Songwriting Archives - Ken Chapple

Album Art Sketches

Crossing The Black Album Artwork Sketches

I met with my brilliant friend and artistic associate "The Artist" on Monday (the artist requested to remain nameless for now.) We met to review artwork for the cover of Crossing the Black to be released summer 2015! We started with a discussion about art and music, and ended up in a cribbage game with a couple of drunken strangers. I won. The sketches capture my vision perfectly. The music on this record is some of my most personal work, drawing on my experiences, my fantasies and my present life. The title "Crossing the Black" refers to the Black River in…

Get Ready For Winter

October 16, 2014
Ken Chapple
Songwriting

Get Ready For Winter Hey all! Time to get ready for winter. The cold, cold winter is right around the corner again, so I had the idea to resurrect this little gem called "Winter Song." This song was written over a period of several years, and was first recorded on Wayward Vessel's 2010 self-titled debut album. I started writing "Winter Song" in 2003. I was getting ready to head west to Portland, OR. G.W. Bush had recently declared war on Iraq. I was anxious. I was idealistic, though I knew it would be hard having moved out on my own…

Write away from your instrument

April 10, 2014
Ken Chapple
Songwriting

You're sitting at home with a six-pack, or maybe some freshly squeezed juice if you're not into drinking al-k-hol. You pick up your guitar and you're like [koo_highlight style="yellow"] OK, let's write a song [/koo_highlight]. If you're like me, this never works. Try Bud Dry In order to really get in the songwriting mood, try something different. The potential of your brain when it's free to imagine is far greater than when it's limited to your knowledge of the guitar, mandolin, or whatever. Even if you're a virtuoso. Put down your guitar and just imagine something from your recent past. We…