,
To spend forever in your kiss

Oh it took me so long to see
That your dreams won’t set you free
Now, you can do just what you please
But I’m trading dreams for memories

They say dreams come true
But they wouldn’t be dreams if they do
You keep on chasing them
When you could be replacing them
With the the beautiful things in life worth living for

You know it took me so long to see
That your dreams won’t set you free
Now you can do just what you please
But I’m trading dreams for memories

I’d rather live for the good times
For you and for me
I’m trading dreams for memories

Big-Ass Storms Around Nashville

Last night I experienced my first big storm system coming through the Nashville region. What did I think?

I want my sleep back.

It wasn’t just one storm. It was storm after storm after storm after storm. It’s 7:00am and they’re still coming. And they’re supposed to continue for three days. WTF? I hid in my interior walk-in closet for a while and hoped a tornado wouldn’t hit my building and suck me out because I live in a third-floor apartment.

I’ve lived in Washington State, Kansas, Indiana, and Maine, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this. In Kansas, the storms were bigger, but they also went by quicker and it was done. Plus, I had a basement. In Maine, the storms more often come in the form of snow, soft and quiet. You just have to dig yourself out in the morning. It rains all the time on the west side of Washington. It’s dry and sunny on the east side. Indiana was meh.

I’ve got to say, if I had to choose, I’d take Maine. Thunder storms can be exciting, but who wants to get sucked out of their third-floor apartment?

What’s this got to do with music and songwriting?

Nothing. That’s the point.

I came to the Nashville region for an academic advising job. The music industry is secondary. So far, I haven’t done much to try to make any ins into the business. And you know what? I don’t think I will. I know the drill. You work your ass off and dream big and then wind up disappointed.

Rodney Crowell announced another song camp. It sounds fun but it won’t get me a hit song or a record deal. It’ll just cost me $4000. I doubt I’ll go.

I’ve created a YouTube Channel to share my songs. I’m only doing that primarily for the record. My daughter, family, and friends will be able to have recordings of my life’s songwriting work after I’m gone. If some big-wig artist or producer happens to stumble on my channel and hears something they like. Great! Let’s write up a publishing deal. I’m not counting on it.

Sometimes you need big-ass storms.

So WTF is this post about?

Life.

Sometimes you need big-ass storms to remind you of how short your time is on Earth. I’m almost 62 years old. I have blood cancer. I’ve been doing some thinking and coming to some conclusions lately.

I want to do things that make me happy as I get older. I love songwriting, but I also love sports cars, Border Collies, snow, oceans, photography, and poetry. I prefer quiet places over huge metro areas. I could retire this summer. I don’t think I will. I’ll probably stay in TN and work a bit longer. But I’m seeing that it’s time to start making a definitive plan.

All of this because of some big-ass storms kept me up half the night. – dse

Coming Soon: Songs from the 2023 Black Ukulele Project

The Little Black Ukulele in Maine, 2023 – Photo by Dan Steven Erickson

If you haven’t noticed, I started a YouTube Channel recently. For the time being my primary purpose is simply to record and catalog hundreds of songs I’ve written over the past 40 years. Soon, I’ll be finishing up a deep dive into some of my oldest work: songs from 1985-1990. The next project will be: songs from the 2023 black ukulele project.

In 2023, I wrote 60 songs on my little black ukulele. I may not record and post all 60, but I’ll pick out some of the best of the batch. In 2023, I took that ukulele to the Rodney Crowell songwriting camp and used it as my primary instrument amongst 100 guitars. I featured my song “When Superman Dies.”

A Few Other Notes

You might wonder about songs from 2024? I did a completely different thing in 2024. Instead of using an acoustic instrument to write songs, I created music on GarageBand and roughly produced 30 songs. If you want to check those out, it’s called the Mississippi (and other demos) project, and it’s posted here and on Bandcamp.

I’m also creating lists on the YouTube Channel. You’ll be able to listen to songs in groups based on instrument, year, or style.

Finally, the 2025 Rodney Crowell camp was announced this week. Will I go? I’m not sure. I’d like to, but the cost is higher than it was in the past (less campers) and it’s during a peak time at my current job. It’s on my radar but I hope it doesn’t sell out before I can make the decision.

That’s all for now. – dse

60 days on YouTube

My YouTube Channel has been open for about 60 days now. How do I feel about that? What have I learned? Where are things going? I’ll answer those questions here.

First, let’s review why I started a YouTube channel. I simply wanted an easy way to record hundreds of songs that I’ve written over the years. So far, that’s basically all I’m doing. I think I have about 50 videos now, most of which contain a song.

How do I feel about my YouTube Channel?

Honestly, I have mixed feelings. I’m happy with my results so far. It’s not perfect and that’s okay for the function intended: to catalog songs. However, I also would like to improve the channel more. I have already made some minor improvements. But at the same time, I don’t want to spend a lot of time and money on the process.

I also question my initial concept. Yes, I still want to record and catalog as many songs as I can. And that can keep me busy for a long time to come. But another part of me wants to make an attempt to create a channel that might become more useful to larger audiences. I’ve being mulling that idea over but have not yet come to any definitive decisions or conclusions.

What have I learned?

First, just like any other online endeavor I’ve taken on over the years, gaining an audience is not easy. I’ve only gained 36 followers in 60 days. Fortunately, I started with the attitude of not giving a crap about gaining subscribers.

Second, I’ve learned how simple it is to do this. I put off starting a YouTube channel for years for fear of not being able to pull it off. I discovered that you really don’t need any fancy equipment. You don’t have to be a great public speaker or have the right personality. You simply need to be yourself, do your best, and say “good enough.” That’s a phrase I’ve slowly been using more and more in my life. Good enough.

Where are things going?

That’s the million-dollar question. And I have no answer at this time. I’ll continue to simply record songs and tell little stories about some of them. I’ll occasionally talk about writing, songs, music, poetry, books. I might even do an occasional post about life. But I sense the possibility of something more.

What would the topic be? It’s hard to explain. Minimalism, simple living, money, retirement, photography, politics, spirituality, and wisdom all seem to poke their heads into my mix of ideas. In the end, if I develop the channel beyond “songs,” I think the easiest way to define it might be “life.”

Check it out.

If you haven’t checked out the channel yet, I encourage you to do so. You can let me know what you like, what you don’t like, what might be improved. You can leave comments. You can find the channel at https://www.youtube.com/@DanStevenErickson.

Here’s the latest song/video: Home. – dse

Billy Strings, February 28, Nashville

Billy Strings, Nashville: Photo by Dan Steven Erickson

I’d heard the name Billy Strings once or twice over the past couple of years, but it wasn’t until I moved to Nashville in November of 2024 and started listening to WMOT that he really came onto my radar.

After hearing a song or two on WMOT I looked him up on YouTube and started listening to more of his work. Then I did some research into his upbringing and background. I concluded that Billy Strings is the real deal. He’s not only a great musician and songwriter, he’s a humble, everyday guy.

In fact, he reminds me of how my life was back in the early 1990s, when I lived in a 20-foot trailer in the orchards near Wenatchee, Washington. My friends would come over and we’d just jam together and have fun. It feels like if he were around back then he would have fit right in. But he was born in 1992.

After I learned more about Billy, I discovered he was playing at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on the same day I needed to go into Vanderbilt for an appointment with a blood cancer specialist. I have polycythemia vera. So, I decided to check out the Billy Strings show. After all, he’s been selling out multiple nights in cities across America. He must be doing something right.

What I discovered was treasure.

It’s hard to explain exactly what Billy Strings does musically. But it’s easy to say it all starts with traditional bluegrass. Who’d have thunk? Billy learned a lot from his stepdad who was steeped in the old bluegrass greats. His band consists of a traditional bluegrass lineup: guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. There was a guest resonator (dobro) player, too.

They played great traditional bluegrass music. But they did more. Here’s where things get different. Billy Strings takes bluegrass to new heights. I’m not sure it remains bluegrass. It goes off in multiple musical directions: Southern rock, blues, psychedelic, folk, but most of all “jam band.” Billy has as much in common with bands like The Grateful Dead and Phish as he does with bluegrass.

Some might think that’s an abomination to the bluegrass tradition. I would disagree. Why? Because he always comes back to his roots.

Billy Strings: Photo by Dan Steven Erickson

The show was fabulous. The musicians were spot on. The lights were creative and psychedelic but not overly annoying. In the end, Billy had one mic set up at center stage and the band played around it in the traditional bluegrass style. So not only is Billy putting on great shows for thousands of people, he’s introducing many to music they’d have probably never known: the world of classic bluegrass and country blues.

I for one was fully impressed. – dse

Doing a Deep Dive: 1985-1990

The Pines, Maine – Photo by Dan Steven Erickson

If you’ve found my new YouTube Channel, you might already know what I’m up to. I’ve been posting my latest batch of songs for the past month. But soon I’l. be doing a deep dive.

I’ve been writing songs since I was 10 years old living in the pines of Maine. I didn’t really consider myself a “songwriter” however, until I reached my 20s. That’s when I started getting serious about the art. I still had a lot to learn. Between the years of 1985-1990 I probably wrote about 50 songs. I’m revisiting 14 of those.

A handful of the 14 will stay either exactly or very close to how they were originally written. Some will get rewritten lyrics. Others will get new music. A few, other than the titles, are almost new songs. It’s been a fun project and I should start posting the songs to my YouTube Channel in the first week of March.

I will be intentionally slowing down a bit on how often I post at YouTube. I was posting daily at first, just to get a base of material. Now it might only be a couple of times a week.

Finally, although I started the channel solely as a place to record and document my lifelong hobby of songwriting, I might do more with it. I’m mulling it over. – dse