Back in the states

Finally made it back here.  Moved in and for the most part settled in a new place, work has calmed down and now I have some time to put towards this hobby.  

I really need to get some soundproofing materials.  I think my neighbors can head me pretty good through the walls.  Still coming up with new songs,  just really need to get some courage and put something on YouTube.

-The Phantom-

Been a minute!!!!

Been doing a lot of traveling and I have been really busy!  Ill be in Abu Dhabi this weekend, then the Philippines next week.  

My songs echo in my head from time to time...can't wait to get back to the states and work on my music again.

Making a lot of money...debt free now and looking at sound booths.  I don't need anything extravagant just something to get the job done and start putting stuff on YouTube for peeps to check out.

If people issue death threats on me like they did for rebekah black then I will know if I'm terrible or not, lol.  

Man, I really need to get my stuff copyrighted soon.

-The Phantom-

May was not the best month...

Been a hectic life lately.  Had my wallet stolen in New Orleans and had to claim some fraud.  Barely made it to San Diego on my remaining funds, someone is definitely looking out for me.  

Recorded some more music for copyrights.  The plan is to submit lyrics and midi recordings of my music for copyrights just so I have a claim to them. The next step after that is to get a sound booth and make live recordings to post on the web and share.

Leaving the country for work on Thursday.  Going to miss the states but the plus side is ill have less distractions when it comes to some things I've been meaning to work on...I will have more time to post on here as well.  Things are starting to look up,  but May was definitely a rough time so far this year.

Good thing I have an iPod full of jams, and my own imagination to keep me entertained and looking to the future.  It never ceases to amaze me how powerful a good song can be and how it can affect your emotions.  I hope one day I can say my own music that I come up with reaches someone on a personal level.  That'd would be pretty dope.

-The Phantom-

Separated from Resources

Now in a condo in Mississippi.  Bound for California at the end of the month for more of my job.  I keep catching music movies on TV and it makes me want to sing myself.  Sing everyday on the drive to work.  Some lady was watching me sing and when I noticed her she gave me the thumbs up ha ha!  Must have liked my enthusiasm.

Luckily I have my keyboard with me and I'm able to get in a little bit of practice.  I won't say any details on my accident from last year (so that you guys can't figure out who I am) but I still have nightmares from it.  Playing with my music or listening to songs help with that.  I'm really glad that I found something that soothes my troubles.

Have an account set up on ecopy for copyrighting my lyrics and music.  Waiting on this next paycheck to make a move on my copyrights for my first six songs.  Haven't had time to come up with the musical notes for more of my other songs yet so I may just be submitting those first six songs for copyright alone and then putting in another submission when I get more free time.

I wonder if my neighbors can hear me sing through the walls...sorry if it keeps you guys awake!  I just can't help it.

-The Phantom-

Restricted living

So I've been in hotel rooms for this last month and a majority of my belongings are in storage. One of the downfalls of having an adventurous job.

I've been constantly moving around and it's looking like this year is going to have a lot of that. I did manage to bring my keyboard to this hotel this time so I've been playing so I don't forget. I really wish I could write music notes this would be a much easier process.

I have however been able to record a midi copy of three of my songs that I am working on getting copyrighted. The master plan is to record the music and submit a written copy of my lyrics. Hopefully that will be all that I will need.

I've been lonely a lot theses past days. Maybe I should write a song about that. I've already got lyrics galore so maybe I should hold out?

Tired from work...starting to talk to myself. I need to find something more to life, can't just stick with going through the motions. Sometimes I go to sleep afraid because I am afraid ill wake up one day and hate myself for not pursuing the things that I actually like. I like adventure...I like music. How do I get to where I want to go? Where exactly is this going?

-The Phantom-

Valentine's Day and the craziness of life!

It's been a hot minute since I've written on here! Have a lot of stuff going on with work, especially now that my legs have healed from my accident. My job has me moving up north now within a few days so I've had to work and plan the changes in my life but I'm going to remember to bring my keyboard.

A friend who is in tune with fashion has dropped some ideas on me so I have some forward progress there. I'm going to have to mold those ideas around the songs that I have finished.

The songs I have finished with both music and lyrics are as follows with a brief description:

*DANGEROUS; a dancer falls in love with his dance partner but is hesitant to go through with his lustful and caring instincts while she continues to throw signs at him.

*NOW THAT SHE IS GONE; a man faces the heartache of losing his loved one to cancer and wishes the love never happened.

*WORDS UNSPOKEN; is about a relationship where one person is addicted to drugs.

*POUR ME A BEER; obviously a drinking song...la la la, la la la, la la la la la!

*FEEL THE FIRE; a song all about having sexual relations.

*LOVE ASSASSIN; a man becomes a player because he has been played by women so many times.

Well today is Valentine's Day, and I actually have an awesome person to share it with. Super excited about today--a few songs I've written come to mind, all good feeling ones of course.

When I get settled in my new place I'm going to submit some copyright things on some recordings of the above songs. Getting closer to establishing a ground framework for this project.

Still working a budget for trademarking the ideas I have. It's going to be good once the ball starts rolling!

-The Phantom-

Legal and Admin steps...

Learning about trade names and trademarks.  More specifically 'service marks' which is what an artist would be providing given the circumstances of how music works.  You provide a service of entertainment, to the public hence the 'service' within the terminology.  It's going to cost a lot of money to make sure that the stage name I have decided for myself is not going to be used, it's also going to take time to get some attention towards it.

However, I am adamant about going with 'The Phantom Songwriter', it just has a good flow to me.  So, I'm going to have to find a way to get the appropriate funding and plan this all out the correct way.  The first couple of methods will require me using upwards of two thousand dollars, which I can do...but I need to wait and plan this out so that this is all secure.

After achieving the trademark, from there I just have to copyright my music using a couple recording and we should be in business.  I'll then feel safe about putting stuff on the internet of me singing some of my original music that I have come up with.

Everything takes time, but that doesn't mean it's not frustrating.

I'm hoping no one else beats me to the punch and does all of this before I get a chance to patent what I've come up for myself.

Did work on trademark stuff tonight, I'll look into copyrighting my lyrics tomorrow.

--The Phantom--

Slow Progress

Work, work, work.  It's the same story for most of us.  I'm not going to let anything get in the way of this though.  I'm going to put time towards my music.  There is something in my head that keeps coming up with melodies and lyrics.  I have to nurture that.

Having setbacks though.  Had three wisdom teeth removed this week, so it's going to take time before I can sing anything.  In the time being I'm going to work on getting copyrights for my lyrics, getting the notes laid out on my keyboard, and possibly getting those copyrighted as well.  I also need to trademark a few things.  I've noticed over the years that a lot of people have come up with some of the same awesome things that I have, maybe not exactly the same but really close, and I did not take the steps to protect my ideas and take ownership of them.  I am not sure what all I need to do, but I do know before I put anything on YouTube I want to legally make sure that no one else can steal any of the things that I create.

I haven't even tried to share this blog with anyone yet.

Things I've done:
-Set up a Gmail account
-Set up a blog
-Set up a YouTube page

Things to do:
-Patent my stage name
     -if taken, I need to find a new one that will suit my goals and image I want to portray
-Finish more songs; I've got 50+ songs written and only 6 that I can play and sing
-Copyrights, Copyrights, Copyrights
-Upload videos onto YouTube

From there I'm just interacting with people and figuring out where this will go, and hopefully find out why this phenomena is happening to me.  I can come up with songs from almost nothing.  It is kind of weird I guess but, it's soothing and it helps me deal with things.

Let's see where this goes!

--The Phantom--

Everything Has a Beginning

Everything has a beginning and as far as songwriting goes this is one of my first big steps.  I've been into music and poetry for some time, I've written songs for something like eight years along with poetry as well.  I have a published poetry book under a pen name and I like poetry I do...but, being able to sing and play a poem so that it can touch a person in a different way feels more appealing to me.  I like the emotions that the right note, the right set of words, or the combination of the two can bring about in a person's soul.

That being said I know for myself poetry and lyrics have lifted me up from some dark places like a lot of other people, but it hasn't been until recently that I got somewhat of the courage to show anyone what I've worked on.  Every song I've written has a back story to something in my life or the life of someone I know.  So, with each song I think I'll post on this blog the background on what the song is about.  I plan on having fun with this and who knows maybe something will come out of it.  It would be cool to meet people with the same feelings and emotions that I put in my music.  I play keyboard and haven't had any lessons but did have some free time because of an accident I had recently so I'm self taught.

There are two ways I write songs.  The first way that I come up with a song is I write a poem about something that is bothering me or just on my mind.  I break that up into sections, find a rhythm in my head, and after a bunch of beating down on what I originally have I polish it out and there it is--good or bad.  The second way is I get some kind of rhythm, beat or sound inspired in my head from anything and I associate that with a situation usually from something I've experienced; after a while I get a song.  In both situations I play a matching game by finding the tones in the keys that are suitable enough to portray the emotion and sound that is in my head.

So, sometime soon I will be putting up stuff on YouTube and finish the whole editing process of this here blog.  I think until then I'll just write some blogs of what's going through my mind while I continue to practice and get something suitable to put on the web.

As for the whole Phantom thing--I don't want you guys to care who I really am, I just want you to check out my music.

--The Phantom--