Happy New Year

We were talking-about the space between us all
And the people-who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth-then it's far too late-when they pass away.
We were talking-about the love we all could share-when we find it
To try our best to hold it there-with our love
With our love-we could save the world-if they only knew.
Try to realize it's all within yourself
No-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small,
And life flows on within you and without you.
We were talking-about the love that's gone so cold and the people,
Who gain the world and lose their soul-
They don't know-they can't see-are you one of them?
When you've seen beyond yourself-then you may find, peace of mind,
Is waiting there-
And the time will come when you see
we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you.
- George Harrison

Aimed Arrows selected top 10 EP of 2009!

The folks at Powerpopaholic.com selected "Aimed Arrows" as the 9th best EP of 2009! I have been a loyal reader of the Powerpopaholic blog for a long time now, and am completely honored that they chose my EP as part of their top 10 list. In addition to selecting it #9 of 2009 they also gave it a nice review which you can check out below:

I would like to thank all of you that bought the EP and those that helped so much with its creation: Dana for her brilliant artwork, Iain for his honest opinion, Curtis for his voice & ear, & Justin for the guitar solo on "Weary Arms".

Download "Aimed Arrows" by clicking the paypal button to the right.

The Mission

(view of the original mission cemetery)

(the mission today, with school to the left)
For a long time now I have been interested in California history and more specifically the California Missions. Lots of people find my interest a little odd and often ask what it is about the missions that attracts me. Here is my answer: the architecture, the art, the history, & the cemeteries. They usually respond with "Cemeteries? How morbid." I can understand this response, but I find the cemeteries so fascinating. So many people connected to the missions buried where they worked and lived.
Sadly at mission Sanbuenaventura the cemetery no longer exists. The people are still resting on the land, but instead of having tombstones mark the lives of so many of these early Californians, they are underneath a school. Above you can see a early shot of the mission with the cemetery untouched. How the powers that be could have decided it was a good idea to place a school on top of a cemetery is beyond me. This fact has always rubbed me the wrong way. So much so that I've written about it a few different times in my music. The most direct being my song "The Mission".
It was written about two years ago at my friend Jason's house while we were discussing the mission cemetery. Him and I would often talk about certain ideas and then start strumming our guitars. Most of the time I would start to think about what we had discussed and a melody would form with certain phrases from our conversation. That is what happened with "The Mission". Two years later I finally got around to making a proper recording which now appears on the "Aimed Arrows" EP. You can listen to "The Mission" below.
The Mission:

Gibson 335

This Gibson 335 has to be one of my most prized possessions. Obviously because it is a classic guitar model used by nearly everyone (Chuck Berry, BB King, Eric Clapton, etc) but also because it belonged to my Dad. The 335 was his main guitar during his touring years of the late 70's & early 80's. He told me he bought it in Ventura, CA at a music shop on main street around 1976. I asked him why he decided on the 335 and he said his main reason was because he knew that Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues played one and he was a big fan of the Moody's. I have a very clear memory of the first time I ever saw this guitar. I was 4 years old sitting on my parents bed and I asked my Dad about his acoustic guitar. He handed it to me and attempted to show me how to play a chord. The neck was far too thick for my four year old hand, so he went into his closet and pulled out a big black case. He opened it up and inside was his 335. The neck was very thin and much easier for me to play a chord. It was my first experience with a electric guitar and I will always remember it well. These days my Dad plays bass (in my band in fact) and has given me the 335. I haven't been using it much as I have been having a long affair with my Telecaster....but last week I dusted of the 335 and used on my latest song "Frida At The Harbor". You can listen to that recording below and get a good idea of what the 335 sounds like.
Fun Fact: Curtis RX has used this guitar live many times

Happy Holidays From Paul Starling!

Here are 6 original Paul Starling songs, plus 4 covers that have been featured on this very blog. So in case you missed out on some, you can download them all right here now! I will leave the downloads up for the rest of December, so get them while you can. Oh and if you are feeling generous maybe you'd like to leave Mr. Starling a donation ------->
Enjoy!
I Don't Believe You
Questions For Jane
Why Don't You Play Nice?
Frida At The Harbor
Can't You See We Are Sailors?
The Black & White Photographer
Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)
Walk On By
Soldier Of Love
Flaming Star

p.s. photo by Iain Macadam

Free Music Friday!

Hello friends. This week's 'Free Music Friday' song is extra special. It's a brand new song recorded this week! The song is titled "Frida At The Harbor" and it has a bit of a back story. My friend Curtis (Villains & Vaudevillians) & I enjoy the occasional bonfire at the harbor nearest to us. On one such occasion about 6 months ago we found a picture of Frida Kahlo (the very one pictured above) while we were walking around the boardwalk. As I'm sure most of you know, I have been interested in Frida Kahlo's work for sometime now. So when I found this photo laying on the ground in front of me, I took it as a personal sign of good luck. Soon after I placed her in my pocket (dirty minds please wander), Curtis said "Well, here comes another Frida song by Paul Starling....." He then sang in a Roy Orbison type falsetto: "and i found Frida at the harborrrrrrrr!" It now sticks in my mind as one of the more beautiful moments of the last few years. I enjoyed it so much that I recorded him & I singing that line over and over, into my cellphone. Flash-forward a few months ahead and I found myself in need of a chorus to a quirky new song. And who better to include than one of the finest surrealist, Frida?
So ladies & gentlemen, for the second time (the first being "Ballad Of A Raincoat") I present to you a song co-written by Paul Starling & Curtis Rx (well one line, but credit where credit is due!)
"Frida At The Harbor"

Download Mp3

John Lennon

Remembering John Lennon

Current Lennon Favorites:
1. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
2. Girl
3. In My Life
4. Nowhere Man
5. I Am The Walrus
6. Jealous Guy
7. Woman
8. Old Dirt Road
9. #9 Dream
10. You Are Here

Photo

by Iain Macadam

For My Sister

When She Left Us

Download Mp3

would have been 36 today. we all still miss you. love, brian

Mynt Green Theme

Got the chance to write the opening theme to my friend's great new blog Mynt Green Take a listen to the finished product above. After that head on over to Mynt Green and check out the awesome new blog!
You may even recognize one of the writers....

Free Music Friday!

The Black & White Photographer


Download the mp3 here
Justin Smith: lead guitar
Dave Lotfi: drums
Paul Starling: guitars, bass, vocals

Photo

At the Mint. Photo by Heather Kelterer

night hike

The Band @ The Mint

Justin, Paul, Andy (on the drums), & Steve
photo by Kaine

Come to the Mint tonight!

its going to be a great show. CDs & T-shirts will be for sale.

Happy Thanksgiving

from WC Fields, Ringo Starr, & Marc Bolan.
from Paul Starling as well.

I'm Not There by Bob Dylan

no i don't belong to her/i don't belong to anybody/she's my prize forsaken angel/but she don't hear me cry/she's a lone hearted mystic and she can't carry on/when i'm there she's alright/but then she's not when i'm gone

Show Friday @ The Mint!

(flier by Doug Broadhurst)
www.themintla.com

I'd love to see all of you there! Full band performance day after Thanksgiving. All ages show, so bring the whole family. T-shirts & CDs will be on sale as well!!!

Free Music Friday!

"Questions For Jane"


http://www.divshare.com/download/9427754-969
(photo by Ian McFarland)

I recorded this song a few weeks ago and decided I would like to give it away as a free download. I really like the idea of writing, recording, & releasing a song in a very short amount of time. Anyway I had a lot of fun working on this track and I am quite fond of the middle "run jane run" section.

Hey, if you enjoyed "Questions For Jane", you may want to pick up my new EP "Aimed Arrows", featuring 5 brand new tracks. Click the link to the right---->

Paul Starling has made it:

your author

Aimed Arrows EP (paypal link fixed)

4$ Digital Download includes:
*5 Brand New Paul Starling Tracks:
Lay Down Your Weary Arms
The Mission
Yes I Know What Day It Is
Tired Of The Casual Goddess
No No No
* Original EP Artwork by Dana Beierle, Front & Back Covers
* Lyrics to all 5 songs
* Exclusive BONUS track; each download will come with 1 of 3 'secret songs'

How It Works:
When you click the "buy now" button above it sends you to the PayPal site. There you are asked to pay the 4$. Once you've successfully paid, you will automatically be taken to the download site. Then you will download a zip file containing the above mentioned EP.

please contact me with any questions or comments: sirpaulstarling@yahoo.com

Arrow Photos From Contest

here are 3 i really enjoyed:

photo by: doug

photo of baby peter by: kristi

photo submitted by: justin

thanks to all of you that entered the contest. it was lots of fun looking at what you came up with.

don't forget to download "aimed arrows". paypal link is on the right ----->

Aimed Arrows EP

4$ Digital Download includes:
*5 Brand New Paul Starling Tracks:
Lay Down Your Weary Arms
The Mission
Yes I Know What Day It Is
Tired Of The Casual Goddess
No No No
* Original EP Artwork by Dana Beierle, Front & Back Covers
* Lyrics to all 5 songs
* Exclusive BONUS track; each download will come with 1 of 3 'secret songs'

How It Works:
When you click the "buy now" button above it sends you to the PayPal site. There you are asked to pay the 4$. Once you've successfully paid, you will automatically be taken to the download site. Then you will download a zip file containing the above mentioned EP.

please contact me with any questions or comments: sirpaulstarling@yahoo.com

Contest Winner!

Congrats to Erin from Colorado for her awesome arrow pic! (from the nilsson film the point!)

Thanks to everyone that submitted photos to the contest!

Don't forget "Aimed Arrows" comes out tomorrow! Download the EP right here!


Featuring 5 Brand New Paul Starling Songs!
Lay Down Your Weary Arms
The Mission
Yes I Know What Day It Is
Tired Of The Casual Goddess
No No No
Coming November 1st!!

Aimed Arrows Contest

Want to win a free download of my new EP "Aimed Arrows"? Well here's how:
1. take a photo of a unique, funny, scary, or interesting arrow. ex: street signs, billboards, lawn sculptures! (doesn't have to be a high quality shot, cellphone photos work!)
2. send the picture to sirpaulstarling@yahoo.com by Friday Oct. 30th 11:59 pm
3. i will review each and every photo and choose what i deem the best.
4. i will announce the winner Halloween morning and send them their free download!!!


Featuring 5 Brand New Paul Starling Songs!
Lay Down Your Weary Arms
The Mission
Yes I Know What Day It Is
Tired Of The Casual Goddess
No No No
Coming November 1st!!

New EP "Aimed Arrows" Coming Nov. 1st!!

4$ Digital Download includes:
*5 Brand New Paul Starling Tracks:
Lay Down Your Weary Arms
The Mission
Yes I Know What Day It Is
Tired Of The Casual Goddess
No No No
* Original EP Artwork by Dana Beierle, Front & Back Covers
* Lyrics to all 5 songs
* Exclusive BONUS track; each download will come with 1 of 3 'secret songs'

Hello Friends,
I am proud to announce the online release of my new EP "Aimed Arrows", featuring 5 brand new songs written & recorded by yours truly over the last year. You will be able to purchase the digital download right here at the Paul Starling blog, Monday November 1st! In addition we will be having a contest in which one of you will win a free download of "Aimed Arrows" one day early!! Check back all this week for more updates & contest details.
cheers,
Paul

Aimed Arrows EP

4$ Digital Download includes:
*5 Brand New Paul Starling Tracks:
Lay Down Your Weary Arms
The Mission
Yes I Know What Day It Is
Tired Of The Casual Goddess
No No No
* Original EP Artwork by Dana Beierle, Front & Back Covers
* Lyrics to all 5 songs
* Exclusive BONUS track; each download will come with 1 of 3 'secret songs'

How It Works:
When you click the "buy now" button above it sends you to the PayPal site. There you are asked to pay the 4$. Once you've successfully paid, you will automatically be taken to the download site. Then you will download a zip file containing the above mentioned EP.

please contact me with any questions or comments: sirpaulstarling@yahoo.com

I Don't Believe You

http://www.divshare.com/download/9036589-96f

words & music by paul starling 2009

the intro to this song features the instrument pictured above. it belonged to my great-grandmother and i believe it was made in 1903.

1960's Cover Project: Song 3 - Walk On By

"Walk On By"


http://www.divshare.com/download/8975838-a1a

"Walk on By" is a song composed by Burt Bacharach, with lyrics by Hal David for Dionne Warwick. It was recorded at the same December 1963 session that yielded "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which, in 1964, became Warwick's second Top Ten hit. Released in April of that year, "Walk on By" became a landmark single, reaching number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

I don't talk about it much, but I am a huge Burt Bacharach fan. From the first time I heard The Beatles version of "Baby It's You", to the time I heard "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by The Wondermints, I knew that Bacharach was a writer I needed to study. His use of major 7ths & add 9's is unique and used to perfection. Brian Wilson was a student of Bacharach, even going as far as recording "Walk On By" during The Beach Boys "Friends" album sessions.
This leads me to my cover of "Walk On By". The Dionne Warwick version is in my opinion just ok. I much prefer Helen Shapiro's version released the same year as Dionne's. (Helen Shapiro toured with the Beatles in 1963 by the way) Though I enjoy both ladies versions, the one that always blew me away was The Beach Boys from the above mentioned "Friends" sessions. Brian Wilson never got around to finishing his "Walk On By", but what is done is a moody piano and voice demo that is otherworldly. Brother Dennis sings the verse while Brian adds the high harmony. Simply amazing. I recommend hunting down the mp3 for your listening pleasure.
My recording is more along the lines of The Beach Boys rather than Dionne or Helen, though I do keep some of the vocal lines that Helen sang. The track features stand up bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, snare, tambourine, & backing vocals.

bass

vanessa's part two

this jacket was found in a box in my parents garage. i wore it all throughout elementary school and then tossed it away. it was always way too big for me but i seemed to not mind. now it is a bit too small but i still do not mind. the best part is that it has my name written in my 3rd grade handwriting on the inside tag.

The Beatle War: Lennon vs McCartney

After the Beatles split of early 1970, Lennon & McCartney started one of the most bitchy public break-ups of all time. Many things were said in the press, with many people taking sides. I personally don't care about all of that nonsense. What I think is interesting is how they took jabs at each other in their solo songs. I will now list various songs and which lines each Beatle took as a slap in the face from the other.

1. Man We Was Lonely - this McCartney song appeared on Paul's first solo album "McCartney" released 1970. The line "I used to ride on my fast city line, singing songs that I thought were mine alone" most certainly refers to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting partnership.

2. I Found Out - Lennon's song from his first solo album "The Plastic Ono Band" released 1970. Filled with jabs at Paul & the Beatles in general, the lines "I told you before stay away from my door, don't give me that brother brother brother brother" & "i've seen religion from Jesus to Paul" are obvious in their meaning.

3. Too Many People - appears on McCartney's "Ram" album released 1971. McCartney himself has admitted this song is about his feelings towards Lennon & Ono at the time. The song opens with Paul yelling "piss off yeah, yeah, yeah". Other lines "too many people preaching practices" "too many people never sleep in late" "you took your lucky break and broke it in two" "too many hungry people losing weight" all refer to Lennon & Ono. This song is what sent Lennon into his McCartney hating best.

4. How Do You Sleep? - appears on Lennon's 1971 "Imagine" album. Leave it to Lennon to cut the bullshit and just come right out and sing a full fledged attack on McCartney. Every single lyric to this song was meant to hit McCartney, and hit him hard. Perhaps the single biggest blow didn't even come from a lyric, but the fact that ex-Beatle George Harrison plays the stinging lead on the track.

5. Dear Friend - appears on Wings 1971 album "Wild Life". After "How Do You Sleep?" McCartney had enough sense to try and put an end to the feud with this track. Sung as an open letter to Lennon, McCartney clearly feels hurt and tries to remind Lennon of their old friendship.

6. Let Me Roll It - appears on Wings 1973 album "Band On The Run". Some have speculated that this "Lennon-esque" track was McCartney's attempt to let Lennon know the battle was over. After its release, Lennon & McCartney never released another song bitching at each other.

oct hike day 2

the cave in the rain. today was a much nicer hike. it drizzled 80% of the time.

oct hike

happy birthday john lennon

my 10 fav lennon song (right now)
1. yes it is
2. instant karma
3. i don't want to spoil the party
4. and your bird can sing
5. happiness is a warm gun
6. the ballad of john & yoko
7. don't let me down
8. strawberry fields forever
9. watching the wheels
10. woman

uncle starling

with niece bellah

whats he been eating?

oooo yeah. thanks to brian reardon for the hook ups.

army coat

@ vannessa's

fall

notes from a meeting