Influences:   Donald & Walter, Nick Lowe, Marvin Gaye, David Scott & The Pearlfishers, Pops Staples & The Staples Singers, Jimmy Webb, folk and old-style country, Brian Wilson.

2019 is my sixth FAWM in a row. February is my only concentrated time to write songs. My regular writing partner, @joeblomberg , and I have talked about making an album for 40 years. But we're a combination of too busy and too lazy, if that's possible.

1 March. Whew, made it. 14 1/4 songs. Most were collabs. On the 27th I had 12 and had pretty much decided I wasn't going to get a win. But I felt a surge of inspiration on the 28th and got the last two up, plus a placeholder stub for one that needs time to do the vocals properly. Last year, I got a win by doing a lot of skirmishes. None this year --it seemed like I joined the many who have skirmish fatigue-- and I was able to spend quality production time on almost all the songs. Even so, this February felt more relaxed than any previous one. My wife said the same thing. On the other hand, I didn't get much sleep! Usually I get ill from lack of sleep, but not this year. May have to do with going vegan (well, a relaxed vegan-ish diet) a few months ago. Perhaps one of the unknown benefits of kale is, it lets you work til 3 AM in the studio without ruining your health!

My son and niece are talented FAWMers: check them out!
@vaticanvamps14 aka Nat Lort-Nelson
@hazzard

I occasionally play gigs. This is me with my American daughter, my Swedish adopted daughter, and my Brit son-in-law playing in a Spanish club (built by the Romans). With an American guitar.

#1		Too Many Socks @joeblomberg latin jazz	26 6 weeks
#2		Wilfrieda Beehive @mattblick  old-time dancing brass-band	20 6 weeks
#3		At Home With My Baby (Anonymous Day) @joeblomberg jangly guitar pop	10 5 weeks
#4		Valentine’s Day (Right Here on FAWM) basic country guy-with-guitar metafawm	7 5 weeks
#5		Apples and Oranges @joeblomberg sentimental jazz ballad guy-with-piano	8 5 weeks
#6		National Emergency found-audio funky	11 5 weeks
#7		A Boy Named Og @mattblick  rockabilly	18 5 weeks
#8		Gated Community folk woody-guthrie protest guy-with-guitar	8 4 weeks
#9		Old Dog Slippin' Away soul	9 4 weeks
#10		Unicorns and Princesses @joeblomberg piano ballad about-kids	9 4 weeks
#11		Letting Things Go @joeblomberg big-band breakup-song inertia	2 4 weeks
#12		The Prodigal atmospherish-rock	4 3 weeks
#13		Today (A Love Song) @joeblomberg piano-ballad guy-with-piano	3 3 weeks
#14		No Handyman Around guy-with-ukulele old-time-piano	6 3 weeks
#15		Be Still -- *Placeholder* @joeblomberg hymn choir	1 3 weeks

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• 

  @tamsnumber4  1 week

  Thanks for commenting on my collab song "Reach For The Stars", I appreciate the listen!

• 

  @billwhite51 3 weeks

  to get your complementary download of the march songladder, go to http://billwhite.bandcamp.com/yum and write in this code a5j5-xf39. ive enjoyed your work this year, and hope you get this message, as i have not other contact info for you.

• 

  @billwhite51 3 weeks

  thank you for your understanding comments on my neither am i song. throughout us history, several parties have risen and fallen. why is it that since the 20th century, voters have been so afraid to step out of the two party stalemate?

• 

  @sherrycanary  4 weeks

  Jon...you know I have been a fan of your music since i first heard you.
  Next FAWM I would love to do a duo with you. Male verse, female response. Just throwing it out there!

• 

  @nancyrost  4 weeks

  I hope you can acquire another four-track machine before FAWM 2020; I'm sure you'd add amazing stuff to the mix, and it would be great to have more participants on your side of the pond.

• 

  @porrectus  4 weeks

  Thanks for the comment on Hallowed. I really appreciate it.

• 

  @deena  4 weeks

  Wow... thanks for great comments and also asking about my sounds! I ran a Fender Jazz bass through a cheap virtual guitar amp called v-amp 3. I just turned the knobs and dials until I found a sound I liked. I ran the guitar through the same box. And the glock is a nice toy with only 8 notes, no accidentals...so I could only use a few of them... Thanks, thanks, thanks for listening and commenting!

• 

  @berni1954  4 weeks

  Glad you liked my Collab with Elizabeth (Love Will) - yes, it has a folk club (or even a hymn) feel to it and I would love to hear it sung by masses of people.

• 

  @berni1954  4 weeks

  Hi John,
  
  No gigs planned till May. when we have been asked to do a residency in the little town where I used to live (Capellades).
  
  We have relatives in Euskadi and vist quite often. Perhaps we could break the journey in Saragossa one day and have a coffee together.
  The easiest email address for me is berni@ (the little town I mention above) dot net. Drop me a line sometime.

• 

  @billwhite51 4 weeks

  thanks for your comments on summer of the rising stars.. you got it right on all counts, at least those are the points i tried to hit. its funny how writers are so serious about their break up songs and so flippant about their good times songs. i tried to make this a good time song that hinted at the serious undertones of those ambiguous romances that never get to a stage so serious that they have to end in heartache, i appreciate all the positive feedback you have given me on this years songs

• 

  @berni1954  5 weeks

  Do you ever get down BCN way?

• 

  @berni1954  5 weeks

  Thanks for giving my Hayley Mills song a positive review.
  I see you live in Spain. Whereabouts? I am up in Catalunya in Vilanova i la Geltru.

• 

  @paulhenry  5 weeks

  "But we're a combination of too busy and too lazy, if that's possible."
  
  Yes, it's possible, and I live it.

• 

  @dani312 5 weeks

  Thanks so much for your post on my page. Honestly it means a lot to hear you say that my sound has successfully moved out of the “classical zone”! I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t take years to stamp the classical out of me! It’s so hard to un-learn something! I’m pretty envious of your wife- that sounds like a fantastic experience! Definitely something I wish I could’ve had growing up, but that’s ok because at least I’m giving my own kids that experience. Thanks again for your kind words!

• 

  @mattblick  5 weeks

  something random coming your way...
  
  to icloud.com email address...

• 

  @mikeskliar  5 weeks

  Thanks for listening and commenting – by the way that distortion/overdrive in those recordings is something that you actually add in GarageBand - For those two recordings you heard , , ,once I recorded the basic guitar track in music memos (which add bass and drums) I exported it to GarageBand on the iPhone and added the other things there

• 

  @dani312 5 weeks

  Thanks so much for your generous comments and feedback on Our House is Falling Down!

• 

  @hornesgiftshop  5 weeks

  Thanks for your kind comment, Jon. Phyrgian eh? I can never remember the names - for me, it's normal or Hava Nagila.

• 

  @billwhite51 5 weeks

  i never met Riz Rollins. He is at KEXP,right? Dont really know too many people in Seattle radio. I was a dj at WMFO at tufts university outside of boston for 8 years but never got into that scene in seattle.

• 

  @billwhite51 6 weeks

  thanks for your comment on ive seen everyone man, since i first heard the song ive been everywhere, ive wanted to write something like it. finally an idea came along that seemed like it might work and, to some degree, i think it did. nothing can touch the original though.

• 

  @mattblick  6 weeks

  awesome and very grateful - will check it out - just been having a harris hawk experience - lotsa fun.

• 

  @tamsnumber4  6 weeks

  Thanks for listening and commenting on my song "You Are Fragile", I really appreciate it!!

• 

  @mattblick  6 weeks

  Thanks for the comment - first one on the board!
  
  We didn't want to reveal prospective children's names when we were expecting our first - so we picked a couple at random on a car journey
  
  Wilfrieda Beehive (f.)
  Grafton Regis (m.)
  
  Former a bus company, latter a town.
  
  Said it with a straight face and not one person ever dared say "that's a dumb name"

• 

  @zxcvbnm  6 weeks

  Thanks for listening and your kind words.on "Everybody's Talking"

• 

  @majordanby  6 weeks

  Thanks for you comments there seems to be a fun element between both our clothing songs, yours sounded like a lot of fun to create and play.

• 

  @mattblick  6 weeks

  Hey Jon - have a great and creative and prosperous year.

• 

  @mikeb 7 weeks

  Thanks for commenting on my Week 1 challenge song!

• 

  @sherrycanary  7 weeks

  Hi John
  Good to see you here. Happy FAWming!

• 

  @mikeb 7 weeks

  Thanks for the welcome!

• 

  @ghostinyourpiano 8 weeks

  Thanks for the welcome! It's encouraging to see folks who keep up with it despite not 'winning' each year 😀

• 

  @nuj4x Jan 24

  

• 

  @hornesgiftshop  Jan 22

  Thanks for the comment Jon. We Jons have to stick together - it's a brutal world out there. Looking forward to hearing your songs.

• 

  @tamsnumber4  Jan 15

  I am hoping to enjoy your creativity this year...