Eclipse
During my time at Norco Music I was surrounded by such a diverse group of musicians, all of whom brought such unique ideas and challenged and encouraged everyone around them. I was so inspired to try everything and anything anyone would let me.
One of my main goals while there was to learn how to write for an EDM song. I partnered up with an amazing producer, Melgar, and together we created Eclipse with the help of our instructor Brady Kerr.
Melgar had the vision for a song about an inner struggle to escape. This was one of the most cohesive and collaborative projects I have ever been a part of and the experience of recording seven different harmonies at once still leaves me speechless!
These prison walls surrounding me
Have been unlocked but I’m not free
Strip the darkness from my eyes
The world around me bitter cold and full of lies
Together we stand alone I fall
In this eclipse I lost my heart
A breath of hope rise against
Together we stand alone I fall
Only edges hold the light
Corned by this cold and restless night
A cry for help that goes unheard
Cast away without a single word
With trembling hands I take a stand
I won’t break but I might bend
Downfall
Like so many other people and teenagers I’ve experience too many contradicting emotions all at once that left me numb and beyond confused. Between overloading my schedule, failed relationships and friendships, self doubt, uncertainty; this was a song that had to be created for me. It gave me that hope and reinforced the idea that I had to completely break before any healing could begin.
I wasn’t in love with this song when I wrote it, but decided to record and put it out in the universe hoping that it would reach anyone else in a similar situation. Have hope, because sometimes that’s all it takes.
This is gonna hurt this is gonna break my fall
This is gonna be the end of every time I knew it all
But I’m afraid to cry I’m afraid to lose my soul
Terrified to tell the truth about the lies that I hold
But I must fall apart fracture like glass
I hear breaking hearts they make no sound
As I lay these fragments on the frozen ground
Nothing else matters and we all fall down
Maybe I was mad maybe I was too damn scared
Maybe I was bruised and defeated from all that I shared
I don’t know what’s wrong with me I don’t know why I try
Wish I could take it all back and turn my face to the sky
The Lucky One
One day in class my friend Jackie and I noticed this kid sitting alone and not really jumping into any collaborations (mind you we dragged him into the class and made him join because he was such an exceptional guitarist), so we walked up to him and forced him to write with us.
He wrote a really cool folk progression we immediately picked up a melody for and ran with it. Jackie later dropped out, but still helped me with the finishing touches. This song took many hours and many people offering their advice and help. This is one of my favorite songs to come out of my time at Norco Music.
“The Lucky One” is just a simple folk love song with such a beautiful complex accompaniment. To quote Jackie “It sounds like Richard has twelve fingers”.
In my life I’ve seen the stars
Journeyed near and far
Seen the world called nowhere home
Till that rode brought you along
Felt the breeze on the open sea
Climbed the hills and mountain tops
Wandering lost drifting far
And then the sun brought you to me
Down the road we travel on
Counting miles from dusk til dawn
You smoothed the edges of my stone
Like a rolling river flows
Unhinged my heartbreak
Called me home
It’s as if you’ve always known
Hand in hand straight for the sun
Don’t know what made me the lucky one
Skies seem blue with you by my side
Even though storms they pass us by
Seen the world and how we’ve grown
Finding ourselves as we go
Sometimes I’m terrified of my heart
The way it always falls apart
But it knows exactly what it wants
And it’s been you right from the start
Heart-Shaped Hole
Happiness won’t come from love…
This is one of the hardest songs to give an explanation for…
One of the coolest people I’ve met on my music journey suffers from mental illness. Listening to his story and what he goes through on a daily basis, there aren’t any words I could put to paper. And he’s not the first friend I’ve met to suffer like this. I can’t fathom what they’ve gone through and continue to go through.
This song I wrote coming from what could be his perspective based off of the conversations we’ve had and the stories he’s told me. A letter to someone. I think these lyrics speak for themselves.
Troubled storms keep from peace
As I look across this endless sea
On steady ground I take the leap
And drift gracefully to sleep
No damage done
No soul to lose
I couldn’t leave anything in this world behind
If you hadn’t seen what was left of me
Then maybe I could be a hero in your eyes
But who would live forever just to go through this hell
I wish that I could love you
You said not if you won’t love yourself again
How did I hold your hand for so long
It took all my strength to write you this song
When will you see this is all I’ll ever be
I won’t stand here and play make believe
I’ll scream it til I’m black and blue
Please know there was nothing that you could do
Happiness won’t from come from love
Please know that I loved you
Now that we’re apart
Finally you can make your start
I’ll always be here in your heart
Watching from above
Til the end
The Last Petal
Every year Norco Music participates in a collaboration with the art department called “Counterpoint”.
Jackie Maslow and I were sitting down with an artist we were both drawn to in the initial meeting. She was flipping through her portfolio and flipped past this picture of a woman holding a rose being embraced by a ghostly form of her beloved. We both immediately were swarming with ideas.
We ended up writing two songs for this picture, mine from the perspective of the woman and hers from the ghost’s.
Once upon a time
Thought there’d never be a day
You were always by my side
Why’d you have to fly away
How could I be so wrong
Thought I was standing strong
Now your dancing in the sky
I never got to say goodbye
The last song you sang to me
Was the missing piece of my melody
Now your gone you stole my song
All that’s left is flowers and stone
Empty eyes for the rest of my life
Till the last petal dies
So the story goes
Not so easy to pretend
The pain I hid now shows
Feeling like it never ends
So every night I’ll stay
And lay this rose on your grave
Wishing it was my time
So I could be by your side
I still see you
When I close my eyes
Said you’d be here
Till the day I die