The Legacy Music Project: The Morning After

My engineer and producer on this project, Fett and I had had a particularly creative and productive session, working well into the evening. Early the next morning, I went downstairs, put my headphones on, and began composing this song -- The Morning After -- inspired by my euphoria from the previous day. I would love to hear what you think. So, please let me know! Gratefully, Ned Andrew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWI-QfDln6w The Morning After ©2024 Ned Andrew … [Read more...]

The Legacy Music Project: Blue Night Blue

In 2023, after regaining some of my confidence in composing music, playing the acoustic guitar, and developing my skills on electric guitar after losing everything to a dementia diagnosis and basically starting over, I began to write instrumental songs. This one, Blue Night Blue, is one of the earliest attempts to express myself without lyrics. To my surprise, the composition began with a lead part, a riff. This was completely unexpected, because in all my years – 59 – of playing guitar, I was … [Read more...]

The Legacy Music Project: Lights of Home

Lights of Home was written shortly after I moved to Nashville in October of 1988. I had left my previous “home” in Baltimore - a single apartment in Cockeysville, Maryland – to stake my claim as a songwriter in Music City. I was just establishing my new “home” in the outskirts of downtown Nashville, with a stoner named Andrew (I can’t recall what he did to make ends meet), and an aspiring stand-up comedian, named Marian. I had quickly assembled some great musicians (I jammed with two my first … [Read more...]

The Legacy Music Project: To Get Next to You

To Get Next To You is one of my recent ones. In a miraculously prolific year (thank you 2023, for this part, anyway), I’ve written eight new songs - music and lyrics - and six instrumentals. For perspective: I hadn’t written a complete song in more than two decades. (Which is another story for another time.) I also taught myself to play the electric guitar – my now-beloved Fender Stratocaster, Dolphin Gray. (At least for me, playing an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar are two very … [Read more...]

A Love of Books: In Memory of Ruth Solomon

When I was a kid, I used to hang out in my parents’ den and I was fascinated with my mom’s extensive collection of paperback books that were stacked side by side along the back length of my dad’s beautiful dark wood bar. Without a photographic memory I can’t bring to mind all the titles, but one particular novel stood out – Call It Sleep by Henry Roth. It’s a story about a Jewish immigrant child growing up in the tenements of New York City. I never read it, but the intriguing title and subdued … [Read more...]

Curious Creature Tales: Before Corona

                                  Before Corona, the Curious Creatures lived, cooperatively, in a very social state. Before Corona, they often squished into remarkably close quarters. Before Corona, they learned to be flexible, patient, forgiving, supportive, and congenial. Before Corona, they understood the concept of “needing one’s own space,” but … [Read more...]

Two Sides of the Same Bad Penny

                        I live with a person who struggles with the next, or even the first, step. His pile of things he needs to get done keeps growing higher and higher, and now the messy tangle of to-dos is too daunting to even know where to begin. So he sits there in a very dark place, berating himself for his lack of progress. He calls it, “self loathing.” I am a person who can’t let things … [Read more...]

Gratitude

1-30-21 Sometimes I’m that kid in the photo: I go outside and twirl with my arms outstretched, in awe, and gratitude of a particular gorgeous day. It always raises a smile from my wife, Gina, so – job done. Sometimes I express my gratitude into a Gratitude Journal. It prompts: “What are you grateful for today?” and “What are you grateful for in your life?” To the first, the responses vary, though there are definite themes: the birds singing; the author who wrote this excellent book I’m … [Read more...]

A New Year

A New Year Goodbye 2020, and good riddance. We will not miss you, nor ever forget you. You are indelibly stamped on our psyches and through our losses, our dis-ease, our months upon months of isolation. Here comes our chance to have a better year, though the harsh realities of 2020 will not fade soon, or soon enough. I propose some New Year Resolutions. Realistic ones, like, I will endeavor to: Eat better and healthier foods Be more patient with my children, spouse, parents, … [Read more...]

Open to Gifts

  11/16/20 Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we’re very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It’s as if we’ve divided the world into “those who offer help” and “those who need help.” The truth is that we are both. – Brené Brown, from The Gifts of Imperfection This year has not been the best of years. I think most would agree, even though most of us agreeing on something is pretty rare these days. But during this year of dis-ease and … [Read more...]