If you are a band that played live, the last few years put a serious crimp in your world. Didn't matter if your audience filled an arena or a pub, there was no filling going on. While some income might be generated by music sales and online concerts, it barely matched the take you got from playing in front of a paying audience. Additionally, musicians of all stripes live to connect with each other and their audiences: not making music is simply not an option.
Trent Wagler, the singer/songwriter who leads The Steel Wheels, was in just such a predicament. An established journeyman group, the band's rootsy brand of Americana garnered rave reviews and adoring fans. While they have a healthy catalog of work, their bread and butter was appearing at venues, fairs and festivals. When all that stopped, they scattered to their respective homes. How could they keep their musical spark alive, stay connected with their fans, and generate some income? And so began their "Everyone a Song" project.
They put out the word that they would accept commissions to write a song about any and all, be it a birthday, a wedding, a life's work. Not just a simple verse and a guy playing guitar, these would be fully formed tracks in the band's signature style with banjo, guitars, bass, drums and fiddle. "I think when we started, we really had no idea and very low expectations," said Trent. "Are we gonna get flooded? Is anyone gonna be interested?" It started slowly, but as word got out, the pace picked up; indeed, it snowballed: "I think at this point we have probably written and recorded somewhere around 60 to 70 original songs, plus covers of ours and others. All told, we probably have recorded closer to 150 songs."
For the band, it was a different way of working. They were used to using Trent's songwriting as a starting point, and working collaboratively in the studio. This couldn't be more different: each was in their own home studio, and the volume of material was magnitudes beyond their usual pace. In this approach, after talking with the requester, Trent would come up with lyrics and a musical backbone, then send the base track on to one of the guys. They would add their part and send it to the next, eventually winding up in drummer Kevin Garcia's hands to add rhythm as well as mix and master. Trent again: "I would say 95% of what ended up on the albums, and probably more like 98% of the stuff we sent out to people was first draft and was first choice."
From a songwriting perspective, it was a unique challenge for a person with years of experience penning his own stories. "I was inspired by the process itself in letting go of some of my own self, my own insecurities, and just kind of letting some of those first ideas go. Sometimes I'm so quick to criticize, oh, that's cheesy or that's cliche. And then after a while you realize, oh, actually I do like that. It's the art of finding things that just ride close enough to cliche that they feel familiar, but don't feel tired. And that's a hard line to walk as a writer."
And the songs? You don't need to know their backstory for them to draw you in. Spread over two albums, "Everyone A Song" rings with tracks that play not as one-off demos, but as polished pieces of musical craftsmanship. You don't need to know that "Where I'm From" is about a Catholic school, nor that "The Healer" is about a physical therapist's retirement to appreciate them. That said, it is fun to know that "It's Your Fault" is about a woman tearing her ACL while dancing to the band, and that it eventually led to their former bass player marrying her.
As the world moves on the band has resumed touring and plans head back to the studio to do their own material. But they've learned from the experience, including new ways of working, new ideas, even different musical styles and techniques. And they may reopen this project as well: "While it was born out of the pandemic, people connecting to songs on a very personal level can be a really meaningful thing, and it is a unique way to continue to connect with people, too."
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Marc Wollin of Bedford loves listening to live music of all types. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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